Monday, September 6, 1999

We watched Kaylee wake up Sunday.  She rolled in her crib, rubbed her eyes and crashed face down.  Finally, she reached her tiny hand up toward Cindy.  Maybe she knows she's stuck with us.

We went to the zoo.  It's one of China's biggest.  But it felt like 100 degrees and the animals seemed as hot and misplaced as we did.  Saw a panda and a brown elephant. Down a path we didn't take pointed a sign: "Well known dog."

We are one of 11 families traveling together:  Three lawyers, a factory worker, a chemist, an engineer, an art teacher, a developer, a nurse and two grandmas among them.  We are joined by happenstance, common purpose and shared adversity.  We have borrowed bottle liners and cough drops and Tylenol and beer.  Do you have Kleenex? Cheerios?  Nail clippers?  We are this rolling baby supply operation.

Beyond that, the four families returning to China for their second baby explain each step.  The veteran parents help the rookies through each trauma.  I help Alice with the paperwork; she tells me why my daughter is cranky.  We owe these folks so much.