Today’s entry WILL be SHORT! Yeah for you all!!
No appointments, no real plans, it rained cats and dogs here on and off all day. A new day has brought a new little girl. During the entire day we’ve had no crying, no stomping of feet, only one “NO”, which was quickly followed by a firm “YES!” and no unacceptable behavior toward Kam. When we went shopping to the little stores near the hotel, she asked for many, many things. Most of the time I had to say no, but a few times I said yes. She would ask for more than one and when I told her “only one”, she complied very nicely with a cute smirk on her face, as if thinking “well, at least I tried” :)
I’ll take the opportunity to answer a few questions I’ve been sent and tell you a few things about Thea:
. We now call her Thea, not Qiuxiang. We’ve been doing that for 2 days and she consistently answers to it. The first few days, we used both. She told our guide that she likes the name Thea very much.
. Having blindness in one eye has not been noticeable to us. She doesn’t run into things and compensates very well.
. She loves to watch volleyball on TV and she loves the soccer ball we brought. I wish it wasn’t raining so much so that we could play in the park.
. She tries to use English words as often as possible. All day today, when we said “thank you” to her, she said “you’re welcome”. She must have picked that up yesterday from us using it!
. Our challenge at home will NOT be teaching her English. . . it will be keeping her fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin. This is something I never looked into, but need to be diligent with now. We don’t want her to loose her Chinese language.
. She washes her hands like nobody’s business! Never a need to ask, she does it on her own (Ben, Janie and Eva, did you read that one? Ha, ha!)
. She is neat, meticulous and helpful. She re-packed her suitcase for me, with clean clothes folded neatly on the right and dirty clothes folded neatly on the left. When she gets home, she needs to be a little girl and I have to find a healthy balance with her.
. Her teeth are night and day from when we first met her. She brushes them in the morning and at night she brings me the toothbrush so that I can do it. I am meticulous with each tooth and the bleeding has lessened each day. She also wants to use the mouth rinse when she is done.
. She seems to have a very healthy concept of modesty and appropriate behavior toward men and women.
. We have not witnessed “indiscriminate affection” yet. That is when the adopted child shows affection to anyone who will accept it, not knowing yet where to place it. She is very mature this way, so far.
. She is teaching me that it is okay to wear a navy blue and red skirt with pink shoes :)
Our dinner was awesome! We went to the Thai restaurant a couple of blocks away. Each of us chose something we wanted to try and we all shared. The whole group went, except for Lisa, Chuck, Shawn and Sophia. Kam ordered fried squid in orange juice and it was delicious!
Funny episode with Thea during dinner. She asked to use the bathroom and I walked her there. It was a squatty potty :) She looked at it, looked back at me, made a face like “oh, man”, and groaned “awwwwwww”. I think she is ready to leave the squatty potties behind. Ha, ha!
To the AWESOME AHH families we traveled with more than three years ago to pick up Eva (all 18 of you!) – I miss you all! There are many moments during each day that I have great memories of each of you.
Have a great day! Only two more full days here in China and we’re headed HOME!!!
Best wishes,
Kari
PS - Anyone have a great recipe for chocolate bread, kind of like banana bread, only chocolate? I have it every morning here at the buffet and I must admit that I am going to really, really miss it!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
With Great Days, Not-So-Great Must Follow!
Well, today I believe that Thea realized she has “Met her Match” . . . or should I appropriately say “I’ve Met Mine”!!!!!
Whoa Mama!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I mention that our daughter is stubborn and strong-willed?
Yes, along with being a really smart, loving, girly girl (like you Janie bug), sweet, gentle and compassionate (like you Benjamin), she is silly, Stubborn and Strong-willed (like you Eva)!
I must admit that tonight I whipped out my "The Connected Child" book and anxiously turned to the applicable chapter of “You Are the Boss”! I had to refresh myself on the “The Old Way Doesn’t Work” and “A New Way of Thinking About Discipline” sections!!! Our daughter is exceptionally smart + stubborn + strong-willed = HELP!!! I humbly request that if you are reading this and have some tried and true advice, bring it on! :) Oh, and prayers are appreciated very much!
One thing to note – before breakfast I reached down into Kam’s suitcase. I don’t know what happened, but I pulled something in the middle of my shoulder blade, up to my neck. I haven’t been able to turn my neck either way all day and I’m in pain :( . . . not the ideal day for a battle! Good thing Mark is strong and gentle.
Our day started with Thea’s medical appointment. That probably wasn’t the best way to start things off. I had to ask our guide, Judy, to explain to her what was going to happen. She seemed fine with what Judy was telling her. Well, she became defiant the second we walked through the doors for her picture, which happens just before the clinic. The exam consists of 3 separate “stations”, but Thea had to do 4, because of her age. We walked through the doors and into the clinic – she began crying and telling the doctors “no” at everything they requested. Mark had to get on the scale to show her that it wouldn’t hurt. She eventually complied. Then came the blood pressure, which Kam tried to be an example. That was the worst part – screaming, crying, wailing her arms, calling for her nanny. The rest of the exams didn’t go particularly well either. I’ll spare you the ugly details. So, unless you’d like to see Thea’s tonsils, there are not a lot of photos for this portion of the day!
It was raining all day, so we spent much of the afternoon in our room. Actually, I had to leave for an hour to meet our guide and fill out adoption paperwork for the US Consulate. During my absence, it was a battle of the wills with Mark and Thea AND Kam and Thea. When I returned, I was welcomed by a little girl who had been crying and screaming at her daddy for 30 minutes or so. She wanted a toy that Kam had purchased earlier. She didn’t like that she didn’t get her own way. She also didn’t like that Mark wouldn’t let her out of the room to try and find me. He had to gently lead her by the hand away from the door a couple of times.
Let’s just say that many moments of our day consisted of the word “NO”, from Thea, “YES!” from us, stomping of feet and crying. Dinner wasn’t any better. As you can see in the group photo, Thea is missing. That is because she didn’t want a picture taken and got on the floor behind my chair! After this little episode, I told her we were all done and we were going back to the hotel (a very short walking distance). She understands a lot of what I am saying. She said “No”! I said “Yes”! I took her hand gently and led her through the restaurant while she was screaming at me and crying. I’m not quite sure what she was screaming, but all the Chinese in the room had very concerned looks on their face :) After walking a block, I handed Thea over to Mark. Lisa needed me to go with her to order a silk Chinese dress. When I got back to the hotel, I found Mark in the gameroom with Kam, Thea, Shawn and Chuck. Thea was obviously done with her episode and enjoying her time playing games.
Once we got back to our room, Thea’s attitude changed completely (for the 50th time today). She pulled out her schoolbooks again and showed us the papers that had 100% on them. She took out a workbook with areas not yet finished and had us in awe at the math problems she whipped out in seconds. She knew we were impressed. After the schoolwork came “clean the Barbie” :) She washed her, changed her clothes and did her hair. She is cracking me up with the Barbie hairdos! She asked me to take a picture, so I posted it.
