A Fun and Tiring Day

Steph and all 3 girls are already asleep tonight - they were out by 8pm. We had a fun day together today. Ellie started out pretty cranky this morning. We were concerned that she was taking a step backwards in the progress she made Tuesday. Then we went upstairs for breakfast. She downed a ton of food, and seemed to perk right up. We talked with the US doctor this morning over breakfast, and set up a plan for a physical at 2pm. Then we headed off for some sightseeing. Kevin, our guide, took us on a fun boat ride on West Lake in Hangzhou. We all had a blast. Ellie did really well on the boat and walking around the gardens at the lake. I posted some pics of the lake and a video of some Chinese children saying hello to Mackenzie and Ainsley. Mack and Ainsley were like rock stars today - everyone wanted to get their picture taken with the cute white girls and everyone was staring at them. I think Kenzie enjoyed it, but Ainsley got tired of all the picture requests. Tough life as a rock star..... Then we were off to lunch at a nice Chinese resteraunt, and then did a little shopping at a silk shop. Found some cute outfits for the girls. I think the highlight of the day was when we got back to the hotel. We let Ellie walk around in the hallways with the girls. She LOVED it. This was a big step for her to run and play with the girls in the hallway - interacting, giggling, and having lots of fun. Check out the cute video of her in action. She had a physical after that. Dr Jerry basically concluded what we expected. She is making more and more progress each day, and it is impossible to say what delays are from being in an orphanage vs. a mental or physical problem. He was very encouraged with her progress overall. We hung out with Kim, Patrick and baby Moyer this afternoon and evening. We took a walk out to get some KFC, and Steph started feeling a little sick and very tired. I brought her back to get some rest with Ellie while Patrick and Kim took the other 2 girls to see a water fountain/light/music show. And now we are all in the room to hopefully get some good sleep tonight...... Please keep praying for Ellie and her progress. Also for Steph getting the rest she needs - she woke up at 3am today and needs to get more sleep than that. Our plan for Thursday.....lots of R&R. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers!