Rhapsody at Trader Joe's

What a joy it is the show Yaojie the world. The park, a bike ride, the supermarket, the backyard swing set --it takes so little to evoke such delight. As to not overwhelm him, we are keeping his world small --introducing new people and experiences slowly. For him, the necessary monotony of orphanage life has given way to an explosion of newness. While grocery shopping today, he squealed with delight at the row of red carts, delighted that he would have the opportunity to ride in one. He pointed our the English words he already knows: "Oh! Banana! Apples! Chicken! Juice! Chocolate!" (I have mentioned his love affair with all things edible...) He excitedly helped me pile things in the cart --learning new words as we shopped: "Turkey...seeds...chips..." So many items that he's not seen before. I handed him butter and he asked through pantomime whether it should be eaten or spread on his diaper rash. I showed him colored pasta and he asked was it for the dog. He applauded when I put jelly in the cart. What a reminder to applaud the simple opportunity to watch my son's world open up, one small excursion at a time.