Dalian

Last night was so much easier on Zach! Earlier in the day, he had shown us a photograph of a group of kids that he had in the backpack that he carried when we were presented with him. Apparently, it is one of the little boys in the photo that he was trying to call last night. This time, he calmly showed us the photo and indicated that he wanted to call his friend. We explained that we didn't have the number, and he shrugged his shoulders and got ready for bed! No tears, no sadness, just acceptance! We couldn't have been happier. Again, he slept peacefully through the night.

We awoke to the beginning of a hectic day. Our wakeup call came at 5:00 a.m. and we were in the van heading to the bus station by 6:00 a.m. We took a bus (like a greyhound bus) to Dalian and arrived after 4 1/2 hours with just enough time to get our luggage to our rooms only to get back in the van and head to the passport office. We got a box lunch for the kids to eat while there. We completed our business in a couple of hours and headed back to the hotel.

Once there, we accomplished another major task -- we were able to get Zachary to change his clothes! Yes, he has worn the same thing the last three days. He arrived wearing nylon pants over pajama bottoms, and a fleece sweatshirt over a pajama top. He would not agree to change clothes. Recognizing it as a comfort issue, we didn't force anything. Today, however, we decided to see what our guide could do. She discussed it with the orphanage director who explained that the kids switch outfits every other day, so now would be the time to switch. The director talked to Zach and told him it was time. He reluctantly agreed, but he did it! Hallelujah!

We also had the orphanage director and another little boy from the orphanage on our bus. He was reading one of the books we had bought for Zach. I asked Maggie to see how old he is. He said he is "much older" than Zach but he doesn't know how much older. It occurred to me that these kids probably don't have any reason to keep track of their ages. This was another interesting observation I never considered.

All in all, we are impressed with the three kids we have met from the orphanage. They are good kids and seem to be prepared for what is ahead. They also seem well cared for and do have an affection for the director and the other woman who came from the orphanage. It is so wonderful to see that.

Zach is really all boy! He loves his football and plays with all the matchbox cars we brought. He loves wrestling with ba-ba (and I love how he laughs when they are goofing around!). He is also a budding computer expert. We bought 7 Chinese DVDs (for around $13 total!). He loves watching them.

Thank you so much for your kind notes on our blog and the e-mails we have received. We can't access the site, but any comments made are sent to our e-mail address so we are able to read each and every one. It blesses us to know that you are there with us!