I wanted to post this picture of Eleanor, who loves school well enough to start counting the minutes 3 hours ahead of the afternoon kindergarten start time!

Skype is a very good thing when it comes to international calling (2 cents a minute)! (http://www.skype.com) Today Eleanor wrote down a series of numbers, pointed to it, and said, "Zhonggua mama." (China mama). It took me a moment to realize the obvious - this was the phone number of her foster family, which she had apparently memorized. I looked up the city code for Hefei, and dialed. It worked - a very elated sounding woman answered when Zitao spoke into the headset. Eleanor's eyes welled up with tears as she answered her foster mother's inquiries, saying "hao" (good) every so often, and telling her foster mother that Sarah's birthday was coming tomorrow (she started in English - I had to remind her that her China mama spoke Mandarin!) I was a little worried that Eleanor wasn't understanding Chinese as well as she used to... her summer Mandarin class can't start soon enough! After a little while, Eleanor stopped talking altogether, looked down, and handed the headset to me (with her foster mama still chattering away) and stood up. I sheepishly said, "ni hao, ni hao, dui bu chi, wo shuo de bu hao" (Hi - I'm sorry, I don't speak well.) I couldn't understand most of what she was saying (she spoke so quickly), but told her that Zitao loved her, and that we were very happy in America. I did understand her happy tone, and the frequent use of "xie xie" (thank you). I was so glad that smart-cookie Eleanor had remembered the number. I repeated "xie xie" as well, promised myself that I'd get an interpreter next time, called Eleanor to the phone to say goodbye, and led Eleanor to the rocking chair, where she sat in my lap and wept for a little while. The tears stopped abruptly, though, when Dave began to run a bath for her and Gennie. She began to giggle again as I tossed plastic dolphins into the tub, and pretended that a shark was eating Gennie's leg (a natural amusement for any older sister is pretending her younger sister is being eaten by a large fish).

I also got a call from Eleanor's kindergarten teacher today, who wanted to tell me that this is Eleanor's "special week," and sorry for the short notice, but could we please send in a poster ASAP that she could show the class with pictures of her life. Um, yeah, I guess so. At least she had the good graces to ask whether we even HAD any pictures, which we do (thanks to the awesome orphanage making her a lifebook), but I couldn't help thinking about how much it would royally stink for her if we didn't have any at all. Eleanor Nash's life: a blank piece of posterboard. Yikes. Fortunately we do have a few pictures, so Eleanor's poster can go right up next to her classmates' without a hitch.

Still, it's not just about the pictures. I'm trying to figure out how to make this something that Eleanor owns herself (as her own story, and her own project) - and gauge just how much to share with the other kids (I have been called in to help "explain"). "Hi kids. Eleanor was abandoned as a helpless infant in a third world country and raised in an orphanage and then by another nice family until just a few weeks ago. But everything is okay now, other than the fact that everything she ever knew has changed. She loves the access to food here, and having new clothes and toys for the first time in her life." You know, just a nice, reassure the 5-year-olds that the world is a safe, secure place kind of talk. (And of course I would NEVER take that tone in explaining her story!) I hope to make it about the beauty of China, the love of many people for a little girl, and an amazing trip home. It's the stuff that matters, after all.

Two little girls in pajamas, after finally settling into their bunks after two trips to the bathroom, wanting to go give Daddy one last hug, and a cup of water (because Mom's mean and won't get them snacks after they brush our teeth at night), call out, "Wo ai ni, mama - I love you!" And my cup runneth over. (Gennie has been picking up some Mandarin. She's got possessives down pat, for instance: "Gennie de" = "Gennie's!" - a useful synonym for "MINE!" or "Hands off, sis!" At least she's picking up some of the nicer phrases, too!)