A day around the city

Good morning from sunny Nanjing!  We're so thankful that yesterday and today we've finally seen the sun!!  It feels so refreshing.  

Yesterday, we had fun celebrating Jian's birthday, though I'm not sure he fully understood what we were celebrating.

We met one of Jian's friends from the orphanage who was also being adopted and enjoyed spending the day with them.

We went to visit a museum and place where they make brocade - a sort of tapestry.  It's how they made it hundreds of years ago.  It was fascinating!!  I attached a couple of pictures, there are 2 people working at the same time on each piece, the person on top is in control of the design and the person on bottom is in control of the color.  It takes them 2 days to create 2 inches!!!  I could've stayed there all day long!  This was the place where our gift from the orphanage is from, so it was even more meaningful to visit.  There's also a picture of Jian in front of one of the robes made for an Emperor.  

We also had fun at a tour of the city wall.  The kids could run around here a little bit and it was a great view of the city from above.  The battery on our camera died here, so, we have a few pictures from my phone!  While entering the restaurant, we ran into one of the ladies that worked at the orphanage (Ayi).  We took some pictures with her and then she cried when we left.  We then enjoyed a nice Chinese lunch before heading off to do a little shopping at.....Walmart!!  Can you believe it?  We bought a new camera :(  Ours is making strange sounds.  It's still working for now, but, we're concerned that it will die  decided it was worth it to buy another one.  Thankfully our guide was with us to help interpret and make sure we bought one that actually had a battery!  

Then, of course, we did some swimming again, did a little homework and some work with Jian (he loves practicing his numbers in ASL), and we gave Jian some birthday gifts before heading out to dinner with some Americans!  We went to a Himalayan restaurant and had some fabulous Indian food! 

Tanner has not been feeling great the last few days and fell asleep before eating dinner last night.  He's been quite pale and a bit off (that's always the best way to describe it).  This sometimes is a precursor to a migraine, so, we're praying that is not the case.  We're thankful we have medication with us if we need it, but, we're hoping it will dissipate on its own without intervention.  Of course, he's not complaining at all, just a little crabby, but, in typical Tanner fashion, he wants to continue doing everything and not miss out on any fun.

Last night, I had to call the airlines to confirm our changed flights - unfortunately, it was not as easy as we expected.  I was on the phone for 1.5 hours trying to rearrange things, pay additional fees, and try to get home on the 15th.  They were saying we couldn't get on the flight that we were scheduled for on the 15th, and would have to wait until the 16th.  You would think I wouldn't care after all this time here, but, I did!  I was so unhappy and tired.  I told the person on the phone "I cannot stay here for one more day!"  She was very kind and was able to find another flight so that we'll still be able to get home on the night of Oct. 15th.  Though, of course, this morning, one more day doesn't seem like such a big deal!    I was a bit crabby, tired and out of sorts yesterday, and not as patient with the boys as I would like to be.  I'm thankful that today is a new day and I can start again!

We're looking forward to a restful day at "home" here and not having a lot planned.  So, I'll try to update later on that, if there's anything much to say!