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Published: August 24th 2005
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Sarah's OK with Dad (kinda)
First time that baba is holding Sarah (after the big pp incident)! As I (Stacey) write this, it’s around 10pm Wednesday here in Changsha. I have egg from this morning’s breakfast smeared on my shirt, dried pumpkin remnants on my pants, and I smell like baby sweat. But it’s been a wonderful day, and we’re thankful beyond words for our daughter and for your pr—ers on our behalf, your words of encouragement and experience, and your willingness to read our journal. We know you’re standing with us, and we know that many of you have literally stood up in the middle of the night, walking a fussy baby and pr--ing for mercy too!
Our sweet baby Sarah is sleeping in her crib right now, her little foot sticking out of the crib railings. She is so adorable, and we’ve gotten to know her much better in these past 24 hours. One big breakthrough came last evening after bathing her. As we were drying her off, she went on me and herself, resulting in the need for a major cleanup. For the next 15 minutes or so, while I cleaned the floor, washed our clothes in the sink, and showered, Baba (Godfrey) cleaned up Sarah, changed her diaper, and put on her fresh
Hip Hammock
First time in the carrier, much to mama\'s relief! clothes. The entire time, of course, Sarah was crying and screaming…but after a while, she nestled herself in his arms with a look of contentment on her face that we had been pr—ing for and waiting to see.
It’s a good thing that we’re journaling, because so much happens in just a few hours that if we didn’t write it down we’d forget all these special moments, struggles, and milestones. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been about 56 hours since we received Sarah on Monday afternoon. As of this morning, she has repeatedly refused the stroller, hip hammock, baby bjorn, bibs, and highchair. Basically, she’s an au natural girl. Nothing between her and Mama and Baba! We’ve learned she likes steamed egg, hard boiled egg, and scrambled egg! And jook (porridge/congee), watermelon, cooked pumpkin, rice cereal, water, baby crackers, and very diluted apple juice. She’s a fast learner, and already understands that she needs to sit down to be fed and pick up toys that she drops. She’s also quite a tidy girl, who wants her hands and face wiped when food spills on her. She’ll also pick bits of food off of me, and amazingly, she
No honking
People who say that L.A. drivers are crazy haven't been to big cities in China. Among other things, they love to use the horn. picked up a bag that had fallen and returned it to its rightful place in our suitcase. She’s also a big mover when she sleeps, tossing and turning…maybe she’s having dreams of becoming a gymnast! She doesn’t mind having pictures taken of her (even with the flash!) and when she’s fed and rested she will wave at anyone and anything, even the koi in our hotel lobby and the trees outside! We’ve also learned that we need to introduce new things to her gradually…and since most things are new to her, we just need to take it slow.
Last night was another breakthrough. She slept quite well from about 8pm until 5:30am or so, with just one brief wakeup in the middle of the night! We were completely amazed and oh so thankful when we woke up in the morning and realized that she had slept so long so peacefully.
Right now our adoption group of 34 families is split up into our province groups. There are 11 families here in Changsha, Hunan province, and we’re staying in a gorgeous hotel which has given us first-class & baby-friendly service every moment of the day and night. We completed the province paperwork yesterday (as you saw in the photos), so today our group took a tour of a local cultural museum and went to a baby store so that some families could re-stock some supplies. Sarah was a dream child on that outing, enjoying the charter bus ride, doing well with crowds at the museum, and even letting Baba carry her for most of the time. My arms are so thankful!!! (They’re still sore and I’m resorting to ibuprofen, but what a relief!) After an afternoon nap for all three of us, we went for a walk and we learned that she loves looking around outside! She waved to everything again: people and inanimate objects. But the big breakthrough was, after a very gradual introduction…she allowed herself to be the Hip Hammock! It made for a pleasant walk not only for Sarah but for mama too!
One small concern…both Godfrey and I have developed sore throats. Hopefully they won’t turn into colds or anything. So far Sarah is doing fine health-wise.
I love seeing Godfrey holding Sarah. It’s something I’ve longed to see for so many years, and it’s more than a dream come true. It’s Father’s plan come true. Godfrey and Sarah had a “father-daughter” outing tonight downstairs to the hotel lobby and restaurant, while I had a chance to clean up, organize and rest. They had a real sweet time together, as Sarah continued making friends with strangers with her gentle hand-waving. We’re learning that she just loves being out of the room. If she’s unhappy, a change of scenery seems to do the trick.
Tomorrow we’ll have our last day in Changsha before moving to Guangzhou for more adoption paperwork and appointments. All 34 families will meet up in Guangzhou, so it’ll be wonderful to see the families who received kids from other provinces, and to be able to spend almost a week together.
Thanks so much for reading and pr—ing! We know that Father is answering generously and affirmatively. We love you!
Stacey
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Tot: 0.059s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0372s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
Wendy O
non-member comment
I am cracking up
I love your "egg smear-pumpkin remnants-baby sweat" comment. Get used to finding random telltale stains or pieces of food or other bodily things (I won't say) on your persons. Hee hee. Jordan found a dried booger in his hair that Erin had apparently placed there for later retrieval. Hee hee hee. I also love your "ibuprofen" comment... and thankful that G can hold her now, as well as the hip hammock. And you'll come up with creative ways to make sure she doesn't "relieve" herself in inopportune moments. Hee hee. I write this as I just cleaned Dylan up from leaking on himself and me (third time in 24 hours, 2x on me, 1x on Derek). Oh, the joys. :-) Loving your blogs and keeping us right there with you. Will probably preserve your throats from having to tell a million people the same stories over and over when you get home. Hee hee. P-ing for continued bonding and extreme enjoyment as you build family memories together. Missing you and can't wait to see Baby Sarah at church on 9/11!