Happy New Year!! I am so sorry it has been so long since my last post. Life runs by at an astonishing pace, especially this time of year. Let me try to briefly update you because I am sure your life is just as busy!
Grace's cleft team called us in early December with an offer to have her surgery done on December 20th. We were surprised because we had been told it would probably be several months unless they had a cancellation. We jumped at it, even though it was so close to Christmas, because we want our girl to have the best opportunity at gaining intelligible speech before she starts kindergarten.
I was able to walk her back to the operating room and she was out pretty quickly. Children's does a great job of trying to minimize the stress on the kids as much as possible before a procedure. Surgery took somewhere over 4 hours and then we were able to talk to her surgeon. Unfortunately it went less than ideally because of problems resulting from her surgery in China. It appears that they did try to repair her palate in China, and severed or partially severed one of the arteries that supplies blood flow to one side of the hard palate, thereby rendering part of the palate dead. The other side was retracted and tightened. The were not confident that the palate would hold together, and it has not, completely. There were three levels of repair, a nose level, a donated tissue (aloderm) level and the roof of the mouth level. It is that last level that is coming apart. So it is not open all the way to her nose as it was, but it is not ideal. We are praying that it will close itself, which is a possibility, over the next three months.
The good news was that they did not touch the soft palate in China, which is the more important part of the palate. They were able to simply stitch that closed. They were not able to do the musculature work on the soft palate as they had hoped, because the rest of the surgery was so difficult. We will be back in about 3 to 4 months for them to do that repair and to perhaps fix the holes that have developed in the hard palate.
In case you are wondering, "Did they know that they would need to do all of this??", the answer is that we were prepared to do whatever it took to help this sweet girl become physically whole and well. It truly was a blessing to be there for her after her surgery...in a way I can't fully explain. She was hurting and scared and we were able to love her completely and undividedly. She went from a girl who had no one to call her own, with no one to "have her back" to a girl with parents completely devoted to her well being, comfort and healing. Thanking Jesus that He let us be those parents. As scary as it was, it was also truly sweet. Seriously.
Christmas was sweet but subdued. I'm not sure we understood just how long the anesthesia would affect her personality. It took a full ten days for her to regain her sweet, cheerful self. It was a difficult ten days as we tried to figure out how to help her be more herself, and then, on Saturday, the clouds lifted and she was herself again. We were so relieved!
Her language continues to explode, and some of it is more intelligible since the palate surgery, which is nice. Other sounds will clearly require some concerted effort to teach, learn and make!
Life is good. We are blessed. Some days are easy and some difficult, but we trust that we are walking in God's grace, especially during the difficult days.
If you've been following the blog and know the story of Shelley and her daughter Hope, you can be praying for them. Her catheterization is happening on the 4th of January. This will give them a more complete picture of her heart and the steps that can/need to be taken to help this sweet girl.
We are so blessed to have so many friends and family in our lives who have cared for us over the last months/years. From friends who cooked meals and brought us clothing and toys, to friends and family who watched the boys while we were in the hospital, to one very sweet friend from high school (and her sister in law) who made us the object of a special giving campaign this Christmas (that was awesome and unexpected!!), we want to say Thank you! We love you! and We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and a 2013 filled with purpose!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Monday, November 19, 2012
Update...three weeks in....first cleft appointment done.
I'm not sure how to encapsulate what life is like here now. Some days are hard, some are easier, some moments are eternally precious. I haven't been able to put it into words yet, so I won't bore you with what I don't know and tell you what I do. Grace is incredibly sweet and she is trying really hard to learn a new language and a new life and I am so happy to be her Mama. And I feel so blessed to have such good friends who have loved us so well during this journey. From notes and posts on Facebook, to food and gifts, to phone calls and texts, you have all made us feel very loved. And now, about our day...
Today we spent the day at the Children's Hospital Cleft Unit. We saw everyone from the speech pathologist to the ENT to the surgeon, plus three other medical professionals. We learned more of what we already know. Grace's cleft is wide. It should have been repaired before she turned nine months old. Her nose is a problem, but in the surgeon's opinion, the cleft needs fixed first. Every sound she makes in her speech is incorrect. She has had to adjust where she makes sounds in her mouth because of the missing palate and all of that will need to be relearned, the sooner the better for her long term speech clarity. He is generally booked a few months out, and is going to note us as ASAP with the schedulers. I also told him we would be up for filling in a cancellation if one should come up sooner because we have such great support from family and friends.
