Day 1: Beijing

Today was amazing! Susan picked us up at the hotel at 8:30 a.m., and we didn't get back until just now (almost 7 p.m.)! We met the other couple in our group, Tammy and Kevin, who are here to bring home their 13-month old daughter (their first child). Kim and Tom, the family we met yesterday, are here to meet their almost 3-year-old daughter. They are traveling with their parents. Everyone is very nice, and we all get along great! I'm kind of sad that we are going separate ways tomorrow (the other 2 families are traveling together to a different province; Paul and I are going alone to Fujian Province), but I can't wait to meet back up with them in Guangzhou in a week- and to meet their new daughters!

First we went to the Forbidden City. That was really beautiful, and much bigger that I had expected. I knew that it had over 6,000 rooms, but you really can't picture how big it really is until you see it in person. We just kept walking and walking... it seemed to go on forever! It was really smoggy again today, so all of my pictures are not very clear. Susan kept saying that it was just fog, but when we saw that the sun was this amazing shade of florescent orange shinning through the "fog," we knew that there were much bigger (man-made) forces at work!

Next we went to Tiananmen Square, which was actually not what I'd expected, either. It is in the middle of some very busy roads, and for some reason it surprised me to see cars driving through it! It was very big, and since China's national holiday had just ended on Thursday, it was still decorated. The flowers were really amazing!

Then we drove out to the Great Wall. It was over an hour drive, but so worth it! First we ate lunch at Subway (yep, same Subway as we have back home, and yep, we traveled over 6,000 miles to eat at Subway!). Next we took a cable car up to the top of the mountain, then Susan gave us a little over an hour to walk around. Paul and I decided to try to get as far as we could, which was pretty far, but then it got to a really steep part so I quit. Paul tried to keep going, but he had to quit after awhile because we were running out of time and had to get back. It is very difficult to walk on the Great Wall because the steps are not even. It's hard to explain! But even with the smog, it was really beautiful. This was definitely my favorite part of the day! I've really been looking forward to seeing the Great Wall, and it did not disappoint!

On the way back from the Great Wall, the driver drove us past the Olympic park, but the traffic was very bad and he couldn't get us too close, or stop to let us get off the bus to take pictures. I couldn't get any good shots of the Bird's Nest (thanks to the smog), but I did get a few of the indoor pool. Then the driver dropped Paul and me off at the Hard Rock Cafe before taking the others back to the hotel. We went straight to the shop to buy a pin for my collection, and I just couldn't resist getting Caitlin her first HRC t-shirt! We decided to go ahead and eat dinner there, then caught a cab back to our hotel.

I have so much more to say, but I need to get back up to the room to prepare for tomorrow. I can't believe that in just a few short hours we'll finally be meeting Caitlin!! Tomorrow I'll be a Mommy! It's just so surreal! I don't know if I will sleep tonight, although I know that I need to because this may be my last full night of sleep for 18 years! Tomorrow morning Susan will pick us up again to take us to the airport. We'll fly to Fuzhou, and sometime after we arrive the orphanage staff will bring Caitlin to us!

OK, I really do need to go get everything ready for tomorrow so I'll sign out for now. I'll try to post again tomorrow with pictures, but it may be Monday before I can get to it since tomorrow will be a little crazy!