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Trip to China
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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Today was just what the doctor ordered. A perfect combination of staying busy and chilling out at the hotel. I was, once again, up early. But Jude and Tori decided to sleep until the last minute before breakfast and our 9:15 meeting time for our sightseeing day. Jude didn't sleep very soundly and although he didn't wake up, he tossed and turned most of the night. When he did wake up, he was slower to warm up than yesterday. At breakfast he was still a bit reserved, but managed to pack away two yogurts and some of my omelet. I think he's still recovering from our visit to his orphanage yesterday.

We first headed to Panda World, a small Panda zoo of sorts. Despite the stifling heat and humidity, we all enjoyed our short visit. Five pandas are housed there and one of them was excitingly close to the railing during our visit. Even though Jude didn't seem to notice, Tori and I got a kick out of being so close to a panda. We also visited a butterfly house, filled with butterflies from Vietnam. Then we went to a mausoleum of a man who's name I can't remember or pronounce, even if I could recall. But it was interesting, seeing how families lived in this area in the 1800's. In the same compound was the tea ceremony which was surprisingly fun. We were given four different types to try and Tori and I decided we didn't like any of them. But it was enjoyable and entertaining nonetheless and we enjoyed learning the proper way to hold and drink a cup of tea, Chinese style. Jude didn't seem interested in the tea, but he had us all giggling with his silly faces and contagious laughter. After all the excitement of the morning, we decided to go out to lunch together, to a restaurant the driver recommended. It was excellent and we had our first American type food since we've been in China. Jude stuck with his normal Chinese fare, yogurt, egg and noodles, while Tori and I ate his french fries and chicken nuggets :) After lunch we all headed back to the room for a nap, but unfortunately Jude decided his cat nap in the van was adequate. So we spent the afternoon playing in the room, and Tori and I had a blast watching him venture out further and further, laughing and smiling all the way.

After studying Jude for a few days, I think I can say with some certainty (and a little bit of my eternal optimism) that he is fairly close to being on target developmentally. The reality is that adoption, special needs or not, is a leap of faith. We knew that Jude was our son, regardless, but it was with a sigh of relief that I realized that he is quite bright and even a bit impish when he's in the mood. He loves to throw things, anything, just to see what you will do. He doesn't care if you don't give it back to him, he's just happy to have something to throw. He is gesturing more and more, but usually just waits for me to feed him or give him something to play with. If a stranger were to try to guess his age, I think they would guess around 12 months. Taking into consideration the amount of time he's been institutionalized, he's doing pretty darn well! Because of his feet he cannot walk yet, and he is still a bit unsteady when he is holding on. He can get into a sitting position from supine and from standing, and just in the last few days, he has become much steadier on his feet. He loves to do things with his hands and seems to be at least age appropriate for fine motor. He has mastered the stacking cups and can place them all in proper order if you give them to him in a pile. In fact, he loves to put things into their 'place' and will put the straw back into the juice box over and over, working ever so carefully to get the straw in just the right spot. He also loves musical toys and any sort of singing. Even mama's voice can get him swaying back and forth. He has started to babble with us and I think he can probably say more than he has been, he just hasn't felt comfortable yet. I was looking at a book with him and he pointed to the zebra, so I said "zebra" and he repeated it, at least to the best of his ability. Today he has said "mama" a few times when he was wanting me to get his cup he had thrown into the tub, not sure if it was directed at me, but it's a step in the right direction considering he refused to even make the "ma" sound before. He also says "jiejie"... I think Tori has been whispering it in his ear while he sleeps.

Not much on the schedule for tonight, I think I'm going to try to get to sleep early, so that means writing the update before Jude and Tori are asleep. Tomorrow we will pick up the children's passports and go to a department store, so I can do a little bit of shopping. I'd like to buy some things for Jude in the capital of his province, and secretly I'm hoping to find some adorable shoes for my girls here! I promised my Sophie I'd buy her some shoes and a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do :)

Signing off from Fuzhou!

Enjoying the panda zoo


This might look like a stuffed animal,
but it's the real thing


Kinda hard to blend in with the crowd here


Realistic looking stuffed pandas, eh?


"When in doubt, pinky out!"


Jude NOT diggin' the tea


Is this kid cute or what?!
 

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