Let me first apologize for misspellings. I type this into my iPad's Notes app which corrects things like it wants to and I haven't had time to proofread it before I copy and paste into the post.
Le An woke up around midnight again and we got him back to sleep by 1:00. I personally didn't sleep well last night due to "someone's" snoring. I finally got up around 7, made a bottle in case Le An woke up during my shower. He didn't. He slept a LONG time last night!
We didn't hurry this morning since we didn't have to go anywhere today. I washed some underwear and socks since we've kind of run out.
We went down to breakfast and today Le An tried scrambled eggs. He liked them! He also ate another steamed bun (besides his bottle earlier). We really have to get different colors of food in this kid! We tried apple juice the other day but that was not a hit.
We played a bit and then got ready to go to Walmart. I had a list this time. Since Le An sucks his thumb I thought we'd get a pacifier and see if he would take it. We also found some teething crackers for him to chew on. We looked for more of the vegetarian biscuits but couldn't find them. Also more water and some cotton squares. We walked back to the hotel. It was rather chilly today.
When we got back to the hotel, we were walking through the lobby and we heard someone call Xu Le An's name. We turned around and it was the gal from the orphanage. She wanted to see him so we got the chunei off of Tony and stood him on the floor. He was smiling and looking at her and she at him. I got out my camera and took a picture of that interaction. I pulled the camera down and noticed she was crying. That broke my heart. I went over and put my arm around her and told her we'd take very good care of him. She doesn't speak English, though, so don't think she understood my words. Hopefully she understood my actions, though.
Echo had told us before we met him on Gotcha Day that when he was found there were some keys left with him. The gal pulled them out of her bag now and told one of the CCAI representatives to tell me what they were. The orphanage staff had written a note that they were "Xu Le An's birthmother's belongings". The only connection to his birthmom.
We said goodbye and they went on their way. (By the way, we asked Echo the possible reason for him being abandoned since he was a boy and he had/has nothing physically wrong with him. She said possibly she was young and unmarried because in China an unmarried mother cannot get a registration ID for her child.)
We didn't eat much for lunch. We tried to get Le An down for a nap but he would have none of that. I thought I'd gotten him down but then he woke up. Tony dealt with him while I went down to the lobby to post yesterday's post. I got back and Tony was reading and thought Le An had finally quieted down but then he was up again in his crib. He just wouldn't go down.
It was time to go down and meet Echo. She called the room and I said we were getting ready and would be down shortly.
Echo lives not too far from the hotel. She took us through her neighborhood and showed us where she gets her fresh fruits and vegetables every day. We stopped at a grocery store and found some vegetarian biscuits. They had a 4-pack of all 4 flavors. They only had one so they let us pay for it and held it to be picked up on our way back.
Next we stopped at an elementary school and watched a class of 3 1/2-4 yr olds. They all said "Ni hao" to us when we walked in and I think they were tickled when we said it back. The teacher was teaching them how to tell a story and was having them come up with reasons why the baby bird was sad. One said because he had to go to school and he missed his mom. One said the bad guys had some and he was scared. Then the teacher read the real story to them and it turned out the baby bird didn't need to be sad because he had friends like the bear to make him happy. They took a break and they told the kids they could ask us any questions. I sat down one the piano bench with Le An and several of the kids came over and touched his face and were just enamored with him. There were also 2 other teachers for the class there and this was their first contact with adoption. They were asking Echo all kinds of questions. They also noticed he only had a single layer of clothes on besides his coat. Echo had to explain that it was a cultural difference. Echo said I could take any pictures and video I wanted to, so I did.
When it was time to leave, all the kids said goodbye in Chinese. They were all so cute! We walked around the playground where older kids were playing and then picked up our biscuits as we passed the grocery store. Echo walked us through a park on the way back to the hotel. Yesterday she said the forecast for today was sunny. We did not see the sun at all today. It was too cold to hang out in a park.
We got back to our room and there was a "hall party" right in front of our room. We joined in and visited for a while. Then a couple of the families decided to go over to the Holiday Inn Express and have Chinese for dinner. We had decided to have Italian so that's what we did. Tony had lasagna and I had a cheese ravioli. We enjoyed those different flavors tonight. Le An even got to taste both of them. He must have liked them because he never spit them out and wanted more!
