Pictures!

An amazing moment...coming down the escalator at the Halifax Airport and seeing these beautiful faces!!! Our sweet little Dylan and Alyssa and my dad!

We had traveled for a total of 46 hours (Chris and I without sleep) and we had traveled on 3 flights (ALL of them were delayed) so to finally be so close to home and see our children was an incredible moment for us!

Chris and Alyssa getting their first hugs after 14 long days!

Dylan was THRILLED to finally meet Evan. People have been telling us that anytime they saw Dylan while we were in China, he would tell them all about Evan and give them a day by day account of our time in China. (I'm sure he can recite the blog word for word!) The smile on Dylan's face in this pictures says it all!

Our first family photo...the 6 of us!

Friends of ours (Matt and Peggy) invited us up to their camper yesterday for a visit and it was just what we needed! The kids had a blast running around, playing at the park and being with their friends. Chris and I enjoyed the fresh air, good food and time with our friends as well!

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Evan continues to do AMAZING! We really can't believe how well he is doing - he is so happy! He is saying more and more English words each day (and without our prompting) and he has even learned to sing the ABC song in English. It's too cute.

Pure joy - I love seeing this on their faces!



Evan conked out by the fire and Dylan enjoyed snuggling with him. Dylan has been a life saver since we returned home...he has played with Evan and enterntained him all day. Chris and I are actually doing really well with jetlag but there are times we need to rest or get some "jobs" done around the house and Dylan is more than happy to play with Evan.

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Did I mention how fantastic my children are? We are so blessed!

On Canadian Soil!

WOW, wow, wow! I can't believe we are back in Canada...in our own house and sleeping in our own cozy beds! It feels great.

Evan and Caleb were both great on the trip home...they slept lots (Chris and I didn't sleep at all!). We finally arrived back to PEI on Friday morning at 11:00. What a long trip. When we turned the corner in our subdivision we were blown away by the crowd of children and people waiting to welcome home Evan (and the rest of us, I'm sure)! Evan was yelling and pulling to get out of his carseat when he saw all the people! He jumped out of the van and started saying "Ni Hao" to everyone. Everywhere he went, a group of kids followed him. It was fantastic to come home and see our friends and family!

I have to be honest...I was extremely nervous to come home and start life with Evan - last time I had a horrible time with jetlag and with adjusting with Alyssa at home. So, I felt overwhelmed at the idea of doing again. Seeing our friends and family there really helped ease the anxiety and being able to talk and laugh with Engish speaking people was great! :-)

Today...(Saturday) Evan is doing fabulous. He loves his brother, Dylan and is following him around everywhere. Evan's cousins, Lauren and Michael are over playing and all the kids are getting along and enterntaining each other. It's given me a chance to unpack, start laundry, clean the house and Chris is cutting the lawn...I'm telling you - there is NO rest for the weary!

I promise to post some pictures some later....

THANK YOU for the wonderful comments you all left. I can't express how much it means to our family to know so many people care about us and especially for our new son, Evan. Adoption is such an amazing experience but it is one that has to be shared with others in order to get through it. So, thank you to each and every one of you!!!

More to come....

A day in Beijing...

Today we attempted the Forbidden City...unfortunately, it was too much for the children (lots of walking and getting very hungry - and it was rainy and hot) so we zipped through and really didn't take in any of the buildings, etc....Chris and I had been there before and Caleb did see a few of the buildings but I think he was glad to get to the air conditioned bus as well. He still wasn't feeling that well today either.

We were supposed to go the Market today - the one with all the kids' shoes but everyone agreed it was too difficult to take the kids there. I completely agreed with everyone but I was so disappointed not to get shoes! I bought 2 pairs for Alyssa and 2 pairs for Evan but that's it. It'll have to do because neither Chris or I are willing to enter into "meltdown zone" again!!

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As you know we are heading back to Can.a.da tomorrow and we will be traveling for almost 48 hours. We are not landing at the Charlottetown airport as originally planned because we were unsure of our travel dates as we had thought we would need to stay in China longer due to the paperwork issue with Evan. So, we are flying into Halifax at 6:20 am on Friday morning and my Dad, Dylan and Alyssa are coming to meet us. I can't WAIT to see them. Then, we will drive home to Cornwall and would love for you to visit us at the Welcome Home Party (thanks Chris and Mari Lynn - that is SO nice!!). We can't wait to see everyone and for you to meet out little Evan!

