PAPERWORK IS FINAL!

THIS MORNING WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, AS FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THIS TRIP AND THE FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS WE HAVE A 2 YEAR OLD GETTING US UP! WE BEGAN THE DAY WITH BREAKFAST, AND WHEN THERE WAS NOT A TABLE, DECIDED FIRST TO TAKE A WALK TO THE LOCAL GROCERY STORE (ABOUT 2 BLOCKS AWAY). SOMEWHAT OF A MISTAKE AS IT WAS RUSH HOUR IN NANNING. LET ME TELL YOU, RUSH HOUR HERE COMPARES TO NO OTHER. RUSH HOUR CONSISTS OF BIKES, MOTOR SCOOTERS, CARS, BUSES (YOU NAME IT) ALL MOVING WITH AND WITHOUT THE LIGHTS. CROSSING THE STREET IS A LIFE OR DEATH DECISION, AS PEDESTRIANS HAVE NO RIGHT OF WAY. SO WHEN IN CHINA, DO AS THE CHINESE DO, OR WAIT UNTIL THERE IS A BREAK IN TRAFFIC AND RUN -- WE DID THE LATTER! FOLLOWING THIS TRIP AND THEN BREAKFAST, WE STARTED THE DAY WITH OUR TRIP TO THE OFFICE OF CIVIL AFFAIRS. HERE WE HAD TO FIRST DECIDE WHETHER WE WANTED TO KEEP HIM (24 HOUR RETURN POLICY), THEN SIGN PAPERWORK AND MAKE EVERYTHING FINAL. I WAS A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT HOW HE WOULD REACT WHEN SEEING HIS ORPHANAGE DIRECTOR, BUT HE SHOWED NO SIGN OF CRYING OR GOING TO HER, EVEN WHEN SHE TALKED TO HIM. AFTER THIS, WE WENT TO THE NOTARY, AND FINALIZED THIS PAPERWORK. HERE WE HAD TO GIVE THE DATE OF OUR MARRIAGE AND OUR OCCUPATIONS. ONCE FINISHED THERE, WE MADE THE TRIP TO WALMART. WE BOUGHT DIAPERS (EVEN THOUGH HE HAS GONE IN THE POTTY ALL BUT ONE TIME) AND AN EXTRA SUITCASE FOR THE TRIP HOME. WE GRABBED PIZZA AT PIZZA HUT AND MADE THE TRIP BACK TO THE HOTEL TO ENJOY OUR LUNCH AND THEN NAPTIME. CALEB LAID RIGHT DOWN FOR HIS NAP AND SOON WAS FAST ASLEEP. AFTER NAPTIME, WE TOOK A WALK AND FOUND "THE PEOPLE'S PARK OF NANNING", WE FED THE COI FISH, TOOK A PICTURE BY THE BIG OX (YEAR OF THE OX), AND THEN MADE OUR WAY BACK FOR DINNER. CALEB ATE A BIG DINNER AGAIN WITH NOODLES AND CONGEE. I ATE A LITTLE, BUT THE SMELLS AROUND HERE ARE REALLY GETTING TO ME. I HAVE TO ADMIT, I AM REALLY MISSING THE USA WHERE THE BATHROOMS ARE CLEAN, THERE IS ALWAYS A TOILET WHEN YOU ENTER THE STALL, AND THERE IS TOILET PAPER AND SOAP - AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CARRY YOUR OWN.
CALEB IS SHOWING SOME REAL PERSONALITY, HE AND BRETT HAVE ALREADY GONE HEAD TO HEAD-CALEB HOLDS HIS OWN! HE IS VERY STRONG MINDED AND STRONG WILLED! HE LOVES TO BE INDEPENDENT AND IF HE COULD SPEAK, I'M SURE WE WOULD HEAR "DO IT MYSELF" A LOT! HE HAS LEARNED SOME AMERICAN WORDS RECEPTIVELY, SUCH AS CAT AND BIRD AND WILL POINT TO THEM IN HIS BOOK. HE WILL ALSO POINT TO KEANAN AND ABBY IN HIS PHOTO ALBUM THAT WE SENT OVER IN A CARE PACKAGE, WHEN ASKED. BECAUSE OF THE CLEFT PALATE, HE IS JUST ABLE TO MAKE SOME 2-SYLLABLE SOUNDS AND GRUNTS AND POINTS. ALREADY HE IS DEFINITELY A "DADDY'S BOY" BUT DOES ACKNOWLEDGE ME AS HIS MAMA ABOUT HALF THE TIME. WE THINK HE WAS TRYING TO GET HIMSELF BACK HOME TODAY, AS HE STOPPED AT EVERY CAR AND POINTED TO EVERY BUS WE SAW.
AS WE SPEAK, BRETT IS CHANGING THE FINAL DIAPER OF THE DAY AND PREPARING TO PUT HIM INTO BED. GOOD NIGHT FROM NANNING, CHINA.