A couple of the Chinese women (grandma age) told Mike that Allyson couldn't breathe the way he was holding her in the carrier. They suggested an alternate position for him to hold her. They said that it was pressing too hard on her heart for her to be facing toward his chest in the infant carrier. Mike smiled and said "shee shee" (correct spelling is "xie xie" but that's just how it sounds) which means "thank you" in Chinese and kept moving.

Then we walked through a monastery which was also somehow connected to this park. We saw several monks worshipping Buddha. Mike bought incense and lit one for each of our families and put it in the worshipping area of the monastery. Kind of like lighting a prayer candle at the Catholic church....similar, but not the same. You can see Mike in this picture after he lit the incense.

Mike is really absorbing the culture....not so much of a surprise. I'm hanging in there and just taking it all in. The other day, Mike did say that we could sell our house and move to China and live very well here....I didn't even smile at the idea....no chance of it for me. China is unique in a lot of ways and this trip is an experience on several different levels, but our life in America is no comparison to the way of life in China.

Also connected to this park was the zoo which was our next stop. I tell you the animal rights activists in the States would have had a field day with the animal conditions of the zoo. Not that the animals were being harmed, but the cages and surroundings were only cement....no greenery, trees, etc., like at our zoos. We did see a panda bear, which was cool to see a panda in China. Allyson was awake for this part of the tour and she loved seeing everything and she seems very curious. This is one of the nicest outings we've had....we all enjoyed it.

Later at the hotel, Mike met a man (surprise....as Mike's aunt says "he never meets a stranger") who was the first employee for Ford Motor Company in China. His English was superb. Mike really enjoyed visiting with him. Here is a picture of us with the 1st Ford Employee in China!

The last picture is of Mommy snuggling Allyson....what a joy!

Tomorrow morning, Mike heads out to Pingliang City early in the morning. Three dads are going to make the trek with a local tour guide named Steve. I requested that one of our adoption agency reps tag along for good measure. The tour guide works for the Government and seems very knowledgeable, but I felt better knowing that someone who has a responsibility to watch over our families will also be traveling along. It will be quite an excursion and I will be praying for God to watch over them and keep them safe. I have already let Steve know that Mike is the only husband I get to have so I hope he takes good care of him! :-)

We did get approval for the Dads to tour the orphanage where Allyson lived for the first nine months of her life. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and we feel so fortunate to be able to capture some of this for our daughter.

I will try to post tomorrow, but I will be flying solo while Mike is away so it might be hard to write. After tonight, we have two more nights in Lanzhou and then we are on the final leg of our trip. The duration of the trip has been the toughest part for me, the food situation would be second. But when I look at Allyson's precious smile, it is all worth it. Thank you for continuing to pray for our family.