(Allen) Last night, Amelie made it to 2:30am before waking up. I should mention however,
that we have not been calling her Amelie this entire trip. When we address her, we call her "Xiao Xiao". Xiao Xiao was her nickname at the orphanage, and if you call to her using that name, she will turn her head and look at you. When Xiao Xiao wakes up, she is usually wet and she is usually hungry. After a dry diaper and a bottle, she lives up to her reputation as a restless baby. I don't know if it is because she has spent a lot of her time in a walker, but her legs, while very strong, are not used to try and walk, but to plant herself and then launch her body into space. Both Maile and I have taken a headbutt to the face so far on this trip. You have all been warned - our kid will inadvertently give you a fat lip if you aren't careful. After a couple of hours of WWF Smackdown with mama and baba in the bed, we got her back to 
sleep and she zzzz'd until around 7:15am.Xiao Xiao has a blue mark on her fanny and lower back that kind of looks like a bruise. Being the concerned parents we are, we asked our guide about them and she informed us that they are "mongolian spots". Mongolian spots can be anywhere on the body, but are common among asians and american indians on the buttocks or back. Over 90% of American Indians are born with a mongolian spot, and 80% of Asians. If you would like to learn more about them, I did a quick google search and found this very good explaination ->
http://www.drgreene.com/21_833.htmlNeedless to say, we are going to confirm this diagnosis when she has her physical in a few days. It does not hurt her at all. It does have daddy a little paranoid about whether American doctors have sufficient experience with this, or will jump to conclusions, so we are going to go into our American appointment fully armed with information.
Today we went to Walmart. I will say this - I do not generally like Walmart. I have always been a Target man. However Walmart in Changsha is the best Walmart I have ever been in (and in a country of 1.1 billion people, it is suprisingly less crowded than a typical American Walmart). We bought some more formula for Xiao Xiao and we picked up a walker to donate to the orphanage and a few other things. It is a two story Walmart, the food selections are
wonderful and varied, and they have a lot of nifty inventions that I wish existed back in the states (such as flat ramp like escalators so you can take your cart or baby stroller from floor to floor without a problem -- and get this, the cart will automatically lock down on an incline or decline so you don't even have to hold onto it). As long as we're talking about nifty inventions, the stop lights have a large LED hanging next to them that counts down how much longer the light is red or green or whatever. Outstanding idea and something I've never personally seen in the States.The best part of the day was a visit to a local Kindergarten. The children there were so
friendly and excited to see us. Seldom to they get visitors, especially "big noses." They gave us gifts, put on dance and singing shows, and displayed their art. Some of the children stay (and sleep) at this kindergarten all week long, and see mom and dad only on the weekends, as sometimes mom and dad work far away. The children were beautiful and welcoming and we were amazed and completely impressed with each of them. Yes we have pictures of Walmart and the funny escalator, but these children deserve the bulk of the picture space today. I tell you seeing them has only deepened our love for our own little girl and for China.To the wonderful children of China, thank you so much for sharing with us. You've certainly touched our hearts.
Here are the pictures:
- Recess #1
- Recess #2
- Art...by a six year old. Yes, a six year old!
- Dance Class #1
- Exchanging gifts and greetings
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