A rainy day in Nanchang

It's been a chilly, rainy day in Nanchang. This morning, we headed out with the Roths and with our guide to the Public Security Bureau to get the girls' Chinese passports. The procedure took about ten minutes; the documents had been prepared prior to our arrival. All we had to do was verify our identity and sign some papers.

After that, we visited a shop nearby to buy some of the porcelain for which Jiangxi province is famed. We bought two full tea sets, one of which we will save to give Xiu Dan when she is older. We learned a little about the invention of porcelain and its importance in Chinese culture, history and economy. Apparently, it was first fired in Jiangxi about 10,000 years ago and was refined over a few hundred years. Porcelain, gunpowder, paper, printing, the compass and noodles -- all are Chinese inventions.

We returned to the hotel, gave Xiu Dan an bottle and put her down for a nap (she slept way too long, and we're paying for it now. It's after 9pm, and we still can't get her to sleep). The boys did homework while Kori and I watched Sumo and drank tea. We kind of skipped lunch, so we ate some dried fruit and crackers we bought earlier in the week.

At about 3ish, Xiu Dan woke up, and we decided to go shopping. The weather had cleared up a bit, and we hadn't had a chance to fully explore the 'walking street' filled with shops about a mile away from the hotel. We made dinner plans with the Roths and hit the road. Unfortunately, the rain decided to give an encore, and we got soaked. After a good dinner with the Roths, we came home, exhausted. Xiu Dan got a bath, and we put her down to bed. Repeatedly. After a few moments of peaceful repose, the kid would start shrieking. We've decided not to play hardball on bedtimes so early in our relationship, so we've been getting her up to comfort her when she screams.

I brought her over to the computer -- which she loves -- to do a video chat with Patti Simmons. About 30 seconds into it, Xiu Dan reached down and grabbed the left option and command keys. She ripped them both clean off. I got them back on, but the option key is jacked up. The shift key seems funky now too. Grr.

It's 9:25, and Xiu Dan just fell asleep. Finally. I'm praying it lasts, 'cause I'm exhausted.

G'night.