Inconsistent Ramblings

April 6, 2005 ~ Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PRC

I tried to send a message last night, but yahoo ate it. It was
great!! You would have really enjoyed reading it. Here is a recap:

Yesterday (Tuesday) morning we went to finish applying for TA's
passport. Then we drove to the hospital where he was abandoned. It is
a prominent Children's hospital in the province. There was a garden
out front and lots of families with their children. Some vendors were
also selling toys out front on the street. It brought tears to my eyes.

We spent the afternoon shopping for clothes for the kids and getting
some books. TA took his nap in the sling on my back. It worked
great! We are discovering what he does and does not like to eat. He
feeds himself rice porridge (congee). He likes chicken nuggets at KFC
and noodles.

The dads went to get laundry and I watched all the kids. YP and
XC played with TA. Then YP and I played cards. We
taught XC to play war - there was much giggling going on among
the sisters during the game. XC caught on very quickly. She is
a sharp girl and is learning English minute by minute. They are fun to
explore with and TA loves having them around to dote on him. It is
obvious that XC helped with the little kids in the orphanage.

Last night TA slept in the crib (he slept with S the night
before). S tried to show him how to brush his teeth - instead TA
brushed S's teeth.

Today we went to the orphanage. TA was full of smiles when we got
there - he recognized everyone and they all talked to him. We visited
a classroom and the nursery. There were not many children there - over
200 are in foster care in the community. I cried when we left - after
seeing how much they loved and cared for TA.

Before lunch we toured the silk factory. An amazing process. Now I am
going shopping for the boy - he doesn't have many clothes here and he
wet through his jeans - my fault. Beginner mistake. :-) Contrary to
the latest report - he does not weigh 30 pounds - he weighs 24 pounds
with only a diaper on. He is tall with no waist or hips so his pants
are always falling down. He'll be an overall kid!

I will not write again until tomorrow night. Hope everyone is well.

love
C