We are almost done with the paperwork! Tomorrow, Friday, we go to the US Consulate to take an oath and recieve Nicholas' Visa to go home. The White Swan is beautiful and has been a good way to finish the trip. The girls went swimming today it was pleasant and about 75 degrees but the outdoor pool was cold! It won't be long now-ready for our trip home!

We arrived in Guangzhou yesterday. Our trip from Beijing to Guangzhou was difficult to say the least!! We boarded the plane nearly an hour late and then sat, not moving for more that an hour. The plane was HOT and Nick was miserable and crying, Audrey was fussing and I was praying to get to Guangzhou!!! Meili was my only saving grace-she took a nap! As time drug on we passed lunch time and then dinner time by the time we arrived in Guangzhou the kids were tired, hungry and all wanted to be carried -I have improved muscle tone in my upper body-Nick weighs 30 lbs and Meili weighs 26lbs. I am certain at this point I could run a marathon-no problem! I can't wait to get home!

Swimming has been one of the girls favorite things to do at the hotel. The first time we visited the pool we found out that they required bathing caps. Audrey thought that wearing a hat in the pool was very funny! Nicholas was very unsure about the pool the first time but today enjoyed his swim very much-despite the bathing cap! The TianLun Dynasty Hotel is beautiful and they started decorating for Christmas today-made it feel alittle more like home! The adoption paperwork is complete, we received Nicholas' passport today at the police station. Tomorrow we leave for Guangzhou, the final part of the trip! We will apply for Nicholas' Visa to enter the US and he will get a physical at the US Embassy in Guangzhou. We are looking forward to Guangzhou-it is familiar territory and there are many families like ours around-well maybe not three children from China but you know what I mean! We have enjoyed Beijing but are ready to be done and go home!

Today is Audrey's 4th Birthday! Our guide Mariane brought her a birthday cake and hat and she enjoyed both very much! She is growing up so fast and everyday she amazes me with her sheer joy and enthusiasm for life! I always think of her birthmother on this day and hope that she has found peace and wish she could know how loved and special Audrey is and I am thankful that we are so fortunate to be her forever family.

I got my first kiss from Nicholas and a very sweet "Mama"! I think he is a Mama's boy already! Tomorrow is our last whole day in Beijing. I think time will go quickly in Guangzhou and before we know it we will be headed HOME!

It is Sunday morning and we are going shopping and to Pizza Hut for lunch. Our guide suggested going to the zoo on Monday. We are very tired of living out of a hotel room and so are the kids! As you can see the portable crib is now a jungle gym for lack of anything better to do! Nicholas loves to drop anything he can get his hands on in the toilet and keeping the door shut doesn't compute with the girls. Nicholas is potty trained for the most part, I just have to understand when he asks to go! Well we off to the deptment store where we get lots of strange looks-getting tired of that too!

We went to visit Tian' anmen Square and the Forbidden City. Sightseeing with three children is often a little difficult! The very persistent street vendors also take away from the pleasure of seeing the historic sights. Tian' anmen Square was built in the 1400's-things that old are hard to even imagine. Our guide Mariane is wonderful and very knowledgeable about the history of China. The kids are doing great and having a good time. Feeding the girls is becoming a challenge, they are tired of Chinese food and the pizza here isn't like at home! We are resting today,taking swim in the hotel pool and going to the grocery. We will be going to the Beijing Zoo tomorrow.

The Great Wall was amazing! I had no idea that the stair sections of the Great Wall were so steep-very difficult to climb with children! We didn't venture to the top of the wall but plan to return when the little ones are older to make the climb! Audrey wanted to climb to the top but I'm not so sure she would have been able to get back down! We have had beautiful weather everyday and our guide has told us how unusual it is for Beijing this time of year. Nicholas was sweet and easy going, Audrey and Meili kept us hopping!

It is Thanksgiving in China and we are headed to see the Great Wall today. We will miss the turkey but have so much to be thankful for this year. Nicholas continues to do very well. He sleeps well, eats an amazing amount of food and if generally a very happy,sweet boy. The girls are enjoying him as well-especially Audrey, she can really get him laughing and she thinks he is very funny as well. Bath time is a favorite for all of them. Audrey and Meili enjoyed the hotel pool yesterday afternoon, Nicholas was not impressed-too cold I think? I hope to post picture of our day at the Great Wall tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Nicholas is finally with us!! I had prepared myself for a very difficult transition and I can't believe how wonderful it has been so far. Nicholas is a doll! When he came into the room he smiled and called us Mama and Baba and was holding a picture of us-I was amazed. The nanny told us he had been waiting for us-she then told him he was going to go home with his Mama and Baba and he smiled so big! Meili gave him his toy and he was very happy with his new truck. Audrey fell asleep in the van on the way to the orphanage and missed the whole thing! She woke up as we were leaving the orphanage and was very pleased with her new brother.
Our guide Marian took us to a local chinese restaurant and Nicholas ate an amazing amount of food. The girls ate broccolli, noodles and rice. After eating the girls got to go potty in a Chinese style potty-Meili looked at it and said, "What happened to that potty?" They both managed well and are soon to be Chinese potty pros! I have to go feed my bottomless pit boy-will post more later!

We are in Beijng!!! The flights went well. The Audrey and Meili are looking down on the Great Wall when I took this photo. The girls traveled well and rested on the plane alittle but not enough! Our hotel is beautiful and our guide Marian seems very nice. We go to the orphanage to meet Nicholas in the morning!!! I will post more tomorrow.

Our Journey To Nicholas

As you know Frank and I have adopted Audrey and Meili from China. Audrey from Hunan in July 2002 and Meili from Guangxi in June 2004. We began our process to bring Nicholas home in May 2005 after seeing his picture on CCAI's Waiting Child List. CCAI is the agency that has helped us bring home Audrey, Meili and now Nicholas. CCAI is a wonderful agency and they seem like part of our family. Nicholas was on a Waiting Child list because he has had a congenital heart condition, a ventricular septal defect, repaired and his right ear is smaller than his left with a very narrow canal, he cannot hear normally inhis right ear but does hear normally in his left. He was born Jan 2, 2004 and abandoned Jan 25, 2004 in a hospital outpatient waiting room in Beijing. He was cared for at a police station for nearly 2 weeks before they took him to the orphanage in Beijing. The orphanage nannies named him Jian Zhong. He had his VSD (heart condition) repaired in May 2004 and was then placed with a foster family. His foster parents have a teenage daughter and are very fond of Nicholas, Jian to them, and that is all the information we have about them. We hope to meet them in China when we receive Nicholas on Nov. 22, 2005!