Last day in Inner Mongolia (Friday)

Yesterday we spent the morning packing up our mess of stuff and then met our guide at 2:30.  We went to the notary office and picked up our papers and then headed to the Inner Mongolia Museum.  There were some large dinosaur fossils there.  The largest ever found in the world were uncovered in Inner Mongolia sometime in the 1980's.  We saw many different exhibits at the museum and then we headed to the airport. 

Zeke did pretty well on the airplane - didn't cry too much.  There were a few tantrums but they didn't last for too long.  We landed around 10 pm and then it took awhile for our ride to make his way through the traffic to pick us up so we didn't get to our hotel until about midnight.  We were exhausted. 

Yesterday was a better day with Zeke opening up to us more and more.  He even smiled and laughed.  We found a palm tree in the lobby and Zeke thought it was the greatest thing when Bruce would tickle him with the leaves.  We had been given a memory book from his orphanage and there were pictures of his nanny playing with palm branches with him so I think it was something he enjoyed. 

Daddy got Zeke to smile and maybe even laugh a little!

The largest dinosaur fossils ever found

How did Trusty dog get in to see the dinosaurs?

Mommy and Zeke with the dinosaurs

A tired Zeke by the Woolly Mammoth

A traditional Mongolian scene

Baotou SWI Visit

Today we got up earlier and headed to the city of Baotou (Bow (like you take after a performance) Toe) where Zeke's SWI (social welfare institute) is.  It was about a 2 1/2 hr drive.  There were beautiful mountains along the roadside.  We were able to see the place where Zeke was abandoned - at the gate of the orphanage.  We were able to take pictures of the outside of the orphanage but we were told not to take any inside.  We were lead inside to the area where he stayed and we were immediately greeted by his nannies.  Unfortunately we forgot to bring along the Ergo carrier so I was just holding him and his one nanny reached for him and he practically lept out of my arms to get to her.  We were planning to not let any of them hold him since we thought it would undo the bonding that we had just done.  This nanny who he went to was his favorite because she was the one who did the games and took the kids outside so Zeke really liked her. He then went to another nanny of his and then I said no more and pried him away from them.  Zeke wasn't so happy with me and threw a fit.  They told our guide that when he was upset they gave him snacks so they loaded his hands with treats and he calmed down!  Great, we have a very spoiled boy on our hands! 

We then asked if we could see where he slept and they showed us his bed.  They allowed Bruce to take pictures of that.  They were cleaning the playroom so we couldn't really see it too well.  We went outside and saw the playground.  The director wanted to speak with us so we were escorted to his office.  He thanked us for adopting Zeke and asked what our plans were for him. We soon left and made the journey back to the hotel.  We stopped at KFC for some lunch to go and ate it in our hotel room. 

The gate to the SWI where he was abandoned

His crib

Half of his room

Zeke's orphanage

The mountains we saw as we drove from Hohhot to Baotou

After naps we went to the swimming pool here.  There is a smaller pool that is supposed to be a hot tub only it's not hot - it's just warm so we hung out in there and Zeke seemed to enjoy it.  We weren't sure how he would respond but he likes baths so we decided to try.  There were 2 older kids in the pool too and Zeke opened up to them and had fun. 

Zeke has his hot and cold moments with us.  Sometimes he seems to be bonding well and other times he just shuts down - he starts to rub his eyes and tries to close you out.  He isn't so sure about Bruce but tolerates him if I'm not available.  He hasn't been around many men so he's not sure what to think.  Zeke has a horrible habit of arching his back whenever he is upset.  He will practically flip himself backwards out of your arms just because something little upset him.  It's quite annoying.  He was doing it on the car ride today and he literally touched his head to his feet by doing a backwards arch.  He's super strong that way.  He definitely knows how to throw a tantrum. 

Tomorrow we pack up our things and check out of our hotel by 2:30.  We will tour the Inner Mongolia Museum, pick up some documents and then go to the airport.  We have a 7:10 flight to Guangzhou and land there about 10:30.  It will be a late night till we get to the White Swan Hotel.  We will be meeting up with our travel group at the airport.  It will be good to see everyone with their kids!  I'm sure we will be seeing lots of newly adopted children there since this is the place were many adoptive families stay and all of the US part of the adoption has to take place in this city.  It may be a bit before I can blog again but stay tuned....

Prayer requests:  Zeke seems to be having a very unrestful sleep tonight - he is rolling from side to side in his crib.  Also please pray for our bonding.  Thanks for your prayers!

Prayers answered!

Thank you all for praying because God answered our prayers and I finally got a good night of sleep last night and Zeke's temperature is almost normal today (99 degrees).  Praise the Lord! 

Today we had our official paperwork with the provincial affairs to make the adoption legal.  That went smoothly.  The worst part was trying to explain why we would want to adopt a child when we already had 3 children without saying something about God and our faith.  (We were advised not to answer that question with anything regarding Christianity.) 

