Today's events...

So today we went on a ride out to the countryside. Many people in our group had been asking our guide about getting a look at the countryside in Jiangxi province, so they arranged a short bus trip out to a village. It took about an hour to get there, and it was very interesting. Along the way the guide explained to us about the one child policy and how it is enforced, etc. I would have loved to have captured it on video, but just when I started to tape it, the camera indicated that I only had four minutes left on the disk. And of course I didn't have any extras with me. Somehow it seems that these days DoT and I can't actually go anywhere and have everything we need. If we remember the formula, we forget the bibs. If we remember the video camera we forget the CDs, etc., etc., etc. Of course my memory was gone long before I got the kids, so I can't really blame 'baby brain' -- even though some of you have offered me that excuse in the past.

The village we visited had stone walkways which were laid by hand, and while they are impressive given the effort that would have been involved in laying them, they are really, really bumpy. And we, and most of the others in the group, had brought strollers as opposed to snugglies. So, we ended up carrying the strollers, which were carrying the kids, a lot of the time; and lifting them up over door entry ways, etc. It was really difficult. And the heat didn't help. It is unbelievably hot here. Today I think the temperature was only 36 degrees, but it felt so much hotter. What is the humidex temperature of 36 degrees with 100% humidity? Anyhow, we were drenched almost from the moment we stepped out into the sun.

We were told that the babies that were fostered quite likely lived in homes similar to the ones we saw today. It was really amazing. Mostly very small, stone houses, with no floors, electricity, or really anything else. But the kids and people we saw all looked happy. We were quite the spectacle -- all these caucasian parents and their Chinese babies. And twins are always an extra draw.

The hike through the village took us through a "rich person's" house (which is set up to have tourists go through it), and then a hike up a hill (with lots of ruts and sets of stone steps) to a 1000 year old oak at the top (with a courtyard and a plaque, etc.). I've put in some photos of the trek. They really don't do it justice, but I don't really have the time to go through all the pictures I took to find the right ones for this blog.

The first several are of various shots I took on the hike into the village.





























These next ones are from the top of the hill at the 1000 year old tree. We stayed there for about 20 or 30 minutes, I think, mainly because there was finally a breeze and I don't think any of us wanted to leave it for the hike back down.





























This afternoon we had a good time playing with the girls in our room. A is always ready to smile, but today is the first day we actually had some big smiles from E. She still has her moments, but it is getting better every day. Here are a couple of good photos of her, with M, who is flipping her up and down and getting lots of smiles for it....















I wish I also had some great shots of A to put up here, but I guess because she smiles all the time I haven't made as much of an effort to capture it on film. I'll try to rectify that for tomorrows blog entry.

And one last picture for this blog...


The bus stopped on the way back to the hotel after the visit to the village to let us get a picture of this water buffalo and baby water buffalo.











Now, in response to some of the comments on yesterdays blog...

• T's mom -- we can definitely bring back some Yuan for you. (As long as 'mommy brain' doesn't set in and I forget.)
• jag -- hmm, I'm not sure I like that. I think I know which one you're suggesting E's taking after, and I think I resent that. (Just kidding.)
• unclej -- we'll get right on that DNA test... DNA can come from a poopy diaper right?
• MJ -- yes, both are equally comfortable with both of us. I know some of the other families have had problems with the baby not wanting one of the parents near them. But that hasn't been our experience. And DoT is doing great. He's a natural, I think.
• anonymous (who I believe is SP) -- welcome back to work! I'll meet your for lunch on December 11. :-)
• another anonymous entry -- okay, I'm gonna blame this one on 'baby brain' too, but I'm not sure who you are "coolcat ES". And re: the dream -- it maybe wasn't too far from reality when on the second day we had them we had to answer to two different officials, before they would grant us official adoptions, who asked "how do you like having your twins". After our first night, and only a few hours sleep, part of me wanted to say "well...."
• lb -- great advice about us sleeping when they do. If only they'd quit tag-teaming us.
• Auntie Em -- hmm, I'm going to go right back upstairs and check out their ears.
• Jane H -- yeah, it is fun. We're talking about writing down our predictions now to see how close we come. We definitely have our ideas of how they are going to turn out.

Well, that's it for now. These blog entries are going to have to start getting shorter. I've now been on the computer for about 70 minutes. At 70 yuan per minute, this is adding up. Have a great day, all. Blog you soon....