Next up, was the Toy Market! This was a six or seven story building with HUNDREDS of shops. Eric was in there for about two minutes before he said it might not work out. LOL. So.many.stores.and.people.
It was a lot of fun to shop and look around! We could have gone nuts here, but packing is important to remember. We cleared an entire carry-on of some donations so we do have some extra room! But, we also have until Thursday before we leave so who knows what we'll find before then. We found some really neat things for our kiddos back home though. We also bought Aliza some crayons and paper because she loves to draw and a boogie board which kept her busy the entire time we browsed through the toy market!
Before we headed back to the hotel, we grabbed our first McDonald's of the trip. Aliza is a FAN of chicken nuggets and fries. She might be a six-piece kind of girl. Ha! We got her apple slices, but the skins of the apples hurt her gums. It's likely that her teeth weren't brushed during her time in the orphanage so teeth brushing at night was really painful for her the first two nights. And flossing! The blood has definitely lessened though and she isn't scared of flossing anymore. Her little mouth is very crowded so we have to keep up with the flossing because food hangs out in many places!
Aliza also said her first word today! MORE. We've been using some sign language with her for basic words. She can sign water pretty well. But Aliza has basically refused to sign "more" when shown. She will sometimes and won't others. Well, today, for a McDonald's french fry...she decided she'd use her words. And she did it every time with prompting. MORE. Thankfully, she let us record it too. So PROUD OF HER! She also said Mama in the van ride from the toy market to the hotel, but doesn't use it with much consistency. Obviously, it's very early. Josiah didn't say mom until six months home.
Tonight, we braved one of the malls next to our hotel. I use the word "braved" because it's Saturday night in China. Holy people, Batman! We decided to venture into the Taste Market in the basement of the mall. It's essentially an upscale Walmart. I much preferred it over the Walmarts we visited on our last trip. I purchased some essentials: Cherry Coke, Doritos, and Snickers.
Then, we made our way up to the 4th floor for dinner. At this point, I wanted to BACK OUT and just eat Doritos for supper. Wall to wall people and no manners. It's every person for themselves. Thankfully, Aliza had fallen asleep in the stroller. We arrived at our restaurant destination (as suggested by a fellow adoptive parent). It was pretty "authentic" if you ask me. The dish I got was good, but very spicy! I couldn't eat it all. As for Aliza, there wasn't a kids menu, but the waitress suggested tofu. Honestly, I don't know much about tofu, but hoped it'd be OK for her just this once. Aliza was ALL about the tofu. She clenched her bowl the entire time and shoveled it in quickly. And in between refills, she pouted. It was so funny!
Aliza's personality is a lot of fun. She definitely has some stubborn streaks when she doesn't get her way. Or when her bowl is taken away to refill it with food. These are typical and expected behaviors. When she is upset, she just goes limp and lays on the ground. Or in her highchair, she just turned away from us. Luckily, we get to tell her YES a lot right now. Yes, to suckers! Yes, to changing clothes (new pajamas)! Yes, to coloring! Our girl definitely makes life fun! So excited that tomorrow is Sunday! One day closer to HOME!
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