He got his first bath from us tonight. He LOVES to splash the water! We both got kind of wet! When Tony first put him in the water, he was standing up and just started peeing! So...we drained the tub and put new water in it. He kept wanting to stand up and Tony got worn out trying to make him sit down. We got his diaper on and decided to put lotion all over him because his skin is pretty dry. He got a rash a couple of weeks ago and they have been putting a cream on it and said the rash looked better. They also had given us some cream so we've been using that, too. I can't wait to get him to the pediatrician and find out what's with his skin. The orphanage doesn't know what the rash is but they said it was NOT chicken pox or measles. Thank goodness!
Anyway, we got him lotioned up, got his pjs on (he's a squirmy wormy!). It took a while to rock him to sleep but he's finally asleep now.
We take a trip to the orphanage tomorrow!
On another note, when we were at the Civil Affairs Office yesterday finalizing the adoptions, Echo said that the one 12-year-old girl had decided she didn't want to be adopted. Things were rather tense, I guess, and there was the possibility she could have that choice. All the CCAI families and we were hoping and praying something or someone would change her mind. Then today while Tony was walking the hall with Le An, he saw the mom and she said the girl was coming home with them! Praise God! They had to go finalize today and notarize, too, so it's all much better now. I saw her later and went up to her and said, "I heard" and gave her a hug.
Wow! I can't imagine all the emotions going on with them and their daughter! Wow!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Pictures
Ok...this post is from Dave. I told Sue before she left that I'd be willing to do this for her only if she told me the name that they have picked out for their son. So...since I now have access to their blog....I must know the name. I do take bribes and am willing to divulge any information which I have for a fee. Anyway, we plan to Skype with them tonight so Meighan will finally get to see her new brother. Please keep Sue and Tony's family in your thoughts and prayers and hope for a safe trip home next week. Enjoy the pictures!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Adoption Finalization and Happy Valentine's Day!
More things we know about Le An:
- He crawls really fast when he's after something.
- He loves to look at himself in the mirror.
- He puts things in his mouth, not something Meighan ever did.
- When he's done eating or drinking from his bottle, he throws the bottle or leftover food. That will have to stop.
- He goes to both of us equally.
- He has 8 teeth and is getting 2 molars.
- He babbles.
Our first night went quite well. Le An woke up at midnight and Tony held him for a while. After I took care of a couple of things I took over. I had noticed that he only sucked his right thumb and it was kind of hard to do if I held him in my left arm. So I held him in my right arm. He promptly started sucking his thumb while I rocked him. His eyelids got heavier and heavier. He would suck for a while and then not suck, then suck, then not. Finally his thumb came out of his mouth and his arm came down and he was out. I waited a couple more minutes before I laid him down and covered him with a lighter blanket (one we brought--the one they have here is a "feather bed" and is too warm. That's all we have on our bed and we get too warm!). We all slept great the rest of the night!
My alarm went off at 6:45 and that woke Le An. He got stood up in his crib and started fussing so I went over and picked him up. I changed his diaper that probably didn't need changing, made a bottle of formula and Tony sat down to feed him while I took my shower. I actually had to make a little more before I even got in the shower because he devoured it so quickly!
We got dressed and went down to breakfast. I got some congee right off the bat and started cooling it down while I waited for my omelet. I got a bun (Chinese bun) and some bread and other things for me. I tore up the bun (the bread was a little dry) so Le An could work on eating something while I ate. When I finished eating I gave him some congee. He didn't need as much this morning.
Other families had pretty good first nights, too. We went back to the room and brushed our teeth. Tony had told me that my Valentine's present was a trip to China and he didn't get me anything else. I told him, now, that I DID get HIM something. First, I pulled out a card that had gotten accordioned in my backpack. Oh, well. Then I pulled out of Le An's suitcase a small bottle of Mt. Dew. He said it was the best Valentine's Day present ever.
We grabbed our bags and gifts and went down to meet Echo. We had to sign more paperwork. Then we got into the van and Mr. Liu drove us to the Civil Affairs Office. All of the CCAI families were there already. Le An fell asleep one the way and woke up sometime after we got there. I visited with a few families until they called everyone together for the ceremony. Echo videoed the little ceremony that basically said that from now on we were the children's new families and they handed out the adoption certificates.
When we were done with that we were able to leave to go to the notary public to have our forms notarized. They took our picture with the head notary and we signed more papers. We gave our gift and Echo took a picture of us with the head notary and we were done for the day. Before we got in the van, Echo walked us a couple of blocks to a pharmacy to get some anti-itch cream for Le An. He has a couple of places that he scratches relentlessly and gets really upset when we take his hand away from scratching. Funny thing about the picture on the box for the anti-itch cream: the picture is of a blonde child!
