home over a week

well, since we have been home , Garrett is doing great! Took him in for a check up yesterday- just need to do some poop tests- fun.  I am getting the referrals going to have his cleft evaluated- I will take him to all 4 of the nearby cleft teams to find out what each would plan for him, then make the decision where we will go for the surgery. I am interested to see how each of their plans will differ.

So, where to start?  I guess with Gotcha Day.  On May 20th, at 4pm, Garrett was brought to our hotel room. Alma and I had wandered around town a little earlier in the day, had a little nap, set up a toy area and drew some pictures to tape to the wall there, then waited excitedly at our 7th floor window, peeking in all the cars that drove up to the hotel entrance wondering in which car he was!  It was so exciting!  Finally at 4pm, our guide called to say they were coming up.  Our guide, Lily, was wonderful. Such a fun, fashionable gal with a great sense of humour and very helpful the whole time we were in Nanchang.  Couldn't have asked for a better guide. Even through the worst of temper tantrums, she kept her cool and sense of fun!

We opened the door so we could see them come off the elevator, and there he was! He was a little weepy, and dressed up in pink fleece sweat pants and a little blue sweatshirt to go with his white lace ruffle socks and betty boop plastic sandles into which his wide feet were stuffed.  They came into the room, my guide, the driver the orphanage staff and child welfare director- all men except Lily.  Garrett wanted them to pick him up, they tried to help distract him with the toys Alma and I were playing with. We just hung out a little, he was very hesitant. Then after about an hour, all but Lily left. Garrett screamed, grabbing for them and cried heartbreakingly for about 10 minutes, then suddenly got busy playing with magnet shapes with Alma, and was done, never looking back.  I fed him a bottle which he guzzled down, and stripped him out of his super sweaty clothes, put on some cooler ones, and he just played and snacked the rest of the day, never crying again. 

That evening, he had a little stand up tubby, got into PJs and slept late the next morning.  I actually had to wake him up since we had to go the complete the adoption at the registration office.  I was afraid he would remember his situation when he awoke and cry, but when we woke him up, he looked up with a big grin and took a bottle!  It was just shocking.

Later at the registration office, he wanted nothing to do with the orphanage staff, clinging to me and playing with Alma.

So that's that for the first day-  I will be back to fill you in about the rest of the trip, little by little, as he is a busy guy! We are off to the beach for my daughter's school trip!