The Great Wall

Apparently the Chinese have a saying that as soon as you stand on the Great Wall, you are a hero.  You don't need to walk the whole 3900 miles of it.  Thank goodness!  Our trip to the Great Wall today was awe-inspiring.  It was incredible to stand on a piece of history that we've seen so many times in books and on TV.  There were so many people there and it was very, very hot.  We walked/climbed a few short sections of the Wall and took lots of pictures and video.

On the way to the Wall, we stopped at a Jade factory for a quick tour and some shopping.  So much beautiful jewelry and sculpture.  The sales people are very aggressive!  On the way back from the Great Wall, we stopped at a Cloisonne factory.  Cloisonne is a decorative art where they use bronze and enamel to make stunning vases, jewelry, and other items.  Very intricate and detailed work.  This factory had a restaurant on the second floor so we all had lunch together.  Another delicious feast!  Cohen was exhausted by that point so he slept through the whole thing.  I balanced him on my knee with one hand and ate lunch, with chopsticks, with the other.  I'm getting pretty good at this!

All this shopping and walking the Wall made for an incredibly long day. We left the hotel at 8:30 this morning and got back at 6:00.  We were all exhausted and sweaty.  We wanted something quick for supper so Cory went out for McDonald's.  There are several western-style restaurants very close to our hotel, including McD's, KFC and Pizza Hut (Jen - do ya wish you were here???) Cohen had his first taste of chicken nuggets and fries tonight.  Hope he doesn't get too used to those treats!  Cory also found a gourmet dessert shop on his way and brought home a few delicious goodies.  Mommy and Daddy enjoyed them on a "date" after Cohen went to sleep.  YUM!

We were so proud of Cohen today.  He took the long day in stride like a real trooper.  We spent about 4 hours on a bus in total.  He had a few cranky moments but for the most part was good as gold.  Not all the kids were so content.  We had to take some video of the bus ride because you really can't imagine the sound of about 8 babies crying all at once.  Cohen sat on Mommy's lap and watched the traffic as we drove.  At one point, he started clapping his hands and laughing so I looked up and there was a cement truck driver a few lanes over smiling at Cohen and clapping his hands.  They were playing patty-cake together in a traffic jam!!

All 14 families made the trip to the Great Wall today so we got to meet and get to know the ones we hadn't chatted with yet.  As much as we are enjoying and treasuring our own attachment journey with Cohen, it is almost equally beautiful to watch the attachment process in the other families.  The little ones who were most shy and timid the first few days are blossoming, smiling, and falling in love with their new Mommies and Daddies.  It is just wonderful.  Everyone is supporting each other, helping out, and keeping the kiddies entertained.  Saying goodbye to this great group will be one of the downsides of heading home later this week.