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Tuesday, March 7, 2006
ANOTHER DAY IN NANCHANG WITH ZOE
Wow, what another incredible day! Unfortunately for Daddy, Zoe
has bonded incredibly to Amy and often pushes away from him to
get into her arms. The day started off with a feeding and that
was almost the last that Dad got to hold Zoe without a fight.
He walked the halls with her while Mom showered and dried her
hair, but Zoe fought and cried pretty much the entire time.
Her attention was captured at various moments by movement on
the river and down on the streets (we are on the 12th floor
and the view is incredible!) but mostly she cried for Mommy.
At breakfast, Amy thought it would be best if Steve started
feeding Zoe when she was hungry, but Zoe was having none of
it! She reached for Mom and that was that. Steve sought a
little comfort in a chocolate donut, so much for his weight
loss program! For all the Dads out there, I know that it won’t
always be like that, but for all the Dads-to-be, just prepare
yourself for the fact that your daughters might bond to their
Moms and want very little to do with you most of the time.
It’s so hard after waiting for what seemed like an eternity
only to be in the position to feel your daughter cry every
time you pick her up. I am extremely happy to know that Zoe is
at least bonding strongly to one of us and will do what I can
(it’s not all bad, there were moments today as you’ll read
later that were great!) to get through it.
After breakfast we went out to the park here in Nanchang in
what our guide, Jack, called a slight drizzle;but seemed like
a solid, steady rain to everyone else in our group ☺. The park
was incredibly beautiful and it was nice to be outdoors and
out of the hotel. Amy and I encountered first-hand what it was
like to have our daughter out in public with part of her legs
showing (between sock and pant – her pants were a little big
so we rolled them up.) While Amy tried to get the hip carrier
adjusted, two older Chinese women came over to help and
scolded us as they pulled her pants legs down and covered them
with her socks! We were totally prepared for this as we
understand that the Chinese children are usually dressed in
several layers and never have skin showing below the neck
except maybe for the arms. Then it was off to enjoy the park.
We moved from shelter to shelter dodging the rain. At the
first area, we heard people singing a Chinese opera, I think,
and someone was doing Tai Chi. We soaked in the atmosphere. At
another pagoda, we stopped to hear a one-string instrument and
singers. The people welcomed our entire group to stop and
listen and even offered up their seats. On the way back to our
small bus, Zoe fell asleep and Amy moved slowly as not to wake
her. One Chinese woman offered us her umbrella and while we
refused, it was amazing to think that someone out of the blue
would be prepared to give us their umbrella in a rain storm.
Back at the hotel, Zoe had her first lunch complete with an
8-oz bottle of formula, many cheerios, some rice crackers and
some baby-food peas bought at the grocery the day before.
Steve and Amy ordered room service – Amy wanted penne pasta
with meat sauce and Steve got a pizza. Well, room service for
the second day in a row didn’t exactly get our order correct.
Amy’s meal came with spaghetti instead of penne and boy are we
grateful for that mistake! Amy taught Zoe to slurp spaghetti
noodles and it was great to see Zoe laughing and smiling and
having a great time. This was mostly captured on videotape and
was one of the highlights of the day for Steve as Zoe smiled
and giggled and blew Chinese kisses at him.
Unfortunately Zoe was now wound up and getting her to lay down
for an afternoon nap didn’t really work. Dad went to the
grocery and found that they had moved the baby food, but was
able to find the right aisle after a few minutes. He also got
a small baby potty for US$4 to try to assist with Zoe’s
continued potty training. It really hasn’t worked yet but
we’re hopeful that we’ll figure it out like everything else so
far.
Since nap time was skipped, we all walked with the group to a
local shopping area. Zoe promptly fell asleep a few moments
into the trip. I have to say of anything in our referral
paperwork, it was spot on when it said that Zoe likes to be
outdoors. On the way back from the shopping area, Amy’s arms
were about to fall off and she passed Zoe to Steve for the
long walk back to the hotel. Surprisingly, at least to Steve,
Zoe didn’t cry but sung. She has certain phrases that she
sings over and over again. She was mesmerized by all the
people and places along the trip and forgot that Dad was even
holding her, or maybe she sensed that Mom just needed a break.
