Tuesday - Adoption day!!

Tuesday – Adoption day   Today we had to meet in the lobby at 8:30 so we had an early breakfast.  In keeping with the family tradition – this little man can eat.  He ate 2 eggs, a bowl of congee, 2 pieces of sausage, 2 pieces of bacon, Danish, sweet potatoes, and some fruit.  He also drank 3 glasses of apple juice!!  I think he was happy to be able to eat whatever and has much as he wanted.  When we arrived at the adoption office, all of the orphanage workers were there.  This made me a little nervous because I was not sure how Sawyer would react.  He held my hand and waited. When they spoke to him, he would move closer to me, mumble and lower his head.  Once the office opened, the orphanage director gave Sawyer a gift of a necklace which stood for good health and life.  It was very nice and I took pictures of him with it on.  We took a few more pictures with the orphanage staff between Chinese and American flags and then they had to go.  They offered again for us to visit but it is at least a 2 hour drive one way and I don't think either of us are up for it this trip.  The adoption is official!!  He is ours forever!!  We waited at the office a little over an hour after they left to finish up some paperwork and then it was back to the hotel.   Today I was determined to get out again so Sawyer and I decided to go to Wal Mart.  Another couple here has a new daughter who is struggling with the transition so I offered to pick them up a few things also.  I really wanted to get Sawyer some tennis shoes so he could have shoes that fit instead of the sandals which were too small.  We took the tunnels in order to cross the street and I made sure to get my bearings before we headed down.  Luckily, a couple of women went in right before us so I followed them through.  The entrance to Wal Mart is a giant glass pyramid so it is not hard to find.  The Wal-Marts in China are so different and amazing.  They are typically underground and seem to go on forever.  It is easy to get lost.  There is an abundance of fresh and cooked food – even whole ducks and chickens cooked hanging from their heads.  Finding tennis shoes here proved more difficult than I imagined but after a good 45 minutes we found a pair which fit ok and he liked.  We then shopped for a few snacks and some noodles so we could eat in our room one day if we wanted.  Sawyer did really well but had never sat in a buggy so had difficulty getting his feet through the wholes.  A nice man helped me which made I much easier.  At check out, you have to tell them if you want bags or not and a they charge you for each bag.  They are very sturdy, however, and can be used again.    When we got back, the husband from the other family and I, along with Sawyer, decided to go to the Chinese restaurant Vickie and I had visited to get food "to go".  Who knew this would be an adventure unto itself!!  To make a long story short, I finally had to call Vickie on her cell and let the server talk to her in order to get our meal boxed up.  It was fabulous of course and Sawyer really likes spicy food.  He also really likes his veggies – maybe he can teach the biguns to eat theirs without complaint.  The restaurant also gave us two sets of really nice chop sticks which proved helpful since I did not think to pack any plastic silverware. This meal ended up being our lunch/dinner.  I had a migraine tonight which was really bad but Sawyer entertained himself with cartoons so I could rest a bit.  Again, I really wished Scott had been here because I felt guilty not interacting with him.    Sawyer has yet to say he loves me and has not spontaneously hugged or kissed me but he has tapped me and has asked for me so I think we are making some progress in that area.  I feel so blessed to be the mama of all of these wonderful boys who are so different.  Each is an individual with his own personality.  This one is my shy one – the first one I have truly had so it has been a good experience for me to learn to back off a bit.  We went to bed at 9pm and once again he slept through the night with no issue.  Thanks for keeping up and I promise to get more pictures on soon.  The internet here is just not reliable.  I have also advised Scott to get something up about our littlest man who, by the way, is a hoot!   Sheila