Day 2 with Luke

Oh my, who's idea was it to have two four year olds at one time? Oh, I guess it was mine! The energy level is running at an all time high (with the four year olds, not the 46 and 49 year old)
Day 2 we went shopping at a large department store. It was not really the Walmart type store we were wanting and prices were as high as home. The exchange rate is not as good this trip about 6.94:1, I think 3 years ago it was over 8:1. We let the kids pick out some toys, Luke chose a truck and car, Miss Lily got a princess set (of course). The rest of the day we just got to spend time together as a family. It was an exhausting time trying to keep the two kids occupied. As John and I watched Luke we were concerned. For one thing he never cried or got upset about anything. I could take his toy away from him when he was trying to hit Lily with it and he just went on his merry way. He also displayed so much hyper activity it was difficult to get him to settle down. When our guides tried to talk to him in Chinese he would not even look at them. Meanwhile the other kids were expressing the desire to return to the orphanage and were drawn to the guides as a resource. The more time we spent together however the better things got. He makes good eye contact and will point at things and look at us and he sings and when we gave him the big picture book we brought he was fascinated, looking at each page and naming the items he saw. When it came time for bed he was not wanting to stay in bed and I had to gently hold him down. Soon the rage turned into full blown wailing with real tears and he went limp. I held him and rocked him as he continued to cry and sob and eventually it turned into a whimper and then he fell asleep in my arms. This morning he is like a different little boy. He hugs us, he sits still longer, he talks non-stop, he laughs, he marches around the rooom. When I leave the room he yells, "MaMa" and comes looking for me. Yesterday Miss Lily got bent out of shape with him when he was pestering her and she yelled out "poopy" (one of her favorite words) Luke yelled "poopy" right back at her.
Although I do think he is developmentally behind about a year, I see real potential for learning. I think both John and I are feeling much better. What a difference a day can make!
Lily has melted into tears a few times when Luke gets aggressive with her or takes her toys but in general she has been very good with him trying to explain things to him in detail. Yesterday at the McDonald's clone restaurant she was trying to explain to him how to go down the slide. I think she will be a wonderful big sister for him.
Last night Luke took a bath first and delighted in the bubbles. When Lily saw how much fun he was having she soon jumped in. They had a great time pouring water over each other and splashing. I feel the beginnings of bonds starting to form.
Today we are going to a museum in Urumqi. It is supposed to be very interesting, I just hope the kids think so too.
I have one video to post of Daddy, Lily and Luke in a tickle fest.