July 7, 8

I know I said I’d be back with pictures, and I will, just not today. I haven’t had a single moment to spare to sit down at the computer. We have been on the go non-stop. Here’s a quick summary of our activities for the last two days. Saturday: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, lunch, pearl market, Summer Palace, silk market, Peking duck dinner. Sunday: church, lunch and Friendship Store, jade market, Great Wall, dinner, optional acrobatics show. Saturday was really brutal since most of the time was spent walking outside in 105 degree heat and dense crowds. If it’s this hot in Beijing, I have no idea how we will survive southern China for the next two weeks! Julie has held up really well and especially enjoyed the dragon boat ride we took at the Summer Palace. Sleep is still a challenge for all of us, but I’m hoping it gets sorted out soon. I am feeling better, but still not 100%. At least I’m able to eat small amounts of real food today.

Tomorrow morning we board the bus to the airport at 5:50AM. We should be in Changsha by 9:30. I’m not sure when we will meet Melody, but it is only a matter of hours now! I’m finding that suddenly all kinds of thoughts are rushing through my head as I contemplate the reality of adding a second child to our family tomorrow. They’re nothing that I haven’t thought of before, but they are so real right now. For example, how will we put two children to bed (tomorrow!) without them waking each other up? How will we help Julie handle this BIG change in her life? Practically speaking, how will we deal with the “gotcha” moment with Julie there? Grandma has been a great help, but Julie has been extra clingy to me the whole trip, so that adds a new element to the mix. She isn’t even satisfied with Daddy holding her; she insists on “Mommy.” In the end, I trust that God will work out all the details as only He can. I can’t wait to see how His plan begins to unfold, tomorrow! I promise to share pictures ASAP. Thanks for reading!