Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Day 6: It's official! She is ours!

On Tuesday, January 19th, we got up after a pretty rough night and got ready for the day. We found out that bathtime is a favorite. She loved it, but didn't know how to sit down. Had to teach her that pretty quickly. We ate a quick breakfast before meeting our group in the lobby to go back to the Civil Affairs building for the official paperwork. You see, they give you 24 hours to make your decision to keep the child or not. Even after a night of throwing up, we are going to keep this sweetheart! We signed the papers, met with a notary and a lawyer and it was a done deal. She is officially our child! The question that was asked during the final interview by several people was "Do you promise never to abuse or abandon your child?"  I just found that to be interesting.
After our time there, we came back to the hotel and decided to go for a walk. We were given a beautiful gift before we left by some friends we met through our local online "craigslist".  They were so inspired by our story that they gave us a double stroller. We were so touched by their kind hearts to give to complete strangers.  We took the little ones on a walk. Talia did NOT want to get in it. She stiffened up and I had to force her to try it. She is a little chubby and holding her for that long would be rough.  She finally got in and started enjoying the ride. Toby loved it as well.  They were like two peas in a pod.  The looks we got on the street were very interesting.  Two Americans pushing a double stroller with two Chinese children inside caused quite a sight.  In China, you hardly see any child in a stroller. Normally, the children are carried or just walk next to their parents, but in our case, lock down is vital.  We have two Deaf children that cannot hear us if they are running away. Those of you that have seen Toby take off in public know exactly what I mean as you see me running after him to get his attention. Also in China, most families could only have one child so double strollers were not necessary. We also didn't know how Chinese people feel about Americans adopting their own.  All we could do was to smile and politely say "Ni- hao" and keep going.
We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant called " Mr. Poncho". We were the only ones in the restaurant and they gave us special treatment. We loved eating the food. They give very small portions( like 10 chips instead of a basket ) and hot water to drink, but we just asked for more chips and ice. (They had it) They were super nice and loved practicing their English with us.
We also went to "Trust-mart" (Walmart) to buy some supplies to give to the Orphanage when we visit on Thursday. We had a really good time and by the end of the walk, Talia loved the stroller.
The evening was spent in the hotel room watching TV, coloring, doing work in Toby's Kindergarten workbook  (the boy doesn't even need my help as he flies through the work with ease) and eating a easy dinner of hotdogs and fruit. We figured since Talia will be an American soon that she needs to eat a hotdog. (:
I want to tell ya how proud I am of Toby. As I think back to when we got him 2 years ago, he has come so far!! His language is off the charts! I love how he can problem solve, discuss topics on a deep level, reason,  even be sarcastic. The boy is a pure genius and now I'm seeing a wave of compassion pour out of him as he cares for Talia. He picked out her outfit, tried to put on her shoes, teaches her skills, SHARES, and gives tender affection.  I am so crazy about my boy even though he drives me crazy on a daily basis. Ha ha
We got to FaceTime with Bethany, Luke and Cassidy. They loved seeing their new sister and interacting with her via computer. It was SO good to see them. I miss them much!









We all went to bed early again and here I am awake at 4am writing my thoughts, but at least I have a break since the kids are askeep.
By the way, Talia is feeling better today. She only had one episode of crying randomly. Toby asked me why she was crying and I told him that she missed her teachers. He said " Why does she miss them?" Toby didn't really have any attachments in China so when we got him, he was never sad one moment. He laughed his head off at Gotcha Day and was the happiest, most mischievous boy ever. When I explained that Talia loved her foster mom and teachers like FAMILY, his face showed such compassion and love because now he understands the love of a family. Hopefully, Talia will too very soon.

8 comments:

  1. I love reading your posts! Thanks for sharing about your time there, and about the kids. I love how Toby's responds to Talia's sadness - and how he understood more when you said she misses her family. Sweet.

    I met a lady from China at Tanger Outlets in Mebane a couple of weeks ago. You had just announced that you were leaving soon for China, and I told her that you had already adopted a deaf boy from her country. She seemed to find that very kind of you. I got the impression she never thought of the children in orphanages, but once she was made aware of it (by me) and saw your faces (on Facebook), she seemed touched. She even said she was happy for those children. She's in the US with her five year old and her mom for a year as she (Anna, she calls herself) attends a one year program at Duke.

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  2. I'm so glad you take a few moments to tell us all the details. I can't wait for you all to come home! What a sweet day!! And it is sooo cool to see Toby as a big brother! :)

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  3. Hi, MaryBeth, I want to be like you when I grow up!
    When I see the dazed look on Talia's face, I can only imagine how confused she must be on every level. Everything is changing for her all at once!
    I also think it's a plus that she has attachments to former caregivers. That means she already knows the feeling of family (almost), and that should stand her in good stead as she attaches to y'all.
    Will you be able to send photos to her former caregivers in the future? They must surely be grieving her loss.
    Good luck sharing your abundant love all the way home, with or without sleep!

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  4. Hi, MaryBeth, I want to be like you when I grow up!
    When I see the dazed look on Talia's face, I can only imagine how confused she must be on every level. Everything is changing for her all at once!
    I also think it's a plus that she has attachments to former caregivers. That means she already knows the feeling of family (almost), and that should stand her in good stead as she attaches to y'all.
    Will you be able to send photos to her former caregivers in the future? They must surely be grieving her loss.
    Good luck sharing your abundant love all the way home, with or without sleep!

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  5. So positive and encouraging to read your posts. I can see that God is in control and you have His peace. Love you all!

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  6. So happy to see that things are going well. Thanks for taking the the little bit of extra time you get to share your journey with us. God Bless!!!

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  7. Blessings on you four in China and the three still here in the states. Praying for Talia's adjustment! Debbie Keith

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  8. Thank God that He use David and Mary Beth to show their love and give their time up to adopt Talia. I love to hear from your post! I pray for Talia will feel more comfortable and learn new things when she arrives in America. I am excited for you to have new addition new family! I love you all.

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