A Day of Rest....and Milestones

Today we had nothing official to do.  I was worried that it would get boring being in a hotel all day.  I thought about walking around town some, but decided to stay in, watch the national championship (which started at 9:30 am local time and was in Chinese...it was funny to watch the Americans talk but Chinese come out, kind of like a reverse Godzilla movie.)

As if it were not so already, this day that Nicole and I have had to spend with just Bo has led to highway robbery....she has completely stolen our hearts.  We are so giddy around her and we want to photograph every move.  I feel so silly, but I can't stop being silly with her.  Jackson and Gunner are going to see me with her and ask "Where did our dad go?"  Boys, I'm sorry, but I am stupid in love with this little girl and, well, she gets anything she wants:)  Just kidding fellas, but I think you will know what I am talking about when you meet her and get to play with her. She will make you act silly too, even you Gunner!  I don't know how I can continue to be the Dean of Men, I'll just stare at the boys who are in trouble and say "OK".  And she sleeps the entire night.  Like 9:00-6:30.  We are going to have to find a quick way to get her adjusted to the different time.

Milestone #1- When Nicole left the bedroom and walked into the bathroom this morning Bo cried.  It is a very good sign for her to have separation anxiety, it means she is bonding.  Only problem this morning was that Nicole left and I was still in the room...so much for daddy.  But it is only natural for her to bond first with Nicole....she was born to be a mother and I amsure that Bo feels that in a strong way!

Milestone #2- At breakfast we were working more with her using her hands.  She really liked the toast with Strawberry Jam.  I started to feed her and then when I would put the toast close to her and her little mouth opened like a baby bird we would take her hand and help her get it to her mouth.  By the end of breakfast she was eating food off the high chair.  The young ladies who work at the restaurant are also smitten by her and make eyes at her every time she walks by.

While I am on breakfast, I had a run in with the Soup Nazi of Seinfeld fame.  The other night we were at dinner here at the hotel and a friend was ordering steak.  He had the choice of sauces to go with the steak and after the woman ran through the list he said he wanted the white wine sauce and she responded..."WHITE WINE SAUCE< WE NO HAVE WHITE WINE SAUCE...I SAY RED WINE!"  She scared us all...every time I asked for something I was very polite, worried that the Chinese Soup Nazi would yell at me.
This morning when we left for breakfast Bo was fussy so I went ahead of Nicole.  When we got downstairs and were greeted you get to choose your table but they are ready to get your table ready right when you sit down.  It's high class service that I am not used to...so I am walking around the restaurant with Bo, keeping her calm before we eat and I notice the hostess is following me around, waiting for me to choose a table.  At first, I was not doing it intentionally but I found it kind of funny that this girl was following me, waiting for me to choose a table.  So, I started to weave around tables and go circles....until I ran into the Soup Nazi.  She looked at me and said," WHERE YOU WANT TO SIT?" and I immediately sat down at the closest table.

The people here are so friendly.  They want to take care of everything and I think that they really want to impress Americans, particularly the people who work at the hotel.  Not nearly as many here in Nanchang can speak English, so communicating can be kind of rough.  Last night I was blogging and when I finished I got out of my seat here in the lounge and almost ran into the girl who had been my server.  I said "Excuse me" and she looked back at me, with a confused look, and said "Echuse Me?"  Simple things like ordering a Ginger Ale for Nicole and getting a towel at the fitness center have been hard to communicate.  When I want to get a towel I have to pretend that I am running and that I need to wipe my face.  Yesterday I accidentally followed one of the workers into the female dressing room thinking I was supposed to follow her to get a towel...almost started World War III.  But the good thing is that most of the time they smile, or maybe laugh a little, and say "Sorry" if you can't get your point across.  I found out today that towel is pronounced kind of like mountain in Chinese, so I think I will avoid any more embarrassing mistakes at the fitness center, maybe.  It's hard when I am not politically correct to being with...the other day a woman at the hotel was trying to figure out how to pronounce our last name and she was sounding it out and I said, "No, it's pronounced Chang."  Poor humor.

Milestone #3- She sat up on the bed quite a bit on her own.  We had to sit her, but she was able to maintain her balance well and reach for toys in front of her to play with.  And like every child when the toys are in front of her and there is an empty water bottle nearby she went for.....the empty water bottle. (I just opened a can of ginger ale here in the lounge and it's got a tab from the 1970s, you remember the ones that actually pulled all the way off; haven't seen that in a long time) She did a great job, her reach is rather limited and she falls sometimes and can do nothing about it.

Milestone #4- This isn't a complete milestone, but I am betting she has it down tomorrow...she is almost able to hold the bottle by herself.  There should be some pictures added that show her trying to get her bottle of Strawberry-Guava juice to her mouth. And, yes, they are cute.

A little concerned about my clothes.  All the families needed laundry done...our adoption coordinator brought a local woman in who gathered the clothes we needed cleaned and took them for the night...just not sure what to expect...

Great day.  Played a lot with Bo, watched the National Championship, took a nap (YES!), exercised, and went out to an authentic Chinese dinner with our entire group.  It was a family buffet style dinner...we probably had more than 10 dishes, tea, and Pepsi all for a grand total of 498 RMB.  It came out to 125 RMB per family, or just about $20 American per family.

Nothing official tomorrow or Thursday, but we are going to do some light sightseeing both days.

Thank you for the comments of encouragement on the blog.  I cannot see the blog in China, but when you post a comment I get an email.  I cannot wait to wake up in the mornings to come downstairs and read your comments to what is happening.  It makes us feel closer to home.

Lastly, let me thank all of you who have been praying, specifically for the bonding process.  It has been better than Nicole and I could have ever dreamed, but just as God has ordained.  Thank you for your petitions to Him on our behalf.

Prayer...

God of all creation, I thank you for creating this little life and ordaining in all your wisdom for her to bless my family.  Thank you for the other families on this journey with us and for their encouragement.  Bless them like you have blessed us with bonding...and God, thank you for the love that is being displayed by our friends and family at home.  Thank you for honoring their prayers for successful bonding and bless them for spending time in prayer for us. Please continue to keep us rested, healthy, and prepare our way.  Amen!