Zai Jian, Nanning

Ni hao, for the last time, from Nanning. At 6am tomorrow morning we leave for the airport to catch our flight to Guangzhou. So, since packing is still to be completed, this will be a short one...or as short as I can be (there is so much to tell!!)

First, and most importantly of course, pictures of Miss K.

When I grow up I want to be.....
...a circus act?
...a championship eater?

....a pharmacist?
(and don't write in about this, please....the bottle was empty!)

Here she is, pleased with herself for something:

Earlier today, we went to the Minorities Museum here in Nanning. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Guangxi has a larger minority population that most other provinces in China. Even then, I think that the Han people make up something like 90% of the Chinese population as a whole; so the overall minority population is small. But here in Guangxi, minorities make up like 40% of the population or something. So, some of us have wondered if our daughters might be minorities. Cindy, our guide, says that there is no way to tell by just looking at them, but she doubts that they are, because the minorities value girls and women more than the Han traditionally do. So, she thinks that if they were minority girls, they would not have been abandoned.
Here is a photo behind the Museum. This shows a replica of a Wind and Rain Bridge that is typically built by the Dong minority.

Also behind the museum, we got to see a performance by some minority musical groups - including some Zhuang dancers doing a traditional harvest celebration dance, some Zhuang girls doing another dance, and some singers from the Dong minority. It was all very beautiful.

Later in the afternoon, we filled out the last of our paperwork, including paperwork to request a visa for the babies. We now have their Chinese passports, and so off we go to Guangzhou to get their visas. Part of the paperwork also included having to fill out the circumstances around how they became orphans. I've read Keira's story several times now, but me having to write it out myself was a little emotional, particularly since this is the one year anniversary of her being foung in Guigang City. I'm not sure what circumstances surrounded her birthmother on that day, but one year later, we feel sad for her loss, sad for the losses Keira has had so far, and yet so happy that we found our way to each other.

Oh - one last thing: it just keeps getting better and better. Today, real giggles!! We had been trying to tickle her for a couple of days. Nothing. She had no reaction. But today - oh my! What fun. She is crawling and pulling up more and more, as well. And she nearly dove head first into a bowl of noodles at dinner. A little hungry I guess (maybe b/c someone's daddy forgot the post-nap bottle while mom was out doing the paperwork???!). And to cap it off, I got to put her to bed tonight. No wailing for daddy and turning away from me because I'm not "ahma". Nope. It was all me tonight. And it felt great.