7/27/06 (Thursday)

Wei Long woke up with a bit of a stomach ache today. He refused breakfast. I’m afraid the food is a little too rich for him. And I have been letting him eat anything he wants. He ate some eel last night. I have decided to choose his food for him if possible. I don’t think he’s used to eating so much seafood, or just so much food period.


After breakfast we took the kids swimming. They had a great time. I have been taking them a little bit every day. I’m afraid they disturb the other swimmers. Swimming is like a job here. People come in and quietly swim their laps, then get out. They seem to choose a “lane to swim in. Of course the children don’t stay in a “lane” but swim and splash all over the pool. The pool area is tiled and very slick. Lisa fell a couple of times, and she broke her beautiful jade bracelet. I’m afraid I won’t be able to replace it.

After swimming Cathy took us to a restaurant around the corner for lunch. It was the first time we’ve eaten anywhere but the 29th floor restaurant. I’m afraid my girls made pigs of themselves again. They had pork ribs in a spicy sauce and they ate a LOT. What a spectacle we must make when we are out and about.

Then we had a rest because Wei Long’s tummy was still hurting. I tried to get him to nap, but I think I’m the only one who fell asleep. At least I made him rest a while.

Then we were out and about on the streets to do a little shopping. I got Wei Long some games for his gameboy (which we left at home). And we all got fans with beautiful pictures on them for about 20 yuan each.

I was glad to get back to the hotel and take a cold shower. It’s not real hot here, at least by Texas standards, but I seem to be sweating a lot anyway. Poor Julia was covered with hives and very very itchy. I gave her a cool bath and it seemed to help. There is entirely too much seafood in the restaurant. Even the fried rice has shrimp in it. We are trying our best to avoid it, but it seems to be in every dish. But, by 10:30 all 3 children were sound asleep. I slept with Julia, just in case she has breathing problems during the night. But everything was fine, all slept well.