Top Twenty

Today's pictures were selected to show Hannah's size relative to a jellycat stuffed animal, give a view of her first bath and her tiny little limbs as well as to showcase her fabulous custom-knit bootie collection.

As a special treat, we have also prepared a top-20 list of some of the many China lessons learned on this trip:
1. It is not rude to push and shove. While it's easy to grasp this cultural difference intellectually, it's another thing altogether to experience it firsthand.
2. The concept of forming a line, or waiting in said line, does not exist. See #1.
3. It is not rude to 'hock a loogie'. Not even if it lands on someone else.
4. Also not rude to get into an elevator full of babies while smoking a cigarette.
5. Indeed, not rude/illegal to smoke a cigarette virtually anywhere. This includes airplanes.
6. As much as I used to consider myself an adventurous eater, I have no wish to sample any dish that translates to the following words: paw, tail, head, feet, saliva, brain, hoof, eye, dog, villus, intestine, tongue.
7. NYC is not really all that polluted.
8. LA does not really have true smog.
9. Crested Butte actually does have really good Chinese food.
10. It is possible for one to need to travel with different adapters for different parts of the same country.
11. Your brand new adopted Chinese baby undresses like an onion: there are many layers, and there are bound to be some tears.
12. There are a whole lot of palms wishing to be greased during an adoption.
13. Size is not indicator of age when talking Chinese babies.
14. Neither is ability to walk, roll over, or simply sit up.
15. Is possible to wait 40 minutes to pay for a meal one does not even eat simply because that is how long it takes for the check to arrive.
16. It is also possible to starve and yet not lose weight due to the high caloric content of oreos.
17. One should travel with a fan. Unless one wishes to be amused by variety of items brought to substitute, including ironing board and/or humidifier.
18. Brushing teeth with bottled water gets old. Quickly.
19. Is possible to dream of fresh fruits and vegetables. Sue even dreams organic.
20. High speed internet connection may be oxymoron.

xoxo
ABG

PS. Sim, you so owe us some pics of the boys!!!