Finishing up in Changsha

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

Day 3 as a family of five

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

Day 2 & 3 Pictures

Questions before the judge

Nathan's footprint stamp

Final paperwork before the notary

Time for a little ping pong (or table tennis as they call it China)

Nathan's first oreo

Entering into the Changsha amusement park and zoo

Strolling in the park

Feeding the carp

 

Anna trying peek-a-boo (chinese style)

Check'n out the monkeys

Never been 3 feet from a tiger before

bowling

Nathan playing with towels as Abby watches on

Day 2 - restless in Changsha

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

Gotcha Day Photos

Arriving at the Hunan Civil Affairs building

                            

Everyone waiting with Anna to meet Nathan

                              

Assistant Director arrives with Nathan

 

 

 

 

Nathan warms up to Craig first

 

 

Nathan checks out his new big brother and sister

Mommy gets to hold Nathan

Leaving  Civil Affairs to catch a cab back to the Dolton

Back in the hotel room relaxing

The 3 musketeers (he actually enjoyed the glasses)

The blocks in the playroom were his favorite

Sleepy time at last

Gotcha Day

The day we had been anticipating for 9 months had finally arrived. After hurrying to get ready, pack, and eat breakfast, we left the hotel in Nanchang at 7:15. The van driver and Echo’s roommate vanka, meet us and led us to the train station. The train station was crazy with a mass of people, but Vanka guided us to the right gate and the through the crowd to the correct train car. We were the furthest one away, but we made it on time. It was the first car in the front of the train. It seemed like a fairly new train with nice comfortable seating. It was the D205 with a direct route from Nanchang to Changsha stopping in 3 towns along the way. The train went up to 200km/hr and gave us another great chance to see the country side. Pretty similar to the trip to Yihuang. It didn’t seem like one inch of land was left undeveloped. It looked like mostly rice fields, but other crops and gardens were intermixed along with the villages which were like a small Wisconsin town pack into a small area (10-50 houses per village each house was 2 or 3 levels talls). We had nice seats on the train. Leg room equivalent to first class on an airplane. It was a very smooth ride. We arrive in Changsha at 11:15 and met Anna on the outside of the station. Vanka then left us to take a train back to Nanchang. Vanka was very kind and we know that we would have been lost without her help.




Anna had a van and driver and they took us to the Dolton. We unpacked and relaxed a bit and then ate lunch at the western restaurant in the hotel. We met a really nice lady and her daughter from South Carolina in the elevator and they eat lunch with us. They were also getting their 3 year old girl at 3pm today. So at 3pm Anna arrived to give us a ride to the Civil affairs to meet Nathan (Kuo). Anna said that Kuo is pronounced cowah, which is unlike what we had thought, so we all worked at retraining ourselves. We arrived at the civil affairs. The lady from South Carolina was already there and meeting her spicy little 3 year old Hunan toddler, but Nathan had not yet arrived. We waited about 20 minutes and then the assistant Orphanage director from Hengyang arrived holding Nathan. At first Craig was the only one that he would allow to hold him, but after a bit he warmed up to Abby and then Jackie. He then let Jackie hold him. He did not want to be set down or stood up, just held. He was very thirsty and we gave him some water and star-shaped snacks. He did not want any toys or stuffed animal, but he did have fun with the snacks. He wanted to feed them to Abby and Micah. This was a nice way for us to bond. Finally we wrapped up at the civil affairs and took a taxi back to the hotel. Jackie went back out with Anna to get some supplies. We all spent the rest of the night mainly in the hotel room. We also took a short visit to the playroom on the 30th floor and took a quick look at the pool on the 9th floor. We eventually got Nathan to smile and even giggle a bit. He crawled, stood, walked, babbled and took a few steps. We played with the stacking cups most and he really enjoyed them. He is not where a 21 month old should be, but we are hopeful that this is only orphanage delays and not a cognitive disability. Overall we are very blessed that he seems to be accepting of us and even bonding to us (albeit optimistic for only a few hours) he is a very sweet boy, but we need prayers to make sure that we are able to accept his delays and/or he is able to catch up to his age. Today we are going to arrange to meet with a Physician to help determine if his delays are associated with cognitive or orphanage living.

God bless, Craig

p.s. pictures are going to be delayed as I am having troubles getting those around the Chinese firewall.

Yihuang Visit (Pictures)