So sorry we're so slack with the posts!

We're ALL sick! We all started to get sneezy and drippy just before leaving Nanchang for Guangzhou, and have been getting progressively worse as the week has worn on. Between coughs and wiping noses, diaper changes, meals, naps, and shopping (yes, we've still managed to do that!), we just haven't had much time to get online. We keep thinking we'll get on in the evenings when the kids are asleep, and then we fall asleep ourselves! :) On top of that, internet service is not free at the White Swan, so we opted to just get it in Suzanne's room since she was the only one of us who could stay up long enough to make use of it. Again, sorry for no news!

The big news is, of course, that we've completed all of our U.S. Consulate stuff now, which means that we have Ellie's visa and we've been through the oath-taking ceremony that they require, which was done as a group (43 families) and basically said that we promise to care for her as if she were our biological child. It was somewhat emotional, even in a huge room of mostly strangers.

Other than the above mentioned necessary appointments and daily stuff, we've done a considerable amount of shopping. The prices here are beyond amazing. Ellie now has an incredible squeaky shoe collection, and we've cleaned up on jade, porcelain, and cloisonne! I've even bought several bigger outfits for her to wear next year or the year after. I just wish there was little boy stuff so available here for Liam! The best we've been able to do for him is a couple of tee shirts.

Liam and Ellie are getting along very, very well. He has regressed a bit, but it's hard to tell if the crankiness is more due to her presence, his illness, or just being tired of being away from home. All in all, he's done fairly well, but this week we've been unable to eat out because he has no appetite and won't sit quietly for the rest of us to eat. We've had some wonderful Catonese and Thai food here, and Lucy's Bar, which is about a block away, has good American and Chinese food and great cold Tsingtao beer!

This will be our last post from China, since we leave tonight at 6. I'm going to try to add the rest of our photos to our Fotki album now, and I'll add captions to them either in Los Angeles (spending the night there before heading home) or once we get home.

-Dianne

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for:

Greetings, all! The big news is, our whole family is together! Well, those of us in China, anyway. :)

After an amazing and exhausting Saturday touring Tian'anmen Square, The Forbidden City, and The Great Wall (blog entry coming soon), we got up on Sunday and flew to Nanchang. Liam was pretty much wiped out by the time we got to the hotel, so he stayed with Britt and Aunt Suzi while Dianne and I went to meet Ellie. And because I know you're really not checking out this blog for my brilliant prose, no more waiting -- here she is!



She is such a sweetie! Poor baby cried and cried at first, like all of the others, but before long she had latched on tight to me and I was able to sing her to sleep. A real Daddy's girl, huh? :) She slept all the way back to the hotel, and for quite a while after. Had to get her up for a diaper change and some dinner, and some playtime with big sister Britt, but she's slept through since then.



More appointments this morning, but nothing on the schedule for this afternoon other than naptime, and maybe another blog entry. Tune in again . . .