Trip to Wal-Mart Before Gotcha

This morning we met for breakfast before heading out to Wal-Mart. There are a lot of American and Canadian couples here in Nanning, waiting to meet their child. We met a really nice couple from Canada, Mark and Denise, who have waited three years for their first child. One of the best things for me while in China is meeting all of the wonderful couples and their children.
After breakfast, we met in the lobby to head to Wal-Mart. The last time we were here, it was quite overwhelming, with no room to move. This time was very different. Wal-Mart was not crowded and we didn't get swarmed :) Kam didn't get his head touched even once, which he was extremely happy about!!
Uncle Steve gave Kam a lot of Chinese money and it was burning a hole in his pocket. He and Shawn couldn't wait to get to the toy department. To my surprise, Kam didn't ask for a single thing, instead he asked me if he could buy a remote car for Shawn. He has his Daddy's generous heart :)
I forgot to pack a belt, so I ventured around to find one, along with pajamas, which I also forgot. Yes, yes, yes, I made checklists. Unfortunately, I made sure everyone else's checklists were completed, but didn't get to mine! We also bought candy, water and crackers. The word is that the suitcase will be delivered to our hotel sometime later tonight. Since I don't have a thing to give to Thea, I decided to buy a small baby and little stroller. Nora bought the same ones for Sophia so that they could use them together. The baby is not what I had envisioned, but it will do! On the bright side, we can give Thea the original baby I bought while we are in our room and videotape the whole thing.
After shopping, we stopped at Pizza Hut - YEAH!!! Kam wants me to tell all of his friends that it was the best meal ever :) Mark wants to point out that since Pizza Hut and McDonald's have popped up in China, diabetes and heart disease have skyrocketed!!
On a different note - We get to meet our daughter in only 2 hours!! I can't believe the day is finally here. I'm pretty calm, but very excited and anxious. Along with being excited for our family, I am thrilled to be with a group of awesome couples, waiting to meet their very first child. I get to witness several couples who have waited 3-4 years to hold their daughters - how cool is that? I keep telling them how happy I am for them.
I know things that they don't yet . . .like the fact that in a few months, they will look over at their daughter with complete awe and amazement, begin to cry and wonder how in the world they lived without her in their family . . . like the fact that they will love her just the same as a biological child, and wonder why they ever questioned that . . . like the fact that they will stare into their daughter's almond eyes every chance they have and thank God for the gift of adoption :)

I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET THEA!!!




Our guide David said that this huge fruit next to Kam is one of his favorites, but his Mom would never buy it because it smells REALLY, really bad!
I would like to take a taxi like this while I am here, but I kind of fear for my life :) After being here twice already, watching traffic in China is still one of the most interesting and amazing things to us !!