She poops.

Okay, okay, I know all the poop talk is gross, but she finally pooped with the assistance of a little glycerin friend. Thankfully, one of our travelmates had some along and taught us how to use them. (That's one of those things I wasn't prepared for.)

In any event, she pooped. This is good. After 3 days of non-stop food cramming, we were beginning to wonder where in the world all that food was going. This is a common problem as kids adjust to new formula, new foods, and the stress of their band new life. You should have seen me and Dan in our most taxing moments of new parent initiation...who knew poop (or the lack thereof) could be so all-consuming?

So how did we spend today, you ask? Well, stuffing An An with prunes, watered down apple juice, watermelon, etc. I was so thankful for the support and advice in the comments to my last post. Thanks guys! It is sooooo nice to see messages from home.

We walked to Wal-Mart today to get some different rice cereal for mixing with formula and more jarred baby food. Yep, me in Wal-Mart...twice in one week. Dear God, the things we do for the ones we love. :)

Other than that, An An was glued to us all day. She smiles and goofs around with us, but I'd say her attachment is pretty anxious right now, as we are unable to put her down. (It is interesting to watch different kids process grief. Some want to be put down and given their space, and others play the part of "barnacle baby.") An An is my little barnacle. And I love her to pieces, even when I have to go potty, sleep, and do just about everything else while wearing her.

Someone asked about her developmental age. Honestly, I really have no idea what she is capable of, as I am very serious when I say that we hold her 24/7 at this point. Her paperwork says she can crawl and stand holding the finger of someone, but I haven't seen this yet. I would say most of the girls in our group (who range from 14-17 months old) appear to be in the 8-10 month range as far as development goes, a pretty common disparity for children coming out of institutionalized care. So while An An is 15 months old, she will likely strike you as much younger than that when you meet her. Most kids catch up to age-appropriate skills within a couple months, but this all depends on the attachment process. (Obviously we can't work on these "hard" skills like crawling and walking until she is comfortable enough to be out of our arms.) But it will come. Day by day, we'll get there. I can't tell you the love I feel when I look into her little eyes. I'd do anything for her. And seeing Dan with her is amazing. After 3 days of pretty taxing demands, there's been very little frustration on our parts. We're a good team. I knew we would be, but it's great to actually experience it.

And the ferris wheel? Ummmm...didn't happen. (The poop. It's all-consuming.) Maybe some other night? :)

Tomorrow we are headed for a preserved ancient Chinese village about an hour and a half from here by van. (Why, yes, we are going to the Old World Wisconsin of China. Because we are just that cool.)

So, I know the post is short, but I'm a bit sleepy. And I know you come here more for the pics anyway. So here are a few from today. :)