Monday, September
13, 2010
This morning was our visa appointment with the U.S. Consulate.
All of our immigration paperwork was in order and this step was
completed. YAY!! Tomorrow will be the appointment to take the
Oath and then the next day is the day we will receive Bella's
visa (Lord willing).
Today was another day of small steps for Bella that will soon
equal great strides. I am confident that with every little step
she takes, she will begin to gain momentum.
Here are some of the great steps she took today:
-She let Bryan feed her two meals today with me close by.
-She has started to say 2 or 3 words now- even though they are
quiet and reserved
-She has shown us that she can stand and walk with full supports
needed.
-She has let out a little chuckle here and there - she has been
a tough shell to crack- her siblings have me in stitches and she
can really keep a straight face for great lengths of time
-She can pick up small items with her pointer finger and thumb
-She now calls me mama- and not just when she is crying
-She did not lose her lunch today! YAY!!
-She is warming up to her new family more and more each day.
When we get home, she has some GI and urology issues that will
need to get worked out swiftly, but all in all we are seeing
progress.
Despite her sadness and uncertainty, we are continuing through
our day and trying to keep life predictable yet as normal as we
can in such an abnormal situation (living in a hotel, speaking a
different language than our little one, wondering if she thinks
we are merely babysitting or if she understands that this is
forever). I continue to comfort her while stretching her comfort
zone.
This afternoon we went on a fun bus ride to the Pearl Market. It
was quite comical to see us squeeze into a bus like a can of
sardines. The picture depicts the scene much better than I could
with words. My favorite thing to do while in China is to walk
around and take in the sights of the city and the everyday life
of the people who reside here. It is so intriguing and I truly
love this continent – the people, the sights, the daily struggle
that many persevere through in daily life, even the smells but I
mostly love the people.
Tonight we went on a River Dinner Cruise. We have seen this
cruise each time we have come here, but we have never
experienced it firsthand. We boarded the boat and were offered
an interesting variety of authentic Cantonese food. The choices
included pickled pig intestine, steamed fish – eyeballs and all,
as well as a variety of noodles, vegetables and mystery meats.
The lights of the hotels and bridges lit up the riverbank and it
was a fun experience. After dinner there was a magic show. It
was not quite like the magic back at home with Magic Brady who
nicely ties in scripture with the mystery of God’s love for us.
Nope- this magic show just kind of creeped me out and left me
disturbed. I realize I don’t really like creepy magic shows so
much. |
The Sardine Bus Ride
Sights of Guangzhou
Snack Anyone?
We Found a 7-11 and the Kids had a Slurpie
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