I have enjoyed watching the kids as they learn to be a family. Katie is still in awe of the fact that we have Ian. Every now and then, she will look at me or Tim and say "We have Ian! This is our Ian!" It is just adorable. Ian wants so much to play with Katie but hasn't really figured out how to do that. She isn't too thrilled with the rough housing like J is and that is the most natural way for Ian to play. He wants to pick her up but again, she isn't sure about that yet. I bet before the end of the trip, we'll see that happen though. Ian is already beginning to learn how to be a part of the family. He did so much better today at staying close to us. He is still learning about boundaries. For never having been in a family, he is learning quick!
Today we went to the Panda Base. It was interesting experiencing this again this year. Last year, Katie was still in the "only mama" phase of the adoption and we had a guide that must have had a date planned for the minute we finished and rushed us through at the speed of light. Even though it was April not June last time it was so much hotter! (Of course I did have a baby in a Moby the whole time.) Today really couldn't have been better! The weather was cloudy and overcast but cool. The base wasn't crowded at all; perhaps the threat of rain kept locals away. David, our guide, was excellent and knew the park extremely well. He had us tour it backward so that we ended with the youngest pandas instead of starting with them, which was great because once you've seen the littles playing, seeing the elders who spent their time napping wasn't as exciting. We saw the entire park by 12:30 (although we did skip the movie and the museum) and the timing was perfect for an ice cream snack at the park and then lunch upon return to the city. We went to the same restaurant that we went to yesterday and ordered almost the same things. It is interesting the price differences home vs here. Our meal for 7 of us with lots of leftovers, was only about $24. A bottle of Head and Shoulders shampoo is $10. Anyway, the pandas were all very active as it was cool today and I think the entire family enjoyed the park immensely; I wish Mitch had been here to enjoy it!
Tonight we go to the other thing that Chengdu is known for, the Sichuan Opera. It is supposed to be high drama with "face changing" and kung fu. The area is known for their masks that the ancient Chinese used to "scare away large, dangerous animals" and the masks are used to rapidly "change faces" in the opera. As VIP ticket holders, we are allowed to chose one of four activities before the play: shoulder massage, costume photo, make-up and photo, or ear wax removal. Hmm, which should we chose?
UPDATE: We went to the Sichuan Opera and had a wonderful time! Tim and Laura decided on the shoulder massage and said it was very thorough, while the kids all chose the costume experience. It was really adorable seeing all three in traditional outfits. Of course, the boys enjoyed the swords more than the clothes. The opera was really a series of short experiences, some musical, some comedy and the finale was the "face changing" experience. It really was cool. I wasn't expecting it to be cool. The masks changed quicker than you could really see. The boys thought the fire breather was exciting too!
Tomorrow will be a busy day! We have to get checked out before noon and we have to go to the notary office and registry office also. So we will divide and conquer. Hopefully, I can talked Laura into entertaining the littles while I do the running around with David and Tim is super-packer. I don't know that we will have time to blog tomorrow. We continue to feel your prayers! Tomorrow will be Ian's first time on an airplane; I'm a little nervous about how Mr. Fidget will do. :) Then on to the next hotel.
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