Group Shot at the Teng Wang Pavillion
Daddy, Ella & Toby by the Gan River
Katie and a car just her size!
Look who is getting stronger everyday!
Traditional Chinese show on the top floor of the TWP
Madison, Mama and her girls watch the show
High above the Gan River on the sixth floor of the TWP
This little boy's family was quite insistent
Mama & her kids with the Mama Lion
Our girls playing together after their naps
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM/GRANDMA!!!!
Wow, I have so much to report. First, though, let me thank each of you for your patience. I know (because I've done so myself for years) that you anxiously check for updates and might be disappointed when there is nothing new to see and read. Let me tell you, that it's hard to carve out computer time when you've got two little ones who require lots and lots of attention -- not to mention when you're borrowing a computer!
So today, we thought we would be able to sleep in, as we weren't supposed to meet to tour the Teng Wang Pavillion until 10:00. However, someone not too far from our hotel decided to shoot off some major fireworks at 6:00 AM (yes, 6:00 AM -- and they went on for several minutes). They were kind of pretty (Daddy got some video) and when we asked our guide, Karen, why in the world someone would shoot off major fireworks at 6:00 in the morning, she said it would either be because someone got married or because someone died (she thought someone probably died)
Back to the TWP, it is, according to guide Karen, the only place in Nanchang that the tourists must see (actually, she said it is the only place in Nanchang that is worth seeing). It is a AAAA attraction in China. It's gorgeous and very impressive -- both the buildings and the grounds. We walked around outside before going up to the top floor for a Traditional Chinese variety show. Fortunately, there was an elevator so we didn't have to climb all the way to the top with the babies. We did, however, take the stairs down.
The Teng Wang Pavillion was built by one of the Emperor's sons. He enjoyed living the good life, and built it as a place to party.
Once back on the ground, we enjoyed feeding the ravenous goldfish in the ponds, and for 1Y (about 15 cents) we bought a bag of fish food and let Katie feed them. The video Dad shot would amuse you -- it certainly amused Katie, who screamed with delight every time the hundreds of goldfish (really, Koi) tried to out maneuver each other for the morsels. The boys often got splashed by the aggressive fish.
Both girls fell asleep either at the Pavillion or in the van on the way back to the hotel. After the nap, the girls played for a while before Dad, the boys and Katie went to the swimming pool with Gary and his girls, and sweet Ella and I spent some alone time together. During that time, I was able to see her sweet personality emerging. She definitely has a glint of mischeviousness in her eye, I think she's going to be a handful! She did bite into a rice cake type cracker, and used her broken front teeth to do so. That was a huge relief, as we thought she might have cracked them and couldn't use them because they hurt her. She attacked that cracker, so it couldn't have hurt too much.
In other Ella news, she's beginning to walk a little bit, holding on to hands, of course, and very unsteadily. She has no strength at all in her legs, but she will get lots of opportunities to use her legs each and every day. She's already done a couple of laps around our halls and through the "open space" where the babies are able to play.
And, for those who are adoptive parents, we were thrilled to be able to change a smelly diaper today -- yippee!
In Katie news, she's doing well, but gets frustrated at times, of course. She definitely gets jealous when she wants Mommy and Mommy is holding Ella. Of course, Ella gets jealous right back when Mommy is holding Katie. Often, I end up holding both of them at the same time. Last night at dinner, Katie asked for "Rice Syrup" and it took us a moment to realize she was really asking for Soy Sauce.
Okay, enough for now, I've got some kiddos to play with. We have no big plans for the rest of the day, but I think we'll go outside and explore some. Tomorrow we go outside of Nanchang and visit the countryside.
We love the comments, thanks so much! Enjoy the pictures -- if you click on one, it will enlarge and you can view them all (with comments in slideshow format).
1 comment:
She is so darling.... how wonderful, how happy, how amazing...
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