Monday

Monday   I know I have done a poor job of blogging but taking care of a new child by yourself is quite time consuming and internet is expensive here.  I thought I would take a few moments when he is otherwise occupied to put down a few thoughts for each day and put them on the blog as time permits.   Monday was the day to meet Sawyer.  After watching time pass rather slowly in my room, I decided to take a walk to see what I could see.  "Joshua" (not sure of Chinese characters) Tower is just a few blocks from my room so I thought I would walk there and take some pictures.  Traffic in Guiyang is like traffic anywhere else in China – at your own risk.  Even though there are crosswalks, pedestrians are not protected.  So, in order to cross the street, I had to use underground tunnels which can be quite scary and very much like a maze.  I was apprehensive of this so I simply walked straight to the river, which, although beautiful, smells horribly despite the fact they are cleaning it for the dragon boat races next week.   There I found a short tunnel underneath the bridge which crossed me to the other side of the street and headed straight for Joshua Tower.  The tower is 3 stories high and over 1000 years old.  Behind it lies a tiered garden of sorts which get progressively higher.  There was a youth art exhibit with some amazing photographs on display.  It was very surreal to sign in at the visitors desk with my American name surrounded by Chinese names.  While there, I met a school group of children, probably 5th or 6th grade.  I walked by and then heard a solitary "hello".  I turned and said "hello" to giggles.  I was then treated to a chorus of "hellos" and "how are yous".  I also received a "What is your name?".  Of course I answered all of the questions because a know a foreigner is  a novelty here in the province.  Guiyang is a poor province in China with the highest population of minorities and, is therefore, not visited as often.  It was fun to get out but boy does this place get hot.  It's not that the temperature is so much hotter than home, but the sun seems to beat down more fiercely here.  Vickie says it is because of the elevation of the plateau which is approximately 4000 ft above sea level.  Needless to say, I drink a ton of water every day because of this.   I have not been eating much here so today was no exception.  I think mostly because of nerves.  Vickie and the driver met me in the lobby at 2:30 so we could go to the adoption office to meet Sawyer.  The traffic is horrible and I would never drive here.  We arrived right at 3pm to  take a scary elevator which I am sure is not up to code, up to the 14th floor.  We then had to walk up 2 flights to the 15th floor.  Sawyer was in the bathroom.  I was totally unprepared for the onslaught of orphanage workers who arrived with him.  Three females, one male director, and one male something I am still unsure of his job.  All of them were with Sawyer.  When he walked into the room, my first thought was how tiny he was.  He is so small, more the size of a three year old than a five year old.  The workers told him I was mama and he walked over and said mama.  I had taken a stuffed dog with me which he promptly hugged.  Long story short, we bonded by playing with an airplane and the dog together while the paperwork was complete.  When it was time for the staff to go, they all said bye and he said bye.  It was when they were out of sight that the crying began followed by the screaming of "I want to go home".  This I was prepared for so I picked him up and held him.  The director came over and spoke with him.  Vickie said they were telling him that we had lost him long ago but we had found him and now he was going to go home with us and be with his family forever.  I thought it was sweet but I wasn't thrilled with being portrayed as parents who lost their kid.   Vickie asked them to go ahead and leave and a few mini m & m's later he was better.  We stopped on the way back to the hotel at Deco's because he was hungry.  Vickie said it was like KFC and would be a treat for him.  Let me just say one word about Deco's – YUCK! Never again will I eat there.  It is nothing like KFC but it filled his belly since I did not really want to take him out by myself just yet.  I had flashbacks of Simon running away.    I will end this day with saying there are some very real health and treatment concerns with Sawyer which I will not go into great detail as it is his story and private.  I will say his teeth are in horrible shape and somewhat nonexistent making eating difficult.  He also has a severe vitamin deficiency given the state of his nails and hair.  I know his orphanage is very poor and there is also the fact that he was not abandoned until age three which means there is a lot of his history we do not know.  It will be of the utmost importance for us to get him to our pediatrician as soon as possible when we get home.  He likes to play and has enjoyed his toys but he is not a very loving child just yet.  He has now been abandoned twice so I am sure that will take time.  He is very adventurous and loves jumping from bed to bed.  He also likes standing on his head using the wall – odd but cute.  He seems to be intelligent as he picks up communication fairly easily, but oh is he stubborn and sneaky.  Given an inch, he will take a mile in a heartbeat.  All of this is typical orphanage behavior including the manipulation which he excels at – especially when he is being disciplined.  He has considered hitting and spitting on me – both of which he decided not to do.  He is very shy around strangers but did tell the driver that he liked me so I was pleased to hear that.    It is difficult to take care of a new child by yourself.  I miss Scott and the boys and would very much like for all of us to be together.  I fly out Friday at 12:50.  I am still waiting to find out when Scott leaves.  I am counting the days!