I thought I'd post lots of pictures today instead of more rambling from me...the pictures are great and much more enjoyable....

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Check back to this post later as I'm going to post more pictures from last night's "Goodbye China" party. Most of the kids (and 2 moms) wore traditional Chinese outfits and they were so cute!! See you all SOON!!!!!

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The handsome duo - oh yeah, and UltraMan! Evan is famous for his ultraman moves and his absolute obsession with UltraMan!

This was Chris' highlight of the trip...ha ha ha. He came back from the bathroom and said, "I just felt like I had to wash in all three sinks" and then he showed me the picture of what was in there. Too funny!

This was taken at the end of the Forbidden City...this is a moat that goes around the City.


Evan and XinYue inside Forbidden City - they are playing "I'm stronger than you are"

Cutie pie Evan in a big barrel at Forbidden City. These big barrels are all around the city and they were filled with water (when emporers lived there) in case of a fire, there was plenty of water nearby

Both boys bought new sunglasses at the Forbidden City...they are way too cool!

The Forbidden City...Dylan and Ayssa, can you find Caleb in this picutre? I'll give you a hint...he's wearing yellow...

Most of the kids in our group (we are missing Sam J. and Lily Butler)

Our gorgeous man!

Evan waiting for us at Forbidden City...the kids were full of energy for awhile and were running ahead and then they'd have to wait for their slow poke parents!

Here is Chris, our guide (to the left) and some of the other families in our group (Malcolm and Adrienne and I see Bob M. in the back there, too) As you can see, it was a dreary day but the rain held off for most of the tour.

Caleb at Forbidden City

The four of us just before we entered the Forbidden City. We were also approached several times by Chinese people who wanted their picture taken with us. It was pretty cool. Caleb had lots of Canadian pins that he handed out to the Chinese kids we saw in the City.

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If you read our blog, we want you to leave a comment (and thank you to all of you who do already...we love reading them!!!)- this whole trip that we've recorded on the blog will be transferred to a book for Evan (we have one for Alyssa and it is beautiful - THANK YOU ELIZABETH!!!) so we want to hear who's been supporting and loving our little guy with us! For those leaving a comment for the first time -

1. click on the word "comments" at the end of this post and it will take you to a screen where you can type a message. Type your message.

2. Then under Choose an Identity, click "anonymous"

3. Click "Publish Your Comment"

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Thank you!

We're on Day 11!

Hello fellow blog readers and/or blog stalkers... Chris (Darrach) here... I just wanted to let everyone know about a Welcome Home Brunch we are having for Evan and the rest of the MacKinnon clan this Friday (June 27th) at 10:00 AM at the Darrach residence. Nothing too fancy... just a light brunch... I realize some of you are from "away"... like BC and such places... so I figured if I gave you a couple of days notice you could hop in the car tonight and be here on time. If you need our address, please send me a quick email to cdarrach@gmail.com. We live at #14 right across the street from Chris and Tammy's house!

We all took the kids to a play area in a big mall to let them burn off some energy! They had lots of fun.

Evan riding a helicopter at the play place


Evan posing with his favorite Olympic Lucky Babies!


Ready for the day...heading to the bus

Evan and XinYue played for 3 hours straight in the hotel rooms and in the hallway. They are really just too cute!!!

Sam J (Tracy J's son) came to join in for some fun watching the Olympic Lucky Babies Cartoon.

WOW, we can't believe we are coming home in 2 days. At times, it seems like we've been in China for weeks but it also feels as if it's gone by quickly.

Today we went to the Pearl Market which meant LOTS of things to buy (according to Evan) so it didn't go very smoothly. We knew this going in so at least we were prepared for meltdowns. And Evan didn't disappoint us...we have 4 MAJOR temper tantrums and a few other little ones. To give you an idea of how the day went....when we got back to the hotel room, Chris went over to the big window ledge and said "can I please jump?!".

Each day is a bit easier because we feel like we are understanding each other better but each day is also stressful with several meltdowns. Overall, Evan is really a happy, outgoing boy and loves, loves, loves to play! He is 110% boy!!!

