The Best:
1. Today was Jacob and Levi's official adoption day. They are our boys now forever and ever! That is definitely something to celebrate.
2. We explored a beautiful park and let the kids go on some fair type ride together which they all loved. I went on it too and it was sweet to see how excited our boys were to be on this ride. Afterward we had icecream in the park as well and that also made them very happy!
3. Jacob has become a Mama's boy already. He can still be very naughty with his Mama but is more likely to calm down if I hold him. When he sits on my lap in the van or I carry him, he will often put his cheek right next to mine. Those cheeks have gotten a lot of kisses which he seems to like.
The Worst:
We had to have some of our adoption paperwork notarized. They needed pictures of our family and the notaries office was five stories up an unairconditioned stairwell that was in the middle of being completely renovated. There was drywall dust everywhere, wheelbarrow full size piles of dirt on at least one landing, and they were spackling the walls too. Poor Aaron and James had to carry Levi up 5 flights of dirty slippery stairs in his wheelchair to get to the office. Wheel chair accessibility is a novel idea in China. Levi can walk upstairs on his own power with a little help to steady him. The problem is that it would have taken a very very long time for him to climb those five flights of stairs on his own. Did I mention that Uncle James has been worth his weight (or his ability to lift weight) in gold on this trip. We could not be managing all this without him because I certainly could not have helped Aaron carry my son up five flights of stairs. It was a big enough challenge carrying 35 lb. Jacob so he wouldn't get covered in drywall dust. This is called the China Adoption workout. Guess who stuck his hand in Spackle on the way down the stairs and tried to wipe it on Mama's clean outfit but this Mama was smart and caught his hand in time to grab a wet wipe.
The Most Funny:
So after the stair escapades, we finally got back to the van in one piece covered in a fair amount of drywall dust, a little spackle, and a lot of sweat. Just as we are about to get in the van, Jacob starts insisting that he must use the bathroom now. The guide is telling me to let him go because he is getting upset. We are right next to a road with lots of traffic going by so I am not about to let go of my mischievous little son. There are bikes lining the sidewalk so it is hard to get to the van from the sidewalk and lots of people walking around and some guy trying to install a newer air conditioner about 20 feet up in the air on this building while being hooked to this rusty window grate with a rope wrapped around his waste. What the guide was really trying to tell me is that Jacob was planning to use the bathroom right there at the base of a tree on the sidewalk and she was all for this plan because that is what people do in China when their kids need to use the potty when they are out and about. I do not let go of Jacob but I do let him lead me to the tree where I help him pull down his pants and then very awkwardly held him up at some strange angle so he would not pee all over his clothes. That was a partial success! I didn't even look around to see who is staring at this American mother holding her Chinese son at some odd angle so he can pee on a tree in public. Everyone stares at us all the time anyway so I know anyone who is close by is staring and the least odd thing is that I am a mother helping her son pee in public. I can see the wisdom in the split pants so common for youngsters in China. I am sorry to say that no pictures were taken of the whole comical routine.
Other Best, Worst, and Funny (you guess which category each falls under):
We started out taking a walk to find a nice but cheaper restaurant to eat at and I swear we must have walked a three mile circle or more around the local area and the neighboring park. By the end we were hot, sweaty, exhausted, and back at the same fancy restaurant we ate at last night which is part of our hotel. After I got back to the room I noticed I had a halo of frizz around my hair which was up in a ponytail. I looked a sight and then I took Aaron and James to task for not mentioning that I might want to comb my hair before entering the nice restaurant. James lied and said me hair looked fine when we went in and it must have happened between the restaurant and our hotel. My husband told me he was too tired to notice.
Levi is already using quite a few English words and phrases. He must have been taught some. Aaron also did a fabulous job of learning some basic Mandarin so he understands 1/3 to 1/2 of the main idea Levi is trying to get across. My husband is a Mandarin speaking rock star to me! I am quickly learning the other most important phrases besides the ones I already knew.
James and I spent a 1/2 hour bonding over doing laundry by hand in the tub. We found out the laundry service would be charging $1.50 for a pair of underwear and decided to save ourselves a bunch of money. Nothing like wringing out and hanging up socks and undies with your brother to bond you together forever (ha ha). James put together the best four row shower clothes line with that nifty lobster trap twine.
Tomorrow we are off to see the Shaolin Temple and a martial arts demonstration at the birth place of martial arts, specifically kung fu. All our children are excited about this and I am hoping tomorrow is not quite so crazy as today was. The less stairs we see the better! Mom, Dad, and Uncle James need to gain back just a smidgen of the mental sanity we lost today.
