Once the home of emperors, the common person was not allowed to venture into the Forbidden City. As we walked across Tiananmen Square, we see the outer wall / building known as the heavenly gate. Now, ironically, anyone can tour this place and buy souvenirs too!

Within the first set of walls in the Forbidden City. Much like the Great Wall of China, every time we thought we had made it to the center, there was an additional ring of buildings.

Take a look at the background. A modern city mixed with millenia old buildings.

Chen, our amazing guide who speaks both Mandarin (Chinese) and English, taking a break to play with Emily and her new best friend Naomi.

Other families we are traveling with. At the end of the day, we all got on separate planes to fly to the cities where our children are.

Presenting . . . Abigail Fu Jin Dlugozima!

Last night (actually Sunday night--the network was down) upon our landing in Nanchang, our new guide brought the director of the orphanage and our Abby Fu Jin to our room. Everything happened so fast . . . We checked in, weary from our tours in Beijing and the plane ride to Nanchang, and before we knew it, there was a knock at the door. Of course, the batteries on our camera died, but luckily we had the video camera with us too (we will turn the video into still pictures after we get home). The director was so nice, explaining our new daughter's likes, dislikes, eating habits and other helpful information. Then we gave her some gifts (for her, the orphanage worker who came with her, and for the nannies). We also gave them some clothes and blankets for the children still waiting for their forever families. How can you ever show true appreciation for someone who has dedicated her life to taking care of children? After bathtime (which was definitely NOT Jin Jin's favorite), it was bedtime. Needless to say, we were all up all night just staring at our new daughter. More to follow . . .
(And thank you all again for the kind comments.)