For those of you who have adopted babies and are now returning to China to adopt an older child - you will find the trip much different. The activities that we enjoyed last time are much more difficult with a child who runs everywhere, gets tired and cranky, needs real food to eat and not a bottle and who wants to be carried but can't go in a snuggly or stroller. The shopping expeditions are torture and even meal times are hard to get through. BUT, each day gets a bit easier and every day we get to see more and more personality in the children.

We are still enjoying the interaction between the kids (especially XinYue and Evan) and watching them play together and talk to each other. We are so disappointed everyone lives so far away and we can't get together for playdates.

Our guide from Nanning spoke with Evan's foster mother and she is very, very sad that he was adopted. When she first found out he was going to be adopted she couldn't stop crying. Evan lived with her for 4 years so I'm sure she loved him very much (and we can definitely tell she spoiled him!). She told our guide that we (our family) was getting a wonderful gift in Jun Jun. I was blown away that she used those words because we've titled our blog "the Gift of You". And of course she's right...Evan Jun Jun is an amazing gift to us!

Caleb is doing well but is getting homesick and today he wasn't feeling so well.

Above are several pictures of Evan (and some of his friends)....soon many of you will meet this little ball of energy in person!

Enjoy the photos...

Evan and XinYue having a blast playing together!

Evan and Caleb in their new Chinese outfits! They are so handsome!


Everyone on the bus...we were waiting out the rain so we could go to Summer Palace but it didn't stop. Sam J (Tracy's son) is standing up in the front (left) and you can see XinYue peeking around the corner at the right. In the very front right is Tracey and Bob's son, Sebastian and he and Caleb are getting along great! Sebastian even enjoys listening to Caleb's endless stories so that works out well :-)

A fish tank at the Aquarium

Caleb feeding the fish frenzy at the Aquarium

Evan and Caleb at the Aquarium


Our days here in Beijing are much busier than our days in Nanning. We start our days around 9:30 with tours and they usually last all day. By the time supper time comes, we are all pretty tired!

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The kids in the travel group have really started to have fun together and interact with each other. It is awesome to hear them talking to each other in Chinese. Evan has really taken to XinYue (pronounced Shin You-Ay). She is Malcolm and Adrienne's daughter and they love to talk, chase each other and play. We are getting a big kick out of watching and listening to them. The other day we were traveling back from the Great Wall (about 1.5 hour drive) and the two of them were chattering non stop and singing songs. We were able to get alot of it on video. At one point, the guide reprimanded the two of them and we asked what they were saying. It seems they were laughing and talking about "sh!t". Another time, she told them to stop again and this time little XinYue told Evan something outside looked like his a$$ and Evan said "No, it looks like your a$$!" So, since they knew we couldn't understand them they took full advantage of using their potty mouths! Hee hee! What a hoot!

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Evan also enjoys repeating all the names of the people in our family...He'll say "Mommy!" and when I look at him he says, "mommy, daddy, alyssa, dylan, cala" with a big smile on his face. And then he'll point to himself and say "Evan". He showed me today his action for an airplane and said "Can.a.da."

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The other day the guide was talking to Evan in Chinese and Evan said "No, I know some English words!" as if he wanted to talk in English. He doesn't know enough yet to talk in sentences but he knows lots of words and now understands some of our instructions in English like "are you hungry", "take it to daddy", "Sit down", etc... He also told our guide that he doesn't want to be called Jun Jun anymore, only Evan. I still like to call him Evan Jun Jun though!

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Evan has quickly picked up many "signs" or actions to let us know what he wants. We especially like the one he does when he wants to take a shower...he mimics washing under his arms and his bum. We have all come up with our own signs but we all understand each other when we use them. It's funny how it all falls into place.

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Yesterday we were supposed to visit the Panda Bear Zoo (Chris and I have already been there) but we heard about a wonderful Aquarium that is at the zoo so we decided to go there instead. We saw a dolphin show and TONS of great sharks, fish, turtles, etc... There are huge water tanks that you walk beside and you can see everything. It was really neat. The only downfall was there were souvenir toy gift shops all along the tunnels where we were looking at fish tanks. So, the whole time we were there was trying to figure out how to distract Evan from freaking out over the toys. We had a few battle of wills but overall we all enjoyed the Aquarium very much.

