Monday, September 17, 2007
MEETING NOLA
She's amazing.
Nola Han Rui is brilliant and beautiful and has a smile that
just warms you up from the inside. She's inquisitive and loving.
She shares her cheerios and goldfish willingly. She loves loves
loves bathtime, but she'll let you know when it's time to get
out. She eats like a horse. Truly. I was feeding her fish congee
(the first thing she agreed to eat after having her total
meltdown this afternoon) and she grabbed the bowl out of my
hands and stuck her face in it! I then handed her the spoon and
she fed herself. And fed herself. And fed herself. Eric and I
just sat back in awe. Then she grabbed a bottle of water, took
the cap off and started chugging it. Whu? After we picked our
jaws up off the ground, we put the water in a sippy cup...which
at least makes us more comfortable, and she tolerates.
We met Han Rui in a small room off the hotel restaurant this
morning. She was brought to the hotel by her foster mother and
grandmother. The grandmother explained to us that Han Rui is the
fifth foster child she has raised and handed over to their
forever families from the U.S. I told her she had a big heart
and she responded with, "God is good." They were loving,
gracious women and Nola misses them deeply. We had a pretty
rough afternoon, but she seems to have gotten her grieving out
for the day. She and Eric are playing stacking cups on the floor
of the hotel room right now (stacking cups RULE!!!). She loves
the ball that Erica gave her and the animal finger puppets but,
honestly, I think she could find something to play with in a
bare room. She's imaginative, talkative, very engaging, makes
great eye contact, loves to be held, but also enjoys her
free-time. She "talks" on the phone and has huge feet. She's
making noises (dada, baba, mama - but I don't think she's
necessarily referring to us) and she waves goodbye.
When asked about her personality, her foster mothers said she
"acts more like a boy" (heh.). They said she likes animals (cats
and dogs specifically - lucky Jezebel) and that she sleeps
through the night, with one nap in the middle of the day. She
likes fish, pork, beef and fruit the best. When asked what kinds
of food she doesn't like, her foster mothers just gave us a
funny look. Apparently she eats everything.
Her foster mothers gave us the blanket that came with her from
the orphanage - a simple, brown corduroy and floral quilt that
she has had since she was about one week old. They also gave us
the homemade baby carrier that she rode in on po-po's
(grandmother's) back. The grandmother cried and hugged me when
they left the hotel. I promised I would send them pictures of
Han Rui in her new home.
Whew...I'm tired. She's now feeding her finger puppets (i.e.,
pouring formula all over them). She seems happy. We're ecstatic. |
Meeting Nola at the hotel
restaurant
First bath in the hotel room
Our first nap |
