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Hello Everyone, Today turned out to be a wonderful day, although it did not start out that way. We met our guide at 8:00 this morning for the medical exam that we missed because of the "airport day." It was raining pretty hard so we had to wait for a van to pick us up and then when we finally got there it was very crowded. We knew that the buffet was over at 10:00, so this was a major concern! The first station that we went to was for the hearing. This woman must have had a rough morning, because she was a bear! She was not gentle at all, but Abbi was a sweet girl and did not cry. The next step was to be weighed and measured. This did not make her happy one little bit. The minute they took her from me she started screaming and didn't stop until they gave her back. The whole place knew she was unhappy. Good lungs! The last step was the doctor exam. Abbi did great for this. The doctor was sweet and gentle and Abbi smiled and crinkled her nose for her. We were finished and looked at our watches. It was about 9:15, we still had time for the buffet....Whew! Didn't want to miss that!!! After breakfast, we went shopping. We got all the dresses for her to grow into and gifts to bring home. I think we did pretty good. They don't really want to come off their prices very much. We've heard about the good prices here, but I don't think we are doing so well. It's a lot of fun, though. They are very good-natured with our haggling and always have a smile when we leave. For the most part everyone has been extremely nice. One person gave Brian a fake 50 RMB....that's about $6.50 US. We'll be bringing that one home! We went on another tour with GWCA today to the Pearl Market. That was something to see. It was a six-story department store. I have never seen so many stores! They had pearls set every way possible. It was amazing to see. They really didn't want to be flexible with their prices. They kept saying, "this is wholesale price, can't go lower!" We didn't buy much, they were too high for us, but once again I understand the quality was better. We met some really neat folks from California on the bus and had lunch with them when we returned to the hotel. We all went to "Lucy's" and had some great "Western" food. We were looking around at the walls surrounding our table and saw a Coastal Ford tag from Mobile, Alabama, on the wall! Who did that? There was also a Michigan and California tag. Each family sitting at our table were represented by a tag on the wall. How neat is that? While we were eating, the Colorado couple that were stuck at the airport with us showed up. We had a great time talking and getting to know one another. There are so many wonderful people here, I'm so glad we have gotten to know them. They are all very special. After a late lunch, it was time for a little more shopping. We went into a store and heard a southern accent. It was a couple from Texas and her sister, the wife of the race car driver, Bobby LaBonte. Brian, of course, asks to have his picture made with her. Poor lady! She was a really good sport. The store we were in was doing the etchings for us. They were supposed to be ready by 8:00 tonight, but were not. We'll be back for them in the morning. Abbi ran through the store pulling things off the shelf and having a grand time. They better be ready in the morning or we'll stay longer with Abbi! (Ha Ha) We came back to our room at about 8:30 and I gave Abbi her bath. She loves the bath now. There is no fussing at all. She splashes the water and laughs. It is such a change from the first time we tried it. She is such a happy, good-natured little thing. We started packing for our trip home tonight, and Abbi played with anything that hit the floor. She backed up and sat on a purse I bought. It was so cute! She had a bottle a little later and fell asleep quickly. She's in bed asleep as I write this. She's such a doll. We go to the Consulate appointment tomorrow at 2:45 and leave from there for the airport. I don't know if I will be able to update the journal again. We are taking the famous "red couch" photos tomorrow, too. I'll post the pictures as soon as I can. Drew....We are almost home. We start home tomorrow night. We can't wait to see you. We can't wait for you to meet Abbi, she needs someone to follow around and play with. She needs a big brother! Please pray as we travel tomorrow. We tried the benadryl today and we think it worked. She took about a two hour morning nap and wasn't any more active today than usual, so we're going to use it tomorrow for the plane. See everyone very soon.
Love,
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