This trip just got a LOT better!  We are now in Guangzhou, and it's such a beautiful hotel.  Everything we need is within walking distance too.  We went out this morning and got Benjamin some much needed shoes.  Unfortunately, when the sales girl put these little shoes on him, that are just a bit small, he just HAD to have them.  The fact that they light up when he walks was the biggest selling point!  They were cheap, and I suspect I'll be buying more when we find some that fit.  His foot is not very long, but it's wide, so not just any shoe will work.

He was posing with the mannequins, and wanted me to take a picture of him doing it!   lol  He's catching on real quick.  We just might introduce him to McDonald's today.  He says he's never been there, didn't know what it is.  (Through an interpreter, of course.)  He talks to the interpreter a lot...he wanted to know why he was going to America and not the other kids.  He wanted to know if it was a Chinese guy or American guy flying the plane.  He said he doesn't think he can learn English.  He said he wants to fly airplanes when he grows up.  I don't think there's anything he CAN'T do....he's very smart and I believe he has the determination to do whatever he sets out to do!  It will be fun to see what he grows up to do.

Every day, at least once a day, we Skype with the family at home.  The girls will talk to him in Chinese, and he's less shy all the time.  Can't wait for them to meet their silly brother...he is really a character!  Libby, I think he and Mason are going to be a pair!  Hard telling what all they'll cook up to do!  I see bicycle ramps, mud pies, and double trouble in our future.

When my toothache started to ruin this trip, I was afraid I may jump out of the 19th floor hotel window....it was as bad as, if not worse than, a kidney stone.  The only way I could get relief was to swish room temperature water on it, which I did every minute or so.  Our coordinator took me to a drug store where I was able to get over the counter antibiotics for it....thank God!  I am feeling so much better.  Danielle was able to read the instructions on the box to confirm the dosage!  No English inserts....thankful Danielle and Xiaoyu have retained their Chinese!

We started our shopping today...Gracie is getting good at haggling for a good deal!

The other family who started out with us will make it in tonight....I'm anxious to see how they are all doing with their new little girl!  It funny, when we started with the first adoption, we set out to adopt a little girl, non-special needs, as young as possible, and her name would be Jillian Lace.  We never did adopt a "Jillian," but have some very awesome other kids that we must have been meant to have!  We are so very blessed by the wonderful kids... birth kids and adopted kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids that we have!  It's not a perfect world, but we appreciate what we have...

Found this in the hotel store....won't hurt to use it!

He wrote  on his face with a pen!  Silly boy!

His new too-little shoes that light up!  A "must have" for every boy that gets to pick out his shoes for the first time!

Posing with the mannequins...

See the peace sign on the mannequin?

Making friends with a dummy!

Very interesting steaming job!

Need I say more???

Beautiful hotel....and kids!