Day 8-Maillie's First B'Day Party!

  Nanchung, China
Friday, December 1, 2006

Pretty low key day today-went to get Maillie's official Chinese passport which allows her to leave the country (which we'd do tomorrow if we could, but we need her official Visa in order to enter the US). It was very quick-we just had to sign it and that was it.


We stopped at the porcelain market on the way, which was very interesting. Jiangxi province is the porcelain capital of China and the girls are called "porcelain princesses" of which Maillie is officially one since that's her province. We learned all about the porcelain and how you can hold it up to a light and almost see through it if it's good porcelain. We bought her a piggy bank for her room, a set of very cute zodiac cups that have the animal representing the year you were born along with the years that it stands for, and a surprise for Nana. Now we just have to figure out how we're going to get it all home.


This afternoon, most of the group went out for 60 minute foot massages followed by 40 minute body massages, for only $20. We walked around the city instead-they had babysitting available but we didn't want to do that, and Mike wouldn't go if I couldn't and I wouldn't go if he couldn't so we just hung out together.

Tonight was fun-we had a first birthday party for the girls since they're all going to turn one around Christmas time. We stayed in the hotel and had pizza and beer, and then they had a Chinese birthday cake that was out of this world-a major sugar buzz.


We played a traditional Chinese first birthday game where a pen (scholar), garlic (smart), celery (hard worker), a calculator (accountant), wallet (marry a wealthy man), cellphone (sales manager) were all laid out and the girls each had to take a turn to pick one to predict what they would be when they grew up. Maillie chose the pen!
One of the woman that we've become friendly with, Lorraine, and I were hoping that our girls would choose the wallet only our version of it was "wealthy on her own, with a boy toy".

Maillie has really adjusted so well to her new life. She's eating well, and goes to bed about 8:30 and wakes up at 7:30. She's trying very hard to crawl and babbles all the time. She's very happy, and likes to play with the other girls but I think we'll have to work on her sharing skills. Today one of the little girls put both her hands on Mailie's stroller while Maillie was in it, and she pushed the little girl right off the stroller.

Oh, one more thing-tonight Maillie fell from a standing position to the floor and Jenny told us that Chinese folklore says that if an adopted baby falls, it means that the birthmother did not eat turtle when she was pregnant. I guess eating turtle is a good thing?

Tomorrow we head to the zoo and back to Wal-Mart to replenish supplies. Have a great weekend-it's Friday night here. xoxoxo