Wednesday, February 25, 2009

We had our second full day with Addison; it was as wonderful as the first! We didn’t have a schedule to follow, and were able to do what we wanted.

Addison slept until after 8:00, and woke up happy! We gave Addison her first real bath with us. She seemed to like the water, and wasn’t afraid to just sit in it. We didn’t press the issue too much and made bath time quick. We actually got some cute smiles while washing her hair.

After breakfast we came back up to the 9th floor for some quiet time. Addison had many firsts with us today. She finally allowed us to put her on her tummy and play on the floor. Before that she wanted only to be held and rocked. It was nice to see her reach for some toys, and actually play with them. Up until today Addison hadn’t sat up on her own with us. We have been working with her on this. This morning she sat there for 10 minutes and played with Ella (her Wisconsin sister). It was very rewarding see Addison pick up this milestone so quickly. Today was also started to work on her crawling skills. This is going to take awhile, but with practice she will be crawling around soon.

We went to a city park that was within walking distance of the hotel; many stares came our way, but a young man that spoke some broken English approached us. He was very nice and wanted to take Jen and Addison’s picture (some much for the oversized Caucasian man!), he then wanted his picture taken with them as well on his cell phone. He asked us where we were from and wasn’t too familiar with Minnesota, but new that it was in the northern part of America. He said, “The weather much hotter here, right!” He then commented on how pretty Addison was, pulled out a wrapped piece of candy from his pocket and gave it to us, then kissed her on the check and went on his way. (Not sure what the candy is, we can’t read the words on the packing, but Addison enjoyed playing with the wrapper just like the M&M’s bag, she likes anything that makes noise). Before the gentleman left we asked him if he was from Nanning. He said, “yes, I from Nanning.” We told him that is was beautiful here and that we would bring Addison back someday to see her homeland. He said, “yes, thank-you, yes!”

We came back to the hotel and just chilled with Addison and enjoyed every minute! Some of the girls struggled today; we feel they are missing their nannies. It’s been hard on their parents and the girls. It’s been difficult to watch and not be able to comfort them. Please keep all the girls in your prayers! Addison seems to be doing okay so far. She hasn’t pulled away from us and is reaching out for us to pick her up. I think it’s because we feed her! She is not afraid of the buffet! Okay, it’s only chicken congee and formula, but what a buffet it’s been. At times though she seemed a little more reserved, not sure if this is all the grieving we will see from her or not, we’re thinking it might be because she is younger than some of her sisters as far as the way she might be showing her loss.

As we were out today, Jen and I learned more about the Chinese people. They are very hard working, and take great pride in their country to make it look presentable. There are always people cleaning the streets, sidewalks, and our room. We even got our beds turned down tonight by housekeeping. They knocked on the door at 7:30, and asked if they could do that for us. I think we were taken back a little by this gesture of kindness.

Things Jen and I have learned about Addison:

•She has beautiful dark brown eyes that melt our hearts!

•She has the funniest giggle, and the craziest scowl!

•She has a smile that can light up the room!

•She can roll her tongue from right to left or left to right in her mouth.

•She makes a sucking sound, and hums to herself when she is tired. It reminds us of the movie Rainman – when Dustin Hoffman is going over the long bridge, and hums!) It’s quite comical and cute!

•She draws a lot of attention from the locals; she is kissed and told she is beautiful all the time.

•She is slowing becoming more comfortable with us. Around other people she still is a shy young girl.

•We also know that Addison will always have two Chinese soul mates in China, her birth parents. They must have been wonderful people, they gave Addison a strong will to live, and to be a survivor! Please keep them in your prayers as well.

Enjoy the pictures,

Jason