3-30 Update

Xiao Ting slept very well last night. She made sure MaMa was in bed with her and then she grabbed both my hands (very tightly) until she fell asleep. I on the other hand did not sleep so good. The bed is just too hard. Well, only two more nights here and then off to Guangzhou, where I hope the beds are softer. We had another good day so far. We got up around eight, goofed around for awhile and ate breakfast. The hotel has a buffet with lots of different foods - rice, noodles, beef, potatoes, eggs, congee, fruit. XiaoTing will eat pretty much anything, so we have to start regulating her portions. We then went back to the room for a bit and then off to the Mummy Museum (that's not the real name). We got a guided tour of all the artifacts that have been found in the Xinjiang province. There are many diggings in this area. It is very well known. The mummies are the best preserved in the world, as the soil and temperature are just right for that. We saw some artifacts that are over 4000 years old. We saw four mummies - one was 3800 years old and the "youngest" was 1000 years old. They are very well preserved - you can see teeth, fingernails, actual hair and even face paintings. XiaoTing was pretty good considering, but it obviously wasn't very exciting for her.

When we got out, it was raining and it turned into snow. The mountains around here are now slightly covered with snow and are very beautiful.

After the nap we decided to go swimming. I don't think XiaoTing had every been before. At first she didn't like it (the water was a bit cold). Sarah and I showed her "mommy boat" where she is on my back and XiaoTing decided that looked like fun, so she tried it. After some time in the water, she got a little braver and would let go with her feet. Eventually, she got really brave and jumped in off the end into my arms !!

XiaoTing is very amazing - she is independent, stubborn, happy, and seems pretty smart. Steve is in the other room teaching her how to do a puzzle. I think developmental wise she is about 3 to 4 years (she is 5 1/2 age right now) as her attention span is short and she runs around alot. However, she also seems very smart, as she has figured out how to work on the computer, paint with watercolors and such.

Sarah is being very patient. XiaoTing has bonded to me most, but she is ok with Steve and Sarah. I think Sarah is a bit disappointed that she didn't bond to her more. She told me she thinks she doesn't like her. That is only because she is stubborn and bossy and pushes her around sometimes. We are trying to stop that behavior. I think she has bonded well with her - she kicked me out of the bathroom today while she and Sarah were in the tub. I told Sarah that I think it is going well and that I appreciate her patience with her.

Tonight we are going to eat dinner in one of the hotel restraurants - the one with spicy food, but they can make some not so spicy.

XiaoTing's Chinese passport is ready and Jenny from Holt will pick it up tomorrow. I'm not sure what we will do tomorrow. We may just hang out and go swimming (Steve, too, so he will have to wear a swim cap !!).

That's all for now.

Keep praying for safe travels and a good rest of the trip. We'll be home in one week !! I can't wait, I have to admit I am a bit homesick right now. I especially miss my sleepnumber bed !!

God Bless,
Marie