More Pictures

O.K. - this kid can eat. I mean, really eat! She is also all about Mommy right now. So, when you put those two things together, it was interesting to watch her little mind process how she would eat the Chinese version of cheetos today at the park. She took a couple out of Bill Jr.'s bag, put them in my hand to hold, then she would eat them. I guess that's the beginning of trust.

Grammy has been wonderful! I can't imagine the trip without her! Michelle really wants Mommy to hold her, but if Mom can't, Grammy is the only other one who she will let hold her.

She LOVES the bathtub! She also has this cute little wave that appears out of nowhere. She is such a charmer!

Two sisters now to match the two brothers!

The Cole's in front of the Christmas tree in the lobby of our hotel, the Crown Plaza in Zhengzhou.

Josh is having a few adjustment issues- it's hard to go from being the baby and usually the center of attention. However, he's a great brother, and Michelle just loves him. He is by far her favorite entertainment.

We spend a lot of time just walking up and down the hallway of our hotel. Not sure why, but it seems to be one of her favorite activities. These are her new p.j.'s - we went shopping today and got a pair of the "Michelin-man" pajamas because she was waking up cold. Hope these will not only feel more familiar to her, but keep her a little warmer at night.

Funny side note- we also bought her a bib at the mall tonight that we loved. It says, "Is my math loving" and has a little mouse doing addition problems. So many things here that are translated into English are very funny to us - just not exactly the way we would say it. We have no idea what this means, but we liked it!

We also had fun at the mall getting the full experience of the kids split pants. The young children here wear these huge pants with a large split down the backside. You see lots of little behinds as you walk around. Whenever the kids need to go, and wherever they need to go (and I really mean just wherever) the kids just squat and go. We stepped over a big puddle in the middle of the department store - I kid you not!!!

On a different note, the families we are traveling with are really nice! We have such a great group - 12 families total. It's a big group, and it's been so fun to see all the kids as they are becoming a little more comfortable each day. Some of the kids won't eat, some of them have unusual attachments. For example, one little girl will not take off her shoes. Today at the store I noticed she had on a new pair of shoes - that's progress. It's so precious to see all these children welcomed into these loving families. Almost all the children in this province have some sort of special need. Several of them are cleft kids like Michelle, one little boy only has one hand, one little girl is 10 years old and deaf, another girl is 12 and was about to age out of adoption, several have heart conditions. It's amazing to see how sweet they all are, and how much their families love them! These kids are so sweet and just need to be in a loving home. I'm honored to be a part of such wonderful people.

Tomorrow we will travel to Louhe, to visit Michelle's orphanage. It's a long trip, almost 3 hours each way, but we felt it was too important for us not to go. Please pray for us - I have mixed emotions, not sure what to expect or how Michelle will react to going back. My biggest concern is I don't want her to think we are taking her back. However, I know other families who have returned with their kids and they say it is a good kind of closure for the children.