We walked back to the van and Mr. Liu and Echo drove us back to the hotel. We have tomorrow free because we can't go to the orphanage until Thursday.
We played with Le An in the afternoon after giving him a bottle for lunch. Eventually he got tired and I was able to get him laid down for a nap. We also took naps. We didn't feel like venturing out for supper so we ordered cheeseburgers from room service. Not bad but I'll be ready for one at Lucy's on Shamian Island! I'm tired of noodles! I think tomorrow night we will eat at the Italian place in the hotel.
After we ate (and Le An had had a bottle and congee earlier) we were trying to get him to stand up on his own. He was looking in the mirror and sitting down and all of a sudden he stood up and took what we believe were his FIRST STEPS all by himself! Tony got the camcorder out and got him taking a few more steps ALL BY HIMSELF! We got to see his first steps!
However, in a little while, I think he realized his new freedom! He was crawling all over the place and standing up more! He still uses the bed, ottoman, chair or wall a lot but I think something is clicking! We went out into the hall and I showed the people across the hall the anti-itch cream we got. They saw Le An and Mom and their new daughter (the 5 yr old from yesterday) and we played with a "Phlat Ball" (can get on Amazon) and I brought out our O-Ball. Le An even stood up and walked a bit for them! He was VERY active tonight. I think he likes his new freedom.
We played until Le An was showing signs of being tired. We said "night, night" and went back to our rooms. It took longer to get him to sleep tonight but what worked tonight was to just put him in the crib and let him put himself to sleep--most likely how the orphanage does it. He quiets down best when it's pretty dark.
I will try to email a couple of pictures to my brother like the Mom across the hall suggested and have my brother put them on the blog.
I am removing the banner picture at the top because we have found out that that is NOT Le An!
- He crawls really fast when he's after something.
- He loves to look at himself in the mirror.
- He puts things in his mouth, not something Meighan ever did.
- When he's done eating or drinking from his bottle, he throws the bottle or leftover food. That will have to stop.
- He goes to both of us equally.
- He has 8 teeth and is getting 2 molars.
- He babbles.
Our first night went quite well. Le An woke up at midnight and Tony held him for a while. After I took care of a couple of things I took over. I had noticed that he only sucked his right thumb and it was kind of hard to do if I held him in my left arm. So I held him in my right arm. He promptly started sucking his thumb while I rocked him. His eyelids got heavier and heavier. He would suck for a while and then not suck, then suck, then not. Finally his thumb came out of his mouth and his arm came down and he was out. I waited a couple more minutes before I laid him down and covered him with a lighter blanket (one we brought--the one they have here is a "feather bed" and is too warm. That's all we have on our bed and we get too warm!). We all slept great the rest of the night!
My alarm went off at 6:45 and that woke Le An. He got stood up in his crib and started fussing so I went over and picked him up. I changed his diaper that probably didn't need changing, made a bottle of formula and Tony sat down to feed him while I took my shower. I actually had to make a little more before I even got in the shower because he devoured it so quickly!
We got dressed and went down to breakfast. I got some congee right off the bat and started cooling it down while I waited for my omelet. I got a bun (Chinese bun) and some bread and other things for me. I tore up the bun (the bread was a little dry) so Le An could work on eating something while I ate. When I finished eating I gave him some congee. He didn't need as much this morning.
Other families had pretty good first nights, too. We went back to the room and brushed our teeth. Tony had told me that my Valentine's present was a trip to China and he didn't get me anything else. I told him, now, that I DID get HIM something. First, I pulled out a card that had gotten accordioned in my backpack. Oh, well. Then I pulled out of Le An's suitcase a small bottle of Mt. Dew. He said it was the best Valentine's Day present ever.
We grabbed our bags and gifts and went down to meet Echo. We had to sign more paperwork. Then we got into the van and Mr. Liu drove us to the Civil Affairs Office. All of the CCAI families were there already. Le An fell asleep one the way and woke up sometime after we got there. I visited with a few families until they called everyone together for the ceremony. Echo videoed the little ceremony that basically said that from now on we were the children's new families and they handed out the adoption certificates.
When we were done with that we were able to leave to go to the notary public to have our forms notarized. They took our picture with the head notary and we signed more papers. We gave our gift and Echo took a picture of us with the head notary and we were done for the day. Before we got in the van, Echo walked us a couple of blocks to a pharmacy to get some anti-itch cream for Le An. He has a couple of places that he scratches relentlessly and gets really upset when we take his hand away from scratching. Funny thing about the picture on the box for the anti-itch cream: the picture is of a blonde child!
