All Will be Well: There's a Starbucks

Exploring Guangzhou

A Little Nap on the Drive to the White Swan

After a little nap in the bus, we are all settled in on the eleventh floor of the famous White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou. After a quick room change, we've got an upgrade to a water-side-view. It's very nice.

Our Daughter's First Flight

We flew out of Chongqing at about 10:30 am this morning (Saturday) and landed in Guangzhou at about noon. Rebecca handled her first flight very well (with the help of 2.5 bottles!). She ate some biscuits on the flight, but threw the wrappers and a lot of crumbs onto the floor in front of our seats. The descent didn't seem to bother her ears too much, but we made sure she was drinking her bottle through the final 15 minutes.

I Received a New Outfit Today!

Some After-Nap Play Time!

It's Nice to See that Big Smile!

Beautiful Baby!

Rebecca gets a lot of attention: Everyone is amazed at what a beautiful baby she is!

Today (Friday) is a "free day," with no planned activities. We get Rebecca's passport in a few hours at 5pm, and tomorrow morning we fly off to Guangzhou for our final week in China. Guangzhou is where all Rebecca's paperwork for US citizenship takes place.

Rebecca Loves Clapping to Music!

Hey, these Chinese Parks are Real Fun!

Posing with Some Live Peacocks

Let's Go to a Park Atop Chongqing

A Good Giggle in the Hotel Lobby

Photo with Rebecca's Nanny

Rebecca brightened up quickly when she got to spend a few minutes with the nanny who cared for her in the orphanage. We got some good photos of her play areas and of her crib where she slept the last few months before we arrived this week.

Group Photo at the Fuling SWI

Here we are all at the Fuling orphanage with some of the gifts that we bought for the children on the table in front of us.

A Visit to the Fuling Orphanage

We took a road-trip today to the Social Welfare Institute in Fuling, about a 2.5 hours drive from Chongqing through mountainous terrain and tunnels. Here we are in the orphanage courtyard.

Dinner Time!

Rebecca is starting to have a lot more fun. She loved eating Congee with Spinach at dinner, and, even more, playing with her coral colored cloth napkin! She was really clowning around and absolutely loving all the attention.

Mama Panda was Sure Hungry!

At the Zoo...

Here's our entire Barker group at the Chongqing zoo this morning (Tuesday morning). All the babies had a great time!

It's Official, She is Ours Forever!

Gotcha!

REBECCA!!!

Beijing's Old-Style Courtyard Houses

Here's our whole Barker group in the "main hall" section of a traditional Beijing Courtyard House. A Rickshaw ride through the city's alleyways ("hutong") reveals many such traditional courtyard houses ("siheyuan"), most of which are now state owned.

At the far left, is the Christian woman who is currently mistress of the house; then, there's Catherine, Melanie, Janelle, Edmund, Charlie, and Steve.

A Rainy Rickshaw Ride

We flew to Chongqing this morning, leaving Beijing during a snow storm, believe it or not! Here in Chongqing, it's too warm to wear a jacket. It feels like it must be about 70 degrees or so.

We've just been to the store to buy diapers: We get Rebecca this time tomorrow (Monday), at about 4:30pm!

After getting back to Beijing yesterday, we went for a Rickshaw tour of the old neighborhood of Beijing. Here we are, huddled under the Rickshaw's plastic tarp.