Fun in the Tub & Yummy New Grub

What a fun night - and a successful one, to boot: both kiddos were washed and in bed by 7:30 p.m. That's 30 minutes earlier than I'd originally planned -- woo-hoo! After a fun bathtime session, Hannah and Jaycie both conked out early. I'm sure it helped that I limited Hannah's nap times today, since her long nap yesterday (4 hours long), made for a too-playful baby between 1:30 and 4 a.m. this morning! Hopefully, she'll sleep all night tonight without too much incident; who knows, maybe I'll get to sleep all night, too. One can hope.

On another note, I discovered yesterday that Hannah loves green beans. I even let her eat some cornbread with them, and was that ever a hit! I think she enjoyed crumbling it up just about as much as she did eating it. She wasn't a big fan of tonight's baby food offerings, though, maybe because she couldn't feed herself (interestingly enought, baby food is called "paste" in China; how appropriate). I just hope she keeps liking the rice cereal and yogurt I've been offering; self-feeding those two items would be icky indeed.

For any of you out there in waiting-to-travel-to-China-to-adopt land who are still reading my these random ramblings, I'm going to start posting packing / travel tips as I think of them. In no particular order, here are some things I'm glad packed:

1. safety pins: I took a box but could've gotten by with about 10; they came in way handy for taking in the 12 month pants that were too big in the waist for little Hannah. I even safety pinned a little pair of slippers that kept slipping off.
   
2. clothes pins: We took 5, and they did the trick (albeit in a not-so-fashionable way) when the disposable bibs' sticky tabs didn't work; we also used them for laundry and to keep the formula bag closed.
3. peanut butter: I'd suggest taking a whole jar if you have a child travelling with you, but it would helpful, too, if you need an afternoon snack yourself (a small jar would do unless you really dislike Chinese cuisine); this can be especially helpful when appointments run long (into lunch) or when the strong smells start getting to you and you need a familiar flavor in your mouth.
   
4. ziploc bags: We brought a handful in a variety of sizes; I like the classic kind (not the sliding zipper; those tended to come undone sometimes). They're lightweight and perfect for packing baby snacks. It's helpful to have, too, when you need to snag a couple of pieces of bread from breakfast for that emergency peanut butter sandwich or for extra Cheerios for the road.
5. long sleeved shirts, short sleeved shirts, a light jacket w/ a hood, & a heavier jacket w/ hood or stocking cap (for winter travellers only): Beijing stayed cold; I was glad I had a jacket with a hood and gloves. Nanchang was warmish during the day and cooler at night most of the week before turning colder right before we left. Guangzhou was short-sleeve weather most of the time and a little cooler at night (I was wishing I'd had a light weight jacket, instead of just fleece pullovers). It was pretty cool the last day there.

That's all. More later.