Day 3 with Ella

Wednesday January 15, 2014

2:35 PM

This is our third day with Ella and things are going well so far.

Yesterday after nap time we went to the pool. Ella LOVED it. The pool was not heated and I was feeling a little disappointed, but they had a small whirlpool. I was worried that the whirlpool would be like a hot tub, but the temperature was perfect. It was the temperature of a warm bath. She played and splashed around and just had so much fun. She will definitely be a waterbaby.

After swimming we headed off to dinner, there is Pizza Hut close by and we thought it would be a nice place. Ella had 2 1/2 slices of pizza, she loved it! It was nice to enjoy some familiar food. Although I have loved all the steamed buns, noodles, rice, dumplings, chicken feet, Siu Mai, bean "cakes" and Asian cuisine, it was nice to have a little pepperoni pizza.

As dinner was winding down Ella started getting a little sad. She started asking for her Foster mom :(. Her sadness was increasing and as it was getting more intense it was not a good place to be. So, I scooped her up and started walking back to the hotel and Dave stayed to pay the bill. On the short walk home, she was in full melt down mode asking for her foster mom. Dave caught up to us pretty quickly.

By the time we all got back to the hotel room she was clinging to Dave, still sobbing. Dave was able to calm her and read a book and get her tucked into bed. It still took awhile for her to fall asleep, but all over it was good night. She slept in this morning and was cheerful. It seems night time makes her homesick.

Today we went to Qing Xiu Shan, it a huge park here in Nanning. It is like Central Park in New York. It is 2.5 square miles. Lovely paths, beautiful temples and pagodas. They also had a Chinese Zodiac Stone Garden. Each of the animals of the zodiac was carved in stone. It was just great! We got a picture of Ella sitting on the horse in honor of Aunt Sandy. This year, 2014, is the year of the horse and we have seen tons of horse symbols around town to celebrate.

We also got to feed the fish in a beautiful lake, Ella loved it. It was just a perfect day out. On the way home Ella got a little tried and was very heavy eyed in the van. After we got back to the hotel we all enjoyed a lunch of instant noodles. Ella is napping now and we will look forward to another swimming session this afternoon.

Tomorrow is our last day with Dave here. I will miss him. . . and let me tell you, so will Ella. However, our boys need him too.

While Ella was napping I called home to check on the boys. We got some news about Luke. Luke has bronchitis and an ear infection. My mom knew something was wrong with his breathing  this afternoon (he had bronchitis on Christmas eve if you remember) and took him to InstaCare to be seen. Well, he is now at the hospital being treated and will probably be there until tomorrow. They are helping him with his breathing and keeping him hydrated. So, it will be very good for Dave to get home. It is hard to be 10,000 miles away when your child is in the hospital, but I am feeling very grateful for wonderful family and neighbors to step in and help. Please, keep Luke in your prayers.

At least we know we'll meet our deducible early this year :)

Tomorrow we are also planning to visit one more park. I'll be sure and blog more tomorrow on how everyone is doing.