The flight was great—it hardly felt like 12+ hours, as I was able to sleep a lot. The flight attendants were excellent—they kept us fed and hydrated. I tried to watch the same movie 3 times, but kept falling asleep. I managed to read 10 pages of my book and fell asleep again. I know I won’t have this luxury on the flight back.
We’re staying at the Renaissance Hotel in Beijing—it’s absolutely beautiful.
Despite going to bed at 10:30 the night we arrived, we were wide awake at 2:30 am. After laying in bed for some time, unable to sleep, we decided to get up. At 7 am ,we went to Starbuck’s for coffee. For the most part, the city was still asleep. In a few hours it will be quite busy—cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and people will be travelling in all different directions.
We’re trying to adjust to China time—for the most part, we’re okay, but we get waves of sleepiness, partly due to the humidity and pollution. My breathing is quite shallow while walking outside—I can feel a slight heaviness in my chest. We’re told that breathing will be a lot easier when we return to Beijing for the 2nd leg of the trip after spending 6 days in Hunan where the humidity and temperatures are considerably higher.
It’s hard to see the sun for all the haze. This week, Beijing is expecting a break in their heat wave—it should be in the low 30s; however, Hunan is still expected to be in the low 40s.
Time is weighing heavy on our hearts and mind—we can hardly wait to meet our daughter. We’re told that the meeting is scheduled for Monday at 3:30 pm—that’s 3:30 am your time. I should be bruised for the number of times I’ve asked Dave to pinch me and wake me up from this dream—but it’s real. I can’t believe we’re finally here and preparing to welcome our daughter into our family.
At breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we met 3 families who are returning home today with their daughters with special needs—one has a hole in her heart and one was born without a left arm. It’s easy to see that these families are totally in love with their daughters. All the girls seem to be really well adjusted with their new families—these children were in the foster care system, not orphanages.
It’s just 3 more sleeps until we meet and hold Charlotte for the very first time and promise to love and care for her forever.
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