Day 7 and 8-- Hamming it up in Nanchang

Well, we have had to take life a little slower the past day or two.  I succumbed to a bit of "traveler's tummy" and a general exhaustion yesterday.  That's why there was no new post-- I slept every chance I got.  Both Anna Kathryn and I took long naps yesterday!  Thankfully, Mark is feeling fine, so he took on a lot of the baby duty yesterday.  Anna Kathryn is still adjusting well, but the nighttime is the hardest for her. She has been waking up crying and I think a little scared. We spend time soothing and comforting, and usually after a lot of this and a bottle, she get the message that it is time for sleep, not play. In the morning she always wakes up with a big smile on her face. This, of course, makes our day!

Still, we didn't want to waste our time here, so we headed out Thursday morning to visit the Tengwang pavilion, Nanchung's top historic sight.  This pavilion has been built and rebuilt 29 times since 653 AD. It was originally built for a Tang Dynasty prince who was governor of Nanchang, and was later immortalized in a lovely poem by a Tang-era poet. Despite the wilting heat and humidity, we toured the gardens surrounding the pavilion, then saw a short performance of song and dance on the top floor. We worked our way back down the 7 or 8 stories, looking at the beautiful artwork, the views of the Gan river and the city, and the lovely Chinese architecture.

We have already learned that Anna Kathryn is a total ham (much like her cousin Emily) and LOVES to have her picture taken. She also tends to attract a crowd wherever we go. People come up and chatter with her, touch her, and tell us (via our guide/translator) what a beautiful and lucky baby she is. It's nice that the Chinese people we have met all seem to be happy to see babies adopted, and the general attitude is that adopted babies will have a very good life with loving parents and opportunities for education. Education is prized here, since compulsory education only goes to ninth grade and only about 5 % of Chinese citizens get to go to university.

We have been enjoying spending time with other American families here in Nanchang. It's always very obvious who they are (Caucasians toting around small Chinese children, speaking English), and we tend to flock together, since we are all in the same boat here. It helps with the homesickness to be able to swap stories, play with the babies, share formula, medicine, and peanut butter (that, and more Ziploc bags, are the only two things I wish I had here. I actually dreamed about peanut butter last night. And I'm really not a big PB person, but it just tastes like home.). We have become friendly with a family from Spokane, Washington who adopted a 19-month old named Brianna, and met another family from Illinois this morning. 

We are also enjoying getting to know the other AWAA family here with us, Jim and Sherri England, Their daughter, MelodyRose, is only 3 weeks younger than Anna Kathryn, and it's fun to see all of the similarities between the girls. They have had a bigger adjustment, I think, since they arrived in China the same morning we got the babies. So they are dealing with culture shock, jet lag, and new parenthood all at once. We have had a good time during our daily excursions, at dinner, and playing "Frogger" as we brave crossing the crazy Nanchang traffic.

Today (Friday) we toured a farming village a few miles outside of Nanchang. It was a good thing for us  to see because the chances are that Anna Kathryn's birthparents were farmers, or lived in a similar community. Since we won't be able to travel to Anna Kathryn's hometown, this is the next best thing.  Sally told us that everyone in the village has the same last name, Jiang (I think), and that the young men go to the city to work, since farming earns only about $600 USD per year. She said that we would mostly see women, children, and elderly people. The village was extremely poor-- the kind of poverty we just do not see in the USA. However, the people did seem happy and most everyone was friendly. One man, who was busy butchering a pig, did shoo Mark away as he approached to ask if he could take a picture.  I'm sure we were the big entertainment of the day! Several older ladies followed us around as we walked through the streets. It was humbling to realize how much we take for granted in our own lives. I have been struggling with just boiling water and doing baby laundry in the tub, but I have it so easy compared with washing clothes in the lake, cooking on a wood-burning stove, and washing dishes in a pan on my front porch as these mothers do.   One of the grandmothers of the village-- 80 years old and still goes out in the fields to work regularly-- asked to hold Anna Kathryn and just delighted in her.  Babies translate in any culture.  

I wish I could post all-- or many more -- of our pictures from yesterday and today. We have some great ones! But Blogger is not willing to upload for me today.  It took an hour and multiple attempts to post the one. Grrr.   I know that's what y'all are looking for, and believe me, I wish I could deliver!  I'll try again later on to see if I can edit this post and add more pictures.  

For now, good night from China!

PS-- Little Susannah is doing better, but is still quite sick.  So far, the provincial officials have not been willing to expedite the paperwork for her to be adopted and released early, but please keep praying for this family and situation.  She is holding her own, and that is a miracle!