Our tiny diva

Marley had her physical exam this morning (which she didn't really like too much!) and we got some pretty accurate measurements. She weighs about 21 pounds and is 26 3/4" tall. She's a peanut!! Judging by how much food she puts away, I can't imagine she'll stay that small for long though. The doctor listened for several minutes, but could not hear any sign of her heart defect. We will not know for sure until she is checked out at home, but it is very likely that the little hole in her heart closed on its own as we were hoping.

The walk to the physical exam office was very interesting. The architecture here is not typical Chinese style, as this area was originally a French and British business area. We saw people doing Tai Chi in the park, children running laps before school in their school uniforms, and many, many friendly shop-keepers who wanted to make sure we all know about their special discounts for adoptive families ;)

We did a little bit of shopping after the physical exam and Marley really, really liked touching all of the pretty silk dresses. We picked out a purple silk top with a frilly skirt to go with it, and when we took the skirt off after trying it on, she cried and really wanted it back on. She also liked all of the shoes, and I got her a cute pair of black shoes that squeak when she walks. Maybe she can help me with my complete lack of fashion sense. The total bill for her outfit, shoes, a toy to hang on the stroller and a tiny bracelet was about $10.

We just made a pitstop for a dry diaper, a snack, and to take our laundry to get it washed--finally. We're going to head back out armed with the camera and some cash. I need to start souvenir shopping for the kids and also want to get some things for Marley to have when she is older, like a jade pendant and a 'chop' with her Chinese name on it. It is warm and sunny and I feel very comfortable going out and about with Marley on our own. We need to meet our guide back here at 2:30 to fill out paperwork which she will take to the US Consulate here tomorrow morning to apply for our children's passports.