Not too much going on here...

I wish I had something exciting to say, but it has been pretty uneventful here.  Yesterday we laid low.  Ben's normal amount of drooling due to teething turned into "the drool machine" as we dubbed it.  He was drooling SO much (I have never seen anything like it, and I have met a lot of drooly babies in my life) I actually e-mailed our international adoption pediatrician after Ben literally puked because of it. (Sorry TMI!). Dr. Bledsoe assured us that if he was otherwise fine, it was normal, especially with his unrepaired cleft palate.  Her now 16 year old son had a cleft palate, and she joked that she worried her son was becoming dehydrated with all the drool.  Today it seems to have slowed, thank goodness.

Ben LOVES these rice cookies.  We bought some after our guide said they were popular here, and if Ben even sees the package they come in, he goes nuts:

(There is a smile behind that cookie)

He also likes to look at the pictures we brought of him.

His outfit looked a little bit like a farmer, but when I added the pig it sealed the picture.

Today we went to the pearl market, which was an indoor mall 6 stories full of pearls and other jewelry, some real, some fake.  Our guide took us to a reputable dealer.  After you picked your pearls, the salespeople actually hand knotted the whole necklace.  It was pretty neat. 

After the shop, our group separated, we walked outside near where the pearl market was, and walked through an outdoor market, followed by what looked like the China equivalent of an outdoor mall:

We then took a cab over to a shop we had been to earlier in the week to get a few more gifts for people, and went back to the hotel to get ready for our group photos.  I always thought the pictures of the kids in Chinese silks were a little cheesy (as Tom said, if roles were reversed, do you think this would be Chinese people dressing American kids in cowboy outfits?) but all the families we talked to were dressing up their kids, so...

This was Ben sleeping 10 minutes before we were supposed to be in the lobby...

This is our entire CCAI group. The three families we were with in Henan are in back row there in the hat, the yellow silk, and the red silk.

Here are the kids that were adopted during this trip to China. These pictures just make me want to cry and laugh and dance and sing.  It has been so amazing to witness the adoptions of all these beautiful children. The families we have met are all just awesome.

Ben and his friend Annie.

Ben did great during the photos but melted down when we finished and I would not let him crawl on the lobby floor.  I love this picture because  as my mom ALWAYS tells me, my face never lies!  IT IS TIME TO GO BACK TO OUR HOTEL ROOM. 

Tomorrow morning is our appointment at the U.S. Consulate where we will take an oath and submit the papers we need to enter the U.S. Our papers should be ready on Friday, and we will leave Friday by van to drive 4 hours to Hong Kong. We'll leave Hong Kong the following morning for the U.S.

We had dinner with our Henan families, and one of the moms said, "Beijing feels like a lifetime ago."  And we all nodded in agreement.  Has it been 2 weeks or 2 years?  That stoic baby has changed so much.  WE have changed so much.  We have witnessed extraordinary adoptions, a country and a people so different from ours. My son's life has turned completely upside down.  I have spoken to him from the beginning as if he completely understood me, but at times I remind myself that he had only heard "blah, blah blah" and not the familiar words he knows. Yet, he has pulled through.  I am so grateful, because my mom heart is not yet strong and just a few minutes of his tears breaks my heart.  Luo Min Yong, Xiao Yong, Benjamin Min Yong Chlebek, may you only know safety and love all the days of your life.