Days 1 & 2

Friday morning we woke up at our airport hotel, eager to start of journey.  Our first hiccup came when we realized the winter coats we intended to leave in the car (which had departed the night before with DD#1) were still with us.  We set upon mailing them back home.   Hiccup #2 came when Miss M woke with a bloody nose.  Dry hotel room air didn't agree with her sensitive membranes.  It took awhile, but we eventually staunched the flow and got down to breakfast.  First purchase of the trip - nasal spray at the hotel gift shop.  Joy.  We'll be in hotels for two weeks - she'll need all the help she can get.  And since we were on a roll  dealing with the unexpected, hiccup #3.  As we walked away from the checkin counter three suitcases lighter Mr A announces "there's a little blood."  What?  Didn't we already deal with enough blood this morning?  I don't recall "deal with blood' on my to do list.  His been-loose-for-more-than-a-month tooth has chosen this very moment to let go and bleed.  Five minutes into the security line wait, the tooth is in my hand.  Did we really need to be managing teeth today?  (We are happy to report that the tooth fairy had no trouble finding him and his tooth in Hong Kong when we finally laid our head on pillows again.)

We had an uneventful flight to Vancouver (the very best kind), ate lunch, boarded our plane to Hong Kong, spent an interminable amount of time airborne, then arrived in Hong Kong 14 hours later.  We spent a lovely night at the SkyCity Marriott.  Great hotel, wonderful staff, convenient shuttle service.  We were all in bed with lights out at 9pm local time and quickly asleep.  The kids slept a full night.  Both had napped for just a couple of hours or so on the plane, so were really ready for some solid sleep.  Unfortuately, despite next to no sleep on the plane, I only managed to stay asleep until 3am.  So I'm dragging today.

This morning we took the train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou.  We are filling up the passports with entry and exit stamps.  Mr A is showing signs of some anxiety and was a relentless pest as we navigated from the trian to our waiting guide.  No amount of calm (and not so calm) encouragement has dissuaded him from alleviating the stress by teasing his little sister.  During one of his calmer moments he asked what people in China would call him.  We had an interesting little discussion about how he could choose whether to use his American name or his Chinese name while we are in China.  He thought probably his Chinese name would be best.  It was interesting to watch the wheels turning in his 6 year old brain.

We are now settled at the Garden Hotel and, while still pretty bone weary (and worried about Mr A's choices for coping behaviors) eagerly await meeting Faith tomorrow afternoon.  Praising God for our safe journey to the other side of the world and continuing our prayers for His help with her transition.