For the first 48 hours that we had Zeke he was pretty much in shut-down mode.  He just sat there expression-less.  He didn't make any sounds and we knew he could talk.  He occasionally cried.  He didn't want to play with anything and didn't do much except sleep and sit there.  Today he began to open up to us.  We saw some grief - he arched his back and cried.  He pointed to things and said something or grunted.  He reached for me and wanted to be held sometimes.  He enjoyed playing with bubbles and enjoyed popping them.  He had fun moving crayons from one cup to another.  He began eating a more variety of things.  He occasionally went back into shut-down mode.  This is stressful for him so the easiest thing for him to do is just close up and sleep or be expressionless. 

Late this afternoon we went to pick up Zeke's passport.  When we came back to the hotel we were able to meet another family that our guide is helping. They are from Georgia and just got here today and recieved their son as soon as they got here.  Their son happens to be Zeke's friend (according to the orphanage workers) - Zeke wants no part of interacting with any one other than Bruce and I at this point.  We thought seeing his friend would be good for him but he could have cared less.  He actually tried to not look at his friend every time I would turn so he could see his friend, Sam, he would flip his head the other way! 

For supper tonight we were going to try the Italian restaurant that is in our hotel but we were informed that it is under renovation and doesn't open until July 1st.  So Alex, the nice man who works here, helped us to find another restaurant.  We asked if there were any western style restaurants within walking distance.  He told us that there was a McDonalds not too far and he drew us a map!  We set off on our own little adventure with his hand-drawn map and his business card in our pocket in case we would get lost - he spoke good English so he would help us if we got lost!  It was fun and we found the McDonalds with no problem - it was exactly as he said.  The only obstacle was having to cross 2 major intersections which in China is a big deal!  Cars do NOT yield to pedestrians!  We found another man who was definitely a local and we followed him - and I mean we were right on his tail!  We didn't want to be a step behind him or we could have had a car or motorbike jump between us!  It's just crazy how they drive around here - it's hard to explain - it seems like there are no rules and everyone just does there own thing. 

We were able to order our food by pointing at the menu.  We wanted a chicken sandwich combo.  We ended up with spicey chicken because we couldn't tell from the picture that it was spicy.  It was still good.  We wanted soda without ice (because we can't drink the water here) so Bruce had to take our drinks back and show them the ice and shook his head no.  They got it and fixed it.  Bruce even went back and ordered icecream cones (again by pointing).  Zeke was having fun eating cheerios throughout our meal and was even trying to feed some to Mommy!  When our icecream came out he allowed me to put some in his mouth.  At first he made a funny face because he probably never had anything so cold before.  In China they don't ever feed babies anything cold - even water is warmed up before given to the baby - I got yelled at from our guide that I shouldn't give him such cold water - it was slightly warmer than room temp!  Anyway, he loved the icecream and wanted more! 

Our Hotel                                             

We made our way back to the hotel, again trailed behind people who were crossing the same time we were.  They probably thought us Americans were crazy getting so close to them but then again they don't seem to care about invading personal space so they probably were just shocked to see 2 americans - one of which is quite tall!  We were getting a lot of attention around town tonight.  I guess they don't see too many white people around this city as they do in Beijing.

When we put Zeke to bed tonight he threw a fit.  Before we would just lay him down and he would whimper but he would settle right down - it was probably part of the shut-down mode.  Now that the real Zeke is coming out and he is starting to bond with this new Mommy and Daddy he didn't want us to let him go and lay there by himself.  We kept reassuring him that we were here and then I sat here and began to type and he could see me and now he's snoring!

We have an early start tomorrow - 7:30 we have to meet our guide's brother who is going to take us to Zeke's orphanage.  Please pray that Zeke continues to open up to us and that seeing his orphanage isn't too traumatic for him.  Thanks for all of your prayers!  We really feel them! 

The Grass lands and other Mongolian things!

Today was a really long day.  We left at 9 am for the Grasslands.  It was a long drive but it was worth seeing!  Bruce thought he was back in Montana looking for mule deer!  The area was mountainous and had short grass and it was a dry region.  We saw some yurts and stopped to visit a traditional Mongolian family and had something like tea there.  Zeke was cooperative and slept for some of the car ride. 

We had lunch at a Mongolian Hot Pot.  They bring a pot of boiling water to the table and set it on the center burner.  The pot is divided in half - one side is spicy the other side isn't.  We had finely sliced beef, noodles, sausage, and lettuce to dip into it.  You drop the food in and let it boil for a little and then you scoop it out and eat it!  It was pretty good.  Zeke started opening up a little at lunch time.  He actually was playing with his biscuit thing.  It was good to see him do something other than just sit there with a blank stare.  But it didn't last for very long. 

After eating lunch I needed to use the bathroom and for the first time since we arrived here I had to use a traditional Chinese toilet - a squaty potty!  I did master it and was greatful for that!  In touristy places they often have western style toilets like we are used to.

We then went to a Mongolian store.  They sold everything Mongolian - knifes, belts, wallets, Mongolian style clothing, etc.  We did buy Zeke a Mongolian style outfit just because.  Pictures of that some other day! 