So, we are trusting God for the correct timing for her surgery. Later would give us more communication and bonding time. Sooner would give her opportunity to start learning her speech patterns correctly and give her more time before she starts in school. As scary as any surgery is for your child, I am really hoping to get this done sonner so that we can help Gracie move forward in her speech.
Thanks for your prayers and your friendships, your food and your love!
With a grateful heart.
Christine
Today we spent the day at the Children's Hospital Cleft Unit. We saw everyone from the speech pathologist to the ENT to the surgeon, plus three other medical professionals. We learned more of what we already know. Grace's cleft is wide. It should have been repaired before she turned nine months old. Her nose is a problem, but in the surgeon's opinion, the cleft needs fixed first. Every sound she makes in her speech is incorrect. She has had to adjust where she makes sounds in her mouth because of the missing palate and all of that will need to be relearned, the sooner the better for her long term speech clarity. He is generally booked a few months out, and is going to note us as ASAP with the schedulers. I also told him we would be up for filling in a cancellation if one should come up sooner because we have such great support from family and friends.
So, we are trusting God for the correct timing for her surgery. Later would give us more communication and bonding time. Sooner would give her opportunity to start learning her speech patterns correctly and give her more time before she starts in school. As scary as any surgery is for your child, I am really hoping to get this done sonner so that we can help Gracie move forward in her speech.
Thanks for your prayers and your friendships, your food and your love!
With a grateful heart.
Christine
Saturday, November 10, 2012
The "rules" post
So many
of you have loved us. Prayed for us. Cried with us. Bought us things. Cleaned
our house. Helped with our kids. We love you! For that and just for being who
you are. And we know you are anxious to meet Grace and show her how excited you
are that she is here. We cannot wait until she is installed as a fully functioning
member of the Klemstine family, running the halls of Crossroads Church, MAOG, First
Baptist, and Heritage Elementary as well as many of your houses. But before
that can happen, we need to help Grace fully understand who we (her family) are
and who she can always come to for comfort, guidance, appropriate love, food,
and security. And for this, the rules of engagement with Grace must be a little
different at first.
Why are
the rules different for Grace? What can you expect from us and with Grace for
the next few months? Throughout this process we have done a lot of training
about orphan care. We have learned and processed a lot. Some of the next two paragraphs
comes from my friend Kelli’s blog, with Grace’s info inserted. It may help you
to remember/learn what she has been through.
Grace was
born approximately May 15, 2007. On May 15, 2008, she was found beside a road near the entrance to a village. Most likely her parents could not
afford the costs of surgery to fix her lip and palate and were no longer able
to keep her healthy. We are forever grateful that her mother chose to conceive her when
other options were available and that she kept her for that first year, when
eye contact and love is so important in forming those basic brain pathways. When
her parents could not be ascertained, she was sent to an orphanage, where she
spent approximately 2 years. We know nothing about that institution, other than
what we know about all orphanages, which is that there are too many kids and
too few nannies. When a child is in an institution they don’t learn how to
function in a family. How could they? All nannies are called “mamas”. She was
then sent to a foster home, which is a good thing. She learned what a family
was like, and we hope they loved her. We did not meet them and will never know
for sure, other than that she seems very happy and contented, which probably
speaks volumes for them. And then, the day she came to us, the most trusted people
in her life handed her over to complete strangers who handed her to us. That is
a lot of loss.
The rules we have are very important in
helping Grace know who her family is so she attaches to us. Healthy attachment makes healthy children and
adults. Attachment is so very important. Adoption is borne out
of loss, so the minute she met us, her life suddenly didn’t become sunshine and
rainbows. In her short life, Grace lost her birth parents, her family, her
friends and since we arrived she lost her foster parents and grandparents, and
now all the smells, sights, sounds and language of China that she has known for
nearly five and a half years.
Grace
still struggles with appropriate boundaries. She will walk up to anyone and
grab anything that interests her. It’s cute sometimes, but ultimately inappropriate.
She becomes easily overstimulated and starts acting wildly. She still has some
very affected behaviors when she thinks she needs to please. She has adjusted
relatively well to us. This could be a good thing, or not. We need to make sure
she knows that we are her forever family, not just some transitional situation.
