The Great Wall

What a day! Today Doug kicked MS's butt - he climbed the Great Wall!! I had no idea he was actually going to do it until he was already halfway to the first tower. It was the bravest and stupidest thing he has ever done - all at the same time. I was a wreck until he made it back down. Needless to say, he ddn't have any energy left for anything the rest of the day, but he was on cloud 9 just knowing that he accomplished that feat. I have never been so proud of him or so scared in my whole life. By the time I found him way off in the distance in the middle of a crowd of climbers, he was already struggling and he was only halfway up - with the trek back down (even more treacherous than going up) still looming in front of him. I kept thinking he would turn back but he didn't. The steps are very steep and all different sizes and heights. To see pictures of today's adventures, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/grabersnow/GreatWallJadeCloisonne.

Today we also went to a jade factory and a cloisonne factory. We ate at an authentic Chinese restaurant, the went to the Summer Palace. Doug and I stayed on the bus for that tour - we are preserving our energy for the big day tomorrow. Mom did all the walking and handled it like a champ. Her view of the world is expanding by the minute here! I'm so happy that she gets to experience this with us.

By tonight, I was exhausted from all the walking and Mom was very tense in her neck and shoulders so we went down to the hotel spa for a massage. It was wonderful! Now, it is way past bedtime but I had to get this done before morning as there will be no time then.

Tomorrow is the BIG day! We meet the rest of our group in the hotel lobby at 8:30 and then head to the airport. We will fly from Beijing to Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, where we will meet our babies!! We, along with seven of the other families in our group, will meet the babies at our hotel in a conference room. The wave of reality are starting to come more often... this is actually happening... FINALLY!

Sorry for the short post tonight... for more on our day, see the captions in our photo album.

Please continue to pray for Maddie as her little world is about to be turned upside down. We love her so much, and in time, she will feel the same about us. But, until that adjustment is made, she will be scared to death and will grieve all the losses she has experienced in her short life.

Much love, Doug, Beth, & Grandma Jo