Anyway, she didn’t act up until we stopped for a few moments a
block from the hotel. She calmed down after the walk started
again, but as soon as we reached the hotel room, she pushed
out of Steve’s arms right into Amy’s.
We had a group session in the hall between our walk and dinner
that was great. Zoe played and laughed and smiled. It was
great to see her having such a good time. Again at dinner, Zoe
wouldn’t let Steve feed her so Amy didn’t get to eat until
after Zoe was done. And with Zoe eating a Rice Congee,
cheerios, rice crackers, wagon wheels, watermelon, and a whole
bowl of steamed eggs, her dinner lasted a little while.
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Steve gets to start the day with a feeding.
In the Park in the rain.
Another picture of the park.
Zoe and the first noodles with us
On the way back to the hotel from the shopping area.
Dad finally gets to hold Zoe.
Pre-bed playtime.
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Then it was back up to the hotel
room where Amy and Zoe played with the bath turtle for a
while. Zoe was once again smiling and laughing. It is hard to
imagine that it’s been about 48 hours since we got our
daughter and she seems like a whole different person. We’re
all adjusting to one another and getting our routines down. We
have to wait here in Nanchang until the paperwork gets
finished Friday morning before flying to Guangzhou and the
U.S. Consulate. Then finally the long flight home; can’t wait.
Anyway, tomorrow is another light day for us so expect more of
the same fun.
Thanks again to everyone who has posted. I just wanted to
respond to a few of the questions. First, in China the
children are usually dressed in split pants (essentially pants
with the crotch cut out so the privates are bare.) When they
have to go to the bathroom, the just have to squat (hopefully
held over a toilet or sometimes just a pit) – no need to
remove diapers, watch out for clothes, etc. Amy and I, of
course, are putting a diaper on Zoe and dressing her in only
the best Hanna Anderson clothes complete with crotch. So going
to the potty is quite the ordeal, involving essentially
undressing Zoe, removing the diaper and then holding her over
the toilet (brace her so her back is resting against your
chest and hold her legs just above the knees so she is sort of
in a squatting position.) There are two sounds that seem to
signal it’s okay for her to pee or poop – whistling and a sort
of grrr sound. 11 months may seem early to Americans to
potty-train, but this was normal to Zoe and the first day she
really fought to have the diaper on her. She has hardly gone
in her diaper, and signals us when she needs to go by a sort
of dance she has. She also is able to tell us when she’s done
on the potty by pushing up with her legs. It hasn’t taken long
to be able to read her and probably for her to read us.
Next, to Sofia, we don’t really understand most of the Chinese
being spoken. We have had guides that can interpret the
Chinese if we really need it. A lot of the communication
doesn’t need words – it’s fairly clear by the actions or the
motions to various items. In the restaurants in Beijing, the
menus often come with pictures so you can just point to what
you want to order. When something is unfamiliar, I’ve often
watched how other people around me do it to learn. For
instance, while out on an adventure, Amy and I ordered Peking
Duck. It is served with a kind of thin pancake and a variety
of vegetables and sauces. Having no idea what the proper way
to eat this way was, I watched the Chinese gentleman at the
table in front of me prepare the pancake with the sauce and
duck. Add the vegetables and roll the ends over one another to
form sort of a taco. That’s how we figured out how to eat the
Duck. Some day maybe we’ll learn Chinese as we hope to have
our daughter learn it as well.
Happy Birthday, Kim! Sorry for not calling, but we’re a little
busy at the moment. We’ll talk when we’re back and settled a
little. Say hi to Corey and Craig.
Finally, we’ve been sharing our computer with everyone in our
travel group and have passed your comments on to Jack as well
as Lisa and Dino. Mary Kate is also reading the postings and
the comments. I can’t wait for you to see the video and other
pictures. |
