Sorry I (April) didn't blog last night. I had every good intention to. We put the kids to bed and I was planning on going downstairs to the lobby (we only get wifi in the lobby) to post, but Josiah was acting a little worried when I was getting ready to leave. So I laid down with him until he went to sleep - he took two naps yesterday, so it took a while to get to sleep. In the meantime, I fell asleep with my clothes on too!
So it is Tuesday morning here and I am going to tell about yesterday. Josiah is sitting next to me quietly playing with my watch while I'm on the computer.
Yesterday (Monday) was Josiah's official adoption day. We got up early, had a great breakfast at the hotel (this is the only meal that Joel really enjoys, cause they have lots of great western selections), and headed off for the civil affairs office. We had an interview with the civil affairs director and then put our fingerprints and Josiah's foot print on the paperwork to make it official! After that, we went to Wal Mart to stock up on food and drinks. Then after a couple hours break we headed back out to the civil affairs office to pick up paperwork and went to the police station for Josiah's passport photo. It was a long day with hours of driving around the city. Our hotel is in a cool location, in the international district and near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. But it is far away from the civil affairs office so makes for a lot of driving.
Last night, we decided to walk a ways to a restaurant (there are lots of American and other nationalities restaurants by our hotel, but we want to eat Chinese food while in China!!). We ordered our food by pointing to pictures, gesturing, and using our phrase book, really having no idea what we were going to get. It ended up being delicious. One of the dishes was some pickled spicy cabbage, which David was the only one to try - he even called it "Tujia Hot" (Andrew and all those who went with us a few years ago backpacking in the mountains of Hunan province will know how hot this is).
Josiah is doing just wonderfully. The only times he cries (really just a whimper with a couple tears) is when I take off his coat or shoes. He is a happy little guy and very easy. You should see how much his face lights up when he sees Joel. He really loves Joel and they love being silly together. That is part of why yesterday was so hard, though, because we were doing lots of driving around and waiting in different offices. Trying to keep Joel and Josiah calm and quiet was a problem. All they want to do is be silly and laugh when together. We actually had to separate them for part of it so they didn't get too out of control.
We are a little surprises and concerned that Josiah has not seemed to grieve the loss of his caretakers at the orphanage. When we first got him, he came to us very easily. He even at one time walked out of the room that we were in. This is concerning cause we want him to attach to us. So we are being extra diligent about attachment stuff. I am sleeping in the same bed as him, and carrying him everywhere we go. Fortunately we brought an Ergo carrier, which is a lifesaver cause he is pretty heavy. Please pray that he will learn to love and trust us. I know we already love him completely. We were very blessed to both pretty much love him "at first sight." We were preparing ourselves for the possibility of having to learn to love him because this is a common thing with adoptions.
Today we have free time this morning and might go for a walk around the area, and then after nap we will go to the Wild Goose Pagoda with our guide.
Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. Get it now.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)



April,
ReplyDeleteI'm loving your posts and pictures! I'm so happy you are doing great!
Each kid grieves so differently, and Josiah might just be one of those easy going, happy little guys that is go with the flow and he will find his own, maybe even subtle way to grieve. He sounds very smart and maybe learned quickly that he has such a great family!
Glad you got an ergo. I swear by that thing and still carry my kids in ours. You are doing everything right. Just keep it up and we'll keep praying.
Love ya,
Christy
April, You are SO wise to know that happy/easy transitions aren't necessarily the most desirable ones in the long run and you are smart to focus on Josiah's attachment. He is in very capable hands!
ReplyDeleteThe Ergo was the only way I got E to fall asleep those first few nights and I think they are a great attachment tool. Keep up the great work - your instincts are amazing. And wow - I love to see the photos of the boys together. Josiah clearly already adores Joel! Actually, maybe Joel has been a big factor in Josiah's easy transition? I am so glad he came along.
Hope you are getting enough rest - don't forget to take good care of YOU, too! :o)
Hugs, Laura Beth
April, I'm so happy for you!! I can't get over how wonderful things are going for you and sweet Josiah. I'm glad all is going well, and Josiah and his big brother Joel are having such a great time! It just makes me smile. We do really need more pictures though. ;o)
ReplyDeleteHugs,
sheri