Short Window to Post - Leaving for Dalian Shortly...

Hi there, C here.

Just to recap from last Post (before Dylan...):

Kyle insisted that we take a swim in the "heated" pool. I told him it might be cold.
He replied confidently, "I like it cold".
It turns out he din't like it COLD. We got it at one end I held him as we walked to the far side of the pool and back. I hoisted his shivering little bluish body out of the pool. We got dried off and went back to the room to get a warnm shoiwer before bed.

Veronica took us to a local Park on Sunday afternoon, where we had a nice time enjoying the local flavor. Kyle was fortunate to meet a small friend who was playing soccer by himslef until the ball careened our way. The game was on as Kyle and this little boy (joined by another little boy shortly after) played an impromptu soccer match for about 15 minutes. here they are after the match:



The park was very nice and Kyle even played in the playground with a gaggle of other Chinese children. There was even a duckling running around that tuirned out to be the pet of a small girl - she scooped him up when her mother called like she was picking up a playground ball.

We has dinner at the Italian Restaurant in the hotel (Lisa's Planning made sure of this...) and had a quick dessert at Starbucks right down the street. Kyle had a water and Lisa & I enjoyed hot chocolates to the sounds of American Jazz - if you wouild have covered the windows, we could have easily imagined that we were in Lansdale for one of our regular trips out in the winter...

Since Lisa packed many new clothes for Kyle, we are in need of a belt for Kyle.
I should say that we WERE in need of a belt. I had a short piece of clothesline that we used an an impromptu belt. Kyle was near giddy aa I tied him off with a figure-eight finished with a half-hitch. (I read a book about knots once, so I really don't know whether what I just wrote is even possible!). I just tied his pants so they wouldn't be around his ankles every 10 steps!


Moving on the Dylan stories - Lisa is helping me to keep track of them so I remember to post them. I must have 10 scraps of paper with all of the details that I need to transcribe.

The boys took a bath last night and really enjoyed the new rubber duckies that Mom packed. Dylan has a number of scratches and small sores on his arms, cheeks & legs. Nothing that much to be concerned about long term, but still a little surprising to see (as we are used to Kyle after 2 and a half-years later).
Here is a tub shot:



Dylan is pottied trained and he has let us know easily when he has to go. He even has the "post-potty hand-sanitize technique" down pat that to guga Kyle.

Dylan is much smaller than we expected and is very slight in his build. He's more likely a size 2T in shirts and 18 Mos. in pants. Kyle seems a full head larger. It's just a reminder of how much Kyle has thrived after being in the US with us.

He loves food and and is not very picky. He enjoyed Raisins, Fresh Fruits, Hard-boiled eggs with yolks & dumpling for Breakfast this morning - the hotel breakfast is excellent and has something for everyone. He loves chocolates and sweets and definitiely wants them if he can have them. (He gets that from Mama & Baba.)
He is adept with a fork and does not use chopsticks (anymore?).

Last night on hs first night, he slept with Mom and she soothed him as he talked himself off to a relaxing sleep. He slept soundly (like Kyle) once he fell off but it took quite a while - he did suck his thumb for a while while Mom tried to help him relax.

He is a happy little boy and frequently talks non-stop in a very soft sing-song little voice, not seeming to care that we don't exactly know what he's saying.
Veronica has asked him and he says that he loves his mama guga and baba. He laughs a lot and he smiles even more. He is getting used to us slowly and surely.

I've got to run now as the bus will be leaviung shortly for Dalian City.
We had our second appointment today at Civil Affairs here in Shenyang to finalize the local paperwork. Off to Dalian City...

We'll post more when we can.

Here is aparting shot of the fellas: