Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Good evening, or should I say good morning to you from Chengdu! We started the day off with a bang! We were able to skype with the kids and Grandma and Grandp Kaiser this morning! It sure was great to see them, although it makes us long to be home and with them SO badly. We miss the kids terribly. You can pray for us in that regard. We still have over half of the trip left and that is a daunting thought. We just want to be home and sleep in our own beds, and let everyone start adjusting to life as it will be, but for now we need to try and focus on the things we need to finish up and enjoying the rest of the trip. We are really looking forward to getting to Guangzhou and being with the other Bethany families.

After we skyped with the kids, actually during our time skyping Emma started to get scared. She didn't really want much to do with skyping and decided to lay on the floor, almost in a fetal position and stare off with a blank look on her face. This was a little scary to witness, but we realize that this is how she is coping with all the MAJOR changes in her little life. It is a way of protecting herself when she is afraid. We will help her work through this and pray that with time she will out grow some of these behaviors. She ended up falling asleep within minutes after we got off with the kids and things quieted down. We let her sleep for a short while and then woke her up for breakfast. She was all smiles and ready to go. We ate at the buffet here at the hotel and finally found something Emma will eat......pumpkin congee! This is a soupy rice dish that can be accompanied with a variety of different things, today it happened to be pumpkin! Yay for pumpkin congee! She also ate some scrambled eggs and cheerios. We think part of the not eating stint was due to us not feeding her with chopsticks and not putting it in a bowl, of course! This girl knows what she likes! NO JOKE!!!

We walked to starbucks just before lunch time and bought me a coffee mug that says Chengdu and it came with a free coffee! My lucky day, cause that just doesn't happen at home! AND.....we found an adorable little bearista dressed in Chinese clothes and we felt Miss Emma Claire must have it! AND.....we got another free coffee!!! Mom and dad enjoyed their cafe Mocha's while Emma played with her new bear! We did a little walking around and came back to the room for naps. Emma and mama slept before we met our guide Susie at 2:30. We took a taxi and drove past the local children's hospital where Emma was found. We snapped some quick pictures and were on our way to a local park. We are so glad that Susie recommended that we go to the park. She walked around with us and we saw some beautiful sights. The park was full of people singing, dancing, playing badmitten, paddling around a small river and even doing tai chi! We found a children's area for Emma. She had fun trying to catch goldfish in a net and dropping them into a bowl full of water. She also loved playing on the slide. She is a brave little thing! It was a great afternoon of taking in some of the everyday life for the people of Chengdu.

After the park we had to print off some of Emma's medical documents to take to Guangzhou with us and then we were on the hunt for dinner. We decided to try the Chinese restaurant here in the hotel. It was very good and once again Emma ate really well! We got some Haagen Dazs ice cream for a treat and brought it back up to the room. That was delicious and a good reminder of home!

Emma Claire is starting to feel more comfortable with us and it is showing! She has begun to test us to see what she can get away with. This can be difficult waters to navigate. We are just trusting the Lord that we are doing the right thing. Bad behavior will not be

tolerated and will be met with a strong NO! As time goes on she will understand that we won't react to her naughty behavior of throwing things and then making silly faces to try and get us to laugh at her. She has one crazy face that she makes after she does something naughty. We are NOT reacting to it and are hoping that she will learn we are not entertained by her antics! The terrible twos even exist in China! She will be met with love, consistency and firmness.....that's how it goes in the Kaiser household! Please pray that the Lord will grant us wisdom and patience as we deal with some of these behaviors that have come out of necessity for attention. This makes us sad, but it is the reality of living in an institution and foster care. Pray with us, that Emma's heart will understand our love for her, even when she doesn't get her way!

As I type this, both Daddy and Emma are snoring on the bed! Very cute! Jason is so good with Emma, and has shown so much love to her! He is such a blessing to me!
Well, it's time to get ready for bed and relax for a bit. We are off to the famous Panda reserve in Chengdu tomorrow morning! We are really looking forward to this.....can't wait to see some baby Panda's!

Avarie, Evan and Ella~ it was so GREAT to see you this morning (last night for you)!!! You all looked so good! We miss you more than you know! It is really hard being away from you for so long! We can't wait to get home and go to your soccer and t-ball games! Emma will be so excited to go too! Hope you have a great day today! Lots of hugs< and kisses to you from CHINA!!! p.s. Tomorrow we will look for a souvenier for you! What do you think we'll find??? LOVE YOU!!!! Mom & Dad