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We were supposed to visit the Summer Palace but after lunch a downpour started so we decided to skip that and we all went to the silk factory. Oh my goodness...wait until you see the dress I bought for Alyssa. I could have shopped there for a long time but Chris kept telling me to move on....and he was carrying a sleeping Evan and it was very hot so I didn't stay too long. We bought traditional chinese outfits for our 3 boys and then a traditional outfit and dress for Alyssa. I can't wait to get their photos done in the outfits!

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The group came back to the hotel and all the kids played in the hallway....we are noticing that with a group of older children, what they really need is time to burn off some energy, not more shopping trips! Each family brought different toys so the hall was filled with guns (guess who had the guns? Yup, us!), balloons, cars, blow up dolphins, running, sceaming, laughing, and lots of good fun. it was the best thing for the kids all day.

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After all that fun and excitement, we headed off the see a Chinese Acrobatic show. Caleb and Evan really enjoyed this!!! Chris and I had seen it last time we were in China but we were still amazed by it. I was so tired, though, that I kept falling asleep. It must have been the dim lights.... So, we are down to 3 days and then we get to see Dylan and Alyssa again! I know they are very excited about finally meeting Evan!

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Enjoy today's pictures!

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Welcome Home Brunch on Friday

Hello fellow blog readers and/or blog stalkers... Chris (Darrach) here... I just wanted to let everyone know about a Welcome Home Brunch we are having for Evan and the rest of the MacKinnon clan this Friday (June 27th) at 10:00 AM at the Darrach residence. Nothing too fancy... just a light brunch...
I realize some of you are from "away"... like BC and such places... so I figured if I gave you a couple of days notice you could hop in the car tonight and be here on time.
If you need our address, please send me a quick email to cdarrach@gmail.com. (I am sure just posting the email just signed me up for all sorts of new and great offers from various pharmaceutical companies....but it will be worth it to see every single one of your smiling faces)

Too tired to post...

We just got back from a very full day and we are exhausted! It was a great, fun day and there are lots of fun things we want to share so I'll update first thing in the morning (evening to you guys!)

Stay tuned....

Alyssa and Dylan...I will have some pictures and stuff up before you go to bed. Hope you have a great day!

Love Mom, Dad, Caleb and Evan

The Great Wall

We have had great success with Evan over the last 2 days! What a relief! Chris and I got up on Saturday morning (the day after the big "meltdown" episode) and made a plan. It's nothing earth shattering but we decided we would somehow communicate with Evan each and every time he ran away, cried in temper, etc...It takes a lot of patience and consistency to do this but it has paid off! We will get down at eye level and say "No" using our english word and sign. If he's being naughty we will say "Boo How" but we always make sure we are at his level looking in his eyes. When he throws a temper - for example, he wants us to carry him everywhere...when we can't, he throws a fit and falls to the floor. When he does this we just stand there beside him ignoring him and after a few minutes he would get up and walk beside us. Now, it is only taking a few seconds of him lying on the floor and then he will get up, take our hand and walk with us. And, we do carry him sometimes as well, but sometimes we simply can't. If he wants a toy or anything else that he can't have he has learned if we say "No" and use the sign, he can't have it. Now he will ask for something and then look at us and say and sign "No" and keep walking. He understands "good boy" so we use this all the time with him, over and over. So, we are really happy we have found some way to communicate with him even though it's only with very few, basic words.

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We went to the Great Wall today and it was SO HOT! Like sweat dripping down our backs kind of hot. Chris and Caleb made it up 4 levels but after 3.5 I took Evan back down. He wanted to be carried a lot up the Wall (who could blame him - so did I!) so by the time I made it as far as I did, I was huffing and puffing and sweating. My legs were like jelly coming back down the Wall!

It was a beautiful day, that's for sure...but it was too hot to be climbing the Wall. For those of you going in the summer...make sure you drink lots of water even if you don't feel thirsty!

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We found out why Evan threw such a major temper tantrum at the People's Park the other day....our guide, Hannah talked with him after the episode and he told her he really wanted the Olympic Lucky Babies. I didn't even know what those were but when she showed me them, I realized it was the same toy we told him he couldn't have at the Park. He told our guide that it is his favorite cartoon and his foster mother had told him his new mommy and daddy would buy him some when he went to Beijing on the big plane. Well, of course, we didn't know any of this when he was throwing the fit but he kept telling our guide over and over that he was "very anxious" because we wouldn't buy the Lucky Babies for him!

