Day 4, Nanning, Guangxi Province

Today was spent calming Emily and meeting her orphanage director, nannies, and finalizing her adoption. After a visit by a Chinese doctor, Emily was diagnosed with Bronchitis. We are now trying to administer anti-biotics, which our guide fetched for us.

Prior to this evening, Emily had not eaten since we first held her in our arms over 24 hours ago. Instead, she refused any attempts to place a bottle or baby spoon in her mouth--what a fighter! She has now had a little bit of mashed apples & carrots with powdered cold medicine mixed-in. We still have to get her to finish her apple juice with the anti-biotics mixed in before we can send her off to bed. This was certainly a sink or swim introduction to parenting.

Many of you may recall yesterday's vision of a slaughtered but unbutchered cow riding a motorcycle. Today's vision from the streets was not quite as gruesome, but it was certainly one for the scrapbook. Today we watched a completely...yes completely...naked man walk down the crowded street. This was strange, but not nearly as strange as the tour guides response when we mentioned the naked man in the street. His response was simply a shrug followed by his statement of, "sure!" It was as if there was something wrong with us for even questioning this type of behavior, and perhaps we were acting a bit prudish. After all, it was hot...and it was Tuesday.

If it wasn't witnessed by everyone on the bus, I would have assumed that it was simply a hallucination brought on by whatever it was that I ate for dinner last night!

We do have some photos that were taken earlier today, which we have posted here.


Emily Prior to Meeting the Orphanage Nanny


Us with the Orphanage Director

We exchanged gifts with the orphanage director, a Chinese custom. In return, we received our disposable camera, fully used, a handful of photos of the babies in our group prior to their being adopted, and other small Chinese gifts that symbolize good luck.

Mommy and Emily taking their first stroll. We walked along a lake beside the hotel. The walkway is beautiful, lined with palm trees. Everyone--and we mean everyone--stared or smiled at us, or both.


Daddy loving all over Emily when she wasn't feeling well.

Gotta go for now--Emily threw up her last bit of medicine, she was so stressed, so we're now initiated into one of the darkest rites of parenthood. Kevin actually instinctively held his hands out to, er, catch it!

Love to all,
Kevin (and a little bit from Caroline)