We walked back to the van and Mr. Liu and Echo drove us back to the hotel. We have tomorrow free because we can't go to the orphanage until Thursday.
We played with Le An in the afternoon after giving him a bottle for lunch. Eventually he got tired and I was able to get him laid down for a nap. We also took naps. We didn't feel like venturing out for supper so we ordered cheeseburgers from room service. Not bad but I'll be ready for one at Lucy's on Shamian Island! I'm tired of noodles! I think tomorrow night we will eat at the Italian place in the hotel.
After we ate (and Le An had had a bottle and congee earlier) we were trying to get him to stand up on his own. He was looking in the mirror and sitting down and all of a sudden he stood up and took what we believe were his FIRST STEPS all by himself! Tony got the camcorder out and got him taking a few more steps ALL BY HIMSELF! We got to see his first steps!
However, in a little while, I think he realized his new freedom! He was crawling all over the place and standing up more! He still uses the bed, ottoman, chair or wall a lot but I think something is clicking! We went out into the hall and I showed the people across the hall the anti-itch cream we got. They saw Le An and Mom and their new daughter (the 5 yr old from yesterday) and we played with a "Phlat Ball" (can get on Amazon) and I brought out our O-Ball. Le An even stood up and walked a bit for them! He was VERY active tonight. I think he likes his new freedom.
We played until Le An was showing signs of being tired. We said "night, night" and went back to our rooms. It took longer to get him to sleep tonight but what worked tonight was to just put him in the crib and let him put himself to sleep--most likely how the orphanage does it. He quiets down best when it's pretty dark.
I will try to email a couple of pictures to my brother like the Mom across the hall suggested and have my brother put them on the blog.
I am removing the banner picture at the top because we have found out that that is NOT Le An!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Gotcha Day!
I got up right before 7 after an early bedtime last night. (I think tonight will be an early bedtime, too!). We went down to breakfast and the hostess was showing us to a table and Tony noticed a couple who we'd met in Chicago were already eating breakfast. We asked if we could sit with some friends and went over and greeted them as we sat down. We got our food and rejoined them. Other families with CCAI were also eating breakfast. We introduced ourselves to another family.
We went back to our room to finish getting ready and grab our stuff and gifts. We had some time yet so we each read a little bit. We then went down to the lobby to meet Echo. We had her write on the gift bags in Chinese who they were for and we had also put Butt Paste in the gift for the orphanage and I had her write on that so they know what it's for. She said she would also explain it to them.
We went out to our van and Mr. Liu drove us to the Civil Affairs Office. We were actually the first ones there. Echo had us check over our information. Good thing because my passport number had one extra digit. Pretty soon a bus load of families from CCAI arrived. No orphanage vans had arrived yet. Soon, though, a van pulled up and Echo said it was from Luoyang. We offered to take video if anyone needed it. No one did so I took some video on our camera of people meeting their children. There was lots of crying from many of the children and lots of tears of joy from the families. Then another van came--from another orphanage, but not ours. We watched again. There was a little girl, 5 years old, who was all smiles when she met her parents. Soon, though, she was crying--almost screaming--because she was scared. Her parents were experienced adopters and just let her cry. They are staying right across the hall from us and her mom said 'time' was the turning point for her and she was all smiles the next time we saw her. Before the children arrived someone came up to me and asked if I was part of a particular Yahoo Group. I told her which ones I belong to and she said she was getting her TWO children today. "Oh! You're Mery!" I said. We got caught up a little bit and then continued waiting for our children.
Eventually, the van from Xuchang arrived with 4 children. Tony saw a lady getting out with Le An and took a picture. I ran and grabbed Echo so she could take video. The first child in was Le An! The lady held him for a while and then soon I was able to take him and hold him. He didn't cry. He didn't even fuss! We even got a sort of smile while we were still at the Civil Affairs Office! At the time of this writing he still hasn't cried a grieving cry! He's quite happy and easy-going.
So, anyway, he--as all babies in China are--was all bundled up in many layers. He's actually quite small and fits quite nicely in 12-month clothes. We brought 18-month clothes, too, but will probably have to exchange them when we get home if they won't be good for summer weather when he'll probably be in 18-month clothes! He came with only socks, no shoes. We guess he may not have ever had shoes on until today. We oohed and awed over him for a while and took several pictures. I didn't see the 3 other children come in from this orphanage!
After a while, Echo told us we needed to sign some papers. It's a 24-hour guardian agreement. Tomorrow we'll go back and finalize the adoption in province. We then were called over to have our picture taken for the adoption decree (or whatever they call it). Then we were able to give our gifts to the orphanage. Echo explained the Butt Paste. We gathered our bags and came back to the hotel. Echo came up to our room with us to show us how to mix the formula that was sent with him.
