Rest of Wednesday

So we hung out in the room this afternoon while ShiShi napped and we both took turns doing the same. Then, the group met for dinner. Our guides order everything for us and there was a ton of food. I'll have to get the name of a couple of dishes because they were so good. There was some minced pork wrapped in eggplant with a delicious sauce, white rice, plain noodles, tasty green beans, broccoli cooked with something fab, beef and lamb that you dip in a sauce that had lots of ginger. There was also a soup, but it had a bit too much ginger and I was completely stuffed by then.

Shi Shi ate tons of the steamed eggs and then had a ball gumming green beans and noodles. She was good perched in her highchair, but we have to keep a hand on her for the times when she suddenly tips over. She had a green bean dangling out of her mouth like a cigarette and enjoyed us laughing at her over it. I also found a tickle spot on her thigh and she likes me to get it.

She doesn't reach out to us and still spends a lot of time looking at us as she tries to figure out what in the world is going on. But, she likes us so it is an interesting relationship to watch. She likes to explore the toys and things right around her so we have to be careful at the table or else everything is on the floor.

I wonder how she was carried around because her arms seem to mainly go straight out unless she is trying to hold something in front of her.

I don't think we can visit the orphanage, only the town of Shanggao, but that is okay because she was in foster care and we couldn't visit the house anyway. She came back with the cameras, but not the little toy we sent (which is fine -- I hope some other little baby gets to enjoy it.) They are also working on either answering or translating the questions we sent with her care package. When she came to us, her top layer was a Circo brand Target outfit. I wonder if it was donated, but because it is not split pants that they couldn't really use a sleeper. Perhaps they use those kinds of clothes to send the babies off. Under this were the more traditional clothes. I want to keep them for her, but on the other hand I don't like taking anything from the orphanage. Hopefully we can give them some extra money sometime during the visit or go to Walmart and buy new ones. Not that I mention it, that would probably be better since these are thread bare.

I think ShiShi is finally comfortable enough for us to start wandering the streets tomorrow. I get such a kick out of just walking down the roads to see the various shops. One shop was filled with metal cooking pots and someone inside was tinkering -- if that is what you call it -- a pot. There are not alot of tourist things to do, but plenty of local places to explore.