Hi Everyone,

Very excited to say that today was a great day with no tears and Ella Xiaoyun actually ate at all meals!:) The other families from CHI that have been at their Provinces, all came to the hotel today. It was nice to reconnect with some of the families that we had spent time with in Beijing. After waking up very solemnly, little miss Ella Xiaoyun is doing pretty good! We had to return for our TB check and of course since she had received the vaccine, she was positive. This required an x-ray which was negative in order to receive her visa. This is all required by the new reqs from the US govn. Hated to expose her to the x-ray, but would also like to get her home! We visited the market again after the medical to get some more juice boxes and crackers that she loves. Aunt Marianne has been dubbed Switzerland as almost all of the older kids just love her and can interact with her! One of the Mom's whose little one wont even look at her could not believe how her daughter opened up to Marianne. It has been great for Ella Xiaoyun too as she does enjoy getting her down time from the lady who is now her Mom. I am amazed at how advanced Ella Xiaoyun seems for her age! Xiaoyun can add/subtract, knows her entire alphabet in English and when she is willing to talk surprises us with how many English words she truly knows. The activities I brought have been a life saver and I truly believe have helped Ella Xiaoyun and I move forward pretty quickly. We made little pig coin purses yesterday which taught her how to sew, and we then gave them to all the little girls in our group. They were quit a hit, and Ella Xiaoyun loved making them. The pool was closed yesterday for a modeling show, so we turned our tub into a small swimming pool and had a lot of fun and actually was able to see Ella Xiaoyun's funny side! She has a great sense of humor and we actually laughed together for the first time! Amazing! Turns out my little one is the biggest girly girly around! Barbie wins out over all the toys, and if anything ha! s pink i n it, we LOVE IT!! After being upset by something that was said to her at dinner by a local resident, we went back to the room and painted our nails pink which ended the melt down in half the time it would have taken. The local people are quit enthralled with Ella Xiaoyun and want to come up and say how pretty she is and ask questions. This never goes well, so Aunt Marianne and I are now pretty much having to block her from anyone talking to her without telling us what they are saying. She has quickly become a favorite to all with her "Hello" greeting each day at breakfast and her adorable smile. Am so thankful for my amazing daughter and how strong and brave she has been. Love to all and hope to update soon.