Friday, September 3, 1999

Today's episode: Kaylee takes a plane ride.

Cindy and I changed a diaper load in the middle of a crowded Chinese airport. Imagine that.

Kaylee began accumulating frequent flyer points Wed. with at trip to Guangzhou. The middle rows of the plane was packed with Americans with Chinese babies.

Kaylee handled it like a veteran. To pop her ears, she drank on the way up and chewed her fingers on the descent.

We said goodbye to Alan, our Hunan guide. He is a thoughtful, earnest young Changsha man. He comes from a family of entertainers. During our second 6-hour bus ordeal, he took the bus microphone and sang "Take Me Home, Country Roads" in a beautiful soprano. Alas yesterday it was "Auld Lang Zyne." At the airport, Alan got hugs from all of us. This stranger was a crucial friend and advocate at this milestone in our lives. And we will never see him again.

Now we're at the beautiful Dong Fang Hotel, living large in one spot for a week. Kaylee got up just once all night, and we had to pry her butt out of the crib at 7:30 a.m. Takes after Mommy.

I know this is old hat for parents, but every 10 minutes is a moment. Last night at dinner, I looked to my right and saw my wife feeding my baby rice with chopsticks.

Next:  Day 9: Six Banyan Temple