Although our day was full of MANY challenges, it was also filled with 100 Chinese “I Love You’s” from us, of which she responded “NO!” to :), lots of hugs and many kisses. During the short periods where Thea forgot to be mad at us, she offered hugs spontaneously and continued to repeat English words.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring? God is teaching me much on this trip!
Signing off for tonight from China.
Thanks for reading,
Kari
Whoa Mama!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I mention that our daughter is stubborn and strong-willed?
Yes, along with being a really smart, loving, girly girl (like you Janie bug), sweet, gentle and compassionate (like you Benjamin), she is silly, Stubborn and Strong-willed (like you Eva)!
I must admit that tonight I whipped out my "The Connected Child" book and anxiously turned to the applicable chapter of “You Are the Boss”! I had to refresh myself on the “The Old Way Doesn’t Work” and “A New Way of Thinking About Discipline” sections!!! Our daughter is exceptionally smart + stubborn + strong-willed = HELP!!! I humbly request that if you are reading this and have some tried and true advice, bring it on! :) Oh, and prayers are appreciated very much!
One thing to note – before breakfast I reached down into Kam’s suitcase. I don’t know what happened, but I pulled something in the middle of my shoulder blade, up to my neck. I haven’t been able to turn my neck either way all day and I’m in pain :( . . . not the ideal day for a battle! Good thing Mark is strong and gentle.
Our day started with Thea’s medical appointment. That probably wasn’t the best way to start things off. I had to ask our guide, Judy, to explain to her what was going to happen. She seemed fine with what Judy was telling her. Well, she became defiant the second we walked through the doors for her picture, which happens just before the clinic. The exam consists of 3 separate “stations”, but Thea had to do 4, because of her age. We walked through the doors and into the clinic – she began crying and telling the doctors “no” at everything they requested. Mark had to get on the scale to show her that it wouldn’t hurt. She eventually complied. Then came the blood pressure, which Kam tried to be an example. That was the worst part – screaming, crying, wailing her arms, calling for her nanny. The rest of the exams didn’t go particularly well either. I’ll spare you the ugly details. So, unless you’d like to see Thea’s tonsils, there are not a lot of photos for this portion of the day!
It was raining all day, so we spent much of the afternoon in our room. Actually, I had to leave for an hour to meet our guide and fill out adoption paperwork for the US Consulate. During my absence, it was a battle of the wills with Mark and Thea AND Kam and Thea. When I returned, I was welcomed by a little girl who had been crying and screaming at her daddy for 30 minutes or so. She wanted a toy that Kam had purchased earlier. She didn’t like that she didn’t get her own way. She also didn’t like that Mark wouldn’t let her out of the room to try and find me. He had to gently lead her by the hand away from the door a couple of times.
Let’s just say that many moments of our day consisted of the word “NO”, from Thea, “YES!” from us, stomping of feet and crying. Dinner wasn’t any better. As you can see in the group photo, Thea is missing. That is because she didn’t want a picture taken and got on the floor behind my chair! After this little episode, I told her we were all done and we were going back to the hotel (a very short walking distance). She understands a lot of what I am saying. She said “No”! I said “Yes”! I took her hand gently and led her through the restaurant while she was screaming at me and crying. I’m not quite sure what she was screaming, but all the Chinese in the room had very concerned looks on their face :) After walking a block, I handed Thea over to Mark. Lisa needed me to go with her to order a silk Chinese dress. When I got back to the hotel, I found Mark in the gameroom with Kam, Thea, Shawn and Chuck. Thea was obviously done with her episode and enjoying her time playing games.
Once we got back to our room, Thea’s attitude changed completely (for the 50th time today). She pulled out her schoolbooks again and showed us the papers that had 100% on them. She took out a workbook with areas not yet finished and had us in awe at the math problems she whipped out in seconds. She knew we were impressed. After the schoolwork came “clean the Barbie” :) She washed her, changed her clothes and did her hair. She is cracking me up with the Barbie hairdos! She asked me to take a picture, so I posted it.
Although our day was full of MANY challenges, it was also filled with 100 Chinese “I Love You’s” from us, of which she responded “NO!” to :), lots of hugs and many kisses. During the short periods where Thea forgot to be mad at us, she offered hugs spontaneously and continued to repeat English words.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring? God is teaching me much on this trip!
Signing off for tonight from China.
Thanks for reading,
Kari
Photos - Medical Appt
Really, really, it isn't that bad!
Photos - Signs and Views
Fifty five babies and one 9 year old screaming . . .this sign in the clinic is quite funny!
Public service announcements - One shows no spitting allowed :) (click on photo to enlarge)
View from our hotel window on the 25th floor.
Another view - This is the Pearl River
Photos - End of Evening
Do you like this "updo" mom? Aunt Em - I think she'll want your job :)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Goodbye Nanning
Today was our final day in Nanning, China. We had until 2pm to do a little local shopping before leaving for the airport. David suggested that he knew of a great little local place for families to get full body massages or leg massages. My initial plan was to get a leg massage . . . but plans change :)
After packing up and breakfast, we headed to a local shop to get a “Loving Ball” for each of the girls. Traditionally, during a Nanning festival, girls throw the “Loving Ball” out to the boy they would like to date. It is a beautiful silk ball, looks kind of like an ornament. I asked David if he has received one and he said NO! We also purchased an ink set for Thea to do her Chinese characters. It came with several goat hair brushes and black ink pad - very neat!
Next came “massage time” – NOT GOOD! I don’t mean the massages, I mean the experience for Thea. David led us to a small room set off of a sidestreet building. One of the dads in our group wanted a full massage. We walked in to see what it was like. Before long, a few workers came in and the owner led in another worker, who was mentally handicap and blind. Both of his eyes were grey. The workers who walked in on their own were each missing an eye. I don’t know what was going through my daughter’s mind, but she was absolutely, positively terrified. She hid behind Mark, started shaking and wanted OUT of that place. We took her outside, hailed a cab and went back to the hotel as soon as we could. For the next half hour, Thea wanted to keep her sunglasses on. I was sick to my stomach for the rest of the afternoon and so sorry that she had to experience that.
Speaking of her eye, many people have asked me about it. The only thing I can tell you is that her medical states she is blind in her right eye. When she was found abandoned, she told the orphanage staff that someone put a needle in her eye. There is no record of it being looked at by a doctor. She let me look at it really close. The brown part of the eye has not changed (iris?). The reason her eye looks grey is because there is actually a white mass on it, like scar tissue or something. I don’t know what it is, but she has an eye appt. shortly after we arrive at home. If the vision in her eye cannot be restored, she can get something called a scleral shell cover, which is basically like a huge painted contact. It is cosmetic and for the most part, it will not be recognizable to those who look at her. She will look like she has two big, beautiful brown eyes.
