We're back on line again...

I apologize for not being able to post anything before now, but for some reason our blog was coming up in Chinese. I got the problem fixed (thank you Kirsten and Angela) and so here's the latest news...

The travel was uneventful. We arrived at our first stop, Nanchang, tired but in one piece. We are staying at the Galactic Peace hotel in Nanchang. We got a good laugh when we arrived to our room... we found a crib, stroller, baby potty, and baby bath. I guess they were expecting us to get a little bit younger child.

We met Xian Hua on 10 September. Neither Hal or I slept much the night before in anticipation of the meeting. We really had no idea what to expect... what would his reaction be, would the foster parents or orphange director be there, etc. Our guide's advice was that we should try and get a good night's sleep. That's easier said than done... we both woke up around 2am staring at the ceiling wondering what the day might look like.

There are two other families here with us in Nanchang who received their sons as well (and I'm certain we will meet up with more families when we get to the White Swan in Guangzhou). Although Xian Hua had been anxiously waiting for a forever family, I don't think he really new what to expect. Luckily, play is the international language of children and one of the moms had the foresight to bring some toys to this meeting. We were able to sit with Xian Hua and play for a while; it seemed to put him at ease a little.

We've been together now for a couple of days, and I already see little bits of progress. Play seems to be important to the bonding process for him. Just sitting side-by-side putting lego structures together is doing wonders (and I'm finding it lots of fun too).

He seems to already know much more English than I expected. He can count, read some words, and seems to understand more than I had expected. That's a HUGE answer to prayers, but the language difference still does present many challenges that time and patience will overcome.