We get Mayleah today! How awesome is that? When we arrived in Guangzhou it was very cold outside. There are palm trees everywhere and blooming flowers but it was cold. So, I am hoping that it will be getting warmer. When we got off the airplane they confirmed that our luggage was ours, by checking our luggage tags. That has never happened before. Maybe they have a problem with luggage being taken. We were waiting for our ride and an armed guard, with a machine gun walked by guarding a man with a bunch of money containers. A little unsettling! It reminds me of Russia here, not that I have been to Russia, but from what I have seen on TV, there are guards everywhere, standing at attention. Everyone is very serious. Very little laughter or smiling.

The Chinese culture allows for what American's would consider rude behavior. If you are standing in someone's way, or maybe if not, they have the right to literally plow you over to get where they need to go. If my kids did that to someone they would be in serious trouble. The very definition of rude in America. But even on the plane, with just room for one person back to back in the aisle to get off, people were pushing their way past people in the aisle to get to the front of the line. I don't like it!

I have given up on sleeping here. Ken and I fall asleep at 8:30 pm at night because we are exhausted and wake up at 2-3 am wide awake. No going back to sleep. Maybe it will be easier when we get home?

The electrical conversion here is 110-220. We fried our alarm clock. Our converter that we brought does not work. Some people that we traveled with said that even their curling iron was so hot that it burned their hair instantly.

We walked around the island (the hotel is on an island) and there are alot of shops around. You barter for everything. There is not as much soliciting here as there was in Beijing.

Eleven of our families got their babies yesterday afternoon. I am so excited for them. That group will be here on Friday and then we will be together. Our guide meets us in our room today at 3pm and then we get Mayleah at 3:30. Unbelievable that today is the day.

For anyone that knows our golden retriever, Emma, she has given Drew and Julie a run for their money. They got home from town yesterday and somehow Emma got her own collar off and chewed it but she kept on acting funny and making funny noises, Drew looked in her mouth and part of the buckle was caught in the back of her throat so Drew and Julie had to do a small procedure to remove the buckle. Poor Drew was as traumatized as Emma. Julie just took it in stride. My family is surving without us there. For this I am very thankful!

This is so black market. The hotel is 5 star, but if we stayed anywhere else it would not be safe or healthy for that matter. If you look outside our room it is very very poor! Very sad actually. Girls at shops ask if you are adopting and ask many questions. Is one of them Mayleah's mom? I wish I could meet her and tell her I will forever care for her daughter and we will forever love her. I pray for her mom. How awful to have to give your daughter away. It would tear my heart out.

Well, enough for now. The next time I post there will be pictures, hopefully of our little girl. Please be praying for today. Especially for Mayleah. Chris