Adoption Finalization

Today we went back to the civil affairs office to finalize things with the adoption, she is ours!! Tomorrow we work on passports, but for now we are just taking it easy in the hotel room. Janeyi is down for a nap and so is Dan. Me I'm happy to have my fingers on a warm keyboard... I have been so cold here. It is winter in Guangzhou, it's not like winter at home, it's very humid, and it's chilling me to the bone! It has been raining on and off since we've been here and I'm missing the sun! So enough about me you all want to hear about Janeyi, she is doing a little better. I think things will take some time. We went to the store and got a few things, I found her a ball, and it's not by chance that her name means sphere, globe, or ball. She loves balls! She seemed pleased about the ball. Although things have been a little better, it's still seems discouraging...

Sometimes I forget that she is almost 2 because she is so small, and then she'll say thank you in Chinese and I remember that she is still holding back on what she really can do. So we wait, and try to be there for her to grieve in her own way, letting her know that's it's ok and that she is not alone in this big change.

This morning we skyped the girls back home and it took me by surprise how emotional it was for me, I miss my girls so much. And it made me realize how much I took for granted how easy their gotcha days were. Love you my Bao Bei's.

Dan
It is probably my imagination, but there is a lot of grieving with this one. It's been a hard day. She doesn't want to do anything for herself not even sit up. She cries if she is left alone and cries if we pay attention to her. She always wants to be held, but doesn't want me to look at her. She won't stand or walk and resists any effort to do anything on her own.  Building trust is slow and Helen says,"I don't think that she likes us".

She pouches food and we know that she is hungry, yet she will not chew food and will not hold a bottle. It's been hard. We put her down for a nap and prayed that when she woke up it would be better, but she cried when she saw us and doesn't want us to pick her up.

If we change anything she cries. clothes, diapers, hand her a toy, if I sing, music, TV, wipe her nose, take a picture all results in tears.  Then about  3:00 PM she perked up and showed interest in being outside. She points and talks and even laughs when I stop a little boy from running away from his mother and charging out into a busy street.

5:00 PM we realize that we've forgotten how to make the bottles (little too watery) and the second bottle she downed in no time. We got her to sit and play a bit on the floor and realize that she can stand and all this may not be physical but frustrations.

6:30 PM We gave each other a break and took turns watching Mei Mei while the other ate. I got her ready for bed and showed her some love and she let me give it. We watch some TV and played and then said prayers we put her to bad about 7:30 PM.

This has given me another reason why judging others serves no purpose. We don't know what others are really going through and even if we do, spectator coaching is not the same as having to make the shot in the game. A little reflection is good while the other team is on time out.

We are missing the children who actually like us. (Still working on the video)