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So, today at the Great Wall we bought him the whole set of 5 Lucky Babies - and he really loves them. He was so excited to get them - we even bought him a T-shirt with lucky babies on it and he changed into it right away.

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All in all, we've had a great day. We are still very nervous and cautious when we go into a store because we know the potential is there but I have to say things are going much, much better.

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Caleb is still having a great time and he really enjoyed the Wall. I think he'll be ready to go home, though. He has been so fantastic with Evan...he plays with him all the time and is such a good sport about sharing his gameboys and stuff with him. As a little brother, Evan wants to do everything Caleb does and we all know that can get tiring but Caleb is extremely patient!

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So, we're off to find a children's store and get some snacks for the room! Hope you are all having a nice summer day!!!!

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Tammy, Chris, Caleb and Evan

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Enjoy the pictures....

Evan and Sam (Tracy J's little guy) watching our plane as we head to Beijing

Evan with his "Olympic Lucky Babies" T-shirt

Dad and Caleb at the Great Wall

Evan climbing the Great Wall

This is only 1 section of 4 that we climbed in about 30 degree heat

Caleb loving the challenge of the Wall

Mom and the boys

We arrived in Beijing!

We arrived safe and sound back in Beijing last night. We couldn't get our internet to work so I couldn't update. Things are doing well....we had a much better day with Evan as well.

We are off to the Great Wall in 5 minutes so I will post more tonight....

Later...
Tammy, Chris, Caleb and Evan Jun Jun

Hot, Sweaty and Tired!

All I can say about today is "I'm glad it's over!" . We had a very difficult day with Evan. There were some bright spots in the day but overall I think Chris and I are exhausted. We are continuing to struggle with Evan and "the Gimmies". Today, however, the big eyes and puppy dog looks have turned into full blown temper tantrums with screaming, crying and kicking. I knew this could (would???) happen but I guess things were going so well we "forgot" about this part of the transition. I really think Evan was spoiled at his foster family and his guide is telling us the same thing. He really thinks he should have everything he wants and have it NOW.

We went to a beautiful park inside the city today called "People's Park" and we were so excited about leisurely strolling through, enjoying the beautiful water view and playing at the "playground". Well, it turns out People's Park is more of an amusement park and has lots of rides like bumper cars, ferris wheel, carnival games, TOYS to win, etc...So, the 4 of us are walking along, enjoying the day so far (not knowing the amusement park was up ahead) and finding it very hot (around 31 degrees and humid). Evan wanted me (and only me) to carry him around today and I know that's very good for bonding but really, not so good when I'm sweating like a pig and his arms and legs are sticking to me.

But, I did carry him as much as I could. We were having a really nice time...then we hit the toy area. OH. MY. GOSH. We had a major meltdown...and not only was it a meltdown, we drew a large crowd of interested Chinese people wanting to watch these "white people" with their new Chinese son. I'm sure they were all thinking Evan hated us and didn't want to be with us. I almost had to chase Evan at one point (and for those of you who know me, I do not chase kids - they listen the first time or there's a consequence) because he was holding onto a toy and we kept saying "no" but he was running away with it!!! Anyway...I finally picked him up and handed the toy back to the sales lady (who I'm sure was thinking..."buy it for him, it's only 10 yuan!). Well, he kicked and screamed and cried and I was sweating - it was pouring down my face and down my back and I wanted to cry myself! There were tons of people watching this little escapade so I just kept on walking trying to say soothing words to him as he kicked me. THIS is where the language barrier is horrible! I couldn't explain anything to him, I couldn't reason with him, I couldn't do anything but try and distract him (which didn't work). FInally, I think he got tired and hot too and we sat down where there were fish in the water. Chris bought some fish food and the 4 of us fed the fish. Evan started to calm down and enjoyed the fish feeding.

For the rest of the day, it didn't take much to set him off...walking by KFC and saying "no" - that set him off, walking by walmart and saying "No" as he pulled my arms to the escalator set him off, not getting the food right at supper time set him off, Caleb taking a turn on the gameboy set him off...okay you are all getting my drift.

So, we are afraid to leave the hotel room in case it starts again! Well, not really but sort of :-)

So, those of you waiting to adopt older children who are reading the blog....the language barrier is much more difficult than I mentioned in yesterday's post. The simple things are fine but it's the battle of wills that are very challening and exhausting.