We then went to a store to buy clothing to donate to Zeke's orphanage.  Finally it was time to head back home and I was very glad because I was exhausted and by now Zeke had had enough!  We took a nap, had supper and wandered around the hotel a little.  We skyped with our friends from our travel group and now are getting ready for bed! 

Tomorrow we do our paperwork to make the adoption legal. 

Prayer requests: Zeke continues to have a fever. 
    Rhonda continues to not be able to sleep
   

Meeting Zeke!

Well today was the day we had been waiting for for about a year.  The day when we got to finally hold the little boy who's face we fell in love with about 6 months ago.  The orphanage director and his nanny were supposed to arrive around 10:40 but it was closer to 12 till they got to our hotel due to traffic. 

He cried when I took him from his nanny which is a good thing but I felt sad for him that the only "mom" he knew just walked out of his life. But we are here to be his new parents.  He cried for a little bit and then settled down.  I held him for awhile and then Bruce did. At first he wasn't so sure of Bruce because he hasn't seen many men before. 

He sounded like he had a cold and they told us he caught a cold last week but he took his medicine and he'll be fine!  We took his temp this afternoon and it was 100.4 so we gave him some Tylenol.  Please pray that he feels better soon and that he does't have an infection.  We are in contact with our CHOP Adopt doctor and we'll monitor him for now. 

He took a great nap this afternoon and he has been drinking his milk from a bottle and he ate some supper too.  He is in bed now for the night and we are headed there too shortly! 

Please pray for his health and wisdom for us to know what to do! 
Here are the pictures you have been waiting for:

                                                                Zeke and his nanny

                                                              Zeke and his Mommy

                                                                  Sign some papers

                                                                Zeke and Daddy

                                                                     "First" bath

Beijing - Sunday

Sunday morning we had a relaxing morning of breakfast in the hotel.  Then we went across the street to a very large bookstore without the help of our guide.  It was 6 stories high.  Some families in our group were looking for Chinese lullaby CD's and thank you cards. We managed to communicate with a few Chinese words and hand gestures what we were looking for.  Afterwards we packed up our belongings and Bruce and I explored the hotel a little bit.  The Beijing hotel is very large and very beautiful.  There was a wedding reception happening in the grand ballroom. 

We met Vanessa, our guide here in Beijing at 2:00, checked out of our hotel and loaded all of our stuff in the van.  We then went on a tour of the Forbidden City.  It was a hot day but it was very interesting to see the buildings and the intricate details of them. 

Several times so far we have become a tourist attraction to the Chinese tourists here.  On Sat a group of women wanted to get their picture taken with us.  At the Forbidden City a young man asked Vanessa if he could have his picture taken with me.  We aren't sure why he singled me out of the crowd but he requested permission to be photographed with me!  I guess I must look like a celebrity or something! 

We then saw Tian an Men Square which is really just a big concrete square.  It was hot and we were ready for some relief from the sun.  Our wonderful driver in Beijing always shows up exactly at the second we need him - he is incredible!  He took us to the airport so we could fly to our provinces.  Bruce and I said our goodbyes to the other 2 couples (who happen to be going to the same province - just different orphanages) and waited for our flight which was delayed for 30 minutes. 

Once we got past the delay the flight was really quick - about 1 hr which felt like nothing compared to our last flight!  Plus I think I dozed off a little.  We arrived at our hotel (which is beautiful - way out of our league! we feel like millionaires staying here!) around 11 pm and got our stuff unpacked and settled in.  We got to bed late and Bruce finally slept a good nights sleep but I still didn't sleep very well.  Please pray that we start to get settled into this time schedule and can get some sleep so we aren't so worn out.  Also pray for our health - Bruce still isn't 100 percent over whatever he had going on and occasionally feels light- headed and nauseous. 

Monday morning we meet Zeke!  We will post pictures as soon as we can!  For now here are some pictures of our last day in Beijing.

Our travel group at the corner of the Forbidden City

Bruce at the Forbidden City

Detail of the buildings in Forbidden City

My new fan!

Our guide Vanessa at Tian An Men Square

Our group standing in the square with Forbidden City behind us

Nikki and Gar and Kelly and Justin's flight to their province

Beijing

The girl's Trusty dog traveled with us to China and enjoyed climbing the Great Wall!

Here we are at the Great Wall

Summer Palace boat

Our travel group at the Summer Palace

Today was a busy day of sight seeing.  We first went to the Jade Factory.  We learned a little about jade and how to tell if it's real or not.  Then we went to the Great Wall.  We enjoyed a nice climb to the 2nd tower.  It was quite warm and the steps were very steep.  We had lunch and then went to the silk factory and learned how they make silk which is really quite amazing!  We then saw where the olympics were held here in 2008.  Finally we went to the Summer Palace and enjoyed a little boat ride and walk through the park.  It was a very good day but we are exhausted!  We hope to sleep well tonight.  We really haven't gotten a lot of sleep since we are mixed up with the time change! 

This was our lunch today!  We've been eating around round tables with a lasy susan in the middle.  We order a bunch of dishes (with our guide's help) and then share everything.  So far it's all been really good!