Our Little Man

I think Ben looks a little more petite than then the other three children in the group. At 25 months, he fits the 18 month clothes and then the size 2T fits nicely over top, as is the custom here of layering clothing. And it can be cold in the buildings that are not heated. Our guide tells us we came here the right time of year. In August it gets to 100 degrees and stays there for the month. It's in the 50's now and it's been pretty nice for all the outside touring and getting to places to shop and eat.
I thought kids from orphanages would eat about anything. Ben does not like bland food. It's good potatoes have recently been changed to the vegetable group because fries are about the only vegetable he'll eat. Jane says the area he comes from, Suzhou City, is know for cooking everything with a little sugar. French toast was the hit from this morning.
As you might expect from a 2 year old, he does not want a nap. It's amazing how easy a lot of the communication has been. As soon a he sees any hint of “nap” he starts complaining. We are easing him into the bath routine. We spent most of the evening last night convincing him bath time could be fun. Maybe they used cold water at the orphanage or something. He is also used to room temperature beverages. With his cold box of milk at McDonald's, he had to stop and think between sips. I got a strawberry sundae and we weren't sure we were going to give him any. He started complaining as soon as I started eating it. I scooped small spoonfuls for him. After he had it in his mouth a bit he would cry but soon stopped, and would reach for more.
Today he was a little bored with this hotel. I think if we bought some chairs and sat in front of our grand hotel watching traffic he would be happy. I'm glad he has a hood on his jacket, that way I can hang on to him as he runs in between the usual business customers who are here. We do garner stares, but I can't say I blame the locals. We do stand out!!
We did see some good signs for bonding. Yesterday when someone reached for Ben, he responded by snuggling into Brad's shoulder. Then in the afternoon, I went to go do a little shopping and Ben started crying when I walked out the door. Brad was able to successfully convince him he REALLY did not want to go shopping!