Day 7- Life of the Party

Wow, it's only been less than 60 hours since we have received Anna, and wow, so much we have learned.
1. On all the info we were given, it said she was very shy and timid- NOT!! That is the biggest understatement!! Maybe it was just all of the prayers we prayed/and everyone prayed for her to have a good transition with us and open up. She is hilarious, and my kids have seen first hand through skype! She is going to be a perfect fit within our family due to her BIG personality.
2. She picks up on English very quick- can say Bye! Bye!, OK, Hello, our kids names- and a few others, mama, papa, and will attempt anything we ask.
3. Shanghai is NYC on steroids, x10!!! the traffic, people, buildings- unbelievable.
4. She is not potty trained, however, she has pee peed 2 times in potty so far- progress!
5. Mickey has taught her how to do I Love You in sign language.
6. The first 2 nights, Anna would not take off her shoes to sleep- I asked Shiyan (our guide and Bethany social worker) about it. She said she probably feels more secure with them on, or we think it might have been cold in the orphanage, since they bundle them up with so many layers- but last night- NO SHOES, I was able to take her shoes off, and she pulled the socks right off.
7. She still has a limp from her hip condition, but that does not slow her down, she is always on the move and wants to try and walk everywhere.
8. She is like a magnet- all the other kids, being 1-7 yrs older than her, are for some reason attracted to her. They are always coming up to her teasing her, and trying to hold her. And probably bc she is the most vocal. Alot of the time yesterday she spent just babbling stuff- talking about the cars on the street, driving, and counting.
9. She spent the first night with me, and somehow I made it through the night with all the kicks, turning sideways, and moving around. However, the next night with Mickey she fell out of bed, didn't cry, and just got right back in.
10. EAT! EAT! EAT! she has been called by other families- the Tank, the bottomless pit, hollow inside, etc. She is constantly eating, and Shiyan said she thinks she has already gained weight. I believe it, with as much as she has eaten. All the time she either has a drink in hand, or snack.

OK, so on to the sight seeing we did today. We went to visit the Pudong Riverside Blvd, where we saw a lot of ships carrying coal, cargo, and fishermen. We then went to the Oriental Pearl Tower- it is a 468 meter high TV tower , and the 3rd largest in the world. We went to the 259th floor and walked out on a glass floor that you could see all the way down below- about 30 seconds was enough for me- it was high, and Anna didn't care for it either, very windy.

Pics above are the Pearl Tower (and no my camera is not foggy, there is so much SMOG!), a vendor outside, all the Bethany adopted kids, a McD's kiosk for the summer, the explosive dog at the security gate in the Pearl Tower, and Anna looking out.


We then headed to an authentic Chinese restraunt for lunch. It was fabulous, except for the head on the fish that was cooked and bathed in sweet and sour sauce, and the shrimp with the heads still on. It was great, and Mickey did fine!