Hope: One Less: Day 23

Today was wonderful as we got to stay at home all day. We really expected that we would have visitors at some point but it turned out that we were on our own. She woke up about 7:45 and she requested a strawberry poptart for breakfast. That pretty much came out of left field except she had watched Kinsey eat one about a week ago and that is what I had been eating the last few days. She ate the outside perimeter and said she was done. We encouraged (forced) her to eat the rest of the poptart. She also kept asking for Kinsley so we FaceTimed with her for a few minutes. She wanted to tell Brooke & Kinsley about her haircut and show it off.

Today turned out to be a great day to cross off some things that we had on our to-do list that we had not gotten to yet. We built a tent in the basement with a couple of kitchen chairs, a sheet, a blanket and pillows. She was a little skeptical at first, but I think it was just because Bessie kept joining us. We read a few books inside and lounged. It was a fun hiding place and she kept "ssshhhing" us. Next, we moved the cars out of the garage so that she could ride my Allis-Chalmers pedal tractor. She could not quite get the hang of pedaling so it was pretty much Chris or I pushing her. We also put the wagon on the back which meant I had to pedal so she could ride in the wagon. We finished off the morning with cutting construction paper (into exactly one million pieces) and doing another water color painting for the fridge.

She must be craving American food for some reason. For lunch, she wanted chicken nuggets. I also gave her mandarin oranges and applesauce. She did not even ask for rice. I also reminded her that she was going to be riding an airplane back to China in a few days. She picked out a couple of outfits (her 3 favorites) that she wanted to pack in her bag. I also purchased her a small picture album so she has been carrying it around. It is still empty, but we will make sure she has pictures of us, her time here, and the people she spent the most time with.

She wanted to take a nap today and we woke her up after 2 1/2 hours. Long naps are great for Chris and I to get other things done, but it also limits the fun stuff we can do. For dinner, she wanted chicken nuggets again. I also gave her some green beans. She indicated she was full and did not want any more, but she changed her tune pretty quick when Chris heated up rice and sweet and sour chicken. She sat on his lap and ate most of the food on his plate.

Tonight we had a family tea party (even Bessie slept under the table) complete with large marshmallows. She is such a ham and would put the whole marshmallow in her mouth and laugh so hard that she could hardly catch her breath. We had fun "cheering" our tea cups and eating our marshmallows. She had fun re-filling our tea cups, but she would always pour Chris' out before she would give it to him. She wanted to FaceTime Kinsley again so we did. I figure they might as well while they can. Their days are limited. Chris gave her a bath and then she had vanilla yogurt and rice with soy sauce for her snack (separately, not at the same time). We also repainted her fingernails for the big party tomorrow. I'll bet she has sang Happy Birthday 30 times today. She is so excited about the party and her special outfit. She wanted to FaceTime Kinsley a third time, but I told her Kinsley had already gone to bed. I read one book to her in the tent in the basement. She picked the Bernstein Bears Too Much Birthday. Obviously, she is focused on this party. Then Chris put her to bed.

Looking forward to the big party tomorrow. For many people, it will be there last chance to see her before she leaves. Good-byes are never fun. Hope to see you there!