October 3
Video of Kai talking on phone.

October 3, 2010

We are starting to get a routine now. We wake up, get on Skype, talk to some loved ones for a few hours, then we go eat. Then, it is time to meet Ike. Guess what??? Today Ike reached his hands to pick up Kai, and Kai went!!! YAY!!!! Finally!!! I want Ike to see the baby we see!

Everything I read for adoption websites and yahoo groups say not to bring too many clothing articles for the baby because it might not fit and you can buy cheap clothes in China. So, I followed those suggestions and now, we need to go shopping. I don’t know where these people went shopping, but the shops on the island have hardly anything in 12 months size for boys, and most of what I see, I would completely pass on in the states. Some of the clothes look like garage sale clothes and don’t even have tags. Maybe if you have a little girl, or a toddler size boy it would be okay, but I am not impressed at all. Maybe we will do better tomorrow. :)

We have ruined many outfits with dirty diapers leaking out of the leg area because I brought a size 3 diaper and he needs a size 2. Kai has the tiniest butt ever! It is so cute! We bought several souvenir type tee shirts and a traditional Chinese outfit. He is absolutely adorable in it!

Ike brought us our favorite dinner tonight. We had home-style Chinese food that consisted of green beans, Asian style fried noodles, and sweet and sour pork. Kai loves everything on this dish. It was a bit past dinner time for us, around 6:45. Kai was hungry, and basically when he sees food, he needs to be eating it or he is unhappy. We open the bag and there is no plastic ware. Oh how I wish now that I packed that. Roger had to go downstairs to get silverware and Kai had a serious meltdown because I couldn’t feed him fast enough with my hands. Finally, Roger came back with 2 forks. He got stuck talking to a couple that is here on business about our adoption. I wanted to hurt Roger for taking so long. Not really, but he got the point. :) Now he knows from now on to take the baby with him. :) I put Kai in the chair and I sat on the floor to feed him. If I set the plate out of his sight, he would bend over to look for it. Kai still has serious food issues. I feel for him. I understand the fear of going hungry. Hunger… such a troubling word. I want to sooth his fears, but he doesn’t understand… yet. He will in time.

After dinner, he was happy again like nothing ever bothered him and was playing with mama and daddy. Roger does not want to be called “ba ba” anymore because Kai says a different tone of the same word when he goes number 2! Too funny. Daddy it is from now on. I can’t count how many kisses Kai gave us today. That was his trick of the day. He knows it makes us happy. He was even kissing himself in the mirror today. We finally have our angel now.

                         Kai letting Ike hold him for the first time ever!

                                                      Yeah, I'm cute!

                                                               Kisses!

                               Kai in his new Traditional Chinese Outfit!

October 2, 2010

Last night Kai slept all night. Thank goodness!!! I took his O2 sats while he was sleeping, and it was 95%!!! I am so thrilled!!!! When I took it on day 1, it was between 80 and 91%. We were a bit worried because sometimes he seems fine, and other times he sweats, gets lethargic, and he turns slightly dusky. When I put my fingers over his heart, I can feel a thrill regardless if he is in a spell or not. It literally feels like a cat purring. The spells don’t last too long, but it does cause some concern. I remember one night Kai was sitting in Roger’s lap and he was holding on to Kai with his hand around his chest and Roger looked at me and asked with a worried voice, “Is he going to be alright?” I have never heard him sound this worried about anything. Roger is normally very calm and laid back and things don’t seem to bother him. I know that Kai has compensated well and will be fine once repaired, but I had hoped that the diagnosis was a mistake like I have read about so many times on my ChinaHeartChildren yahoo group. We have a cardiology appointment the day after we get back.

Kai has a bit of cabin fever. He now loves his stroller and will try to climb into it because he associates it with going bye-bye. When we ask him if he wants to go bye-bye his face lights up and he nods his head yes with a big smile on his face. He is picking up things every day. He kisses on command, waves on command, blows kisses on command, and gives a high five! We told our guide to meet us at 9:30 this morning so we could be back in time for Kai to have a nap and apparently our wires got crossed and he did not show up until 10:30. UGH. Poor Kai cannot get on a schedule. He sat in his stroller for 1 hour with only one “pitiful look” when Roger went to go upstairs to get his watch. Kai is still not in love with our guide, Ike. Kai won’t even look at Ike, even when spoken directly to him.

We took a taxi to the Carrefour Market. I bought two bags of Lays Lime flavored chips, because we have this flavor in Texas. I expected it to be tangy and salty. After one taste, I wanted to petition Lays to change the name to Key Lime Pie! Gross! What a total disappointment. It was kind of like when you expect Coke to be Diet Coke, or worse…. Actually, it was worse.

This market was a mad house because of the holiday. I am not big on crowds and I am here in China’s 3rd most populous city. The weather is similar to South Florida, and it’s a hot spot for travelers, so I think I’m upgrading the population this week to at least the second most populous city in China. We got our supplies and got out of there. We gave Ike the night off for dinner. He is so sweet to make sure we get dinner every night. Guangzhou is HUGE and I know he doesn’t live close. He finally agreed after protest! Our threesome family went for a stroll and found an art gallery. Because I LOVE art, we went in! They had 5 artists from France and 2 Chinese artists on display. We spoke with one artist that invited us to another show later this week. Kai was SO good!!!! I would NEVER think about taking a toddler into an art gallery, but this little guy was so well behaved! He is just a little extension of us!!!