We had our first BATTLE today!! In short (I’m trying here, because “short” is not easy for me!), she didn’t like Mark disciplining her. She pouted and cried for over an hour, as we were waiting in the lobby for the bus to take us to the airport. The good news is that she showed a lot of emotion and remorse. After an hour of her episode, she hugged Mark. Of course, during the entire time, he re-assured her that he loved her over and over – baba ai ni - pronounced “Baba I Knee” (means “daddy loves you”). The one thing that we did notice is that she shuts down when she is upset. She won’t look at anyone and she will not have a conversation with us, the guide, or anyone else. She does things on HER terms.
Our final story of the day was the airplane ride. One word to sum it up – UGLY :) The combination of the episode in the hotel lobby, along with being told she was going on an airplane just wasn’t good. She went from moments of being happy (like when we bought her a mango to eat!), to fear and crying. Getting her to go down the ramp to the plane was difficult enough. Then came pretty much the worst “first” airplane ride for her to experience. Mark was freaking out at the turbulence in the take-off (so were the other adults), the babies and Kam were laughing because they were bouncing up and down and Thea was screaming, crying and freaking out! I didn’t particularly notice all the turbulence because I was too busy trying to console her - thank goodness! The last half of the flight was okay and Thea settled down.
After landing, our guide met us with a bus and we all loaded up for the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, China on Shamian Island. We had pizza delivered to our room, took showers and I’M READY FOR BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Goodnight family and friends,
Love to Ben, Janie and Eva (I know you love to read your names on here :))
Kari
PS – Did I mention that the White Swan is truly a “5 Star”, gorgeous hotel with the best breakfast ever? I’m excited to wake up!
After packing up and breakfast, we headed to a local shop to get a “Loving Ball” for each of the girls. Traditionally, during a Nanning festival, girls throw the “Loving Ball” out to the boy they would like to date. It is a beautiful silk ball, looks kind of like an ornament. I asked David if he has received one and he said NO! We also purchased an ink set for Thea to do her Chinese characters. It came with several goat hair brushes and black ink pad - very neat!
Next came “massage time” – NOT GOOD! I don’t mean the massages, I mean the experience for Thea. David led us to a small room set off of a sidestreet building. One of the dads in our group wanted a full massage. We walked in to see what it was like. Before long, a few workers came in and the owner led in another worker, who was mentally handicap and blind. Both of his eyes were grey. The workers who walked in on their own were each missing an eye. I don’t know what was going through my daughter’s mind, but she was absolutely, positively terrified. She hid behind Mark, started shaking and wanted OUT of that place. We took her outside, hailed a cab and went back to the hotel as soon as we could. For the next half hour, Thea wanted to keep her sunglasses on. I was sick to my stomach for the rest of the afternoon and so sorry that she had to experience that.
Speaking of her eye, many people have asked me about it. The only thing I can tell you is that her medical states she is blind in her right eye. When she was found abandoned, she told the orphanage staff that someone put a needle in her eye. There is no record of it being looked at by a doctor. She let me look at it really close. The brown part of the eye has not changed (iris?). The reason her eye looks grey is because there is actually a white mass on it, like scar tissue or something. I don’t know what it is, but she has an eye appt. shortly after we arrive at home. If the vision in her eye cannot be restored, she can get something called a scleral shell cover, which is basically like a huge painted contact. It is cosmetic and for the most part, it will not be recognizable to those who look at her. She will look like she has two big, beautiful brown eyes.
We had our first BATTLE today!! In short (I’m trying here, because “short” is not easy for me!), she didn’t like Mark disciplining her. She pouted and cried for over an hour, as we were waiting in the lobby for the bus to take us to the airport. The good news is that she showed a lot of emotion and remorse. After an hour of her episode, she hugged Mark. Of course, during the entire time, he re-assured her that he loved her over and over – baba ai ni - pronounced “Baba I Knee” (means “daddy loves you”). The one thing that we did notice is that she shuts down when she is upset. She won’t look at anyone and she will not have a conversation with us, the guide, or anyone else. She does things on HER terms.
Our final story of the day was the airplane ride. One word to sum it up – UGLY :) The combination of the episode in the hotel lobby, along with being told she was going on an airplane just wasn’t good. She went from moments of being happy (like when we bought her a mango to eat!), to fear and crying. Getting her to go down the ramp to the plane was difficult enough. Then came pretty much the worst “first” airplane ride for her to experience. Mark was freaking out at the turbulence in the take-off (so were the other adults), the babies and Kam were laughing because they were bouncing up and down and Thea was screaming, crying and freaking out! I didn’t particularly notice all the turbulence because I was too busy trying to console her - thank goodness! The last half of the flight was okay and Thea settled down.
After landing, our guide met us with a bus and we all loaded up for the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, China on Shamian Island. We had pizza delivered to our room, took showers and I’M READY FOR BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Goodnight family and friends,
Love to Ben, Janie and Eva (I know you love to read your names on here :))
Kari
PS – Did I mention that the White Swan is truly a “5 Star”, gorgeous hotel with the best breakfast ever? I’m excited to wake up!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A Day to Remember Forever - Thea's Home for Two Years
The day was long and this entry will be too! You might want to just skip to the photos this time! I never want to forget what we saw and heard today and I want Thea to be able to read it when she is older.
We left the hotel at 9am and didn’t return until almost 8pm. Eight of us, plus David, loaded up in a van. It was Mark and I, Kam, Thea, Nora, along with Steve, Beth and their sweet baby, Katie.
At the beginning of the week, Mark and I didn’t know which one of us was going to go to the orphanage. We were just going to see which person Thea took to and decide from there. She was doing so well, we had David tell her what we were going to do. She told him “okay”, with a smile. We drove three hours through the countryside, to visit Thea, Katie and Sophia’s orphanage – BeiLiu City Social Welfare Institute.
The driver and our guide didn’t use Mapquest (they ask for directions in China, imagine that!). Actually, it is kind of funny. They start out in the direction they want to go in, then just find their way through talking with local people. About 10 minutes from the orphanage, Thea told David that we made a wrong turn. She told them each street to turn on and sure enough, we ended up at the orphanage gates!! It was perfect timing because all of the children from the local school were headed home for lunch break.
Her orphanage was in a nice city area, with many local shops. Beyond the gates, there was a retirement home on the left and the actual orphanage building on the right. I was told that the babies lived on the second floor of the orphanage and the older children lived on the third floor.
In my previous entry, I mentioned that Thea was in the same classroom as the other children in the orphanage. She was not – translation mix-up :) All the school-aged children at the orphanage walk to the local elementary school a few blocks away. She went to the same school as the children, not the same classroom.
At the gates, there were several people who greeted us – Two nannies, four small children, a few senior citizens from the retirement home and two guards. They welcomed us with big smiles and lots of curiosity. David called the director to tell him that we had arrived. Before long, the director came out to see us, along with a couple more nannies and curious locals. The director and David had a very long conversation, while we took photos and looked around a bit. We didn’t actually go all the way into the orphanage grounds, but we were able to take as much video and pictures as we wanted from the gate area.