Before we did that, though, I had to get video of the removing of the layers of clothes. Oh my gosh! The first layer was a coat--WAY oversized and really warm. We had to roll up the sleeves a bit to see his hands. We had some toy keys for him and he held on to them like he'd lose them! Next layer was very thick and very warm overalls and the top was a quilted top. UNDER THAT was a long-sleeved t-shirt and legging-type things. Oh, and the legging things and the overalls were split pants. And he had just socks on his feet.
We promptly changed his diaper and I found some 12M pants, a 12M shirt and some socks to change him into. He looked WAY more comfortable!
Echo decided that the formula that was sent with him was not right for him and that we should just use what we brought. Then she left and will be back tomorrow at 9:30 to take us 2 places to sign papers.
Now it was time to get to know Le An! I got out a couple more toys over the next few hours. He's not scared of stuffed animals. He played with a teether toy and the keys. He likes to play the game "I drop the toys and Mom and Dad pick them up." I also got out an O-Ball which he really likes. We gave him a bottle which he likes to hold himself. We were playing along and Tony thought Le An tooted. The smell stayed and I realized that I had seen his face go blank for a bit like he was concentrating on something. BOY, was he concentrating in something! OMG! Tony said he changed Meighan's first two poopy diapers. It was my turn now. OMG! We got everything ready (on the bathroom floor) and I removed the diaper. OMG! Have you ever seen chunky Gray Poupon? (that has gone bad and become quite runny?) O - M - G!!!!
So, after I changed the WORST poopy diaper I've ever changed, we continued playing. Eventually we decided to go down to the Walmart area to find a baby store that Echo had recommended. We got Le An and me all suited up in the chunei baby carrier and set out. He's quite content in the chunei! Because of the extra weight I couldn't walk very fast. He fell asleep soon after we started walking. We eventually found the baby store and found some shoes that fit him and they are very cute. They were kind of expensive but are fairly good quality. We can get him more in Guangzhou. I also found a formula dispenser at this store. I didn't have time to find mine before we left. Le An slept the whole time we tried shoes on him. Then we decided to go to Dico's (the Chinese version of KFC). He woke up when I sat down so he had about a 45 minute nap. He wants to eat everything we're eating! He likes French Fries!
After lunch we walked back to the hotel. We played some more. Le An thinks we're quite funny sometimes so he chuckles a bit. He's also ticklish and laughs when he is tickled. He definitely is NOT as developed in gross and fine motor skills as Meighan was. His muscle tone is not really much--he's chubbier. He isn't walking on his own yet but will walk holding on to fingers. He kind of drags his left foot at the current time but hopefully with encouragement and practice that will get better.
For supper we just went down to the restaurant in the hotel where we eat breakfast. We shared a club sandwich and had some ice cream. We got some congee for Le An. He KNEW what THAT was! It was so hot, though, that we couldn't feed it to him very fast and he'd start crying while I was blowing on the spoonful and he probably thought I was going to eat it. Don't worry, we told him. It's ALL for you. When we got our ice cream, Tony gave him some Cheerios but he pretty much just played with them. Tony gave him some ice cream. His face scrunched up real tight but he never spit it out! He wanted more!
We got back up to the room and got him ready for bed because he was acting tired. Tony put him to sleep the first night just like he did Meighan. He said, "There's nothing more beautiful than rocking to sleep a person who you've known for less than 12 hours."
Things we know about Le An after the first day:
1. He does NOT like to have his nose wiped!
2. He likes to hold the bottle by himself.
3. He needs lots of stimulation to walk.
4. He sucks his right thumb when he is tired or needing comfort.
5. He LOVES congee.
6. He likes chocolate chip cookies (yes, I brought some!)
7. He likes to play with balls.
8. He does not like to be laid down to have his clothes or diaper changed.
9. He LOVES to be held and have attention.
I wanted to try to put a couple picture on that I took with the iPad but buttons are not available to select pictures. I'll keep trying, though.
We went back to our room to finish getting ready and grab our stuff and gifts. We had some time yet so we each read a little bit. We then went down to the lobby to meet Echo. We had her write on the gift bags in Chinese who they were for and we had also put Butt Paste in the gift for the orphanage and I had her write on that so they know what it's for. She said she would also explain it to them.