For these reasons and others we will be staying home mostly for a few weeks,
other than doctor appointments and other necessary trips or outings locally to
the playground because that is something she loves. We will ask that you not
pick her up, feed her or try to kiss her. This will not be a forever rule for
my concerned, very affectionate friends (you know who you are RobynJ). Just for now. She is pretty
independent (which is something I strive for in my bio kids but in
institutionalized children can be caused because no one was every trustworthy
in their lives) but we will most likely not be very far from her at any time,
so if she needs comfort or food or potty help, find us. We must do that for her
to imprint ourselves into her psyche as the provider of her earthly needs.
Please don’t be offended if we do not attend parties or gatherings or host any
for the next few months, or leave early or quickly from any event. Her growth
and well being are our priority for the next few months.
Grace
truly is a sweet kid who has suffered great loss in her life and we want to
give her the best chance at a solidly grounded emotional future. We want her to
know the unconditional love of parents and God. We want to see her true self as
it continues to unfold.
If you
want to love on someone, love on our boys. They are going their own journeys as
they figure out their new roles and as Mom and Dad’s attentions are split 4 ways
now instead of 3, with a greater proportion going towards a very small new
girl. And much outside attention will also be on that same small new girl. They
could likely use a hug, a smile, an encouraging word.
Thank you
for your help!! We love you! We can’t wait for you all to get to know Grace.
The long journey home
Tuesday morning started early at 5am for Chris and Me. Grace was up at 5:30. We were out the door by 5:45 on the way to the airport. After checking in another family and herself, our guide Shiyan took us to our counter for check in. Unfortunately my reservation, which I paid $25.00 to make on the phone with a United reservation specialist had not made it to their partner airline, All Nippon Air. After twenty plus minutes of searching and a managers help, they were able to find our reservation. Phew! I have heard of nightmares where reservations got canceled for some reason and new flights had to be paid for...was glad to finally be found and confirmed. Flight to Japan took off on time and Gracie did well on this three plus hour flight. We had a short bit of downtime in Japan before boarding our long flight to Los Angeles. Again, Gracie did really well. After they served us our dinner, I took her into my arms and sang some songs and she fell asleep. She slept for several hours, as long as maybe five? That was awesome.
We arrived at LAX at 9:30am. Our next flight was at 10:30. We had been in row seven, thankfully, so we hurried off the flight and down to immigration where we were about 15th in line. Got through the American side quickly but then were directed to sit down and wait for the processing of Gracie. And wait. And wait. We were the only ones waiting, but they had to process all the flight crew first...then all the people with rush passes because of close connecting flights. It didn't seem to matter that we had one as well. Grr. Finally we were called and a very nice man declared Gracie an American citizen, wishes us well and sent us on our way. We didn't have time to celebrate as we now had to run to catch our next flight. Down three hallways that stretched the length of 1.5 to 2 football fields to get to baggage and then the line for customs. But even with a our own rush pass now, when we got to customs we were stopped because we didn't have our customs form. The immigration guy had taken it and never gave it back. We now had ten minutes to boarding time. I ran (literally) the whole way back those three hallways to the first immigration guy who very loudly told me that he "never kept anyone's custom form and that it must be in my possession somewhere". I looked where we waited for Gracie's processing, where I got interrogated by another officer. Finally I asked the officer who processed Gracie, and he apologetically said he had my paper. After running the whole way back again, we got through customs and dropped our baggage to be reloaded onto our new plane and headed up the escalator with 1 minute to spare....and a security line! After begging our way into the short line, we begged our way past a few people and into line where we both had our bags pulled for review (and then sent through a second time) and Chris got frisked double time. When we finally finished this gauntlet, we were ten minutes past the first boarding time for our plane. Thank the good Lord above that there was a woman with one of those transport cars at the start of our gateway because our gate was at the end of a hallway that was another two football fields in length. We would have never made it without her. We loaded onto the plane with just a few minutes to spare. We were so exhausted after this craziness that Grace and I promptly passed out. She slept for most of the flight, at least three of the four or so hours. A blessing.
Upon landing, I burst into tears, so grateful and thankful to be home safely and so excited to see the boys. I pulled it together so as not to freak everyone out and we had a nice greeting time. It was great to see our friends and family who came out to see us. If that was you, thank you! I know what an effort it is to get to the Pittsburgh airport!
Since the six of us pretty much fill our van, it was just us in the car on the way home with grandparents and friends in other cars. Gracie got in her car seat and sat next to Jude without any complaining. We got home and had a little time at home before we put kids to bed. Grace and I were up for several hours during the night, but last night was much better, for her anyway. I'm still struggling with being wide awake around midnight or so for some reason. Hoping my body adjusts soon. Chris is in our bed, while I am with Gracie, so his sleep has been better.
Grace is adjusting as are the boys. The boys are responding as we thought they would, with Jude seeming a little out of sorts as he figured out what his new place is in the family. Grace is so much smaller than him that it is mind boggling that they are only ten months apart. I really feel that once she is able to communicate well, that they will be fast friends. She has spent the the last two days playing with the Disney Princess kitchen and food that was given to us by Carrie Jack. She loves it. We are working on figuring out what to feed her that she will
We arrived at LAX at 9:30am. Our next flight was at 10:30. We had been in row seven, thankfully, so we hurried off the flight and down to immigration where we were about 15th in line. Got through the American side quickly but then were directed to sit down and wait for the processing of Gracie. And wait. And wait. We were the only ones waiting, but they had to process all the flight crew first...then all the people with rush passes because of close connecting flights. It didn't seem to matter that we had one as well. Grr. Finally we were called and a very nice man declared Gracie an American citizen, wishes us well and sent us on our way. We didn't have time to celebrate as we now had to run to catch our next flight. Down three hallways that stretched the length of 1.5 to 2 football fields to get to baggage and then the line for customs. But even with a our own rush pass now, when we got to customs we were stopped because we didn't have our customs form. The immigration guy had taken it and never gave it back. We now had ten minutes to boarding time. I ran (literally) the whole way back those three hallways to the first immigration guy who very loudly told me that he "never kept anyone's custom form and that it must be in my possession somewhere". I looked where we waited for Gracie's processing, where I got interrogated by another officer. Finally I asked the officer who processed Gracie, and he apologetically said he had my paper. After running the whole way back again, we got through customs and dropped our baggage to be reloaded onto our new plane and headed up the escalator with 1 minute to spare....and a security line! After begging our way into the short line, we begged our way past a few people and into line where we both had our bags pulled for review (and then sent through a second time) and Chris got frisked double time. When we finally finished this gauntlet, we were ten minutes past the first boarding time for our plane. Thank the good Lord above that there was a woman with one of those transport cars at the start of our gateway because our gate was at the end of a hallway that was another two football fields in length. We would have never made it without her. We loaded onto the plane with just a few minutes to spare. We were so exhausted after this craziness that Grace and I promptly passed out. She slept for most of the flight, at least three of the four or so hours. A blessing.
Upon landing, I burst into tears, so grateful and thankful to be home safely and so excited to see the boys. I pulled it together so as not to freak everyone out and we had a nice greeting time. It was great to see our friends and family who came out to see us. If that was you, thank you! I know what an effort it is to get to the Pittsburgh airport!
Since the six of us pretty much fill our van, it was just us in the car on the way home with grandparents and friends in other cars. Gracie got in her car seat and sat next to Jude without any complaining. We got home and had a little time at home before we put kids to bed. Grace and I were up for several hours during the night, but last night was much better, for her anyway. I'm still struggling with being wide awake around midnight or so for some reason. Hoping my body adjusts soon. Chris is in our bed, while I am with Gracie, so his sleep has been better.
Grace is adjusting as are the boys. The boys are responding as we thought they would, with Jude seeming a little out of sorts as he figured out what his new place is in the family. Grace is so much smaller than him that it is mind boggling that they are only ten months apart. I really feel that once she is able to communicate well, that they will be fast friends. She has spent the the last two days playing with the Disney Princess kitchen and food that was given to us by Carrie Jack. She loves it. We are working on figuring out what to feed her that she will
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Mixed feelings
Today was a good day. After a very rough evening where naughtiness and a lack of being able to communicate left us putting a sobbing girl to bed early. We woke in better moods, but I was unable to shake an anxious feeling. Everyone has said that leaving China is bittersweet and it really is. I am so ready to be back where people speak clear English on a regular basis. But that means for Grace, that all she knows will be different. In a way, this two weeks gives me a glimpse of what the rest of her life will be like, living in an area of the country where most folks will not look like her. Thankfully we have several Asian friends who are willing to connect with her, but it will never be the same for her.
We went shopping with Ann from Red Thread and were able to buy pearls for Grace's wedding as well as for each of the boys wives. They are beautiful. They were the best quality pearls bought wholesale because of Ann's connections. Shelley and Kevin and Hope Lilan were with us all day. It was awesome. The girls were so adorable together it was a fantasy. I am so sad we do not live closer. We had a disastrous taxi ride so we were very late arriving at Shelley's hotel. While waiting, Lilan told the guide (who speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin) that Grace was her Mei Mei (little sister) and she needed to take care of her. She became very concerned about why we were late ( as was everyone else!) The guides have told Shelley that Hope Lilan is extremely bright, with a very large vocabulary. She is doing much better for the Carson's. She is bossy and funny and quite the riot. We also got Grace an inexpensive pearl necklace and bracelet to wear now because she loves jewelry so much. Hope told the guide she was jealous of Grace's necklace and the dress that she was wearing and that her mother needed to buy her some dresses because the pants she was wearing were not cutting it! Too funny. Both girls left with one of the inexpensive necklaces as well as a bracelet. And then we went dress shopping!
We are now back at the hotel, packing all our belongings and preparing for the long day of travel ahead of us. We are so grateful to all our friends and family who are praying for us, following our journey and doing things to bless us back at home. I think the grandparents will be very excited to see the parents return. Maybe even more than our kids :) Seriously, though, it has been a blessing to know that the kids were well cared for while we were gone. And that we have been prayed for as well. We love you all and can't wait to see you all again soon!
We went shopping with Ann from Red Thread and were able to buy pearls for Grace's wedding as well as for each of the boys wives. They are beautiful. They were the best quality pearls bought wholesale because of Ann's connections. Shelley and Kevin and Hope Lilan were with us all day. It was awesome. The girls were so adorable together it was a fantasy. I am so sad we do not live closer. We had a disastrous taxi ride so we were very late arriving at Shelley's hotel. While waiting, Lilan told the guide (who speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin) that Grace was her Mei Mei (little sister) and she needed to take care of her. She became very concerned about why we were late ( as was everyone else!) The guides have told Shelley that Hope Lilan is extremely bright, with a very large vocabulary. She is doing much better for the Carson's. She is bossy and funny and quite the riot. We also got Grace an inexpensive pearl necklace and bracelet to wear now because she loves jewelry so much. Hope told the guide she was jealous of Grace's necklace and the dress that she was wearing and that her mother needed to buy her some dresses because the pants she was wearing were not cutting it! Too funny. Both girls left with one of the inexpensive necklaces as well as a bracelet. And then we went dress shopping!
We are now back at the hotel, packing all our belongings and preparing for the long day of travel ahead of us. We are so grateful to all our friends and family who are praying for us, following our journey and doing things to bless us back at home. I think the grandparents will be very excited to see the parents return. Maybe even more than our kids :) Seriously, though, it has been a blessing to know that the kids were well cared for while we were gone. And that we have been prayed for as well. We love you all and can't wait to see you all again soon!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
In the eyes of China, Grace was our daughter the day after we received her and went back to sign the papers saying that we were satisfied with her and that we would never abandon or abuse her. Tomor row we finish the American side of the paperwork process at the US consulate here in Guangzhou. Then she will officially be our daughter in the eyes of both countries. Crazy awesome. She will be dressed in red, white and blue to celebrate this day. Can't wait to see her in the sweet outfit I first saw back in June.
Today we spent the day with Shelley, Hope Lilan and Kevin Carson at the Safari Park. It was fun but exhausting. Once Hope and Grace warmed up to each other they were so sweet together. I wish we lived closer for them to play with each other. I put out some very sweet pics of both on Facebook.
Grace continues to have some trouble breathing at night, but only in spurts of time, other times she is fine. I am anxious to get her evaluated to see how we can help her. Poor thing gets so frustrated. She is becoming more comfortable with us, which is great, and sometimes not so great. Today she was comfortable enough to belch several times at us, that was nice :) She is also an avtive 5 year old who likes jumping on beds, etc, which causes some consternation from her parents. We are more than ready to get home and see what life is like on the other side of the world with this princess.
