Hey everyone,

   It is our last day in Kunming, and for the first time on this trip, we are ready to come home.

   Mia is doing great. She is sleeping all night, and taking a nice nap in the afternoon. She is a total bed hog! Yes, she is in our bed. The crib from the hotel does not have high sides. They are about the height of a bed rail on a toddler bed. And even though she is a peanut, she can easily flip out. So we just use the crib as a storage space.

    She is also eating really well.  She is willing to try everything, but if she doesn’t like it, she will take it out of her mouth and hand it back. She also loves to help you eat. So far bananas are her favorite. She has turned into a serious snuggle bunny. And we love every minute of it!  I think she will be a dentist when she grows up. She is fascinated with teeth.

    We are keenly aware of the fact that the Chinese do not like children to put their hands into their mouths. We were told that they put something like Ben-Gay on their fingers to stop the behavior. So, they must love us!!! Not only does she suck her thumb, but we let her feed herself!!!  Crazy Americans!

   Well, we went to the orphanage yesterday, and it was really hard to deal with the fact that that is where most of the kids will grow up. It was very clean and the kids looked very well taken care of, but it is an institution.

   Some of the nannies recognized Mia. They tried to get her to engage with them, but she wanted no part of it. While we were taking to the nannies and asking questions about our kid’s habits, Michael found a little buddy. He was holding Mike’s hand for all he was worth. We were both so close to tears when we had to leave the room. I asked for the name of the boy, but they said I could not have it. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside either. It was a heart wrenching morning.  I am so grateful that God has given us Mia. I can’t wait to get her home. It will be so wonderful to watch her grow up and become anything she wants, regardless of her race or gender.

   We decided to go and get some comfort food, and found the Pizza Hut. Again, I am sure that we offended the majority by allowing Mia to have a go at some cheese pizza. If they want to stare at us, then we’ll give them something to stare at!

   The rest of the day was spent just hanging out in the hotel. We are getting weary of going out and having everyone stare at us and talk about us. We are looking forward to getting to our next stop and meet up with the other families from AWAA.

   Well, it is time to pack and get ready to head to the airport.  Mia becomes an American citizen in 3 days!

   Hope that all is great at home.  And yes, we have heard about the Rosie O’Donnell comment all the way over here. I hope that she doesn’t want to adopt an Asian child anytime soon.

Love and miss you all!

Claire and crew