hurry!

hurry to write to my family before pages disappear mysteriously again...
China is even better than we remembered!
 Benj said over and over "I wanna die" on the Great Wall b/c it was that darn hot.  A couple popsicles, t-shirt and hat and he was skipping up to another elevation.  So crazy to witness things thru the mind of an 8 year old.  He was excited but overwhelmed at the strength it took to climb up. 
he got to see master carvers working with jade today and how they made our happy family ball we have at home from his trip 7 years ago.  Benj thinks it's awesome when they serve watermelon every where we eat. We haven't found a food we didn't like yet.  We even got to try lechee nuts today - yum! He is dieing to buy a panda bear, they are every where.  I think we are waiting until Kunming.  he is trying to listen to long stories of legend about the great wall or the ming dynasty but he chirps off happily onto another topic.
Benj hardly complained about the walking at all today except for the heat.  Thank God for sugary soda like Fanta in China - woohoo.  Benj, Bill and I are all learning things this trip we didn't know before.  like when someone asked Benj how old he is he held up 8 fingers.  no, that's now how they do it here.  so our guide showed us all the numbers with her fingers and benj got it right away.  enough so he used it while shopping tonight to tell people when they asked how old he is. 
he really misses suz a lot.  when she cries it is making him upset too.  I hope in the next 24 hours meeting his new little brother will give him something to focus on...
One thing I won't forget is that Benj goes 100% until he just is ready to drop.  He is good a going with the flow and isn't fussing too much about anything.
I feel sorry that this city has not much experience seeing a child with cleft.  Tonight in McDonald's I watched as a father tried to explain to his daughter around the same age what is going on with his lips and why they look the way they do.  If he had seen it would have enraged or embarrassed him.  Instead we have to realize it simply is what it is...trying to understand something that gets hidden away from mainstream society here.  Something that is frowned upon.  Too bad for them, it is our win to have such an awesome son!! 
It always amazes me too how much dirt and grit is in this city.  I mean store owners wiping off merchandise daily from this grit that blows through the air...what is it?  where does it come from?  cars some of them covered in it so thick you can't see through the windows. 
the Olympic park was pretty amazing!  smack dab in the middle of this huge city a state of the art stadium that seats 91,000 and a swimming complex as well as gymnastics arena are built to house the masses.  amazing!
some other random notes as I try to let myself get tired here...
- thanks Aunt Mary and Uncle Jon for the send of dinner!!  It hit the spot!
- thanks to the army helping at home to keep the kids happy, entertained, and comfy  we know it seems long but by this time next week I'll be home again
- Sykpe seems to be sending Suz over the edge so maybe we'll lessen that for now until we get Ian. 
- it is really hard on benj (and us too) to see suz crying - he ran under the covers and tried to hide his own tears.  He is still so worn out from time change and long day of activities.  It's hard that none of us can calm her from here.  Glad she gets over it quickly...
- we saw so many little boys out tonight and thought of Ian the whole time...we are getting really anxious, nervous and excited to meet him.  not sure how the first few hours together will go but we hope for the best and are prepared for the worst.  if no one else gets a gift outside of Beijing you'll know why:)
- the beds are hard, darn, how did I forget that?  I mean, really hard!
-BBC is my new best friend, again!  10 years ago in Russia it was our only option for English speaking tv
- benj is learning to take long rides and walks with no electronics in hand - amazing!
- and this darn time change has me awake at what, midnight now, that and the coke I had at McDonald's aren't helping me...off to try a little sleepy pill for some help.