Travel Journal
March 24, 2013
Personality. Oh my, is she full of personality! Definitely a different temperament from her big sister. When she smiles and giggles, she absolutely lights up a room. But that seems to happen on her terms (and usually at night before bedtime.) When she doesn't get her way, she will whine or cry until she does. For example, if Alaina is holding her on the right hip, she will whine until she gets moved to the left hip. And it shuts off just like that. She can be quite stubborn and definitely knows her mind. We've had to start using the "no" word, and that doesn't go over well at all. But...we have time and she's pretty bright. She'll figure out the rules eventually. In the meantime, she's full of snuggles and hugs and kisses. Dayna even taught her how to blow kisses.
We were able to spend some time in fellowship and worship this morning in our room with our travel mates. With all of the craziness going on in our lives, it's hard to realize that today is Palm Sunday. It was good to take some time away and just be with others who love God. It was also fun to watch the two newest members of our group interact with each other for the first time. Annie's first play date!
Naptime did not go well today. Annie was not interested in lunch at all, and pitched a bit of a tantrum. Even having Mommy hold her was not part of her agenda. So when all else failed, Dan & Dayna left the room. Alaina put her down, where she stayed without moving, and screamed for about 20 minutes. At that point, she completely conked out. It was a fitful nap, but she did sleep for about 2 hours. When she woke up, she was starving. She completely downed a 4 oz. bottle, and we made her another, with some rice cereal, boiled egg, and noodles in between. It's so odd to have a child who actually WANTS to take a bottle. Dayna went on some sort of bottle strike when we met her and never really showed interest. We know that Annie's a bit old for a bottle and formula, but that's what she knows, and we think it's wise to stick with it for awhile. A little extra nutrition wouldn't hurt her, either.
After her nap, we did a little tea shopping and explored the local superstore again, followed by dinner at Pizza Hut. Our choices for Annie were a bit limited, and against Alaina's better judgment, we ordered the mashed potatoes with cheese (and bacon.) Dan was pretty pleased with how well she took to bacon.
Now we're back in our room, getting ready for bed. The girls are playing together (well, the younger is teasing the older).
We still have over 4 full days left in Zhengzhou. Not a lot to do in the meantime. We've planned a few excursions on Tuesday and Wednesday. We're doing okay at this point, but we're also looking forward to moving on to the next city and eventually coming home. We're also looking forward to the spaghetti dinner that Alaina's mom has promised the first night we get there.
Prayer Requests:
• Continued comfort with each other and patience for each of us as we help Annie adjust.
•Annie seems to have some sort of sinus or ear infection, and still has a very rattly cough when she wakes up.
Praises:
• Being able to spend time in informal worship this morning.
• Sleep!
• Giggles.
fellowship with friends
Finally napping
Downing a bottle
Flamingo outfit
What a cutie!