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.