At one point in David’s conversation, he asked me to walk over to him, so that Thea could not hear. The director had tears in his eyes and waited for David to translate to me what he had just said. David said – “Kari, the director would like to say thank you very much to you and your husband for adopting this child. He is very happy for her and loves her very much”. The conversation (in Cantonese) continued and then David told me this – “Kari, the director told me that recently Thea has talked more with her nanny about being abandoned. They do not know if it is a made-up story or the truth. She told her nanny that she had parents and an older sister. She said that her parents passed out and her sister had to take care of her. When her sister got married, she had to leave her. Her sister was the one who left her at the local police station.” Quite honestly, at that point, I had to keep myself from crying. I don’t know what “passed out” means, but I can only imagine. And my daughter has an older sister! This is strange for me to know, since I have no idea if Ben or Eva have biological siblings.
After talking with me, David talked a little with Beth and Steve about Katie. Katie was left right in front of the retirement home, wrapped in a towel and inside an open cardboard box. The staff had the towel that she was wrapped in and asked if Beth and Steve would like it. Of course, they said yes. The handsome man in the photos, with the red shirt was the man who found Katie. He is a guard and he has found many babies left near the gates and the retirement home.
You are probably wondering what Thea was doing during this whole time, huh? Well, basically, she was quiet, happy, confident and proud. She said hello to each person that talked to her, but she held either Mark or my hand the entire time and sometimes stood behind us. She kind of showed us off :) The only time she got upset was when a little old lady said something to her over and over. I have no idea what it was, but Thea didn’t like it one bit. She made a face and avoided the woman as much as possible.
When our time was over at the orphanage, we drove to Sophia’s finding spot to take photos for Chuck and Lisa. It was a short distance, but the director actually drove ahead of us so that we wouldn’t lose our way.
Our next stop was lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant. Once again, Thea showed us where to go. The restaurant is in a shopping district, very close to her school. I think we’ve figured out what to order and the food was awesome – fried rice, broccoli, corn (they put pine nuts and small carrots in the corn) and beef fried noodle – Yummy!! Thea eats way more than she should and I have to tell her when to stop.
The elementary school was right around the corner from the restaurant, so we stopped there to take photos as well. The school is huge and very nice.
Next, David asked if we were all up to the drive out to Thea’s finding spot. The area where she was left is extreme poverty, about an hour away from the orphanage, on the outskirts of BeiLiu City. Even though I had had enough of the van and squatty potties (seriously, I just cannot get used to those!), I was so thankful that everyone in the van said we should go.
BeiLiu city has many factories and is known for making porcelain. We were able to stop at the beautiful porcelain shop, right across the street from the factory on our way to Thea’s finding spot. I bought a gorgeous vase for our mantel and Chinese bowls with porcelain spoons so that our family can eat fried rice the correct way!
Our drive was interesting, frightening and sad. I should have Mark describe it because he had a look of horror and concern on his face the entire time. He asked several times “are you sure we should be doing this?” Some of the roads were awful with potholes the size of a small car and one lane traffic, basically playing “chicken” with vehicles made from what seemed like straws, tarps, popsicle sticks and an engine!
As we got closer to the site, it was obvious that Thea found things familiar. She stared intently when we passed the small market and old, crumbling buildings. After an hour, we finally arrived at the exact area where Thea was left. I did not think she would want to get out and I didn’t ask her. David had prepared her earlier that we were stopping at the place where she was abandoned and she said “okay”. Mark and I both got out to take pictures and video. Pretty soon, she jumped out of the van and grabbed our hands. I like to think that this is a good sign and that she is really ready to be adopted.
During our long, long, long day, there were several things Thea said or did that I wanted to mention. I have a lot of her conversations with David on video:
. She asked David to tell us that she speaks two languages - Cantonese and Mandarin.
. She wanted David to let us know that her teachers say that she is a very good girl in school.
. When Kam was tired on the way home, she gave him one of the small pillows we brought, covered him with his blanket and kissed his forehead really quick.
. She asked David how many grandmas she has at home waiting for her. Then she asked how many grandpas.
Our adventure finally ended at 8p, as we arrived back to the hotel. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I was to get out of that van! I praised the kids endlessly for sitting in a van for 11 hours without one single complaint!
I feel SO fortunate for such an AMAZING day :)
When it was time to go to bed, Thea took her shower, put on her pj’s, and let me brush her teeth really well. She left the bathroom to find her Barbie doll and then came back to take the Barbie’s clothes off. She washed the doll in the sink, washed her hair, washed the three outfits the doll came with and then braided the doll’s hair. This is the 2nd night that she has done this. She loves to show me how clean the Barbie is and what she has done with her hair. When the Barbie is naked, Mark is not allowed in the bathroom either!
Funny thing that happened this morning – Thea spit on the floor after using the mouthwash (okay, maybe not “funny”, but Mark couldn’t help but laugh). In China, from what I’ve witnessed, spitting is common and not necessary rude. Mark told her no, then she finished spitting into the sink. She’ll love me for telling you all that when she is 18, no doubt!
Wow, are you all awake right now? I certainly broke my promise of not typing long entries!! Enjoy the photos.
Tomorrow we are flying to Guangzhou for the last leg of the trip! Only 6 more days and we’re HOME!!!!!!!
Kam wants me to give a message to his hockey team – Ryan - I’m glad you are back to play goalie, Joel - I’m glad you don’t have to play goalie again and you get to score, Alex, Cole, Nick and Brent – score a lot of goals for me!
Good night from Nanning, China
Kari
We left the hotel at 9am and didn’t return until almost 8pm. Eight of us, plus David, loaded up in a van. It was Mark and I, Kam, Thea, Nora, along with Steve, Beth and their sweet baby, Katie.
At the beginning of the week, Mark and I didn’t know which one of us was going to go to the orphanage. We were just going to see which person Thea took to and decide from there. She was doing so well, we had David tell her what we were going to do. She told him “okay”, with a smile. We drove three hours through the countryside, to visit Thea, Katie and Sophia’s orphanage – BeiLiu City Social Welfare Institute.
The driver and our guide didn’t use Mapquest (they ask for directions in China, imagine that!). Actually, it is kind of funny. They start out in the direction they want to go in, then just find their way through talking with local people. About 10 minutes from the orphanage, Thea told David that we made a wrong turn. She told them each street to turn on and sure enough, we ended up at the orphanage gates!! It was perfect timing because all of the children from the local school were headed home for lunch break.
Her orphanage was in a nice city area, with many local shops. Beyond the gates, there was a retirement home on the left and the actual orphanage building on the right. I was told that the babies lived on the second floor of the orphanage and the older children lived on the third floor.
In my previous entry, I mentioned that Thea was in the same classroom as the other children in the orphanage. She was not – translation mix-up :) All the school-aged children at the orphanage walk to the local elementary school a few blocks away. She went to the same school as the children, not the same classroom.
At the gates, there were several people who greeted us – Two nannies, four small children, a few senior citizens from the retirement home and two guards. They welcomed us with big smiles and lots of curiosity. David called the director to tell him that we had arrived. Before long, the director came out to see us, along with a couple more nannies and curious locals. The director and David had a very long conversation, while we took photos and looked around a bit. We didn’t actually go all the way into the orphanage grounds, but we were able to take as much video and pictures as we wanted from the gate area.
At one point in David’s conversation, he asked me to walk over to him, so that Thea could not hear. The director had tears in his eyes and waited for David to translate to me what he had just said. David said – “Kari, the director would like to say thank you very much to you and your husband for adopting this child. He is very happy for her and loves her very much”. The conversation (in Cantonese) continued and then David told me this – “Kari, the director told me that recently Thea has talked more with her nanny about being abandoned. They do not know if it is a made-up story or the truth. She told her nanny that she had parents and an older sister. She said that her parents passed out and her sister had to take care of her. When her sister got married, she had to leave her. Her sister was the one who left her at the local police station.” Quite honestly, at that point, I had to keep myself from crying. I don’t know what “passed out” means, but I can only imagine. And my daughter has an older sister! This is strange for me to know, since I have no idea if Ben or Eva have biological siblings.
After talking with me, David talked a little with Beth and Steve about Katie. Katie was left right in front of the retirement home, wrapped in a towel and inside an open cardboard box. The staff had the towel that she was wrapped in and asked if Beth and Steve would like it. Of course, they said yes. The handsome man in the photos, with the red shirt was the man who found Katie. He is a guard and he has found many babies left near the gates and the retirement home.
You are probably wondering what Thea was doing during this whole time, huh? Well, basically, she was quiet, happy, confident and proud. She said hello to each person that talked to her, but she held either Mark or my hand the entire time and sometimes stood behind us. She kind of showed us off :) The only time she got upset was when a little old lady said something to her over and over. I have no idea what it was, but Thea didn’t like it one bit. She made a face and avoided the woman as much as possible.
When our time was over at the orphanage, we drove to Sophia’s finding spot to take photos for Chuck and Lisa. It was a short distance, but the director actually drove ahead of us so that we wouldn’t lose our way.
Our next stop was lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant. Once again, Thea showed us where to go. The restaurant is in a shopping district, very close to her school. I think we’ve figured out what to order and the food was awesome – fried rice, broccoli, corn (they put pine nuts and small carrots in the corn) and beef fried noodle – Yummy!! Thea eats way more than she should and I have to tell her when to stop.
The elementary school was right around the corner from the restaurant, so we stopped there to take photos as well. The school is huge and very nice.
Next, David asked if we were all up to the drive out to Thea’s finding spot. The area where she was left is extreme poverty, about an hour away from the orphanage, on the outskirts of BeiLiu City. Even though I had had enough of the van and squatty potties (seriously, I just cannot get used to those!), I was so thankful that everyone in the van said we should go.
BeiLiu city has many factories and is known for making porcelain. We were able to stop at the beautiful porcelain shop, right across the street from the factory on our way to Thea’s finding spot. I bought a gorgeous vase for our mantel and Chinese bowls with porcelain spoons so that our family can eat fried rice the correct way!
Our drive was interesting, frightening and sad. I should have Mark describe it because he had a look of horror and concern on his face the entire time. He asked several times “are you sure we should be doing this?” Some of the roads were awful with potholes the size of a small car and one lane traffic, basically playing “chicken” with vehicles made from what seemed like straws, tarps, popsicle sticks and an engine!
As we got closer to the site, it was obvious that Thea found things familiar. She stared intently when we passed the small market and old, crumbling buildings. After an hour, we finally arrived at the exact area where Thea was left. I did not think she would want to get out and I didn’t ask her. David had prepared her earlier that we were stopping at the place where she was abandoned and she said “okay”. Mark and I both got out to take pictures and video. Pretty soon, she jumped out of the van and grabbed our hands. I like to think that this is a good sign and that she is really ready to be adopted.
During our long, long, long day, there were several things Thea said or did that I wanted to mention. I have a lot of her conversations with David on video:
. She asked David to tell us that she speaks two languages - Cantonese and Mandarin.
. She wanted David to let us know that her teachers say that she is a very good girl in school.
. When Kam was tired on the way home, she gave him one of the small pillows we brought, covered him with his blanket and kissed his forehead really quick.
. She asked David how many grandmas she has at home waiting for her. Then she asked how many grandpas.
Our adventure finally ended at 8p, as we arrived back to the hotel. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I was to get out of that van! I praised the kids endlessly for sitting in a van for 11 hours without one single complaint!
I feel SO fortunate for such an AMAZING day :)
When it was time to go to bed, Thea took her shower, put on her pj’s, and let me brush her teeth really well. She left the bathroom to find her Barbie doll and then came back to take the Barbie’s clothes off. She washed the doll in the sink, washed her hair, washed the three outfits the doll came with and then braided the doll’s hair. This is the 2nd night that she has done this. She loves to show me how clean the Barbie is and what she has done with her hair. When the Barbie is naked, Mark is not allowed in the bathroom either!
Funny thing that happened this morning – Thea spit on the floor after using the mouthwash (okay, maybe not “funny”, but Mark couldn’t help but laugh). In China, from what I’ve witnessed, spitting is common and not necessary rude. Mark told her no, then she finished spitting into the sink. She’ll love me for telling you all that when she is 18, no doubt!
Wow, are you all awake right now? I certainly broke my promise of not typing long entries!! Enjoy the photos.
Tomorrow we are flying to Guangzhou for the last leg of the trip! Only 6 more days and we’re HOME!!!!!!!
Kam wants me to give a message to his hockey team – Ryan - I’m glad you are back to play goalie, Joel - I’m glad you don’t have to play goalie again and you get to score, Alex, Cole, Nick and Brent – score a lot of goals for me!
Good night from Nanning, China
Kari
Long Day - Trip to Orphanage
Hello Everyone!
Today was a REALLY long day, as we drove to the countryside to visit Thea's orphanage. The day was amazing.
Due to our flight leaving early in the afternoon and a really, really, really slow internet connection, I can't post all the pics and entry until around 10p EST. Sorry :(
Please check back later tonight.
Kari
PS - I took some really great photos!!!!!
Today was a REALLY long day, as we drove to the countryside to visit Thea's orphanage. The day was amazing.
Due to our flight leaving early in the afternoon and a really, really, really slow internet connection, I can't post all the pics and entry until around 10p EST. Sorry :(
Please check back later tonight.
Kari
PS - I took some really great photos!!!!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Absolutely, Positively, PRECIOUS
Yep, that is how we would describe Thea . . . Absolutely, Positively, Precious.
As you can tell, we had a very nice day with her.
