Day 4 Baotu Springs

Andrew had another great night sleeping! He's not waking up in the middle of the night, so I hope and pray this continues once we get home!! A girl can dream, right?!? We went to breakfast and came back to the room for a couple minutes before it was time to leave on our "city tour" for the day. Andrew wanted to stay in his stroller. The girls got out the balloon and started to play with him and he laughed harder than we've ever seen him laugh.

We went to a place called Baotu Springs which is supposedly the biggest spring in China. It was just very peaceful and pretty.

Our assigned places: I pushed Andrew, Ava wanted Christine, and Laura was once again our designated photographer. Which works out great because any other way and we would have NO pictures. Andrew still wants mostly me to push him or help him, so I truly needed all the help that we had and having Craig here would have been even better. He just better rest up for when we get home!!! 

There were so many steps which made it difficult with the strollers, but we were finally able to get Andrew out!! Once again JieJie Ava to the rescue!!! Andrew ends up pulling her around though, and a couple times today he called her his "little" sister! He talked the whole time, our guide said he's quite funny!

Duck face smile! Ava didn't really feel good this morning, so she was in a daze most of the time.

We were wanting to get a picture with the girls and Andrew, but he wouldn't go where they were! 

So we have Andrew......

and my girls!!!

This is the best I could get!!!

This was one of the first times Andrew came willingly to me to pick him up. He wanted to touch the ball in the lion's' mouth.

Sweet Ava

This is our guide Missy on the right and another sweet Wacap family that I had met online before we traveled!

The three bubbles in the middle are the springs. I think she said they were 2500 km deep.

Andrew would get out on these slippery rocks, and look at the fish and throw food to them and scare me to death!! I just wanted to keep my hand in front of him to keep him safe (I wasn't even trying to hold his hand) and he kept pushing me away.

All in all, we had a really good day. He's a little rough with Ava still (according to her) pulling her hair and just using his hands to push (not hit, just push a little) But he's made so much progress even since yesterday! He didn't mention his nannies once, or really even act sad!! After our little tour we ate lunch and he even got in a chair, then we headed back to our room for a much needed nap! He fell asleep, along with the girls. Laura and Christine were trying to do school work but everyone was exhausted. I finished my blog from yesterday and then I laid down too and fell sound asleep. We didn't even get up until 5pm. We were just so tired so we ordered beef brisket noodle soup from room service and enjoyed eating in. We took a little walk around our hotel, which is really amazing. It's like a Beverly Hills hotel/shopping mall that you would see on TV. We would never be able to stay anywhere like this in the states. After that we came back, got the little ones baths and got ready for bed. Andrew was very sweet for his bath. He let me hold him like a baby with his towel around him and put lotion on him. He even opened his mouth so I could see his teeth. (they aren't as bad as I thought!!) All of us are having some meltdowns in our own ways, it's just an emotional rollercoaster. Everyone is super sensitive right now--but today by far has been the best day, with some very good breakthroughs for Andrew. I think he's trusting us and having some fun in the meantime. He seems much more relaxed! God is really teaching me about unconditional love and working on me to not take things that this little child does or says personally. You may think that sounds crazy, but when you have loved someone for 10 months, and they swat at you, or push you away, or talk ugly (I know he is-and I don't even have to know what he's saying!) it's just tough. It sounds childish, and selfish, but it's hard for me. But God is teaching me all about that too. I can know in my head everything that Andrew has been through, and he has every reason to act this way. I just don't have that "tough" skin. I'm learning though--and I know this isn't about ME at all. It still just breaks my heart. But I see the light, and for that I'm so thankful and I'm praising the Lord with a joyful heart!