We went out to our van and Mr. Liu drove us to the Civil Affairs Office. We were actually the first ones there. Echo had us check over our information. Good thing because my passport number had one extra digit. Pretty soon a bus load of families from CCAI arrived. No orphanage vans had arrived yet. Soon, though, a van pulled up and Echo said it was from Luoyang. We offered to take video if anyone needed it. No one did so I took some video on our camera of people meeting their children. There was lots of crying from many of the children and lots of tears of joy from the families. Then another van came--from another orphanage, but not ours. We watched again. There was a little girl, 5 years old, who was all smiles when she met her parents. Soon, though, she was crying--almost screaming--because she was scared. Her parents were experienced adopters and just let her cry. They are staying right across the hall from us and her mom said 'time' was the turning point for her and she was all smiles the next time we saw her. Before the children arrived someone came up to me and asked if I was part of a particular Yahoo Group. I told her which ones I belong to and she said she was getting her TWO children today. "Oh! You're Mery!" I said. We got caught up a little bit and then continued waiting for our children.
Eventually, the van from Xuchang arrived with 4 children. Tony saw a lady getting out with Le An and took a picture. I ran and grabbed Echo so she could take video. The first child in was Le An! The lady held him for a while and then soon I was able to take him and hold him. He didn't cry. He didn't even fuss! We even got a sort of smile while we were still at the Civil Affairs Office! At the time of this writing he still hasn't cried a grieving cry! He's quite happy and easy-going.
So, anyway, he--as all babies in China are--was all bundled up in many layers. He's actually quite small and fits quite nicely in 12-month clothes. We brought 18-month clothes, too, but will probably have to exchange them when we get home if they won't be good for summer weather when he'll probably be in 18-month clothes! He came with only socks, no shoes. We guess he may not have ever had shoes on until today. We oohed and awed over him for a while and took several pictures. I didn't see the 3 other children come in from this orphanage!
After a while, Echo told us we needed to sign some papers. It's a 24-hour guardian agreement. Tomorrow we'll go back and finalize the adoption in province. We then were called over to have our picture taken for the adoption decree (or whatever they call it). Then we were able to give our gifts to the orphanage. Echo explained the Butt Paste. We gathered our bags and came back to the hotel. Echo came up to our room with us to show us how to mix the formula that was sent with him.
Before we did that, though, I had to get video of the removing of the layers of clothes. Oh my gosh! The first layer was a coat--WAY oversized and really warm. We had to roll up the sleeves a bit to see his hands. We had some toy keys for him and he held on to them like he'd lose them! Next layer was very thick and very warm overalls and the top was a quilted top. UNDER THAT was a long-sleeved t-shirt and legging-type things. Oh, and the legging things and the overalls were split pants. And he had just socks on his feet.
We promptly changed his diaper and I found some 12M pants, a 12M shirt and some socks to change him into. He looked WAY more comfortable!
Echo decided that the formula that was sent with him was not right for him and that we should just use what we brought. Then she left and will be back tomorrow at 9:30 to take us 2 places to sign papers.
Now it was time to get to know Le An! I got out a couple more toys over the next few hours. He's not scared of stuffed animals. He played with a teether toy and the keys. He likes to play the game "I drop the toys and Mom and Dad pick them up." I also got out an O-Ball which he really likes. We gave him a bottle which he likes to hold himself. We were playing along and Tony thought Le An tooted. The smell stayed and I realized that I had seen his face go blank for a bit like he was concentrating on something. BOY, was he concentrating in something! OMG! Tony said he changed Meighan's first two poopy diapers. It was my turn now. OMG! We got everything ready (on the bathroom floor) and I removed the diaper. OMG! Have you ever seen chunky Gray Poupon? (that has gone bad and become quite runny?) O - M - G!!!!
So, after I changed the WORST poopy diaper I've ever changed, we continued playing. Eventually we decided to go down to the Walmart area to find a baby store that Echo had recommended. We got Le An and me all suited up in the chunei baby carrier and set out. He's quite content in the chunei! Because of the extra weight I couldn't walk very fast. He fell asleep soon after we started walking. We eventually found the baby store and found some shoes that fit him and they are very cute. They were kind of expensive but are fairly good quality. We can get him more in Guangzhou. I also found a formula dispenser at this store. I didn't have time to find mine before we left. Le An slept the whole time we tried shoes on him. Then we decided to go to Dico's (the Chinese version of KFC). He woke up when I sat down so he had about a 45 minute nap. He wants to eat everything we're eating! He likes French Fries!
