A New Day and a Visit to Old City

It's Thursday morning, around 6:30 am March 26th. It's the best time to post, the two girls are sleeping peacefully. Lydia had a big day of walking yesterday, and fell sound asleep in Baba's arms at dinner. She was too tired for her usual bath, but then had a hard time falling asleep last night. Lydia woke up in the early morning hours crying--probably a bad dream, climbed in to bed with us and fell fast asleep. Talia was awake around 5:20, played with us a little, had a bottle and is now also sleeping in our bed next to Lydia. Mama and Baba have pretty much been up since around 4:20 am. Today we're supposed to go to the Old City for a tour, and a chance to buy a traditional outfit of clothing for Talia. We were so lucky that Director Wang presented Lydia with a traditional outfit when we visited her orphanage. Both girls have been very easy, Lydia is adjusting to life with a new sister and needing a little more love and attention, but is overall doing great. Talia is like a dream baby--eats, sleeps, laughs and plays, loves to go places and see new things, but can also sit on the bed and play by herself without fussing. She and Lydia both play together and can play side by side doing their own thing. Lydia enjoys helping with Talia's bottle, and feeding her bites at meals. Pictures from the day probably during Talia's nap or this evening. Tomorrow we leave Chongqing for a two-hour flight to Guangzhou, the last stop as we get Talia's paperwork finished up--her visa and her U.S. Citizenship, her passport arrives tomorrow before we leave.

This morning's adventure was to the Old City of Chongqing. We saw bunkers in the mountain side along the highway, where the citizens of Chongqing hid from the Japanese invasion. We arrived at the Old City neighborhood and saw many shops and items for sale, some traditional, like Chinese clothing and foods, some new, like hacky sacks and doggie fashions! We tried many traditional Chinese candies and sweets--Lydia really loved a rice paste with walnut candy, pressed thin, like a stick of chewing gum. There is also a picture of her holding a phoenix on a stick--we watched the man drizzle caramelized sugar on a marble slab and attach her candy to the stick, which he then presented to her. Then, there was the rice with brown sugar wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed in a little package--really wonderful, even Talia wanted more, more and more. She's developed quite the sweet tooth, and loved the grilled bananas drizzled with honey for "lunch dessert." Art took photos of the river, a beach that is viewable only in the spring until the water rises and covers it, and a Buddhist Monastery. The above pictures include glazed sweets for sale, men pounding a tub making sesame paste for candy, and our family with hands rubbing on a ball against a wall, "for good luck." The locals love to ask us questions, and I now answer "hao le" (it's fine!) when the older women worry about the Ergo carrier. Babies are traditionally just carried by hand in China, or papoose style in a bamboo basket on the back, not these new-fangled carrier things. Anita, our guide, has been so wonderful and generous to us. She bought Lydia and Talia each a memento of Chongqing, their names and a special message from Chongqing in a framed certificate. We bought hand painted banyan tree leaves to frame at home, a specialty of Chongqing artists. Both girls got traditional outfits and Anita bought us another cake, since the first one was such a hit! We will be sad to leave Talia's provincial capital, and the wonderful, warm and sweet Anita. But tomorrow is one more tour in the morning before Anita brings us to the airport, and one step closer to home with our new daughter. Probably won't post again or just a small note as we'll be packing, flying out, and getting into Guangzhou late, probably not to the hotel until 8:30 pm or so, assuming the flight is on time.