Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 8, 2014 (I only know the date cause that's what our plane tickets say.)

We are sitting in the Nanjing airport, waiting to board.  Mei is quiet and seems nervous, poor thing.  Yang is her bouncy, cheerful, ever-testing self. She threw one of her little fits at baggage check in because she didn't want to carry her backpack.  Lied on the ground, kicking her legs like a 2 year old, bawling.  Oh, goodness!  She gets over her little meltdowns pretty quickly, thankfully!!  I get a lot of dirty looks, but as long as they don't harass or arrest me, I'm okay with the looks.  Speaking of looks, we get them wherever we go!  A middle aged white woman with two Chinese girls, all of us looking bewildered wherever we go.  LOL  Oh, my.

(On a side note, I've read in travel books that staring is a national past time for the Chinese.  Thank GOODNESS I read that, cause I'd have a complex by now!!)

Poor Mei's really quiet.  Almost seems depressed.  I hope it's just simple sadness and/or normal grief...  I hate that I can't talk to her!!  (I just handed her my phone to play with.  She's happier now.  Ha)

On the plane now, ready to taxi.  After the bus ride to the plane, my adorable little Yang decided to be mad when Mei and I wouldn't let her have more gum and she squatted on the tarmac and wouldn't climb the steps on to the plane.  LOL  This time, though, I think she realized that this was just not the best time to act up, and she cooperatively boarded the plane.  What a kid!!

Boarding the plane in Nanjing headed for Guangzhou

At least she's cute when she's pouting!

The Chinese language is NOTHING like English at ALL (at least Russian had some similar sounding words) but once in awhile I hear something that sounds like English  For example, Yang often says something like "degoba" which of course, reminds me of the "Degobah System" in Star Wars.  The overhead flight person just said something that sounded like "shampoo".  LOL

Yang is NOT impressed with having to wear a seatbelt in the plane.  Can't wait 'til she has to sit in a booster seat in the backseat of the car!  LOL

Beautiful Mei, who is always so well behaved.

Not sure what the grumpy look was for...!!  (Except that she doesn't really like having her picture taken.)

I hope they feed us on this flight.  I'm starving.

I forgot to mention that Mei came to me with a brand new backpack FULL of stuff, but she never opens it and doesn't want to share what's in it with me.  That's okay.  I understand.  At the second Civil Affairs appointment, the orphanage director gave me a BEAUTIFUL large lacquer plate!  Never in any of my 6 adoptions has an orphanage given ME anything!!  I was very humbled, and felt just terrible at the crappy gift I have to her.  Had I known...?  I have her e-mail address and while I can't really write to her, I can at least send photos!  That will take a little of the guilt away.  A little.

Shoot 3 of the 4 of my EE kids (Nik was the oddball) not only did not send any personal effects or gifts with the kids, but every single stitch of clothing on their bodies had to be replaced, meaning they couldn't even wear their orphanage underwear out of the orphanage (now that I think of it, Erik did get to keep his clothes)!  China adoption is SO different!  My girls were very well prepared, loved, clean, and well-clothed!!  It shows, too, I'm happy to say.

A couple of funny things that Yang has said, as told to me by the interpreters:  We were walking past some 3 ft. cement pedestrian barricades and she said, "These are to bring good fortune and happiness to your family!"  Where the heck did she get that?!  An even funnier one was when we were in the police station to get passport pictures taken and we walked past a guard.  She said, "Watch out, or he'll take you away!!"  Then she grabbed him around the waist and shrieked, "TAKE ME AWAY!!"  LOL  I wish I understood what she was saying!!  People are always laughing at her!  LOL