Thea and Kam both woke up very happy at 8am. Thea woke up, looked over at Kam and said “Kam”, with a big smile on her face! She did wake up for the 2nd time with blood on her pillow from her gums. Poor baby must be in pain. She pulled out her digital photobook and started asking who each person was. Uncle John, she really liked you for some reason :) She giggled after we told her your name.
Our plans with David were to visit the People’s Park, which is a public park right around the corner from the hotel. It has a ferris wheel and little roller coaster, along with many areas for the kids to play. Unfortunately, it stormed late last night and continued raining all morning. We decided to head back to Wal-Mart for a few items for the kids. I laid out a new outfit for Thea and she put it on. Then she looked at Kam’s outfit, and started to point and pout. She wanted to wear an outfit like his! He had on a black basketball shirt and shorts. Mark said he thinks she might be a tomboy :)
Once at Wal-Mart, I took Thea over to the clothes and had David tell her to pick something out. She wanted a jean skirt with ruffles at the bottom and a matching pink shirt. She also asked for a pair of rubber pink shoes. When we took her to the toys, she asked me for a Barbie doll. Kam showed her a stuffed animal and she shook her head no. Then he took her around to see if she wanted anything else. She only asked for a magnetic board to draw on. I don’t think she is a tomboy!
Tomorrow morning we are taking a trip to Thea’s orphanage. It is a long drive, so David told us to get some snacks for the kids. I had him ask Thea what she would like to snack on. She said “candy, bubble gum and jello”!! We were all laughing. I thought she would say crackers or something! She picked up a few different packages of bubble gum and I told her she could have only one. She smiled at me and put all back, except the package with Donald Duck on it. Then we took Kam over to the chips. He wanted Cheetos. There were several different kinds. We found out that Kam could choose from “turkey flavored, egg flavored or liver flavored” Cheetos! Ha, ha. He was actually a good sport about it and said he was going to try the turkey flavored ones. I’ll let you know how that goes tomorrow!
On another note – while Kam and I were walking around the food area, Kam took my hand and said “Mom, is she ours to keep forever now?” I explained what our appointments meant yesterday and said “YES, She is Ours Forever”! I think he loves her already. How blessed my children are to have him as a brother.
Kam had 100 yuan left and asked if he had enough to buy a car like Shawn’s, Thea’s Barbie and her magnetic board. The two of them went to the register and Kam spent 99.9 of his yuan.
After Wal-Mart, we headed to an indoor arcade. Thea went on bumper cars with Kam and Shawn. She seemed to love it. Then I showed her the skeetball. She watched me, then wanted to try it herself. She got mad when she didn’t do well and jumped up and down when she did.
After Wal-Mart it was time for lunch. David took us to McDonald’s. Thea picked out the corn and vegetable cups, not the hamburger or nuggets. I’m sure she had never even seen that stuff before. We let her try the french fries and she really like them. She only had a few and liked them with ketchup.
Our day out ended and we headed back to the hotel. We had Shawn and his family come to our hotel floor to sit and play with the cars for a while. The kids had a great time together, but I had to tell Thea to be kind to Sophia a few times. She disciplines her a lot. Due to Sophia being deaf, she does not have verbal skills at all. This makes Thea more physical with her, to show her what she wants her to do.
After a little while playing in the hall, we headed to our room to rest. We ended the day by going out for a bite to eat at the restaurant next to the hotel. We decided to be brave and venture out, without a guide. It was fun, trying to communicate with the staff. The “talk louder and slower and they’ll understand you” thing is big for Kam and it makes me laugh really hard. We have to explain that even if you talk louder, the language doesn’t change – ha, ha! Kam does try to use his limited Chinese knowledge, like ordering water (pronounced “shway”).
Kam wanted me to list a few of his menu options for his cousins and friends. They were:
Flavored fried camel meat, Beef balls chaozhou style, Stewed duck blood, Fried river snail, Pan fried goose liver, Fried pig’s stomach, Steamed papaya, Deep fried pigeon and Roasted duck’s beak!!!! I know a few of you think I am kidding about this – I’m NOT! Don’t worry grandmas, he opted for the fried rice, broccoli and beef fried noodle J Mark got spicy fried noodles and got full! Our meals were actually really yummy!
When we got back to the hotel, Thea let me brush her teeth and inspect them better. It looks like there is a lot of brown on each tooth that can be polished off. There are a few cavities, but it is hard to tell how many. Her gums are bleeding around the teeth that are kind of “squished in”. Mark bought mouthwash and showed her how to use it. She did great and then made funny faces. Hopefully if I scrub her teeth each night and she uses the mouthwash, her mouth will feel better. Her breath is much better now too, for those of you that want to give her a big kiss when you meet her (you are going to want to, she is so, so sweet!)
I think my beautiful nieces have some competition when it comes to the biggest smile! I seriously do not know if Thea's smile could be any bigger :) And the best part is that she is always smiling!
As far as the bonding is going - well, Mark got an unsolicited hug today before we left for Wal-Mart and she has held our hands all day long. I still don’t think she prefers either one of us yet. At every opportunity, she would take Mark’s hand and lead him to where we were going, then come back for me and take my hand and lead me. She wanted to make sure that both of us were with her. She has also called us Mama and Baba all day (mommy and daddy).
Her manners are getting better already!! Yeah. She has been trying to please us all day by saying “thank you” at every appropriate opportunity. She knows exactly what it means.
I suppose that is all for today. I’ve fallen asleep 4 times while typing this, ugh! I really want to thank every single person for sending an e-mail. What an awesome surprise it is each night. I am so sorry that I haven’t personally responded to each one. At night, after being out all day, it is all I can do to get the summary of the day done. I’m hoping that tomorrow I’ll have a chance to return a message to each person. Thank you again.
Much love to all of our family and friends! Hugs and kisses to Ben, Janie and Eva.
Proud, proud, very, very blessed mom,
Kari
Kam, attempting the Chinese dancing game at Wal-Mart.
More photos of our day
Coach Mark wants to let the boys on the hockey team know that he is buying them all pretty Speedos for the next pool party!
Looking for the toy department together :)
Bumper cars at the arcade. Thea wasn't afraid at all.
More photos
More photos - out to dinner
Grandma Linda & Grandma Carol - No goose liver or duck's beak - noodles will do :)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Today Thea is "officially" OURS forever!
After today’s appointments, as far as China is concerned, Thea is ours!
Today started out good and it got better with every minute (with only one exception :(). Kam and Thea both slept completely through the night, until 7a. Kam popped up out of sleep, looked over at Thea and said to me “Mom, isn’t it great that she felt comfortable enough to go to sleep in her bed?”
Soon Thea woke up and looked over at us with a “you’re still here” look on her face (Mark’s description). She didn’t cry, just sat there for a bit. I pulled out a new outfit for her and she seemed to love it. She got a big smile on her face and put it on without any fuss. We headed out for a quick breakfast. The restaurant was full of all the parents who had received their children yesterday. It was so much fun to look around at all the smiling faces and precious children. Thea walked me around the buffet to show me what she would like to eat and gobbled it down. She liked the congee, bokchoy (sp?), tomatoes and watermelon.