                                                   Talking to Daddy

 Here is the famous "pitiful face" we see often! He expresses his dislikes very well. He was upset that daddy left him to get his watch out of our room.

                                                  Daddy's sweet boy!

Lays chips in Blueberry Flavor, Cucumber Flavor, and Lemon Tea Flavor. No thanks!

October 1, 2010 National Day! Shamian Island

Kai woke up in the middle of the night once seeming to have a bad dream. I patted his back until he fell back asleep. I saw one of the nannies doing that to one of Kai’s “brothers” who woke up when we were all talking while the kids were trying to take their nap. I couldn’t go back to sleep and stayed up thinking about how much this child means to me. I think I tell Kai “Ma ma ai ni” (Sounds like: Ma ma eye knee which means Mama loves you) at least 100 times a day. When I do, he nods his head in agreement and smiles. I love it. He is especially sweet and loving when he wakes up in the morning or from a nap. He is so happy to see us. After I give him a big cuddle and kiss, I lay him down to change his diaper. I talk softly to him and he babbles back at me. I think he really is trying to tell me something. He is so tender and has a sweet soft voice. I cherish this time with him. I love this baby so much.

This morning our guide Ike bought a stroller for us. He came to the hotel and Kai saw it and was not too thrilled about sitting in it. Kai is not heavy, about 16 pounds, but he has no concept of holding on, and so it makes him hard to hold. He had some objections to the stroller, but mommy wins this one. Soon after we started he fell asleep. He was pretty much a grump all day. He really wants nothing to do with Ike. Ike is trying to be friendly, but Kai won’t budge. The only male he wants to talk to him is his daddy. In fact, he won’t go to many people at all right now. I think he is overwhelmed with traveling and not being able to communicate with us. When our last guide, Mamie, spoke with him, he would nod or shake his head to answer her, but he won’t even look at Ike unless it is the “pitiful” look. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I wish Ike knew how sweet Kai is. I think it will just take time.

This evening, we decided to take a stroll around the island. It was a beautiful night. The lights and decorations for the holiday were unbelievable! I could see my sons face light up like he had never seen this before. I know we are going to have many firsts with him and I can’t wait. I want to show this little boy the world he has never known before.

 His first stroller ride on Shamian Island. Even though he didn't want to get in, he will still pose for the camera!

                             Nighttime stroll! He loves his Cheerios!

                Colonial European style buildings on the island. Very pretty all lit up!

               Koi and goldfish pond inside the famous White Swan Hotel.

First Laugh!

September 30, 2010 Passport Day!

Today we got our sons passport! It is so adorable!!! We also got a family plaque. It is so official now. No longer do I have to wonder if my baby is cold or feeling alone. He is all ours now. I cannot stop looking at him. Roger can’t either. Last night he changed Kai’s diaper in the middle of the night, while Kai was asleep! Another time he was up with the flashlight leaning over the crib. This woke me up and I figured out he was trying to make sure he was still breathing. I heard Kai take a breath and told him, “he is breathing, go back to bed!” We have never felt this way before. We are a family. Roger said to me (without any prompting) “I love this family we have made.” It brings tears of happiness to my eyes just typing it! People here say to us that this boy is so lucky to have parents now, Roger responds by saying we are the lucky ones. It is so true. We are the lucky ones to get this bright beautiful boy.

Today rode the fast train to Guangzhou, Guangdong. Getting on the train was very hectic with all of our luggage and a baby, but it was so worth it. The scenery was so beautiful. We took lots of video for everyone, but I will not be able to upload it until I get home. Our guide for the next 2 weeks is Ike. He is very kind and gentle. Kai is not so sure about him though. He loves Roger, but does not really want anything to do with Chinese men. I think he may still have some of the fears that one of them will take him back to the orphanage since the male assistant director brought him to us. We are staying at the Victory Hotel and our room is so NICE and BIG! We have 2 great views and love it here.

We are starting to see more of Kai’s personality. Today was not his best day. I think he may feel bad. His schedule is completely turned around. He is missing naps and not getting enough rest. Today he threw several temper tantrums. Poor little guy. He even purposely hit his head on the ground during a tantrum. I saw one of the children doing the same thing at the orphanage visit. It was heartbreaking to see him so upset. Hopefully tomorrow will be better……

                                        This is the front gate to his orphanage

 Kai with his 'little sister'. The director wanted us to know that Kai has a family here too. I told him that all of these children were his brothers and sisters. He was happy to hear that and asked us to come back to visit in a few years.

 The nannies with all of their red Medical City tee shirts that my hospital graciously donated.

 These nannies really do love these babies. This one donated part of her salary each  month to help care for Kai. She sponsored him every month. She was off duty today, but came to say goodbye to him.

                         This is our gift donation to the orphanage, diapers and formula.