Nanchang Pavilion

2/26/05 (a.m.)

OK, OK, I’m sorry I haven’t posted about Katie Lin and Ben lately. I fell asleep after the orphanage post last night and haven’t had time to sit down and write until now, but thanks to all of you who have expressed your disappointment in my lazinessJ That must mean you are enjoying keeping up with our journey.

Ben fell asleep yesterday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. and didn’t wake up until 4:30 a.m. this morning (15 hours!). He is a different little boy, full of energy and very hungry. We had to slow him down at breakfast. It was such a relief to hear him walking around the room in the middle of the night and shaking me to make me stop snoring. No one else has suffered from his symptoms, which makes me think it was something he drank or ate. He told us later that he thought he swallowed some pool water while swimming Thursday. That certainly can’t be a good thing.

Katie Lin slept 8-1/2 hours Thursday night and 10 hours last night with one brief feeding each night about 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. Good timing! We’ve been pretty exhausted and needed the sleep badly. Last night I tried to put her down to sleep since I was such an expert at it the night before; however, my attempts were all in vain. She wanted her mommy! Sonya seemed to enjoy gloating about this and reminded me of it several times. While she fights going to sleep she seems to be crying, “Nee Nee”. I have no idea what that means, but she stops when Sonya holds her. We’ll ask our guide today what she thinks KL is trying to say.

Another breakthrough….KL is learning to lie on her belly and reach for things. We are trying to build her arm strength since she apparently has never had to use them much. She is also doing better sitting up, but still prefers standing with our assistance. She continues to change daily. She is a different little girl than she was on Gotcha Day. I’m sure by the time we get back to Alabama she will be a typical Hodge kid. I realize that’s a scary thought to most you! Better get ready!

Oh yeah, yesterday after the orphanage we went to McD’s. I try to avoid that place as much as possible while in the U.S.A., but it was soooooooo good. I was craving fries in a bad way. I ordered two large fries and ate one almost by the time I got back to the van. I don’t think I even chewed! There is also a KFC, but it is VERY different than what we have in the States. Their menu includes a lot of weird, local food. Hopefully it really is chicken. Pizza Hut is fairly similar to what we’re used to, but they also have some local cuisine on their menu.

This morning we are going to the local pavilion, which is the city landmark. It looks like a huge pagoda with some sort of temple in the middle. It is surrounded by local shops which is probably where we’ll spend most of our time. I promise to post again later. I realize the pic’s are becoming few and far between compared to the first few days with Katie Lin. Maybe I’ll just leave you all in suspense until we return (just kidding).

Keep praying that we’ll all be protected from sickness. We only have a few days left in Nanchang (thank God!) before heading to Guangzhou and we’re all pretty sick of this place, so pray for patience and perseverance also.

God bless,

Jeff, Sonya, Drew, Ben, Katie Lin and Grandmother

2/26/05 (p.m.)

It's a rainy, cold day in Nanchang, but that didn't stop us from doing a little site seeing today. As you can see from our pictures (ref. the "2-26-05" photo album), we visited the Nanchang Pavilion with the Browns and our guide, Grace. We saw a lot of beautiful architecture, gardens, art, and were entertained by a small Chinese theater team. It made for great video action. I think the best part for the boys was all the souvenirs they collected. We also posed for a few pictures. Don't you just love the one we've posted on our home page?

This afternoon we spent time doing what we enjoy the most -- getting to know our little girl. She is getting stronger everyday. She's becoming more comfortable on her tummy and will even roll over onto her back from that position; however, she still prefers to be held. I don't blame her, don’t we all?

For dinner tonight, we ordered from Pizza Hut with the Browns. I ordered a hamburger from room service since I have so many food allergies. It came complete with bacon, fried egg, cucumber and pineapple. It was delicious! I just hope it was really hamburger meat. And of course I ordered TWO orders of french fries. Emma and KL seemed to enjoy playing together. We're thinking about throwing them a dual birthday party at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou sometime after we arrive next Tuesday since they probably didn't get to experience one (at least not American style) before meeting their forever families. Emma's birthday was in January and KL's in February.

Tomorrow should be an interesting day. We are traveling to the city where KL and Emma were born, abandoned, and then lived with their foster parents. It's about a two hour drive so the boys are staying with Grandmother at the hotel. We will visit the location where each of our babies was abandoned, but probably will not be allowed to visit their orphanage. Please pray that somehow God will open that door for us, literally. I don't want to miss that opportunity if at all possible. Also pray that He will protect us from sickness as we're traveling.

I know you all are probably tired of me saying this, but you're the greatest friends in the world. We are so blessed to know each of you. Your support has been incredible and means so much to us. Katie Lin will, no doubt, be the most loved little girl in the world (of course, I'm a little subjective in my opinions).

God bless,

Jeff, Sonya, Drew, Ben, Katie Lin and Grandmother