Going for Gracie

~having fun in the hotel room~
~part of playground in front of Wal-Mart~
~people watching TV in front of Wal-Mart~
The first restaurant we ate at in China.

NO, I did not eat any of this! ~garbage man on Shamian Island~

The last 24 hours have certainly been the most difficult (physically) so far. Gracie has been wonderful. We are all just so very tired. We had to leave Kunming yesterday to travel back to Guangzhou. This is where the U.S. Consulate is, so we will finish up our paperwork here. We left Kunming yesterday at 3:30 and did not arrive in our hotel here until 11:00 last night. We had a 9:30 appointment this morning, so we have just felt a bit rushed all day. But, we made it. Another huge step in getting Gracie home.

As ready as we are to come home, we were a little sad to leave Kunming. I wish we could have spent more of our time there. Not only is that where met our sweet girl, but it is a nice city. We LOVED the weather there. It was around 75 degrees during the day. A much needed break from Memphis weather, which by the way is exactly like the weather here in Guangzhou - HOT and humid. We also loved taking walks in the park. It was a beautiful park with lots of interesting activities going on.

While here in Guangzhou, we are staying on Shamian Island. There are lots of adopting parents here. We are not quite the spectacle here that we were in Kunming. While we weren’t the only Americans there, it seems that many people don’t see them much. We got more stares than I count. Not in a bad way. Most people were very excited to see us. Some teenage girls ran up to us on the street and wanted us to take a picture with them. It was funny. They were squealing with excitement. Also, we got Gracie’s picture drawn in chalk while we were in the park. While the artist was drawing it, we had a gathering of probably 30 people around us watching. It was amusing. Everyone was very friendly, though.

We did have some good news today. Gracie had to undergo a medical exam as part of the adoption process. They heard NO heart murmur. Two different doctors listened and found nothing. Now, do not mistake us - we will certainly have her thoroughly checked out as soon as we get home, but we definitely took this as a good sign.

Gracie seems happier and happier each day. Her sweet little personality is coming out more and more. She has always seemed comfortable with us once she settled down, but her spirit is shining through in new ways everyday. She is such a blessing!

Not flesh of my flesh,

Nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute,

You didn't grow under my heart

But in it."

~Fleur Conkling Heylinger