Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we do play requests. Got a comment asking about this bit of the travel decision-making process, so here's our justification:

We hear the pai gow tables at the new Wynn Resort Casino are even hotter than the ones at the Casino Jai-Alai, and, y'know, Vegas might have rides for the kids now, but Macau still frowns at the 12-and-under set wandering around and peeking at people's fantan hands.

No, no, no. We're sure that The Boy (now age 12)^* would aquit himself like a hero while we attempted to count cards and blew his college fund on baccarat. A babysitting hero, at that. He was a great help last go round.

No, the main concerns are basically three, here ranked in order:

1. The Dosh. We're not doctors, lawyers, engineers or successful business owners. I write for a living (if it can be called that) with an annual salary somewhere around what an elementary school substitute teacher makes. My Adjective Spouse is working less than previously doing some of the more pleasant things social workers do (like home studies) rather than placing schizophrenics in state custody. And the biggest single expense in the whole adoption thing for us has been airfare. And Daughter's too old to fly for free (and I'm not sure at this point it'd be fair to take her and not The Boy (now age 12), who is no doubt not enjoying the fact that he's not the cute, attention-getting one any more, although he's too much of a decent guy to say anything about it).


2. Age & Memory. Daughter turned 3 in December. I have a vague memory of my sister celebrating her third birthday during a family trip to South Africa. I don't think she remembers any of it. And I do recall my mother being distinctly put out by having to juggle the two of us on that long, long flight. I recall this mainly because she's told us about it several times in the subsequent years. Daughter back to China good. Daughter remembering back to China better.


3. The New Human Being Bonding Thing. Taking the long view, the couple weeks we'll be in Chongqing and Guangzhou with the young lad will probably be the ONLY time we'll ever be alone with him. Last time, we had quality family bonding time with everyone. But we also had my mother along to come and divert any one of us when the others needed time alone or with the new young thing. No Nai-nai this trip (and she's ecstatic at having quality time with her granddaughter, too). It's us and our new son (son!). (I really have to stop with the echolalia and exclamation point!) We'll be doing a lot of holding, staring, feeding and generally hanging out in a way we'd never get done in this house. Daughter, you know, is not really sure about this whole "new baby" thing. These clothes in her room, that strangely familiar crib in the corner -- she's got her reservations. On the other hand, she's set with the "You go to China, and I stay with Nai-nai, and you bring the baaaaby" concept. Which is nice.

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^*Did you see that? Did you see what happened?