Monday, September 5, 2011

Update on Gotcha Day and Day 2

Well, last night was interesting. Around 6:00 pm Kaia packed up her backpack and decided it was time to return to the orphanage. We were able to distract her for a couple of hours, but when she realized she was staying, she wailed and cried and screamed for an hour. She would not let us remove her backpack or shoes. We felt so bad for her knowing how scared she is. But she finally cried herself to sleep around 9:00pm. She slept with her backpack on and shoes. We were too afraid of waking her to remove them. We anticipated more tears and frustration from her this morning when she woke and realized she was still with us, but amazingly, she was smiling and playful. She would not let us bathe her except with a washcloth so we decided that was a battle for another day. They don't use tubs and showers at the orphanage from what we can tell.

We had 2 appointments today to finalize the adoption. She started to get car sick, but thankfully, our driver made an effort to lessen the stop and start motion as much as possible and she didn't throw up. If you have ever been to China and seen the traffic, you know how hard this must have been. Picture cars, bicycles, and motorcycles all heading toward each other at the same time with complete disregard for traffic lanes and rules.

We took her shopping for some sneakers and a pair of sandals which she seemed pretty pleased with. Our guide came back to the room with us and helped us communicate with her on taking a bath and we were able to give her one. She now knows what is expected. Our guide also explained to her that she doesn't need to carry around all her toys at all times in the backpack. We think she wanted them with her in case she went back to the orphanage they would not get left behind. Tomorrow will be filled with sightseeing and I am glad I packed children's Dramamine.

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