Thursday, September 20, 2007

20 September 2007

Li-Na with her mommy Fast asleep little angel



Daddy getting Li-Na out of the bath



Li-Na and mommy enjoying a bath together.

She looks so happy in the water, is she going to be a fish like our Amy-Li too??




Hello everyone. Firstly I am saying a big Thankyou to Julia for writing up my news on the blog site every day after we have a telephone chat for updates. Eric and I were dismayed when we arrived to find that it is impossible to get onto blogsites from China at present. ( ?? why ?? )Fortunately Julia has 'saved the day'.Well....needless to say, I am totally in love with my georgeous baby! She is so sweet and a real beauty! The Chinese people even tell me so and tonight I had a lady taking photos of just her!! So that warmed my heart even more. Eric and I are managing well with her and she seems happy and settled after 72 hours now. ( in fact she was settled virtually the by the same evening after we got her.) One crying episode the first afternooon (which I sent a photo of to Julia), resulted in a quick crisis management call back with practical advice and hey presto!! Happy baby since then, only cries briefly if she needs a bottle. This is the first evening when I feel I have had a moment to sit at the computer and type. It has been non-stop since we arrived with happy exciting but exhausting days. As you know, the day before we became Parents to little Li-Na, we re-did our Wedding Photos!! What a fantastic way to start our adoption, by celebrating "Just the Two of Us" before our little girl entered our lives at 4pm the next day!! We decided to join in the modern Chinese culture of having Wedding Photos taken for the express purpose of displaying in a fancy Album ...nothing to do with being married, but it is assumed the couple is married or intend to get married at some stage. I can therefore say ,we had a fantastic Wedding Day that matched all my little girl dreams with puffy dresses , trains and romantic poses , as well as as being a model in a professional studio. I had such fun...and I think Eric did too despite his initial misgivings!






Today I left Li-Na (unintentially for so long) for 4 hours with her Daddy, Mom and Diane in order to choose the photos and negotiate prices etc...all quite a rigmarole in China, as anything 'out the box' is difficult for them to deal with... ie: I was their first Western woman who had done this, as well as coming from the UK, and so they just could't comprehend why I wanted to change the set package on offer and refuse the additional huge enlarged photo beautifully framed and a smaller picture frame. To Eric's disgust we still have to go back tomorrow to choose our best 50 for a fantastic album and will get a CD with all 140 pics! :) ... it was hard to not choose them all ...honest!! :)




Despite this abscence from my precious Li-Na ,she had been fine but was apparently starting to get restless and miserable by the time I arrived back and it warmed my heart so much to know that it was ME she needed. :) She settled immmediately when I took her , and she drank her bottle down that they had been struggling with. I was really chuffed! She is bonding so well with both of us and it is so obvious how happy she is, the way she squeals with delight to have a Mommy and a Daddy!



As far as our adoption and transition period is going, we are having very few problems...just the occaisional bottle or food problem which varies daily and we sort out by trial and error. She is so good, and such a sweet little angle. A little minature person with beautiful eyes . She has come to us with a few scars , bites and bumps from her time in the Welfare Institute which demonstrates to me that care was not optimal in her little life so far. She has no hair on the back of head indicating long hours spent lying on her back on a hard cot with no mattress.- which is standard in China. I believe she was in a room of about 20 babies and 2 day carers / 1 night carer. There were another 2 rooms similar and 2 'floating carers' between the 3 rooms. Poor little mite...she has had the least problems since arrival.


I have been acting as the group Doctor trying to sort out eruptions of boils on 2 other infants heads at the back ( Li-Na has scarring from an old one in the same position) , rashes , bites and distraught, exhausted new Mums's. Thankgoodness I was a nurse and midwife before, because I have been able to help a lot, and give advice without them taking offence. I must say it has been draining on me more than I was aware, as last night Li-Na slept the whole night through and I was awake the whole night stressing about all the various medical and attachment issues going on around me with everyone else !! We were fine!!



Anyway..today seems better. Things improving all round. I have had some success with 2 families sharing one bottle of antibiotic and the children now have boils just waiting to erupt..but then at least they will start healing. The one family's attachment difficulties improved by spending some time today away from the group. Adoption is just such a scary event and so individual...one really just has to play it by ear.



