Later on Gotcha Day

Just had to post again. He is such a sweetie and has laughed and smiled a lot today. AiJun, Jake and Dave are downstairs playing ping pong. We were supposed to give him a quiet day and that SO didn't happen! We have all had a lot of fun though and following the rules has never been a strength of mine. We are trying to have lights out at 9:00 because we have to be up early for a 9:00 meeting at Civil Affairs during which the adoption will be finalized. Then we will take a bus to Dalian which takes about 4 hours. We will be staying at the Ramada Inn which is apparently just across the street from the bus station. The following day we will tour the orphanage which will cause me to return to the States and try to interest all of you in adoption.

We shopped for shoes (black Nikes) and pants tonight which was a grand success. Kathy our guide asked AiJun what he wanted for dinner and he said hot pot. This is something unique to northern China and involves a table with built in flat burners on which the staff places pots of chicken stock. These rapidly come to a boil and there are tons of little dishes of seafood, meat, vegetables etc. that you place in your pot to cook. It is a bit like fondue. Then there are dipping sauces to add to the treat. AiJun had never had hot pot before and he was thrilled with it. He ate so much including octapus, crab and shrimp, things I wouldn't think he had before. He has very nice table manners and enjoyed himself so much. I don't think he is going to stay thin for long!