September 15, 2006 Today was another day that was mostly spent getting to know our daughter. Right now, we have done all of the paper work that can be done for the time being, and are simply waiting for the Chinese government to finish producing our daughters’ Passports. We should get those on Monday. Until then, we just wait, and spend time playing with our kids, which is exactly what we want to be doing anyway. This morning, we went to a Buddhist temple here in Nanchang. Bruce, our guide, told us that it is over 1,200 years old. It’s been destroyed several times over the years, but has been rebuilt. Buddhism being one of the traditional religions of China, is able to function without much interference from the government. While we opted out of the opportunity to participate in one of the ceremonies, it was interesting to walk around the place. The detail in the artwork was impressive, to say the least. After this, we went to a park. There we ran into a group of school kids that were in Kindergarten, from what their clothes said. The kids got a big kick out of seeing Americans, and saying, as a group, “Hello!!,” and “Nice to meet you,!!” and “How are you doing?” It was fun. We were stopped by a number of people that complemented us on our children and what we were doing. We finished up our outing by going to a porcelain shop. This province is known for its porcelain. We looked around and bought a tea set for Mary Joyce when she gets older, and a decorative pot for us. The whole thing cost about (US) $30. The prices here are pretty amazing. When we got back, Bruce gave us all the opportunity to order pizza from Pizza Hut. Yes, you read that right, we had Pizza Hut pizza for lunch. So Gary, Christie, Dwight, and Myra: we were still able to get some in for the week. It’s a shame they don’t have a San Joe’s here. Anyway, we came on back to the room, took a nap, got more experience in changing diapers, and got closer to our daughter. The more time we spend, the greater the bond grows. Already, she is starting to reach for us when we go to pick her up. When we were in the park, a woman came up and started talking to her. Mary Joyce looked up at Dusty with this “who is this person?” look on her face. The fact that she looked at Dusty instead of someone else meant a lot to us. As time passes, her personality is starting to be more evident. She loves to dance, she is curious about everything around her, she likes to eat, and absolutely hates being changed. Thankfully, the last one seems to be fading. She also doesn’t like going to sleep, but once she drops off, she sleeps like a rock. Getting her there, however, can be an ordeal. Tomorrow, we are going to the town of Tonggu, where Mary Joyce was found. We will get a chance to see the orphanage. It’s going to be a four hour bus ride, but this is a trip we need to make. We want to be able to tell her that we have seen with our own eyes where she came from. It should be a meaningful day.   Main building in a Buddhist Temple     Courtyard in Buddhist Temple   Marsha talking with Bruce, our guide     Asleep in the Snugli     Mary Joyce and Aidyn   Mary Joyce and Aidyn posing for the camera     Getting a mid afternoon snack     Daddy-daughter quality time   Sometimes, you just gotta teach them early.     Looking at photos from back home     All clean after a good bath   Ready to go to bed             This page hosted by