Just a quick update!!

We are all in Guangzhou and doing well.  The boys are amazing and we are so happy to have them both together.  They are doing well with no big squabbles.  Shepherd is definitely the boss as Sawyer is still very shy but has warmed up to Scott and wants to hold his hand all of the time.  They had their medical exams today and passed with flying colors.  We just have to read the TB test on Monday, have our Embassy appointment on Wednesday and then fly home on Thursday!! Woohoo!!  I have met one of my wonderful on line friends today and met her husband and two wonderful boys!  God has truly blessed us not only with children but with powerful friendships to see us through this life transition.  Tomorrow we will visit the safari park.  We purchased a stroller for the little emperor today (aka Shepherd) so my back could get a break.  I promise to load pictures soon.  Lots of love!!   Sheila

Wednesday

Today we met in the lobby at 9:30 so we could go to the famous "monkey park".  The road there would have been considered impassible in the states - no pavement, no gravel, no nothing.  I wouldn't have even considered it a road, but down it we went.  Then the car stopped next to this little old man sitting on a bucket and Vickie says "I'm going to get tickets".  All I could then of was tickets?  to what???  I don't see anything but the little old man.  I guess I expected an entrance of sorts but alas, nothing but a little old man.  Vickie game back and asked if I wanted the ticket stubs for souveniers and low and behold she actually had ticket stubs.  I was beginning to think the monkey park was going to be more infamous as opposed to famous.   I must say was wrong. Once we got to the actual park, it was beautiful with a manmade lake surrounded by the mountains.  People were swimming and paddle boating in the lake while on land they were doing morning excercises which consisted of Tai Chi, various dances (I swear one was Bali wood), badmitten, tennis, and some whip/spinning top thing I had never seen. I told Vickie that this type of community is very rare in the states.  she seemed shocked and showed me the various age groups and who would be doing what.  Because it was children's day in China, there were children everywhere.  Which, as an aside, I would like to point out that I have seen more girls and multichildren family than I have any where else in China.  Vickie says it is because now minorities are allowed to have more than one child and since Guizhou is made up of the majority of minorities, there are more multichildren families.    After viewing the different activities, we began walking up what I will refer to as the Monkey Road.  Here is where we saw monkeys everywhere and I do mean everywhere including on top of a woman's head because she did not give it something to eat.  These animals are fed daily by both visitors and government workers.  They eat candy and other sweets as well as fruits.  It is very add to see animals who should be wild so domesticated.  I did love seeing all of the little baby monkeys however with their big eyes and their hands that looked, well, like hands.  It was a lot of fun. We ended the day by eating at this fabulous rice noodle restaurant which was the best $10 bucks (yep $10 bucks for the two of us) I have ever spent.  they are call bridge noodles because you mix the rice noodles, meat, and veggies in very hot pot of soup (much like a hot pot) and then move the noodles with chop sticks over to your smaller bowl making a bridge.  It was wonderful.   Tomorrow we go to the provincial museum then on to Guangzhou on Friday.  I can't wait to see my boys!! Sheila

The meet

The orphanage workers brought Shepherd to my hotel room. He came right in and I could feel my heart (and stomach) just jump. His first words in the room were "Ba - Ba!" I tried to video the meeting by sitting the camera on a window sill and keeping the main part of the room in the screen. He came in with his own backpack and wanted to show me what all was in it. I was also greeted by 3 year old Tia, a little girl for another family coming in later. The two kids were buddies in the orphanage and play together. Shepherd got out his cars (still in the package) and i opened one. Shepherd loved the car and Tia loved the package. We spent about an hour doing some paperwork and taking pictures. As a group, we left the hotel room and parted ways in the lobby. Steve (our guide) took us to a market to get some food and anything else we may need. Shepherd thought it was cool riding in the buggy as we weaved in and out of the tiny isles. We came back to the hotel and Steve asked if I am okay with Shepherd for tonight. Of course I was fine, he has been loving and engaging and just plain fun. We went to the room and settled in. His info from the orphanage said he did not like showers and my room only had a shower, so I fore go the shower and got ready for bed.
I mentioned earlier he was fun right? When it was time to change into pajamas, he pitched a fit. He had the notion he wasn't staying with me tonight and the workers will be here to get him. This realization brought on the fright and hurt of not having people around him he knew and only have this stranger. this fit started around 8:30 and went on til 9:45. Fortunately, Sheila was on Skype when this started and helped me through most of it. It finally ended by me forcefully saying "boo" (Chinese for no) while he was in bed. I let him cry out the hurt and scare, but he was way past that. He slept til 11:40 and we went another round of crying for 30 minutes;this time i was able to hold him and rock him back to sleep. Whew..... I laid down thinking that was it....nope....1:30 til 2:15....now we we finished. I got up around 6 to shower while he was asleep. he got up around 7. He greeted me with a hug and was perfectly fine the rest of the day. That was our bonding time.
We went to the adoption office to sign the paperwork and I met the parents of Tia. I felt bad for them because they got in late Sunday (around midnight) and the airline (Delta) had lost their luggage. It was thier first time in China and first child.
Shepherd is finally ours now!!
Okay, this blog is getting long. I'm still new at this. For lunch. Shepherd and I went to the China food group know as KFC. He was not impressed with the chicken nuggets and fries. Headed back to the hotel and nap. We ventured out for supper and ended up in a market buying some Ramen type noodles and a strawberry sundae. We really love the noodles and ice cream.
Night-time was much easier, we tried a shower and that turned out to be fun. We got into bed and went to sleep in about 15 minutes with no crying. Whoo Hooo!!!!

Tomorrow we head to the museum.

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

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!

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