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• Urumqi is very dirty. If you spend an hour out and about shopping or walking, when you come back in and wash your hands, the soap turns grey. Its very much like Moscow was 10 years ago.
• Peng has more energy than Noelle, which scares me. He goes to bed well, though. (Although, last night, after tubby, instead of going to bed, he headed to Grandpa’s bed with his Game Boy. But, when I indicated he only had 15 minutes to bed, he did well).
• He is starting to get much more comfortable and challenging rules, which I take as a good thing. He will now just look through bags and stuff on the desk. He was sitting on the ledge by the big windows in Grandpa’s room and would put his legs up on the ledge. I’d make him put them down. He’d inch them back up. Very 6 year old like.
• Getting Peng to sit still is a challenge. I just sent him to go play with his GameBoy so he’d stop bouncing around on the bed.
• Lily tells us we can’t find a Game Boy recharger in Urumqi. I’m not sure if that’s true, but we have not ventured out on our own in search of one. Wouldn’t you know that is what I left behind. I’m hopeful the battery lasts through the plane flight to Guangzhou.
• Peng had his first cup of hot cocoa last night at Pizza Hut. It may have been his first dinner at a restarant like that. I asked the waitress to ask him what he wanted to drink. She listed out all the drinks and he selected the hot cocoa.
• Peng does not like pizza (boy, I hope he acquires that taste!). So, after he poked at his pizza, we asked a different waitress to walk through the menu with him and he selected a couple of appetizers and ice cream. When it came, he only ate a couple of hot wings.
• Peng’s appetite has slowed down. I think he’s realized we are going to feed him regularly. I also think he may have worn out his excitement and interest in new foods in the first 36 hours and is now sticking to the more tried and true.
• He loved the french fries at KFC.
• He and Noelle both loved the play area at KFC.
• When a clear Anglo goes to the counter at the KFC in Urumqi, they pull out a menu where you can select your meal by picture.
• Peng went for his first swim yesterday. If you remember, he had told Lily he had never swam, but would like to try and then that first day a part of his melt down was related to the fact that we did not go to the pool. When we went to get our swim suits on yesterday, he said no, no. So, we called Lily again. Daddy had nailed it, he thought Peng might be worried it would be too deep. Lily explained that Peng wanted to watch first. So, down we went and Noelle and I got in the pool and started goofing off. Grandpa and Peng sat on the side. After 10 minutes or so, Peng was ready. In he went with Grandpa. The attendants came over to tell us to take off his shirt, but when we lifted it up and showed them the sac on his back, they indicated it’d be OK for him to swim with a shirt on. Grandpa kept his shirt on, too, so Peng wouldn’t be the only one.
• This trip has been the hardest on Noelle. She is still not on a good sleeping schedule and all the meetings and paperwork and the lack of a routine is very, very hard on her. I love her, but should have left her at home with either Grandma Ginger or Grandma Leslie. The first 10 days with Peng was going to be very hard on her no matter what, but it would have been easier at home.
• Peng is quite an adventurous soul.  I’m not sure how well I’d be doing if dropped into China without a guide and experiencing new things at every moment.  Staying at a hotel is new.  Being in the city is new.  Eating at a restaurant is new.  Swimming is new.  Hot cocoa is new.  Yet, he attacks it all with great energy.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 16th, 2006 at 3:44 am and is filed under Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.