Hi everyone, don't know if this post will be successful because I can not actually view the blog to check if it posts or to edit the layout. We arrived here in Guangzhou on Friday night May 25. We nearly missed our flight in Xi'an because they moved the gate and made no announcement. We ran and made it! Maya did good on her first air flight, it was only a 2 hour flight and she slept the first hour. The weather here in GZ is very hot and muggy and rains a little every day. Very tropical feeling without the nice beach. Nice change from the dusty dry air of Xi'an. We met up with the rest of the travel group on Sunday; it is nice to have people to do things with and Hannah has even found a friend in the group which makes the trip much more enjoyable for her. We have made met some wonderful people in the group and I hope we can stay in touch. We all have that special bond of being here at the same time to bring home our special children. We have spent much of the time relaxing, shopping, visiting a few sites and spending time with the group. Yesterday was our official oath ceremony at the American consulate and we received Maya's visa, she can now enter the US! It was a short process which took a little longer because there was a film crew from Reuters there filming the process. Don't know what they were filming for. Most adoptive families here on Shamian island have left for home today so we are having a quiet day. We went for a swim in the rooftop pool and now Sam, Hannah and Maya are taking a nap. Our flight to LA leaves here tomorrow night about 9PM and we arrive in LA about 7PM LA time. It will be strange after 14 hours in the air we will be landing at the same time of day as when we left. We arrive back in Chicago about 5PM Saturday. We will be very glad to come home but we will definitely be coming back to China someday to show Maya the land where she was born.

Our stay in Xi'an

You forget how much work it is travelling with small children, sorry for not keeping up with the blog. Our stay in Xi'an is winding down, we have really enjoyed the time to develop our bond with Maya and to visit the sites. Today was raining, actually a nice change from the hot, dry and polluted air. Since Hannah has been doing so well, she chose "Hannah day" today and we actually stayed in the room all day after breakfast and she got to watch movies. Good opportunity to play and bond with Maya. We are now just waiting for Kaiger to return so we can review the paperwork again so that it is perfect. Hopefully we will have Maya's Chinese passport tomorrow.
Tuesday May 22
The four of us spent most of the day walking around the city and visited the Muslim quarter again and the Great Mosque. One of the largest and oldest mosques in China dating back to the 1300's.























Maya showing how well she uses a straw (notice the Colonel).



















Monday May 21
Today we made the drive to visit the Terracotta Warriors ans Horses. It was an amazing site to see. The figures are over 2000 years old and were actually found by accident in 1974 by local farmers digging a well. Kids of course not interested, but we were so thrilled to be able to see them.

We stopped at a lovely tea room before the drive back to Xi'an. Hannah found it interesting, Maya thought sleeping was a better idea.

Sunday May 20

Today we visited the Great Goose Pagoda built in 652 AD built to store ancient scriptures brought back from India.

Once again, the Jaiswal clan draws a crowd.

In the evening, we walked the Muslim quarter to shop and then had Maya's favorite food, dumplings. Don't get too close to her mouth when she is eating, you could lose a finger!

Thursday, Friday & Saturday

We spent some low key days getting to know our new daughter. We visited a local park where we were the center of attention. On Friday we finalized Maya's adoption. We also got the opportunity to spend time with another family who just adopted their daughter from Hanzhong SWI. It turns out the 2 girls knew eachother at the orphanage!

Well we are back online and we have Maya!

What a week we have had....
Wednesday May 16 - Gotcha day.
We flew from Beijing to Xi'an Wednesday morning and were met with our new guide Kaige at the airport. Very hot and dry here. On the way to the hotel, she told us that we were not going to have to go the Civil Affairs Office to meet Maya (normal policy) but that the caregivers were going to bring her to our hotel and that she would be there when we got there! We had just about an hour to get slightly settled and the caregivers brought her to our room. Very peaceful and no stress, not like we expected at all. Maya was very quiet but was not upset. She came right to all of us and was calm and happy. We spent the evening playing with her and within the first hour she was smiling and laughing. She is beautiful and just an amazing child. She is very affectionate and yet is very content to explore and play by herself. Hannah was very good with her, but is struggling a bit with the attention that Maya is getting. Big adjustment period for all of us.





















Tuesday May 15
Spent the day visiting sites in Beijing with Happy. First we walked in Tianamen Square, a massive open square that is filled with all sorts of people. Hannah got got a chance to run off a little steam. It is too bad that most people remeber this location with the demonstrations in the late 80's, it is a wonderful and dramatic location. China has certainly come a long way since then.

Next we walked to the Forbidden City, a beautiful complex constructed in the 1400's in the Ming Dynasty. Kids were not very interested but we enjoyed what we could while trying to keep them happy.

These 2 entwined trees symbolize happiness for those who have their picture taken here. Monday May 14 - the Great Wall

This morning we travelled to the Great Wall to walk on one of the wonders of the world. What a site and if I must say, quite a climb especially for Hannah's little legs. Very steep and it was pretty hot when we were doing our climb. It was pretty crowded, but still worth the visit.

People always stopping to take pictures with us, especially Hannah.

2 days until we leave

Well, it is only 2 more days until we leave to bring Maya home! We fly to LA on Thursday and then on to China on Friday. With the date/time difference, we do not get to Beijing until Sunday afternoon (ouch). We will spend 3 days in Beijing recovering and doing some sightseeing and then on Wednesday May 16 we fly on to Xi'an in Shaanxi province.

Later on that day we will receive our Maya who joins our family forever! It has been a long journey and we can't wait to meet her. She has been living in the Hanzhong Social Welfare Institute (SWI) since she was found at about a month old in February 06. In our last report that we received she is taking her first wobbly steps, is a bit quiet and timid at times but very affectionate. She gives giggles when cuddled (which she will be getting a lot of as soon as we can).

We will stay in Xi'an until Friday May 25 when we leave as a family of 4 to Guangzhou.

Here is our Maya at the SWI (~1 year old). Hannah, the movie star visiting "the bean" in Chicago in March.