China: Day 13 First Time Swimming

Today we went to Shamian Island, a small island surrounded by the Pearl River.  We did a little bit of souvenir shopping but mostly just enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere.  

 The man to the left of us in this picture was playing some great harmonica music over a loud speaker that helped add to the experience.

The trees and landscaping are beautiful here. 

The classic adoption trip photo. 

The island is a popular place for brides to be photographed before their wedding.  We saw several. 

On the hotel elevator, on our way down to the pool for Jordan's first swim.

Checking out the pool. 

I want to go to there. 

Getting ready to get in. 

And he likes swimming! 

Hey, I splashed myself.

This kid adores his baba. 

Jordan cracks me up... he crosses his fingers when he is excited about something.  He was excited about swimming.

Some things about Jordan:   He is tiny, but has good muscle tone.  I think people are surprised to see how well this little guy gets around.  As far as we can tell, he doesn't seem to have the same GI issues Mason dealt with at this age, but his asymmetry is much more severe than Mason's.  It's easy to see how uneven his legs are when he walks... we'll have to get him some special shoes to help with that.  Jordan is very particular.  He knows what he does and does not like.  Or at least what he thinks he will or will not like.  If he doesn't want it, good luck trying to give it to him.  Even things he liked yesterday.... like say, applesauce or mama, if he doesn't want it at the moment, forget about it.  The kid has an iron will.  He is getting pickier and picker about food, but that's probably because he knows we'll give him anything he wants right now.  We'll have to work on a more balanced diet when we get home.  Jordan is a quick learner.  He is starting to understand some English...like if I ask for a kiss, he'll give me one without any cues.  Oh, and Jordan's smile... is fantastic.

 Maddie and Kaitlyn made friends with this darling local Chinese girl who happens to speak English and comes to swim at the hotel pool with her grandparents.  She got our address and my email address so the girls may have scored their first pen-pal.

This is the view from our hotel room.  I'm a bit of a creeper and love to watch out the window to see people going about their business.  Sometimes people play soccer in the basketball court which is actually the roof of a shorter building.
Today I also spent a lot of time looking at pictures from our family blog.  I'm really missing Enoch and Mason... Only three more sleeps before we see them again!!

I'm trying to use M&Ms to gain a few brownie points with Jordan... 

I think he might like M&Ms as much as Mason, which is A LOT. 

Signing "more".  I may have created an M&M monster!