Lunch and the Cutest Smile in China!

Here she is! Sara caught the smile at just the right moment! It was a quick smile and the only one quite that big that was given for us! Daddy was doing his famous cheer "Wind Me Up" which he used to do with Sara and Lauren, as well as some of their little friends!

We left the orphanage and drove back to Xi'an. Ally seemed tired and somewhat dazed again. I'm sure she had a lot to process; I know I sure did. Sally asked us if we would like to try her favorite kind of Chinese food, "hot pot." She assured us we would like it, so we took her word for it! It was interesting, and Ally loved it! She had a little bowl of broth that we kept adding rice to and she ate it with her big girl spoon by herself. She just kept scooping up small bites and eating them. Only about 20% of the rice and soup ended up either on her bib, in her chair, or on the floor! She did not seem to be "packing" her lunch as she was feeding herself.

The table had a large pot of boiling broth that the waitress added food to and let it cook. We didn't eat a bunch, but enjoyed and tried to eat a bite of everything. Nothing was too scary! Sara and Lauren have both been such good sports about trying new things and not freaking out (which, if you know Lauren, you'll understand why this is a big deal). Neither of them ate as much as Ally, but they did try, and they used their chopsticks! So far, no tummy aches (about 8 hours ago!).

After finishing her meal (she ate the most she had all week at this meal), we de-riced Ally and she walked a little with the girls. Then she sat in Daddy's lap for a little "wind me up" time! That is when Sara got the best picture taken so far on this trip! Need I say more? We have seen tiny glimpses of a smile a couple of times, which are encouraging, today. It just melted our hearts and we are so glad we can look at that little smile any time now!