Yesterday afternoon, we went to Wu Mart, which is something similar to a Kroger or Publix back home. This was our first experience leaving Zach with a babysitter (Glen and Lynda) and was somewhat heartbreaking to do, but he adapted well. Wu Mart is just a couple of blocks from the hotel so we went on foot. Along the way, we stopped at Starbucks for a few minutes, as we were craving a "taste of home". There was a bit of a language barrier in Starbucks but they understood our orders and our drinks tasted just like they do in the states.






Wu Mart was an experience. People were just darting and weaving through the aisles, making navigating difficult. Also, all of the product labels were at least mostly in Chinese, making determining exactly what you are looking at with any degree of certainty difficult. We muddled through and were able to get what we needed however. We did have a comical moment trying to find diapers, involving Julia pantomiming patting herself on the butt. We never were able to have a meeting of the minds in that instant but found diapers on our own.






We went to the Summer Palace yesterday, where some of the emperors and empresses would stay during the warm months. There was one Empress in particular that they refer to as the Dragon Lady, who would make very good use of the palace. The grounds of the Summer Palace are something to see. There is much beauty and a lot of history there. We were approached and stared at by many of the locals, some having us pose with them for pictures. One of the activities at the Summer Palace is a number of the elderly who have artistic talents come to the park to practice their crafts. One man was doing calligraphy on the ground using a wet sponge on a stick. He wrote several messages in English for us, including "Safe Trip" and "My Son Lives in USA" which was very meaningful for us, obviously. We ran into a woman with her granddaughter in a stroller that we talked to briefly. She gave her granddaughter and Zach these strips of pressed seaweed that were similar in consistency to a fruit rollup. Zach liked them, so we may have to see if we can find them stateside. Our trip to the Summer Palace concluded with a ride on the Dragon Boats on Kungming Lake. It was a very nice day.








Zachary has been a dream so far. He has been sleeping like a log and eating anything that is put before him. He will basically eat until you stop the food from coming. What few meltdowns he has had have been pretty brief and easy to manage. Today, we returned to the Civil Affairs office and signed some additional paperwork. After doing so, on the Chinese side of things, he officially became our son. After that, we had to journey on to the Office of the Notary to do some additional paperwork. This involved a lot of waiting in a very hot conference room which Zach did not enjoy as it was quite boring. The key to keeping him from melting down was keeping him moving. We took turns walking with him, orbiting the conference room. There was another couple in the room from Holland who were adopting a 3 year old boy so we spent some time talking with them. Once we were done there, our final stop of the day was at the local Homeland Security outpost where Zach was photographed for his passport. This concluded the paperwork that has to be completed for the Beijing portion of our journey.

Zach has some tendencies that are reminiscent of a Border Collie. He seems to like having a "job" of some sort and if one is not given to him he will assign himself something. His latest kick is putting things inside other things and taking them back out. So right now, small empty boxes and small items like plastic bottle caps are among his favorite toys along with his ever-present little yellow car. I am just amazed at how quickly he is picking up English words. We are not sure if he yet really knows his name, but he is parroting words and sounds. Also, at some point, someone has taught him to do "high fives" because he has that down to an art. Matt discovered that by accident by raising his hand up and receiving a high five. We have now also taught him to fist bump.

We are both exhilarated but somewhat tired. The time change has not been terrible, but by the time the evening rolls around here, we are all ready for bed. Zach is very mobile, so keeping him in check and out of trouble is quite an undertaking. Matt mentioned that he knows how it is now to be a sheepdog, trying to keep the one under your watch in a safe place, away from dangerous situations and be willing to throw down in their defense if called upon to do so. Matt is writing this post while Zach and Julia are snoozing.

Here are some of the pictures from Summer Palace.





All of this for one special boy!