After lunch we walked back to the hotel. We played some more. Le An thinks we're quite funny sometimes so he chuckles a bit. He's also ticklish and laughs when he is tickled. He definitely is NOT as developed in gross and fine motor skills as Meighan was. His muscle tone is not really much--he's chubbier. He isn't walking on his own yet but will walk holding on to fingers. He kind of drags his left foot at the current time but hopefully with encouragement and practice that will get better.
For supper we just went down to the restaurant in the hotel where we eat breakfast. We shared a club sandwich and had some ice cream. We got some congee for Le An. He KNEW what THAT was! It was so hot, though, that we couldn't feed it to him very fast and he'd start crying while I was blowing on the spoonful and he probably thought I was going to eat it. Don't worry, we told him. It's ALL for you. When we got our ice cream, Tony gave him some Cheerios but he pretty much just played with them. Tony gave him some ice cream. His face scrunched up real tight but he never spit it out! He wanted more!
We got back up to the room and got him ready for bed because he was acting tired. Tony put him to sleep the first night just like he did Meighan. He said, "There's nothing more beautiful than rocking to sleep a person who you've known for less than 12 hours."
Things we know about Le An after the first day:
1. He does NOT like to have his nose wiped!
2. He likes to hold the bottle by himself.
3. He needs lots of stimulation to walk.
4. He sucks his right thumb when he is tired or needing comfort.
5. He LOVES congee.
6. He likes chocolate chip cookies (yes, I brought some!)
7. He likes to play with balls.
8. He does not like to be laid down to have his clothes or diaper changed.
9. He LOVES to be held and have attention.
I wanted to try to put a couple picture on that I took with the iPad but buttons are not available to select pictures. I'll keep trying, though.
WE HAVE OUR SON!
I have the post written but it's too late to type it. I will work on typing it up tomorrow and post it as soon as I can. Sorry! I know you're all waiting with baited breath!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Shaolin Temple
Today we were able to Skype with our families and see Meighan! Meighan couldn't see us on the first call and we couldn't see her on the second call but we did get her to smile for us on the first call and we got to hear her wonderful laugh on the second call.
We took the iPad back up to our room and grabbed our backpack and went back down to the lobby to meet Echo. She said it would be about a two hour drive to the Shaolin Temple. It was colder today with a forecast of rain and snow. With these temps, I don't think it's going to rain! The Shaolin Temple is southwest of Zhengzhou in some mountains. Guess what? It was REALLY COLD up there! We just can't win!
We arrived at the Shaolin Temple area in Dengfeng County at about 10:45. As we drove through the town Echo told us that this is THE place where people come to learn Kung Fu and all martial arts. There are many martial arts institutes here and as we drove she pointed out several. There's one every several blocks for a while. There's even one specifically for Muslims.
Mr. Liu dropped us off at the entrance. We walked in and Echo went to buy tickets while we took some pictures. She found out that the morning Kung Fu show was at 11:30 so we went straight there first. Sitting doing nothing for 40 or so minutes didn't help our heat deprivation. The show was good, though!
After the show we walked to the temple itself. The temple consists of 7 buildings called palaces. Some of the first palaces were destroyed by fire many years ago and have been rebuilt. There's a place at just about every palace where people can buy incense and light it and say prayers. I'm not a great fan of the scent of incense.
After the temple we came out to the Pagoda Forest. This is where all of the high ranking monks are buried. How high they ranked and what they did for the temple determined the height and design of their pagoda. I will post pictures when we get home. It's really quite interesting.
When we finished at the Pagoda Forest, Echo said that was pretty much all there was to see here so we started walking back to the van. On the way we stopped and bought some noodles (like Ramen Noodles) and some "vegetarian biscuits" which is a specialty of this area. Echo got hot water and made our noodles for us which we shared (it had a fork inside which was folded and we had to unfold and lock in place). Then she got her own. The vegetarian biscuits were quite good. We decided we wanted more. Echo said they sell them at Walmart cheaper.
We were sitting at a table with other people and Echo was visiting with them. She said they were a group that met over the internet and decided to meet in person. They shared their snacks with us. Echo told them that we were there to adopt a son and they thought that was neat. They were also talking about volunteering in an orphanage. They took our pictures with a couple of them--nothing new to us--and I took a picture of all of them. Very friendly people.
We went on our way back to the van. We stopped and bought a book of postcards with pictures of the temple area.
We drove back to Zhengzhou and we requested to be dropped off at Pizza Hut and then we'd go to Walmart and walk back. That way we didn't have to walk both directions. Our legs and bodies are tired of walking. We won't be walking so much the next couple of days.
