Good Grief

That saying always confused me.  I don't like grief.  It is so painful to experience it.  But, I know it is part of life.  I've experienced it too many times.  I watched my daughter experience it today.  It was the first time she showed any grief since Tuesday.  Ivy was going through her backpack, and she pulled out a little Snoopy notebook.  She opened it up and showed it to me.  It was obviously a list of telephone numbers.  She did not write them.  An adult wrote them.  They were the phone numbers of the people who worked at the orphanage.  Ivy then said something to me in Chinese.  I figured she wanted to call someone.  So, I went to google translator and asked her if she wanted to call someone. She shook her head yes.  Then I told her that I could not use the hotel phone (Zhongshan is 90 minutes away), and that I did not have a phone.  She slowly walked away and messed with her belongings.  Then she quietly cried.  I told her (through the google translator) that it was alright to cry.  I hugged her for a bit; she kept crying.  I walked over to the chair and took her in my arms, on my lap and let her cry.  She leaned her head back on my shoulder, cried, and fell asleep.  There I sat for about 15 minutes and held her.  When she woke, she was better.  I asked her if she was okay, and she said yes.  That was it.  She was back to her normal self, running around, giggling, without a care in the world (so it seemed).  I'm a bit upset that she was given those phone numbers, but that is something that I need to work out myself.

It has rained all day long.  So, other than the grieving episode, we did not do too much.  I think our day revolved mostly around meals.  We ate lunch at that great Shanghai-style restaurant next to the medical office.  For those who will soon be in Guangzhou, I highly recommend it.  Great prices and great food.  I love eating Chinese food in China.  It tastes nothing like the Chinese food back home.  Then, we went to Lucy's for dinner and did not have Chinese food.  Ivy at grilled cheese, cucumbers, and french fries.  She was unsure how to eat the grilled cheese.  She tried cutting it with a fork and knife. 

Yes, she's licking her plate.  But the food was great.

Ivy could eat noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Pan-fried vegetable dumplings...mmmm.

She's good with chopsticks.

Because of the rain, we did not make it to White Cloud Mountain.  It was my first completely free day..and it rains and I'm stuck inside.  When I say it rained...it really rained hard.  So, we went to pick up the laundry.  Fifty yuan for a bag full of clothes.  That is less than $10.00, pretty good!  Then we colored, jumped rope, did a puzzle, watched some TV.

*When I'm trying to catch some news on TV, Ivy freely takes the remote out of my hands and tries to turn the channel.  Gotta work on some manners.

*I caught Ivy brushing her teeth without toothpaste.  I had to show her again how to brush her teeth.  I don't think she's ever been to a dentist.  Her front crooked tooth is loose.  I hope it is a baby tooth, but I cannot tell because of its location.

*Whenever Ivy is ready to leave some place and I'm talking to someone, she'll do the token "sigh"
to let me know.  My boys usually step on my toes or open their eyes very wide.

*Jumping in puddles is universal fun.  Ivy did not mind walking through the water.

*A car drove through a rain puddle and splashed us.  Ivy loved every minute of walking in the rain.