Maran woke up this morning and had to go potty. We went two nights in a row with no accidents although we were told that she is not totally potty trained at night. Beginner's Luck for sure but we will take it. After a few minutes of being up she looked at me and had the biggest tears coming out of her eyes. I cried with her. She just wanted to be held and loved. She likes being cuddled but I think at times she gets scared because she is not used to it. She is playing both David and I. She likes me during her moments of sadness and Daddy when she wants to go super fast in the stroller and go for a walk. She grins at us often now and we both got our first laughs from her today. Mine occurred in the potty when her skirt fell completely off her and onto the floor. Thankfully it was a "REAL" potty and not a squatter. She thought it was way too funny that her skirt was on the floor. She had ice cream twice today. Vanilla for early in the day and ChocolatE FOR NIGHT TIME. (caps on herE COMPLIMENTS OF MARAN). She LOVES the computer and ANY type gadget! As the day passed she became more mischievous. She knows when she is doing right and wrong and right now she is testing the waters. So far she has won. Earlier we passed a Starbucks and I had to get something cold. Just something with a little bit of ice in it. I got an iced lemon tea... not my first choice but it sounded cold and that was all that mattered. I gave Maran a sip and it was way too sour for her. Her expression was priceless... first experience with Lemons ahe? I drank the tea quickly and then threw the ice and cup away (I didn't want to) as David didn't want me to eat the ice. OK I let him win. The stroller has been a gift from heaven. She LOVES it and wants to be in it alot. My back is killing me... not cause of her but because the beds we are sleeping on are as hard as granite counter tops. The hotel has been great. They totally cater to Adopting parents and are so accommodating. Maran likes watching the other kids play but has been hesitant to participate. (She is quite shy but so flirty at times). She falls often due to her legs. It is heartbreaking to see her fall so often. Soon this will not be an issue. Shoes are such an issue now. We have found a few pairs but it is very difficult to find some that are wide enough. (She walks completely on the left side of her foot and she can turn her right foot completely in. We found squeaky shoes that she will wear but wow they are annoying and totally cute at the same time. We would have done anything though to get her out of the shoes that she has worn every day since June 23rd (when her birthday care package was received). Right now we are playing a drawing game. She will draw something and then I will. When I draw something she looks at me and giggles. I think that this may be a good game for the plane ride home.
TYPHOON TIME:
The sandbags have arrived. Supposedly it will make landfall tonight. We are 200 KM NW of Hong Kong. They are ready to put sandbags wherever they may be needed. Thankfully we are on the NORTH side of the hotel (that's what David says so that doesn't mean much to me but I am thankful because he is). We are on an island called Shamian Island (within the city of Guangzhou). Tomorrow we will go to Huizhou to visit the orphanage. Train service has been suspended and who knows what else may occur. Our paperwork for today went well and was non-eventful (whew). So we passed again today.
MARAN SAYS HI and HELLO:
We were strolling earlier and some people walked by and said Hello in Chinese. Maran said in reply "Hello, Hi". She has picked it up from us. It was so cute. She has said bye bye since about day 1. When we flush we say Bye bye ... (I couldn't think of a better way to get her to learn the word). We also wave bye bye.
Singing in the Stroller:
Some of our shyness has left the building as she now will sing in the stroller and often quite loudly. This is quite interesting since she is such a quiet little girl.
Orphanage Visit:
We have been very torn about this issue. We know it will be hard for her to go back. I don't know that I can NOT SEE where she has been raised for three years of her life. It was different with Luke because we had the option of paying for him to be in Foster Care and we did. Also, we have some gifts for the orphanage and the nannies and want to make sure they get them. (This is not a huge deal we know but it is nice to thank them in person for loving our daughter so much). I also want to see Alice, Maran's BFF. I hope to get some pictures of her and I just want to make sure she is OK ... WHICH I KNOW SHE IS. Many pros and cons about this issue and I respect all sides of them. It may be something we regret but just don't know. Right now I feel it is the right thing. Tomorrow I may feel different. Our guide will make sure that Maran knows that she is ours and that we are just going to visit. Maran is very attentive when she is spoken to. Her dialect is not what we have learned. We thought we were learning it but there are apparently a number of versions. So, as they say "don't kill yourself trying to learn the language"... well, don't. It is amazing how you are able to communicate with each other. We have found knowing Potty, Water, Hello, Good Bye, Thank you, hungry and hurt have been beneficial.
Off to bed to try to get a toddler asleep. We have to get up early tomorrow for our drive to the Orphanage. It should take about 2 1/2 hours. Hopefully it will not be horrible weather.
Again many thanks for your comments and E-mails. We have never been so homesick. We miss Luke terribly and can't wait to have a big ole' steak. We know he is in good hands but that doesn't make us miss the Snickerdoodle any less.
Hugs from China. Many families are traveling in the next few days to get here or try to get home so we pray for them to get home safely and that they be granted many traveling mercies. It is getting extremely windy here and the feeling outside reminds me so much of Hurricane Hugo. I know everything will be fine!
PROMISE TO POST MORE PICTURES TOMORROW... .she gets prettier by the day!
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