Xi'an & back again

Hi all, we are all alive and well – just have been way too busy and tired to have time to blog! We have been to Xi’an and are now back in Beijing and our friends are hopefully safely in Shanghai for

their final leg of their journey before heading home.  We have had a really good few days with Maya Mei.  Her fits of anger are becoming fewer and farther between and have decreased in intensity.  A few of them seemed rather half-hearted, really.  We have had some really sweet and tender moments too, but that seems to always be followed by acting out.  I think the closeness still makes her uncomfortable, so she does something to try to push us back a bit.  But there is definite progress being made.  Thanks so much for all the supportive comments and the private emails we have received offering help and advice.  It is all very much appreciated!!!!

 

We love, love, LOVE Xi’an!  We want to come back again someday and  spend more time there.  It is a beautiful, ancient city and the former capitol city of China (I think 14 times total in the history of China it was the capitol city). It has a beautiful intact city wall that you can  walk or bike ride on, with a moat surrounding it.  The wall and city was beautifully decorated for the spring festival and lit up at night.  And of course Xi’an is also home to the world famous Terracotta warriors, where we had a VERY special encounter at the museum.  But more about Xi’an when we post the pictures from Thursday and Friday!

 

It is Friday night here and our flight leaves Beijing Saturday afternoon at 5:25pm.  We have asked our guide Doyle for time to sleep in, do laundry and pack, so we won’t leave our apartment until noon tomorrow.  We will visit the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube from the 2008  Beijing Olympics before heading to the airport.   Then through the miracle of the Earth’s rotation and the corresponding time zones, we arrive in Chicago an hour before we take off in Beijing! We have to go through US immigrations with Maya Mei in the Chicago O’hare airport (when she officially becomes a US citizen) and make our connection to Dulles – arriving back around 9pm. 

 

We are coming home to a lot of snow on the ground! If anyone has an extra pair of girl’s size 8 snow pants or a  ski bib and size 1 snow boots handy, please send them our way!!!!  I doubt that Maya Mei has ever seen that much snow and will be anxious to play in it Sunday morning. :o)

 

I should have time to do some posting in the morning.  I will leave you with a picture of our Five Star accommodations at the Sofitel in Xi’an and explain later.  Yes, Eliana and Maya (and Mama) are asleep in the corridor.  And a hint about our special encounter in Xi’an…does anyone know who the man in this photo is????  (Another hint, the answer is actually in one of the photos).

 

Nighty night from Beijing (where the fireworks are still sporadically booming/popping),

Laura Beth