Our group met in the lobby to head over to a government building for our interviews and paperwork. We were asked the typical questions – are you happy with this child?(YES!) Do you still want to adopt her? (YES!) What is your level of education? Do you promise never to abandon or abuse your daughter?(YES!)
Due to Thea’s age, she also had to be interviewed alone. She was in there for quite a while. We asked David what she said and he said that when she was asked if she is happy with her parents, she said “yes”.
Next was a visit back to the Civil Affairs office to meet with the orphanage staff. David asked that Thea’s nanny not be present so she wouldn’t get upset again. We had another interview as a family, with the orphanage Director, Asst. Director and Head Nanny present. When the interview was over, they presented us with gifts (red envelope with special Chinese money and a sterling silver baby bracelet), a small book of photos and more items that belonged to Thea. They also gave us her nanny’s home address so that Thea could write her! They DID have her digital photobook and she was really, really happy when she saw it! They gave it to me, along with the sundress I mailed and a few more of her drawings. We were able to ask the orphanage more questions. We found out:
. There are only approximately 30 children in the orphanage and Thea was the oldest
. All of the children loved her very much and will miss her. She loved to take care of them.
. She went to school every day from 7:30a – 12p, then again from 3-5:30, after lunch and a nap. All the children at the orphanage were in the same classroom.
. She was very respectful in school.
. Her favorite subject is Chinese Culture!
. When she is upset, she is quiet. She does not act out physically.
. When she was abandoned at age 7, she was carrying a plastic bag with 2kg of rice.
Things WE WITNESSED and found about Thea today:
. She is SMART AS A WHIP!!! Several times she drew us pictures, wrote her ABC’s, sang the ABC song, wrote her numbers 1-100, wanted to know English words for things and repeated them and taught us Chinese words.
. She doesn’t mind a bit having her fingernails and toenails cut (mom, I know you are laughing because you knew I’d attempt this right away!)
. She loves to have her fingernails painted
. She loves the television
. She loves the pool! As soon as she saw Kam go in, she wanted to. We put her suit on and she jumped right in! At first she didn’t like her face wet, but then decided to show off by dunking her head. I’m quite sure she will love Grandma Linda’s pool.
. She is very, very good at drawing flowers and pictures. To my niece, Elli - I think she would love to take art class with you!
. She loves Pizza Hut, we went there again. She ate pizza and a mango smoothie.
. She loves beef jerky and chocolate.
. She knows how to make lots of different things out of folding paper – a boat, a lantern and a hat, so far.
. She doesn’t have a preference over Mark or I. She held each of our hands several times today. No hugs yet. I asked for one and she said NO :)
. She knows how to use a Western toilet! For those that don’t know, I wondered about this because they use “squatty potties” in China, not toilets like us. The squatty potty is just basically a hole in the ground and you “squat” over it! Three times in China and something I cannot get used to :)
. She needs to be taught manners!! I think that burping at the table must have been funny in the orphanage, ha, ha! Anyone who knows what I am like with my kids and manners is getting a kick out of this one. When I tell her to “say thank you”, she repeats “say thank you”, so at least she is compliant.
. She is an awesome sleeper. 5 kids, 5 great sleepers, am I blessed, or what?
About Mark, Kam and I . . . Mark is doing great, don’t anyone worry, he won’t starve! He has, however, been complaining all day that he’s lost 3 lbs., poor baby. He has been on the hunt for a good watch, because we all know he needs another one! Kam is so happy. He has tried all day again to make Thea comfortable. As for me, I’m good too. Other than missing the kids and feeling like a truck hit me by 6pm, everything is fine! The jet lag is still just awful. I had high hopes of running every day, but the tired feeling is not even explainable. I couldn’t run if I was bribed.
The final story of our day is, unfortunately, not a good one. By 6pm Mark was hungry and wanted to get something to eat before bed. We decided to just head out to the hotel restaurant for some fried rice. We showed Thea pictures of her food choices and she picked some type of noodle. When it arrived, she became visibly upset. We asked the waitress to see what the problem was. Apparently, the green vegetable in the picture was not on the pasta (she’s detail-oriented, ya think?). The waitress laughed and fixed it. Once she tried it, it must not have tasted the way she thought it would and she didn’t want it. I offered her my rice and she took it. She was gobbling it down and all of a sudden, acted like she couldn’t breath, kind of like gagging. Tears started rolling down her face. She was breathing fine, but every few minutes would act like she was choking. She didn’t know how to tell us, which I know made things much worse. The waitress came by and she just started crying and holding her tummy. I felt completely helpless and Mark and I were overwhelmed. The waitress told us that Thea wanted to go to the hospital. Fortunately, an adoptive mother, who is also a doctor, was sitting nearby, watching the whole incidence. She told us that she had been watching Thea and was sure that she was not having an allergic reaction (I was worried that maybe she was allergic to the shrimp in the rice). She thought she just had to throw up. I was wondering the same thing, since Benjamin acts that way when he needs to throw up – gagging, but doing everything humanly possible not to actually “let it come up” :) - gross, I know, sorry.
By this time, we had waitresses and hotel staff pulling up a taxi for us, wanting to take Thea to the hospital. I told them no thank you and we went back to our room.
Let me say first - I KNOW this is not going to be a great visual, but I tried to show Thea that it was okay to throw up. I was imitating throwing up and saying “it’s okay” over and over. She kept saying no. Are all of my friends laughing by now? Ha, ha, what a mother does for her children! I washed Thea’s face, had her brush her teeth and put on her pajamas. We gave her Children’s Pepto and tucked her into bed. She wanted to watch “Alvin & the Chipmunks”, so I propped up the DVD player. For the next hour and a half, I heard her giggle over and over and over. She LOVES that movie.
Which brings me to a close. As she was watching the movie, I was typing this summary. I just turned off the video player and I’m off to bed. I checked on her and asked if her tummy was okay. She smiled and said “goodnight Mama” in Chinese.
THANK YOU to the Grandmas and Papas for the wonderful care they are giving our little ones at home. The e-mails and photos are awesome to receive! We love you guys and appreciate you so much.
A final word from Mark – I asked him how to describe Thea. His response was “She is GREAT”!
Good night,
Warmest wishes,
Kari
Today started out good and it got better with every minute (with only one exception :(). Kam and Thea both slept completely through the night, until 7a. Kam popped up out of sleep, looked over at Thea and said to me “Mom, isn’t it great that she felt comfortable enough to go to sleep in her bed?”
Soon Thea woke up and looked over at us with a “you’re still here” look on her face (Mark’s description). She didn’t cry, just sat there for a bit. I pulled out a new outfit for her and she seemed to love it. She got a big smile on her face and put it on without any fuss. We headed out for a quick breakfast. The restaurant was full of all the parents who had received their children yesterday. It was so much fun to look around at all the smiling faces and precious children. Thea walked me around the buffet to show me what she would like to eat and gobbled it down. She liked the congee, bokchoy (sp?), tomatoes and watermelon.
