~Third~Street~Studio~: Beijing, Our second week in China

We are often asked "how was your trip?", a questions that is easy and difficult to answer. Aside from amazing it was tough, emotional, exhausting and sweaty. Not only were we in China, which in itself was an amazing experience, we also become parents- something we've been waiting almost 9 years to become. We travelled with three other families adopting children from China, and those little baby smiles were what kept us going.

After a week in Hubei, the province in Southern China where our daughter Aster was born, we all boarded a plane for Beijing. Our flight wasn't until 10 at night, so we were all a little nervous as to how our babies would handle the night time traveling. We were to arrive in Beijing at 2am and we were scheduled for our Great Wall tour the next morning at 9am. All in the their jammies, the babies fared as well as could be expected under the circumstances. Little Aster finally passed out across our laps half way through the flight. Once in Beijing we managed to get our Great Wall tour moved to 10am, though it was unclear what families, if any were actually going to make it.

Through the magic of a few hours sleep we all made it to the Great Wall tour. We were joined by another family who would be with us for our week in Beijing. They were also from Canada and adopted a four year old boy from another Ghinese province. Also joining our tour of the Great Wall was another family from Canada who adopted a daughter from China 13 years ago and had returned to tour her homeland.

The Great Wall was breath taking. Aster was exhausted and slept through the whole bus ride, tour, and half of lunch.
While in Beijing we also visited Tianamin Square, The Birds Nest, Summer Palace and shopped at the Silk Market. Aster, being the super-duper sleeper slept through almost all of it!