Day 5, Xi'an

Yesterday was much smoother and calmer.  We spent time with our knowledgable guide, Tom, who knows the city inside and out.  Xi'an is a major cultural center in China with a rich heritage. It's a city to be proud to be from, for sure.  We saw the city wall, which was beautiful and terrifying to the parents of a two-year-old boy, a Buddhist monastery with a lovely park right in the middle of the city, and the Xi'an City Museum, which traces the influence of Xi'an for the past millenia.  All fascinating stuff, and we are so happy to learn as much as we can about L's city of birth.  We are already looking forward to bringing him back someday. 

We were also successful in obtaining L's passport.  As we were a day behind due to protests and government offices were closed for periods of time over the same issue, we were prepared to extend our stay in China for paperwork purposes.  Somehow our guide was able to persuade the officer in charge to work later into the evening to get ours to us last night, as we fly to Guangzhou today to complete the adoption.  All US adoptions from China end in Guangzhou, as this is where the US Consulate is based. 

Question: Is there anything cuter than a two-year-old passport picture? 
Answer: No, there isn't.

So today, we attempt our first plane trip as parents.  And L leaves the city of his birth.  Again, complicated stuff. 

Wish us luck, and I'll post again from Guangzhou.

(Oh, and I have no idea what is going on with pictures. Maybe internet service will be a tad better in GZ).