But, not to be completely discouraged, we did have some bright spots today! We went swimming (we couldn't stand another second in the heat!) and we all had fun. You know how the heat can make you irritable any way (well it certainly does me)? Just swimming and getting cooled off helped us regroup and prepare for the next onslaught on tantrums. After supper Chris took Caleb to a great arcade down the street and I stayed in the hotel with Evan. It was the best time we've had together. This is the first time Evan has been just with me so we colored together and did a sticker book (Thank you for those gifts, Secret Pal - he loved them!!!). We listened to some Chinese kid's music and just had some great bonding time. We looked at books together and played on the bed. When Chris and Caleb finally came back, everything was calm and they all went to bed. Now I'm the only one up, updating the blog. I like this time of night because it's quiet and I can go over the day and really think about what happened and what is was like.

So, tomorrow we are heading back to Beijing. It'll be nice to get back there as there is lots for us to do. Nannning is great but there aren't a lot of tours or things like that for us. We are finding 8-10 hours together in the hotel room to be a bit unbearable :-) There's not much to do around the hotel - just the mall (and we all know what happens there with Evan!!) and a few eating places. Hopefully the plane ride will go smoothly...we've prepared movies, coloring and other activities to make sure it goes as well as possible.

Caleb is still having a great time and is doing so well with Evan. He was especially thrilled to get to the Arcade..he's been asking for several days now so he finally got to go. We tried to go see "Kung Fu Panda" at the theatre but it was in Chinese so we decided not to. Too bad, that could have killed at least 2 hours!

By the way...THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who emailed or left comments about the hole in Evan's palate. I kept looking at it all day today to try and get used to it. It's not as "gross" anymore...I even touched it! He is really not bothered by it all so I'm just taking my cues from him. You guys are all so awesome!!!

Enjoy today's pictures....

Evan and Dad at People's Park

Caleb doing "water drawing" at the Park. We've seen a lot people doing this and one man wanted to show Caleb how to do it. It was a lot of fun...we all took turns but Caleb drew the crowd.

Mom and Evan at People's Park

This is at People's Park....it really was a nice park!

Feeding the fish...this was really cool...there were tons of fish and they were all fighting to get the food so they were jumping out of the water and splashing us. Really great.

Caleb enjoying the pool...the pool is partly outside so this is a view of the front of the hotel taken at the pool

Evan swimming

Our Evan

Another day in Paradise (sort of!)

Need Help: I'm going to be honest...I didn't do a whole lot of research on cleft palate/lip as we were told Evan's were both repaired. I mostly researched speech issues along with potential hearing and dental issues. Well, today I realized Evan's palate is not closed and I need some help. I'm not trying to be gross but I'm going to explain some stuff and if anyone reading this has experience with cleft, PLEASE email me at tammymackinnon@pei.sympatico.ca Okay...I noticed Evan had a lot of stuff coming out of his nose - kind of like snot but he doesn't have a cold or anything like that. So, I laid him on the bed so I could get it all out and I used a Q-tip to swipe. I found some noodles (small pieces) and some squishy rice in his nose. I had him open his mouth wide and there is a hole in his palate about the size of my finger (top part). Now, when I saw his "hole" the last 2 days it didn't look open - I could tell there had been a hole but it had white stuff around it/in it. So, we thought the hole was closed and that's the color it was supposed to be (see, I told you I didn't do the research!). Today, it was definitely a hole and there was no more white stuff. My questions are: What was the white stuff? Is it food that gets stuck in the hole? How do I clean the hole or make sure there's no food in it? Are there foods I should be careful with that are especially dangerous for him to eat? I'm assuming it's normal for food pieces to come out his nose? We would love any help or advice! Thanks!

