Good Saturday from Guangzhou, China

First and most important:  Alena, I hope your Mema reads this to you:  Emma misses you more than she can describe, she is so homesick and most of all can't wait to get home and play dolls with you and your new little sister.

Well, two of our last milestones completed today.  Audrey along with our entire group of babies, now that the other families who travelled to other provinces are in Guangzhou (Gwan-Jo) together, passed their physical exam w flying colors.  Her heart seems to have recovered very well, after having heart surgery for her atrial and ventrical septal defects back in April. We have appt.s already scheduled w a pediatric cardiologist in NoVA, but have already had counsel w two in the states and after today's exam w two Chinese Drs. we received further confirmation that there does not appear to be a "heart murmur" any longer, which is very good news. 

We haven't talked about it much on this journal, unless you go way back, primarily b/c her special need while potentially serious was something we accepted and after accepting, we let go and let God.  So far that wisdom, which has proven itself through out both Kath's and my life, is persisting at every turn of this process.  And in the end--getting back to Audrey--all of these babies in China have special needs, so the line btwn normal and special (no family v. no family and some physical anomaly) is blurred for us--we don't want to get in the habit of making this a "big" deal until it has to be.  We have learned very early, this little girl is not only special, but she's ALL heart, from her crinkle-nosed smile to her many maneuvers around the various hotel room obstacles.  Her heart pumps strong, and with every passing moment our hearts too pump even stronger.

The second hurdle was the final paperwork here in China to take to the American Consulate Monday to obtain her U. S. Visa to travel home.  Audrey is automatically a U. S. citizen by adoption and entry into the U. S. of A, but she has a Chinese passport and thus the visa.  On Tuesday we will attend a "swearing in ceremony" as a U. S. citizen, but again it's U. S. soil that makes it official.

BTW: Starbucks was awesome and yes Kirsten, they made the Mochar to a tea (Chinese pun intended)