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Published: August 29th 2005
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White Swan Hotel - Shamian Island
Beautiful hotel that many westerners stay at, especially adoptive families. Baby Sarah is such a flexible little tyke…she’s willing to eat whatever food (for the most part) we have whenever we can feed her (within a reasonable window); she’s willing to go on 3-hour outdoor excursions in the heat and humidity; she’s willing to sleep long nights when that’s exactly what mama and baba need to get over their colds; she’s willing to hang out with baba when mama’s not around. She may not be the “perfect” child, but she sure is all that we could have ever pryed for. We used to talk about how the schedule we keep (especially with youth mnstry) is going to be a challenge for her. How would Sarah handle FNFs that last til 11:00 pm? How would she do with B studies, meetings, youth outings and dinners? So far, she’s shown that she can handle it, thankfully! We haven’t been keeping a strict schedule and she’s just totally fine… :-)
Another amazing thing about this little princess is her learning curve. Ever since she’s come out of her shell of fear last week, she’s showing us that her mind is actively working and processing information about her world. Some of her cognitive development
Souvenir Shopping!
A free toy from a shopkeeper on Shamian! What a way to make a friend (and a sale)! involves understanding our requests and commands, like asking her to get her shoes, or picking up objects that she’s dropped to the floor. It’s pretty incredible! How does Sarah know what we’re saying when just a week ago, she had never heard English in her life? (OK, we try to use whatever Chinglish we can, but it’s pretty bad) We guess that it probably involves more than just comprehending English, that there are non-verbal clues that she understands.
Sarah’s also growing more physically playful. She plays follow the leader with mama - pursuing her wherever she goes. She dances with mama after she saw baba and mama demonstrate the waltz! She also experienced “blast off” for the first time, and she loved it; she kept coming back to baba for more launches into outer space! Ah-boo-boo also likes peek-a-boo-boo and sneaking up on baba while he works at the computer. She’s so adorable that Stacey keeps saying “You are SO cute…can I just kiss you forever?” Mama and baba enjoy giving her “kiss sandwiches”, with us being the bread and she the meat! How cute, huh?
Another couple shared with us yesterday about their trip to a nearby
Catalina - Far East
Walking around Shamian Island reminded us a little of Catalina...a small, pedestrian friendly place with charm and history. park. As they were walking, they noticed a young lady who was following them. This lady eventually came up to them and asked if she could hold their baby. It was clear from her countenance that she was pained, that their baby reminded her of something or someone she once knew. They were moved through the episode to pr for the many birth moms and dads who, for one reason or another, have to give up their child. Another couple had remarked recently, as they were exclaiming what a wonderful gift their child was to them, that everyone in the world ought to adopt a child. But my response was that would mean there are billions of orphans in the world to be adopted. Not an ideal situation. Adoption of orphans, I suppose, is a picture of Father’s redemptive work in a fallen world, just as it’s described in eph 1 about his adoption of us through his son.
Today we went to Shamian Island, former home to the U.S. and other western nation’s consulates. We did some sightseeing and shopping for souvenirs and trinkets. It reminded us of walking through Chinatown, so it was nothing new nor necessarily fun, but many of the other couples really enjoyed it and were bargaining like there was no tomorrow! I (Godfrey) even had an opportunity to do a little translating for a fellow dad who was negotiating a deal for clay teacups!
Our paperwork was approved yesterday at the consulate, so we’re ready to go tomorrow and take our oaths to make it all official. It’s our last full day in China, and then everyone’s headed home on Wednesday morning. We, however, are headed to HK where we’ll see the Lims and do some more sightseeing until Friday morning. We also hoped to see Uncle Dave and Auntie Alice, but they were too far away (but we chatted a while on the phone with them). Thanks again for your prs and posts. How’s the retreat planning coming along? We’ll be mindful of it. Hope the registration is up!
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Wendy O
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kiss sandwich
I love those (kiss sandwiches)! It's so fun to hear the squeals of laughter when you're smooching together with your baby. You have fallen into the role of parents so naturally! Can't believe the 2 weeks has already almost gone by! Prz for all the fun memories you've already built together. Many many more to come... can't wait to see you ALL!