Shelley made the most adorable peg dolls representing each member of our immediate family, and Grace has been lining them up and asking me to point to them so she can say their names. She will definitely know the boys names by the time we get home. Whether or not she will know who is who is another story.
Thank you for your prayers and support. We are doing well here. We have heard of several other families dealing with tragedy and difficulties and know that we are blessed by her relatively easy transition. It has been amazing to see the many families here adopting children with a multitude of needs, from cerebral palsy to paralysis to missing limbs, cleft lip and palate, and large portwine stains. Grace is always concerned for the kiddos who cry or have obvious needs, like the unrepaired cleft lips and a boy with a huge facial portwine stain. She gets a sad little face and says something I don't understand. I try to reassure that it is ok. And it truly is. Because these are the lucky ones. They have found families who will love them and help them to heal physically and emotionally. But there are so many more, over 143 million more. Staggering. Thankful that we can help this one. If you're reading this and want to talk more about how you can do this too, we'd be more than willing to talk to you. But even though adoption isn't for everyone, everyone can pray for these kids and for changes in the way we care for the most vulnerable in our world.
Love to you all. Can't wait to see you again. Three more days in China, then one on an airplane, then home! Hallelujah.
Today we spent the day with Shelley, Hope Lilan and Kevin Carson at the Safari Park. It was fun but exhausting. Once Hope and Grace warmed up to each other they were so sweet together. I wish we lived closer for them to play with each other. I put out some very sweet pics of both on Facebook.
Grace continues to have some trouble breathing at night, but only in spurts of time, other times she is fine. I am anxious to get her evaluated to see how we can help her. Poor thing gets so frustrated. She is becoming more comfortable with us, which is great, and sometimes not so great. Today she was comfortable enough to belch several times at us, that was nice :) She is also an avtive 5 year old who likes jumping on beds, etc, which causes some consternation from her parents. We are more than ready to get home and see what life is like on the other side of the world with this princess.
Shelley made the most adorable peg dolls representing each member of our immediate family, and Grace has been lining them up and asking me to point to them so she can say their names. She will definitely know the boys names by the time we get home. Whether or not she will know who is who is another story.
Thank you for your prayers and support. We are doing well here. We have heard of several other families dealing with tragedy and difficulties and know that we are blessed by her relatively easy transition. It has been amazing to see the many families here adopting children with a multitude of needs, from cerebral palsy to paralysis to missing limbs, cleft lip and palate, and large portwine stains. Grace is always concerned for the kiddos who cry or have obvious needs, like the unrepaired cleft lips and a boy with a huge facial portwine stain. She gets a sad little face and says something I don't understand. I try to reassure that it is ok. And it truly is. Because these are the lucky ones. They have found families who will love them and help them to heal physically and emotionally. But there are so many more, over 143 million more. Staggering. Thankful that we can help this one. If you're reading this and want to talk more about how you can do this too, we'd be more than willing to talk to you. But even though adoption isn't for everyone, everyone can pray for these kids and for changes in the way we care for the most vulnerable in our world.
Love to you all. Can't wait to see you again. Three more days in China, then one on an airplane, then home! Hallelujah.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Reality?
As I was typing my last post, a storm was brewing! A Gracie storm that is. We had our first melt down with her at that time. It is to be expected and in general she does so well, that it is easy to forget all that she has suffered and lost, and all that we do not know. I feel so many holes in her life. What was her living situation like? I don't know. What were her foster parents like? I don't know. Why did her mama abandon her? I don't know. How will I help her answer those questions for herself? I don't know.
Doing some research last night, the author again strongly recommended keeping stimuli to a minimum for a while after getting home, introducing things gradually. Even good, learning, and loving things. All are just too much. We have seen that here. She gets overstimulated and crazy after a day out and about. I love to tickle my boys and rough house a little with them. I cannot do that with her, not even a little bit. She gets immediately crazy. It's just too much.
So yesterday after our medical we just stayed at the hotel and went to the 4th floor outdoor playground and then the pool. It was a good relaxing day. I wish hotel food and room service weren't more like highway robbery in terms of price because we always need to venture out for meals. We bought some noodle bowls (think ramen) but she doesn't seem to like noodles, only rice. We have had McDonalds a couple of times because it is right next door and we hope chicken nuggets will give her some semblance of protein, but icky, already tired of that!
