Hope: One Less: Day 1

It looks like we survived Day 1. Despite our late night, Chris and I were up by 6:00 as usual. Our house guest, on the other hand, had to be woken up at 9:45 so we could try to get her adjusted to our time zone. China is fourteen hours ahead of us. After waking up, she had breakfast which was congee (a Chinese porridge). Luckily, I planned ahead and made some in the crockpot a couple of days ago. Super easy - rice with copious amounts of water and broth cooked in the slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours until it breaks down. Mine was evidently a little thick for her liking because she added water to make it thinner. At the agency's recommendation, we purchased some Asian spoons. She used it for a few bites, but went to the drawer and pulled out one of our American spoons. We had bath time this morning with bubbles. She seemed to enjoy the water and I was glad to get her cleaned up after her long travel days. She has severe dry skin at this point so I lathered her up well after bath time. She seems to enjoy the attention and the affection. She was excited to have new clothes to put on and does well with dressing herself. There seems to be a trend with layers because she wanted to wear two shirts all day. We put up a small tabletop Christmas tree in her room. She even helped put some of the ornaments on. The gold presents were a little confusing; she felt the urge to try to open them. Since she slept late, our morning went super-fast. We had leftover spaghetti for lunch and she ate surprisingly well .... four small servings. I guess it must have been a hit because everytime we open the fridge, she points to the container and wants more. We weighed her today and she is a mere 34.2 pounds. We are curious to see how much weight she gains during her stay. We had a pretty low-key afternoon at home, and she seems to be adjusting from the jet lag very well. Lots more coloring, reading books, and we introduced the waffle blocks. We tried to watch the Rudolph movie, but she was not interested. Lots of potty-breaks all day long. The hand-washing may be the highlight and motivator. I wanted her to try on some clothes we had purchased to see if any needed to be exchanged for a different size. She obliged, looked in the mirror, and when it came time to try on the skirt, she shook her booty. She is very tiny and most everything I bought is too large. Not a big deal to exchange. Nana and Smitty came for a visit. She warmed right up to Nana and really let her personality shine. Lots of smiles and mimicking actions and sounds. Before we knew it, it was time to eat again. I had made ahead some Chinese flavored noodles (i.e. soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar). I opened the container to show her and she got very excited. She ate two large helpings. While Chris and I were eating Manicotti for dinner, she decide she wanted some of that too. So she had a second dinner because why not? I'm so glad that she is willing to try new things. She was not a fan of apple juice, milk, or a juice box but drinks water like a champ. She did eat some marshmallows, but did not like graham crackers or ice cream (what?!). There is not much (any) verbal communication happening but she can still let us know what she wants or needs. She was super sleepy after dinner because she did not take a nap. Once she realized it was dark, that was her cue and she wanted to brush her teeth and go to bed. She would put her hands beside her head and lay her head on them. I intentionally elongated the bedtime process to keep her up as long as possible. More lotion for her dry skin and she was thrilled when I offered to trim her fingernails. At 8:00, I laid down with her for a few minutes. She is sound asleep now.

Chris' Commentary(1 hour of the day):
Kelsey decided to take a short leave of absence today to exchange some items to one of our local clothing stores. I have to admit I was ready for the challenge that I anticipated but this little girl read me well and knew I was the soft one. Within minutes she had removed her socks multiple times (I think I quit putting them on after the 4th or 5th time). Not to mention the 100 trips up and down the stairs in an effort to wear me down. The last trip up the stairs she decided she wanted to open one of the Christmas presents wrapped under the tree. Luckily by the time I got across the room to stop her, she only pulled a 2" strip of wrapping paper off and the bow which still left the entire gift covered. Since I was focused on the damage to the present, she decided to try to tear into a gingerbread house kit that Kelsey had under the tree. At this point I called Kelsey and recommended that if she wanted to return to our standing house, she may want to return sooner than later. At this point the little one decided she wanted to take a car ride. She walked back down the stairs and put her shoes on her sockless feet. I looked at her and asked her where she was going and she put her hands out as if she was driving a car with her hands on the steering wheel at 9 o'clock and 3. I finally got her to sit down and watch some Rudolph but that lasted for about 5 minutes. She was wondering around the basement while I was still entertained by a childhood favorite movie while trying to calm down from the previous incidents and still keep an eye on her. I suddenly hear a jingle from my office and I am really wondering what it is. Luckily I stepped over to see her trying to open a box packed completely full of thumb tacks. Shortly thereafter Kelsey walks into the door and the child turns to a perfect angel. Bring on day 2.