Day Ten . . .

. . . but whose counting?

I am!

China has been wonderful, but we are looking forward to home sweet home. I will however miss the breakfast buffet . . . the doormen . . . the fresh cut flowers . . . the maid service . . . the nightly bed turndown . . . and of course our newly formed Chinese friendships . . . and the delicious food (minus the chicken feet and the squid tenticles) . . . and the sights and sounds (minus the honking car horns) . . . and the other adoptive families whose joy we have shared along with our own! Oh yes, and the shopping, musn't forget the shopping! There will be much to miss and much to remember, but home is still sounding good!

Teddi had her medical check-up today. Every child being adopted has to have a check-up before they can get their Visa to travel. The Physical Exam office is a short walk from our hotel. Mr. Li escorted us there, and whisked us through the process!

Miss Teddi Xiao Xiao did great at her medical exam, much to mama's relief! She was my Wowie Xiaoie, super girl!! We have no way of knowing what her past experiences have been with doctors and nurses (with her cleft issues) and I fully expected that she might "wig out", quite the contrary--she was her smiling, happy little self! She "checked-out" just fine! Thank you Lord! While I'm on the subjects of health and thanking, I want to say thanks to all of you who have prayed for our health during this long trip -- we are doing great! And our "Love One Another" has been better too!

After Teddi's medical exam we filled out Visa paperwork back here at the hotel lobby with Mr. Li. He will do the Visa appointment at the consulate in the morning. We will be "on call" (meaning we need to be near our room phone) until he gives the all clear--just in case he has any questions. On Thursday we will all go to the consulate for the "swearing in" ceremony . . . and then our girl is free to leave her homeland, for her new life in the United States of America.


My little bird is about to fly away home . . .

and she's ready!
Playing with toys, patiently
waiting her turn for her exam. She was so good!


Back at Dong and Susan's shop tonight,
throwing the hackey sack to Dong--
He later gave it to her as a gift, you should see
it now. "Can you say mangled feathers"?


Sweaty girl, out for lunch.

I am in love with her face--smooshed

little nose and all.

Brady playing more hackey with a

local, after lunch at Lucy's diner.

This was at dinner tonight . . . Say "Cheeeeeeeeese"!

For those of you adoptive families waiting to travel, there

is a new Italian restaurant not too far from the Victory (out the

door, go right . . . located near the

Station One restaurant.) It was beautiful inside

and the food was really, really good!

The red carpet entrance to the Victory. I'm going to

miss this fancy-pants place!

Trying on some shoes, so content!

Such a marvelous blessing God has bestowed upon us!

A little bedtime snack while watching "The Wiggles"

with brother, on the portable DVD player. . . Yes, we brought the

Wiggles all the way to China. Teddi had shown little interest in the DVD's

until tonight . . . she was jammin' and clapping her hands! Leave it

to four goofy guys from Australia to suck her in to the American way of life.

That's it for now. We are beginning to wrap up our trip of a lifetime! In some ways it seems like we just got here. In others, I look at our little China bird--so quiet and scared (yet smiling) eight days ago, now a giggling little powerhouse of joy--and I see how far we've come!
Thank you China for the memories, and for trusting us to raise one of your children. We are so very blessed!

Tina

There is another new post below . . . Thanks again to all of you who have left comments! We are reading every single one and we are so encouraged and excited to have you along on our journey! T~