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| Almost packed and ready to leave our room Changsa |
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| Leaving hotel (Anna, our Changsha guide, is in the middle) |
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| Getting ready for the train ride |
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| Abby playing DS on the train |
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| Jackie, Nathan, and Micah playing DS on the train |
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| inside the train |
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| arriving in Guangzhou |
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| waiting in the Holiday Inn lobby |
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| Nathan showing his personality |
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| Nathan showing his personality |
What a great day Friday was for us. Nathan really started to come out of his shell both in the hotel room in Changsha and once we got to our room in Guangzhou. He was walking around and playing with different things that he found. He was smiling and even laughing. It was wonderful site to see. Abby and Micah loved having fun with the little brother and mommy appreciated the relief of not having to hold him all the time. Nathan even slept the night in his crib which gave us all a good night sleep.
We left our hotel at 2pm and went to the train station. This train station in Changsha was newly built in 2008 specifically for the G train. The G train was really cool traveling up to 350 km/hr (which I think is close to 200 miles/hr). The ride was really smooth and for anyone that is not real wild over planes, this is the way to travel. I know they have talked about putting one of these between Chicago and Minneapolis, now I can’t wait. The country side was really beautiful. Similar to what we saw between Nanchang and Changsha, but we saw more hills and mountain ranges. The train route was built right through the hills, so it stayed pretty level. When we got into Guangzhou it was 6pm. We were surprise that Judy Wu met us at the train station. Judy is the lady that arranged all of our travel and everyone always speaks so highly of her. She had met Nathan in the orphanage and talked with his foster mom, so this gave us an opportunity to find out much more about his situation. The foster mom lived only a block from the orphanage and she would take Nathan there many days a week to get some social interaction and play time. Judy recalls her saying that she had 2 biological kids and she thought that they were a bit older although the foster mom was not very old. Judy figured that he was with her right up to the day that we got him.
It took us an hour through the traffic to get to our hotel. It was dark by the time we got in. We are in the Holiday Inn Shifu which is not on the island (like the White Swan), but it is only a few blocks away. This hotel is surrounded by markets which will be nice if we want to do some shopping, but one of those places where you need to hang onto your wallet. The security and policing is extra high right now in preparation for the Asian Games this fall. Judy advised us to always carry our passports in case we were stopped.
This morning (Saturday) we go for Nathan’s medical exam and vaccinations. We got a vaccination book from the orphanage, so hopefully the vaccinations will be less based on what he has already had. Either way we are bracing for the worse.
Abby wanted me to add her favorite memory. On the way to the train station we saw kids (with their moms) pooping and peeing in the street. Micah and Abby laughed pretty hard over that.
Overall we feel much better with Nathan coming out of his shell. It also feels good to be on the last leg of this journey. It feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off. Nathan still won’t let me hold him, but I think it is just a matter of time now. Thanks for all of your prayers; they have definitely worked as God is watching over us.
--Craig (pictures of Friday to follow)
Yesterday I went with our guide Anna to do shopping and visit an embroidery museum. The museum was very interesting. The work was amazing and unfortunately, I had my camera but no cartridge card. Each piece of work looked like an oil painting. I was told that at least 2 people will work on one piece of art that will take up to 2 years or more to complete and work with 745 different threads of color at a time. The embroidery scenery consisted of landscapes, flowers and people (President Bush, Mona Lisa). It was amazing how life like each piece looked. I was also told each piece is worked in natural light in order utilize thread that closely matches the scenery. After our museum visit we went to Wal-Mart. Wal-mart here is not like ours, but the concept is similar – one stop shopping. I tried to purchase Craig a pair of shoes since his one sandal split down the middle. Unfortunately, size 11 is rare here in China. The store staff did find a high top shoe in a sz 11. Our guide laughed out loud and called it a boat. I didn’t purchase these – wouldn’t look too good with shorts and Craig was glad I didn’t. Our guide also brought me to a section where customers can purchase live species for dinner. I saw turtles, bull frogs, snakes, eels, and a baby sting ray stretched out on ice. There was also a large wooden counter top of chopped up fish – blood, scales, & heads all there for the taking. It was interesting. I recall seeing similar in Guangzhou. I’ll make sure to have our cartridge and take pictures to post. Nathan did well with Craig, Abby & Micah while I was gone. After reading the Bible, I am feeling better today about our future outlook with Nathan. We both have been feeling very vulnerable, lonely and isolated. Then add on top of the worries of our son’s delays. I was having feelings of despair and doubts. After reading Job Ch. 38 & 39 along with Matthew 6:25, 28: 16, 19:23, & 11:28, I am feeling much better and I should have been reading my Bible all along. I hope I am not coming across like I am some great Christian. I am certainly not. I wanted to share the hope, when you ask God to lead you to the scripture you need, He will. We soon leave for our next destination. Craig is excited we’ll be taking the g-train which travels at 200mph.
