This is the last post from China although there haven't been many in between Delaney Day and now. So I am sorry for that and apologize but I also apologize to myself. I had hoped to document our daily happenings but instead I've been busy living it, so for that I don't apologize. We have a lot of documentation with photos and videos and will get around to sharing more in the coming days. Seems like if we had any down time we needed to sleep or be quite so our Little Dragon could sleep.
We are very much ready to come home and get settled into our knew normal. It is difficult to function here as we would at home. Each little task we take for granted is a work here. For instance, the grocery store, you can only buy what you can manage to carry with a toddler and stroller in tow. Not to mention you may walk for blocks, enter what looks like an office building but actually a mult-story mall compete with escalators and high end clothing and cosmetics to find the supermarket tucked away on the 4th floor of an adjoining building. Nothing too convenient about that.
Shopping is crazy too, in and out of vans, taxi's and subways, or we have a personal driver. I like having a driver the best, he helps with the packages and collapses the stroller for you as you board in the 150 degree heat. That has probably been the source of the most distress here, the intense heat and humidity. The temps haven't been much different than at home but the humidity drives it up a few more notches. Walking out of the hotel and getting into the van in only a few steps will produce rolling sweat and doesn't help when you're toteing a 26 pound toddler. It's like sticking your head in a 450 oven and leaving it there all day. When you get to your destination you feel like you've been hosed down already with a garden hose. Most of our important meetings have been early so we don't look that bad in most of our pics, but late at night we look and feel like drowned rats.
We are so happy to be coming home with our Delaney. Thank you to all the prayer warriors at home. The things we have asked prayer for have not been much of a worry and it is clear that God has sent His Angels to be with us on the journey. Delaney is adjusting well and appears to be a very healthy and happy two and a half year old, sometimes with the attitude to go with it! She grieved a lot the first few days but then really came out of her shell. The grieving is normal and we may have periodic bouts of it but its a good things, meaning she formed attachments to her caregivers before and it's clear she's forming attachments to us. After about four days she became more vocal, more active and much more opinionated.
Her first real intelligible word with us has been "quack quack" after a little yellow rubber duck I brought for tub time. She calls me "ma- maaaaaaw" and Daddy "da-daaaaaaaa". We love it. She imitates hand motions for pat-a-cake and itsy bitsy spider. She also does a simplified version of hte chicken dance. She days "fi" for fish and "pu" for Penny (our dog). She waves bye with both hands usually and says bye. She responds so well to the Chinese people who talk with her and our guides in both cities have told us how smart she is as they have asked her to do things for them and she follows directions well. Too bad for Mom and Dad that we have such a language barrier. She is learning from us and is a very neat girl, likes her hands and face wiped when she's eating until she's done and then she politely lets you know by spitting it out or throwing it. We need to work a little on etiquette.
We love her dearly, I can't believe we've been entrusted to care for such a beautiful, smart girl. Thank you Lord.
Well, the Dragon is sleeping, we are gonna eat some noodles and prep some for her awakening. We leave on a van at 4:15 today for Hong Kong, fly to Tokyo tomorrow, then to Newark and back to OHIO!!!! See you soon Mercerville!!!!!! Love to you all!!!!
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