Echo helped us order at Pizza Hut. We decided on a Hawaiian pan pizza. She asked if we wanted anything else. Bread sticks sounded good but they didn't have those. We looked at the appetizers and I saw "Western Zesty Waffle Crispers." Can you guess what those are? They are aka waffle fries. I still like the name! "Western Zesty Waffle Crispers!" LOL!
After supper we walked to Walmart and got some apple juice, some hard caramel candy that I have fallen in love with and all 4 varieties of the vegetarian biscuits. They were only a little cheaper at Walmart. The 4 varieties are sesame, almond, walnut and peanut. We've had the sesame and really like them.
We got back to the hotel and wrote this post. We meet Le An tomorrow at 10:00 am (8:00 pm Sunday Nebraska time)!
We took the iPad back up to our room and grabbed our backpack and went back down to the lobby to meet Echo. She said it would be about a two hour drive to the Shaolin Temple. It was colder today with a forecast of rain and snow. With these temps, I don't think it's going to rain! The Shaolin Temple is southwest of Zhengzhou in some mountains. Guess what? It was REALLY COLD up there! We just can't win!
We arrived at the Shaolin Temple area in Dengfeng County at about 10:45. As we drove through the town Echo told us that this is THE place where people come to learn Kung Fu and all martial arts. There are many martial arts institutes here and as we drove she pointed out several. There's one every several blocks for a while. There's even one specifically for Muslims.
Mr. Liu dropped us off at the entrance. We walked in and Echo went to buy tickets while we took some pictures. She found out that the morning Kung Fu show was at 11:30 so we went straight there first. Sitting doing nothing for 40 or so minutes didn't help our heat deprivation. The show was good, though!
After the show we walked to the temple itself. The temple consists of 7 buildings called palaces. Some of the first palaces were destroyed by fire many years ago and have been rebuilt. There's a place at just about every palace where people can buy incense and light it and say prayers. I'm not a great fan of the scent of incense.
After the temple we came out to the Pagoda Forest. This is where all of the high ranking monks are buried. How high they ranked and what they did for the temple determined the height and design of their pagoda. I will post pictures when we get home. It's really quite interesting.
When we finished at the Pagoda Forest, Echo said that was pretty much all there was to see here so we started walking back to the van. On the way we stopped and bought some noodles (like Ramen Noodles) and some "vegetarian biscuits" which is a specialty of this area. Echo got hot water and made our noodles for us which we shared (it had a fork inside which was folded and we had to unfold and lock in place). Then she got her own. The vegetarian biscuits were quite good. We decided we wanted more. Echo said they sell them at Walmart cheaper.
We were sitting at a table with other people and Echo was visiting with them. She said they were a group that met over the internet and decided to meet in person. They shared their snacks with us. Echo told them that we were there to adopt a son and they thought that was neat. They were also talking about volunteering in an orphanage. They took our pictures with a couple of them--nothing new to us--and I took a picture of all of them. Very friendly people.
We went on our way back to the van. We stopped and bought a book of postcards with pictures of the temple area.
We drove back to Zhengzhou and we requested to be dropped off at Pizza Hut and then we'd go to Walmart and walk back. That way we didn't have to walk both directions. Our legs and bodies are tired of walking. We won't be walking so much the next couple of days.
Echo helped us order at Pizza Hut. We decided on a Hawaiian pan pizza. She asked if we wanted anything else. Bread sticks sounded good but they didn't have those. We looked at the appetizers and I saw "Western Zesty Waffle Crispers." Can you guess what those are? They are aka waffle fries. I still like the name! "Western Zesty Waffle Crispers!" LOL!
After supper we walked to Walmart and got some apple juice, some hard caramel candy that I have fallen in love with and all 4 varieties of the vegetarian biscuits. They were only a little cheaper at Walmart. The 4 varieties are sesame, almond, walnut and peanut. We've had the sesame and really like them.
We got back to the hotel and wrote this post. We meet Le An tomorrow at 10:00 am (8:00 pm Sunday Nebraska time)!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
For Those Coming to Zhengzhou Soon...
I had heard that the Crowne Plaza was really smokey.
Our room is on the 3rd floor which is a non-smoking floor and we don't smell smoke in our room. We DO smell smoke in the public areas but it is not terrible. There is free wi-fi in the lobby so we have to come down here to check email and blog.
Our room is on the 3rd floor which is a non-smoking floor and we don't smell smoke in our room. We DO smell smoke in the public areas but it is not terrible. There is free wi-fi in the lobby so we have to come down here to check email and blog.
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