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She said "Mama!" Let me repeat. She said "Mama!" She didn't exactly call me Mama. She repeated the word after me. It was very exciting. She has been saying a few words very quietly but, of course, we don't understand them. She also took a few steps today. She is pretty unsteady but once she is up and balanced she can go a couple of steps. We put her shoes on so she could hear the squeak when she walks but the shoes really threw her off. She acted like she didn't know what to do with her feet then. She also has learned to take off her socks. She prefers bare feet so she will fit right into the Ozarks... a little Asian hillbilly.
Much to my and Sydney's joy, Lydia likes books. She will look at a book for several minutes and she likes to be read to. She is pretty quiet (except when crying and that's a whole different story) and is easily entertained by a few toys for quite a long time for her age. She is starting to become playful. In a shop today she actually released her stacking cups and started grabbing things. I told her "no no" in Cantonese and she just looked at me and laughed. Maybe she was just laughing at my pronunciation. The White Swan is a very nice hotel...
 ... there are robes and slippers in the rooms and they come in and hang the robe on the back of the bathroom door for you. There are attendants on every floor and if we ask for anything they jump right up and get it.
This morning Kyle went to ask for more towels and wash cloths. The attendant was gone for the towels before he could even get out the words "and wash cloths." Today Lydia let Kyle hold her as long as she couldn't see me...
minutes without crying  They went for a walk around our floor while I got ready to go this morning. I think that is good progress.
 Lydia had a medical exam to clear her to enter the United States.
 There were crying babies everywhere. It was more chaotic than "Gotcha Day."
 She passed with flying colors so we are one step closer to coming home.
Mussels, clams and even frogs! 
 Tomorrow is a free day. I think we are going to take a taxi ride to the Carrefour store. Shiyan gave us a card with the names of places we might like to visit so that we can show and point to the taxi driver. The taxi drivers don't drive any better here than they do in Beijing, so it should be an adventure!
 Love, Carmen, Kyle, Sydney and Lydia
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They come every evening and ask if they can turn down the covers and they bring chocolate. We can turn down our own covers but we LOVE the chocolate. There is one problem that Kyle is having, though. He has not found Dr. Pepper anywhere in China. He says he's having to drink the next best thing... Pepsi.