I am so glad my Mom and Diane have been here as it has been nice to have a little family in the Lounge of our suite at night etc...and generally all doting on Li-Na. She has kept them entertained all afternoon crawling naked on a plastic table cloth, weeing a couple of times, and generally having a lovely time stretching and enjoying her freedom. Her favourite toy today has been her Nappy sack ( with clean nappy inside ). She just loves scrunching the thin blue plastic crackly bag with her hands. :-)



We went to the Silk Market today and I have ordered a dress and 2 tops in Chinese style to be made for me to collect on Tuesday. I so hope they turn out well. At one stage I was being measured and had to go with the tailor ... Mum had to then finish the bottle I was giving Li-Na when I was called away...and by the time I got back she was arching her back and NOT a happy bunny after her bottle was finished. As soon as I held her she quietened immediately. I know this is so obvious to people who have had their own children ... but in an adoptive situation this is very important to us as we are wanting to build an attachemnt with the child. So yes...I was ecstatic!! Whilst at the Silk Market a Chinese lady came up to us to ask about why I had a Chinese baby! She is a Sculptress and apparently works / lives part ime in CapeTown, South Africa. She was facinated by our adoption story and was thanking us for adopting her, so I was able to show my "brag book" with everything explained in photos and Mandarin to her in order to show her husband who did not speak English. She was so pleased when I replied that I was the lucky one to have been granted permission form China to adopt her! She now has more knowledge and can't wait to tell her friends. Situations like this are common, where when one lives in a country and the local people are unaware of the internal isssues , in this case abandonment of so many little girls".



We went to the restaurant 'Lucy's' again tonight as we wanted to have knives and forks and a quick reliable meal. It was enjoyable, I enjoyed a G&T , singing along to the crooning music and playing with our baby who was fighting sleep. She eventually dropped off and Eric held her in the hammock while we all strolled in the perfect evening temperature along a park/ restaurant area along the edge of the Pearl River with lots of brightly lit up restaurant boats going up and down. All the high rise buildings over the water were lit up, Laser-light shows were happening, buildings were lit up with chnging patterns and images of the upcoming Olympic Mascots etc. We sat and had a Mango Icecream, listened to more lovely music with such variety and then walked the short distance home. It was lovely. Hopefully tonight I will sleep. We are only sending a couple of pics tonight as very late..............

7 comments:

Shawnstribe said...

awwww what a lovely blog ; )
You guys sound so so well.
You are right Laura....Juls has been amazing in keeping us all posted, i for one am very thankful!!!!
can't wait to see you guys a week tomorrow!
we will all be there to welcome you....and by the way.....no rumors yet!!!
love
s

Whatshername's Mummy said...

Lovely to hear from you, we are thinking about you alot and keep checking the blog - just in case!
With love from Wales,
Kate and Alice

3cmum said...

hi laura and eric

Allegra and I are sitting here reading your blog this morning- well she is giggling at the photos. Li-Na sounds great and well done you helping everyone else out! I am absolutely sure they are all so delighted to have you along.

Can hardly believe we were there just a month ago.

All the very best from London

Carrie & Allegra

alison said...

Hi

Good to see you all looking so happy together, motherhood really agrees with you. Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Love Alison Simon & Caitlin xxxx

lara said...

all looking so lovely, glad the bonding is going well

Anonymous said...

hello my dears. What a beautiful fmaily the three of you make.I can see a softness in your eyes laura that wasn't there before. Eric you look like a pro. Can't wait to see you.
Take care and love all round.
A special hello to Karen, so glad you could share in this new gift to eric and laura.

Michelle said...

Hello Chapman family - lovely to read the news and see the photos, it all sounds very exciting and full on. Hope you all sleep well and that everyone's journeys homeward (Aunty Karen included) are smooth and stress free. With love, Michelle

and the latest is.........

and the latest is.........
May 5th 2007 ( 2 years and 9 months since Adoption started. 18 months since Log in Date with China 21st November ) Me counting .....? No way!!! :)

Dare we hope for a June Referral? and "Gotcha Day"in August?