Our day out in Changsha

Thursday started with a final trip back to the government office for a
brief ceremony.  Three other families also finalized adoptions this week.
Two from Sweden and one from Kansas.  Ashlynn was the youngest of the four
children, the others being 1 1/2 or 2+.  The family from Kansas was the
same family that met their daughter just before we met Ashlynn on Monday.
Their daughter is the sixth child in their family, all adopted.  They are
traveling together and will be China for the whole month.  Next week they
are adopting a little boy.  What a beautiful family!

After the ceremony, we went to an embroidery gallery.  The Hunan Province
is known for it's detailed embroidery.  Many of the pieces looked like
paintings or photographs.  We had to get very close to see it is really
millions of tiny threads.  We bought a small piece for Ashlynn to have
from her birth place.

Despite the light rain, we then went for a walk in the park.  Vicki
described it as the central park on Changsha.  It was very large.  We
walked for about an hour and covered less than half of it.  It is next to
a large man-made lake fed by the river.  Vicki explained that under the
lake is a tunnel for traffic.  There was also several vendors and an
amusement park with several rides.  The park was filled with many people.
This is the first real green space we had seen so the local people enjoy
the park for exercise, picnics, and entertainment.  After our nice walk,
we headed back to the hotel for our naps (yep, not just Ashlynn enjoyed a
nap!)

Overall, things continue to go as well as to be expected.  Our evening
meal in the restaurant went much better.  We were offered a "western menu"
in addition to the usual menu.  (And, yes Derek, it even had pizza but no
pepperoni.) We got a little taste of back home by ordering a cheese burger
and Sprite along with our beef stir-fry and rice.  Ashlynn likes to eat
rice soften with soup broth, small pieces of a steamed bun (a soft white
bun), watermelon, and the Gerber sweet potato puffs we bought from home.
We are amazed at how well she eats with her cleft lip and palate.

It's now Friday morning in China.  We are starting our day with the usual
breakfast buffet (not necessarily typical American breakfast foods but
we've found some good things to eat) in the hotel and then we have to pack
up our temporary home and get ready for our flight to Guangzhou.
Hopefully it all fits back in the suitcases!