Today we went to the Guangzhou zoo. All of the animals were just a little scary to her, she told our guide. Afterwards we went to McD and they were handing out these tiny baby cones of ice cream. She had no idea what it was. She licked it so gingerly. When we got to the cone she was done. This was after ten minutes of licking the top off this tiny cone of ice cream. Sweet and a little sad.
I was talking to our guide about all the stares we get when we are out and about with Grace. People gawk so hard I'm sometimes afraid they are going to walk into poles or into traffic. She said that most people are confused. Media here is so tight that they are not aware that foreigners are adopting their children. I found this very surprising. So we must indeed look very strange to many people. She said she thinks most people are wondering how this caucasian couple ended up with a Chinese looking baby.
So continue to pray for us to be able to communicate with Grace. Our guide says that she thinks Grace always understands what is being said to her (in Cantonese) even though she sometimes chooses not to answer or only answers in one of two word answers. Like she got very sad when I tried to show her the Hello Kitty nailpolish I brought. I asked Wensi our guide to talk to her about it and she chose not to answer Wensi. We still do not know why. We are sad that this is our last day with this guide because she has really helped us communicate since she is a native Cantonese speaker. We think our guide for the rest of the trip is a Mandarin speaker.
We hope to catch up with Shelley tomorrow. Sounds like Huang Lilan (Hope) is quite the spitfire and quite attached to her Chinese name. It will be intersting to see the two girls together. I think Hope also speaks Cantonese and she seems very fluent and very easy to understand. It will be interesting to see if they can chat together. Also, another child from Grace's orphanage is getting adopted on Monday. They were friends. We hope to try and connect with them of possible.
Love to you all. Continue to pray for us for wisdom and for Grace to understand who we are and how much we love her.
Doing some research last night, the author again strongly recommended keeping stimuli to a minimum for a while after getting home, introducing things gradually. Even good, learning, and loving things. All are just too much. We have seen that here. She gets overstimulated and crazy after a day out and about. I love to tickle my boys and rough house a little with them. I cannot do that with her, not even a little bit. She gets immediately crazy. It's just too much.
So yesterday after our medical we just stayed at the hotel and went to the 4th floor outdoor playground and then the pool. It was a good relaxing day. I wish hotel food and room service weren't more like highway robbery in terms of price because we always need to venture out for meals. We bought some noodle bowls (think ramen) but she doesn't seem to like noodles, only rice. We have had McDonalds a couple of times because it is right next door and we hope chicken nuggets will give her some semblance of protein, but icky, already tired of that!
Today we went to the Guangzhou zoo. All of the animals were just a little scary to her, she told our guide. Afterwards we went to McD and they were handing out these tiny baby cones of ice cream. She had no idea what it was. She licked it so gingerly. When we got to the cone she was done. This was after ten minutes of licking the top off this tiny cone of ice cream. Sweet and a little sad.
I was talking to our guide about all the stares we get when we are out and about with Grace. People gawk so hard I'm sometimes afraid they are going to walk into poles or into traffic. She said that most people are confused. Media here is so tight that they are not aware that foreigners are adopting their children. I found this very surprising. So we must indeed look very strange to many people. She said she thinks most people are wondering how this caucasian couple ended up with a Chinese looking baby.
So continue to pray for us to be able to communicate with Grace. Our guide says that she thinks Grace always understands what is being said to her (in Cantonese) even though she sometimes chooses not to answer or only answers in one of two word answers. Like she got very sad when I tried to show her the Hello Kitty nailpolish I brought. I asked Wensi our guide to talk to her about it and she chose not to answer Wensi. We still do not know why. We are sad that this is our last day with this guide because she has really helped us communicate since she is a native Cantonese speaker. We think our guide for the rest of the trip is a Mandarin speaker.
We hope to catch up with Shelley tomorrow. Sounds like Huang Lilan (Hope) is quite the spitfire and quite attached to her Chinese name. It will be intersting to see the two girls together. I think Hope also speaks Cantonese and she seems very fluent and very easy to understand. It will be interesting to see if they can chat together. Also, another child from Grace's orphanage is getting adopted on Monday. They were friends. We hope to try and connect with them of possible.
Love to you all. Continue to pray for us for wisdom and for Grace to understand who we are and how much we love her.
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