Other than the surprise of the palate, things are going quite well. Today we have been experiencing a bad case of "The Gimmies" and it's so hard to communicate during these times. "The Gimmies" is when Evan wants everything he sees! When we shop at Walmart or at the markets, he runs up to things, points to it, says something in Chinese or brings it over and puts it in the cart. So, you know, yesterday we bought him several things and today we did as well. But, there are limits and today when we tried to say "No" and put the item back, Evan got very upset. He didn't cry or yell or stomp his feet, he looked at us with those huge eyes and gave us the sad puppy dog look! That's way worse than crying and yelling. This is how bad the look is...we were at KFC (because he kept pointing to it) for lunch and I ordered. They hand us a placemat thing with all the food selections on it and we point to what we want to order. So, Evan points to a chicken sandwich, fries, pepsi and then he points to an ice cream sundae. So, I'm thinking "Okay, we'll get it...it's a treat". We are all eating and when we're finished, Chris and Caleb decided they would like an ice cream cone. I go up and order the cones and bring them back. Evan has already finished his lunch and 1/2 of his sundae. He sees Chris and Caleb with the cone and points to it. He pushes his sundae away and keeps pointing to the cone. Chris and I both give him BACK his sundae and say "Jun Jun's". He shakes his head "no" and points to the ice cream cone. Then, I say "No" and show him his sundae again. Evan gets down and goes up to the counter and points to the ice cream cone and again, I say "No". He says "Yes" back to me in Engish. I say "No" and show him his sundae. He shakes his head "No" and points to the cone. Okay...so you are all getting the drift...meanwhile, during this whole episode, everytime I say "no" he gives me the big eyes, sad puppy dog look. Finally, I look at Chris and say "I'm getting him a cone!" Chris is like, "Tammy...." I said, "I don't care, I want to get him a cone!" Chris finally says, "Go ahead but once we're back in Canada we are not going to be doing this!" So, off we went to get an ice cream cone. I know I probably should have stayed strong and stuck to my "no" but I just couldn't!!! You should have seen his face!!! So, we have lost a few of "The Gimmies" battles today but we've also won a few. He only came back to the hotel with 4 new toys and not 20, okay?!

We went to the market today and BOY did we get a peek at "real" China. They were selling everything there. It was a food type of market so they had every imaginable fruit, herb, vegetable, plant, etc...They also had a ton of meat. Unfortunately we were at the market when some animals were being "prepared". (I hope you understand my code for what they were doing to "prepare" the animals) There were so many different animals...the animals are alive in cages and then a person points to which one they want and it's "prepared" for them right there on the spot! They take the fresh meat home with them and cook it up right away. We saw turtles, snakes, birds, squid, fish, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dog, cat...It was very difficult to see. I think we were able to turn Caleb away before he saw anything happen but for me, I just can't get it out of my mind.

We went to another market where we were able to buy some Love Balls which are famous in Guangxi. Other than that we've been hanging around the hotel, swimming and just "chilling". :-)

So, another good day with some challenges thrown in. But, this is to be expected. And for everyone who was asking...the language thing isn't as hard as we anticipated. It's quite natural and easy to sign or point to what we all want. The most difficult thing is trying to explain things to Evan - obviously. Like, why we are saying "no" and why he can't have something. We just can't use words so that part is difficult. But, things like eating, or what food/drinks he wants or if he needs to go to the bathroom or when it's time for bed - all that stuff is relatively easy.

Chris and I wanted to say a big "thank you" to all of you for leaving comments! We love to read them and they will be treasured for Evan's life book! It encourages us so much to know so many care about Evan and our journey!!!

We cannot access our blog while in China so I am sending all my pictures and text to our friend, Chris Darrach and he is posting to our blog each day. He is awesome for doing this and we THANK him for taking the time to do this for us! He is copying and pasting all the comments and emailing them to us as we can't read the blog! THANK YOU, Chris!!!!

Enjoy the pictures and don't forget to email me if you can answer any of our palate questions! Thanks!
Tammy, Chris, Caleb and Evan

The market street

A little pig anyone? This one's for you Dylan! I've packed some pig snout to bring home to you! Hee Hee

Evan and Mom at the food market. As soon as we got off the bus at the market, Evan wanted to be held. He seemed a bit nervous and didn't want any of the Chinese people to talk to him. I'm not sure why he was so anxious, maybe it brought back memories for him?

Here is one stall that had chickens for sale. They are in the cages and then there are a few ready to go on the top. This Chinese man thought it was great fun to get his picture taken...the ladies at the same stall were teasing him and laughing.

Here is Evan at the Market. He found the "toy store" but I let Chris handle this one. I went off to buy my "love balls" and Chris stayed behind to handle the "Gimmies".

Evan and Caleb - I think the little teletubbie phone around Evan's neck was Chris' way of handling the whole "toy store" adventure! LOL!

The boys getting ready for bed...playing their games together.