He tried a hot dog at a cook out, and liked it, then he put only ketchup on a hot dog bun, he liked that too. When we got home he asked for "noodles". He eats alot. He doesn't hoard, but he eats more than you could possibly think would fit into his small body.
Today, I didn't ask him what he wanted for breakfast. I made eggs in the hole. He ate them in an interesting way, but he didn't complain, or ask for noodles. 12 days, not as long as we had anticipated!
It's Coast Gaurd Festival in Grand Haven this week. A fun week in our small town! Parades, Boats, a Carnival and the town at least doubles in size. Last night we went to the carnival. "WOW"...."WOW" , he just kept reapeating as the lights flashed, baloons popped and kids screamed. He holds our hand at all times when we are out anywhere. At home he is independent and can play for a few hours alone with lego's. But where we are out he is velcro thank goodness. He rode the bumper cars first, oh the smile, he was so excited! Next, he and Jack took on the Fireball, it turns you upside down! Again, all smiles:D Huge smiles! "I lika zoom!" he says. We just hope he doesn't think there is always a carnival on mainstreet waiting for him!
He is doing well on the bike, he tries every day! He is coasting down the driveway with his feet up for longer and longer, it won't be but a few more days and he will be off!
Swimming....well he was so uncoordinated in the water when we took him to the pool in China. He has a persistant spirit though. Coughing and sputtering, shaking his head from side to side over and over. We bought him a life jacket for the pool. He used it for 3 days. On day 3 he took it off and mokingly smiles at me....Then he inches himself in to the deep end of the pool with his hands on the side...."No Eli"...he keeps going, smiling. I get up from my chair, glad I have my suit on. "Eli, come back to the deep end..." He laughs, and pushes off into the deep end and is kicking, flailing in an uncoordinated weak attempt to make it to the other side.....everyone is watching, waiting for me to jump in after him. I am waiting for him to actually begin to sink, but he never does....he made it to the other side. It seems to have made him realize he's not quite the swimmer he thought, he still puts the life jacket on every day. He takes it off every day too, but stays in the shallow end, practicing.
So, things continue to go better than we hoped or anticipated or prepared for. He is immature for a 12 year old in some ways. We still have to chase him down to put sunscreen on as he screams what we have called the "pterodactyl scream". He is learning to hug, instead of slapping butt's or pinching. He does it as a form of affection (like many 12 year olds!). Yesterday he was pinching Hillary. For a few days she would kiss him on the cheek when he was slapping, but he loved the chase. So last night she simply pinched him back as hard as he pinched her. "OH, so sorry!" he said.
He has had some English classes in Wuhan. He knows the alphabet, so we got out Lian's old "Dick and Jane" books yesterday. I had to chase him down, once you catch him he is willing! He was catching some words pretty quickly then he shut the book. "I don't lika EngAlsih book" "I lika Chinese Book". He knows more words than we realize, and he tries more every day. He also seems to understand more than he can say. We looked at some books in China but weren't sure of the level he could read, so getting some books in Chinese is on our list. We have begun contact with someone who will help him keep his Mandarin Chinese skills, she teaches classes that he might be able to join as well as tutoring him.
Noodle soup, ramen noodles, rice noodles, lo mein noodles, and spaghetti noodles... on my shopping list for Landon. Already have a ton of rice and a rice cooker! Thrilled that things are going so well for you!
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