--Jackie
Today was pretty relaxed and fun day (well maybe except for Jackie). We went to the Changsha amusement park and zoo in the morning. Abby and Micah really enjoyed it, especially the zoo. We did not dare to try the amusement rides, but we enjoyed the beauty of the park on this wonderful day. The temperature was not too bad (smoggy and overcast) and there was a nice breeze. Nathan didn’t take to the stroller; he still is really mainly content in mommy’s arms. We tried some different ideas with Nathan, but we mainly got the spicy Hunan side of Nathan to show. Boy does he know how to scream. Anyways, the zoo was really neat. It’s not that often that you get 2-3 feet from all these animals (tigers, lions, zebra, giraffes, exotic birds, etc.). Although it did seem like they had very little room to move in their cages. In the afternoon we tried bowling in the hotel’s bowling alley. Nathan showed us more personality than before. He smiled, clapped with us, and even leaned over and gave Abby a kiss. Some small break-through feels like a miracle. Although Nathan still won’t go to anyone but Jackie, and he still wines/cries if she is not standing while holding him. Anna tried to hold him too, and got the same reaction as the rest of us. I think there are signs that this is all his way of dealing with the changes in his life, and not a developmental disability, but only time will tell us for sure. We also heard of another adopted girl recently that had pneumonia and clung in the same manner to her new mommy. I don’t think Nathan has pneumonia, but we will try to have him checked out in Guangzhou. We tried a Pizza Hut pizza for supper. We couldn’t figure out how to get just a sausage or pepperoni, so we ended up ordering a plain cheese pizza. It was actually much like in the US except it had almost no sauce. It was a real treat. We love and miss you all. --Craig
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| Questions before the judge |
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| Nathan's footprint stamp |
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| Final paperwork before the notary |
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| Time for a little ping pong (or table tennis as they call it China) |
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| Nathan's first oreo |
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| Entering into the Changsha amusement park and zoo |
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| Strolling in the park |
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| Feeding the carp |
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| Anna trying peek-a-boo (chinese style) |
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| Check'n out the monkeys |
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| Never been 3 feet from a tiger before |
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| bowling |
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| Nathan playing with towels as Abby watches on |
This morning started off O.K., but at breakfast something changed. It was a crowded smoky room with load music and lots of commotion. Nathan ate some, but he would not let go of Jackie. Finally Craig took Nathan to give Jackie a chance to eat. He screamed blood murder. From that point he would not let any one but mommy hold him. He is stuck to her hip. This is great for bonding, but it has been exhausting for Jackie and tough on Micah and Abby. He does not want to be set down, laid down, stood up, or even sitting on mommy’s lap while mommy sits down is often not good enough.
We wrapped up at the civil affairs this morning with judge and notary to complete the requirements for the adoption and Chinese passport. After that we went to the children’s hospital to get Nathan checked out. Besides our concerns for delays, he also has a cold with some major rumblings in his chest, running nose, and he has been tugging at his ears also. The children’s hospital was chaos to say the least. They apparently have a system where there are no appointments, only walk-ins. The lobby was similar to the train station. No seating, just massive amounts of people standing everywhere. We found that it was at least a several hour wait and we decided to try another option. There was a hotel doctor at our hotel, but they would not really do much for us, so that didn’t work either. When we get to Guangzhou there may be better opportunities to be examined.
We tried out the pool and ping pong today. The pool was great for Abby and Micah. During that time Jackie tried to get Nathan to sleep, but he would not let her even cradle him, so that didn’t work out. She came back and got in the pool with the rest of us. Nathan was O.K. with pool as long as Jackie held him. She sat on the edge and they used a container to pour water. Later at 4pm he fell asleep (probably out of exhaustion). We woke him up an hour later just so that he wouldn’t keep us up all night. For supper Nathan did great eating fried rice and pieces of bread and some crackers we had bought at a store. Although he did this all from Jackie’s lap. At the end of dinner he finally decided to drink the apple juice we he bought him. He has been constipated and we can tell he has been trying to work it out, but it only ends in frustration. Later after he cried for a while, I just set him on the toilet and rocked him back and forth and he was finally able to go. Albeit he was screaming the entire time. Hopefully the hotel walls are not to thin.
Overall Nathan was very emotionless today, very different than the first day. We couldn’t get a smile no matter what we tried. He is likely going through some severe withdrawal with all the changes, but we are also wondering if some of his shut-down has to do with the fact that he is not feeling well. Thanks for all the encouraging e-mails. We are a bit cut-off as calling out is so expensive and calling into us does not seem to be working for our parents. Please keep praying that Nathan learns to accept us all and becomes comfortable and start playing.
--Craig
Arriving at the Hunan Civil Affairs building
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| Everyone waiting with Anna to meet Nathan |
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| Assistant Director arrives with Nathan |
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| Nathan warms up to Craig first |
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| Nathan checks out his new big brother and sister |
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| Mommy gets to hold Nathan |
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| Leaving Civil Affairs to catch a cab back to the Dolton |
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| Back in the hotel room relaxing |
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| The 3 musketeers (he actually enjoyed the glasses) |
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| The blocks in the playroom were his favorite |
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| Sleepy time at last |