Our group met in the lobby to head over to a government building for our interviews and paperwork. We were asked the typical questions – are you happy with this child?(YES!) Do you still want to adopt her? (YES!) What is your level of education? Do you promise never to abandon or abuse your daughter?(YES!)
Due to Thea’s age, she also had to be interviewed alone. She was in there for quite a while. We asked David what she said and he said that when she was asked if she is happy with her parents, she said “yes”.
Next was a visit back to the Civil Affairs office to meet with the orphanage staff. David asked that Thea’s nanny not be present so she wouldn’t get upset again. We had another interview as a family, with the orphanage Director, Asst. Director and Head Nanny present. When the interview was over, they presented us with gifts (red envelope with special Chinese money and a sterling silver baby bracelet), a small book of photos and more items that belonged to Thea. They also gave us her nanny’s home address so that Thea could write her! They DID have her digital photobook and she was really, really happy when she saw it! They gave it to me, along with the sundress I mailed and a few more of her drawings. We were able to ask the orphanage more questions. We found out:
. There are only approximately 30 children in the orphanage and Thea was the oldest
. All of the children loved her very much and will miss her. She loved to take care of them.
. She went to school every day from 7:30a – 12p, then again from 3-5:30, after lunch and a nap. All the children at the orphanage were in the same classroom.
. She was very respectful in school.
. Her favorite subject is Chinese Culture!
. When she is upset, she is quiet. She does not act out physically.
. When she was abandoned at age 7, she was carrying a plastic bag with 2kg of rice.
Things WE WITNESSED and found about Thea today:
. She is SMART AS A WHIP!!! Several times she drew us pictures, wrote her ABC’s, sang the ABC song, wrote her numbers 1-100, wanted to know English words for things and repeated them and taught us Chinese words.
. She doesn’t mind a bit having her fingernails and toenails cut (mom, I know you are laughing because you knew I’d attempt this right away!)
. She loves to have her fingernails painted
. She loves the television
. She loves the pool! As soon as she saw Kam go in, she wanted to. We put her suit on and she jumped right in! At first she didn’t like her face wet, but then decided to show off by dunking her head. I’m quite sure she will love Grandma Linda’s pool.
. She is very, very good at drawing flowers and pictures. To my niece, Elli - I think she would love to take art class with you!
. She loves Pizza Hut, we went there again. She ate pizza and a mango smoothie.
. She loves beef jerky and chocolate.
. She knows how to make lots of different things out of folding paper – a boat, a lantern and a hat, so far.
. She doesn’t have a preference over Mark or I. She held each of our hands several times today. No hugs yet. I asked for one and she said NO :)
. She knows how to use a Western toilet! For those that don’t know, I wondered about this because they use “squatty potties” in China, not toilets like us. The squatty potty is just basically a hole in the ground and you “squat” over it! Three times in China and something I cannot get used to :)
. She needs to be taught manners!! I think that burping at the table must have been funny in the orphanage, ha, ha! Anyone who knows what I am like with my kids and manners is getting a kick out of this one. When I tell her to “say thank you”, she repeats “say thank you”, so at least she is compliant.
. She is an awesome sleeper. 5 kids, 5 great sleepers, am I blessed, or what?
About Mark, Kam and I . . . Mark is doing great, don’t anyone worry, he won’t starve! He has, however, been complaining all day that he’s lost 3 lbs., poor baby. He has been on the hunt for a good watch, because we all know he needs another one! Kam is so happy. He has tried all day again to make Thea comfortable. As for me, I’m good too. Other than missing the kids and feeling like a truck hit me by 6pm, everything is fine! The jet lag is still just awful. I had high hopes of running every day, but the tired feeling is not even explainable. I couldn’t run if I was bribed.
The final story of our day is, unfortunately, not a good one. By 6pm Mark was hungry and wanted to get something to eat before bed. We decided to just head out to the hotel restaurant for some fried rice. We showed Thea pictures of her food choices and she picked some type of noodle. When it arrived, she became visibly upset. We asked the waitress to see what the problem was. Apparently, the green vegetable in the picture was not on the pasta (she’s detail-oriented, ya think?). The waitress laughed and fixed it. Once she tried it, it must not have tasted the way she thought it would and she didn’t want it. I offered her my rice and she took it. She was gobbling it down and all of a sudden, acted like she couldn’t breath, kind of like gagging. Tears started rolling down her face. She was breathing fine, but every few minutes would act like she was choking. She didn’t know how to tell us, which I know made things much worse. The waitress came by and she just started crying and holding her tummy. I felt completely helpless and Mark and I were overwhelmed. The waitress told us that Thea wanted to go to the hospital. Fortunately, an adoptive mother, who is also a doctor, was sitting nearby, watching the whole incidence. She told us that she had been watching Thea and was sure that she was not having an allergic reaction (I was worried that maybe she was allergic to the shrimp in the rice). She thought she just had to throw up. I was wondering the same thing, since Benjamin acts that way when he needs to throw up – gagging, but doing everything humanly possible not to actually “let it come up” :) - gross, I know, sorry.
By this time, we had waitresses and hotel staff pulling up a taxi for us, wanting to take Thea to the hospital. I told them no thank you and we went back to our room.
Let me say first - I KNOW this is not going to be a great visual, but I tried to show Thea that it was okay to throw up. I was imitating throwing up and saying “it’s okay” over and over. She kept saying no. Are all of my friends laughing by now? Ha, ha, what a mother does for her children! I washed Thea’s face, had her brush her teeth and put on her pajamas. We gave her Children’s Pepto and tucked her into bed. She wanted to watch “Alvin & the Chipmunks”, so I propped up the DVD player. For the next hour and a half, I heard her giggle over and over and over. She LOVES that movie.
Which brings me to a close. As she was watching the movie, I was typing this summary. I just turned off the video player and I’m off to bed. I checked on her and asked if her tummy was okay. She smiled and said “goodnight Mama” in Chinese.
THANK YOU to the Grandmas and Papas for the wonderful care they are giving our little ones at home. The e-mails and photos are awesome to receive! We love you guys and appreciate you so much.
A final word from Mark – I asked him how to describe Thea. His response was “She is GREAT”!
Good night,
Warmest wishes,
Kari
PS - Note to self - Don't let your daughter eat a big breakfast, Pizza Hut, beef jerky, a smoothie, and M&M's on the first day away from a normal diet of rice and congee!
The kids drawing while at the Civil Affairs office.
All four families, waiting for their interview.
Mark, the kids and I with the orphanage director, asst. director and head nanny.
Thea loved playing with the calculator on Mark's cell phone. She is showing me how to add and subtract. Notice Kam's arm around her :)
Hmmmm, has she been in a pool before?
Pretty fingernails and folding paper
Folding fans, just before the "episode"!
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