Hope: One Less: Day 22

A certain little person slept until 8:00 today and immediately asked when we were going for a ride in the car. She had Chinese noodles for breakfast and we headed to town. Yesterday, we walked by a salon, and she got really excited and indicated that she wanted to get her hair cut. You have seen the pictures; she doesn't have much hair to begin with and it is really thin from lack of protein. It has grown out during her visit and so we decided to get it trimmed up behind her neck and ears. Before we left, I told her we were going to get her hair cut and I made a scissor motion with my fingers. She made the shaving motion with hers because I'm guessing that is usually what her haircut consists of. Rachel at HeadQuarterz was so patient and good with her. Rachel brought all sorts of cool headbands and hair accessories to play with. She sat on the booster seat and held perfectly still. She loves to look at herself in the mirror so it worked out well. She especially liked the hand-held mirror. She is really proud of her hair and has been making the cutting motion all day to everyone she sees. Afterwards, we ran errands to get supplies for the big party on Sunday. She is well aware that the party is for her. She helped pick out the party hats, the banner, and the balloons. She gets really excited anytime we talk about it and starts singing Happy Birthday. She has also been counting the birthday candles although we are pretty sure she has no idea she is 8 years old and about to turn 9 years old. She loves sitting in the cart while getting groceries. She was my co-shopper and helped put items on the conveyor. Everyone commented about how well behaved and patient she was as I bagged up the groceries. We got home in time for lunch and we was ready for a nap after a busy morning.

Chris:
I got the easy shift today. This little one is as sweet as an angel when she is sleeping. I got home about 1:30 and she slept until about 3:15 (she started her nap at 12:45). This allowed me to review some documents and work without distraction. It was wonderfully unexpected. I have always been a pretty busy person with multiple engagements all the time. The part I have really had to adjust to during this process is having one engagement that never stops. I have come to the realization I wasn't busy it was just my perception I was busy. I am pretty sure she was woken up by Bessie. I heard some noises and walked down the hallway to see Bessie and her coming from her room. She said "no, no, no Bessie." That really doesn't mean anything though as she says that 10 million times a day. I wasn't thrilled but it really was time for her to get up. She was in a great mood after she shook off the grogginess. I thought she wanted to sit in the chair with me. Then the reality set in that she wanted my computer, iPad and iPhone. I am not even sure if I would be considered a bonus in the deal but she knew she had unrestricted access to all of it from my lap. Soon afterwards I realized that she could entertain herself for hours taking pictures and videos of herself and of me. I being a very self-centered and reasonably focused on my work allowed her to play with my phone which further enabled me to do some work. We called and FaceTimed Mama for a little while. Kelsey was trying to be productive at work, and we were interrupting her so we ended the call. She thought she was in control of FaceTime so she decided to call Mama back and ended up calling Joy (one of our friends from EIU that speaks Mandarin). She did respond to a couple questions with head shakes but did little in the way of talking in Mandarin. This isn't unusual for her to have limited conversations with those in her native language. We do think it possibly has to do with the little amount of time she spends around them. She definitely needs time to warm up to people. In order to distract her from calling Mama, I decided we should FaceTime Nana. I will say that she was enjoying talking to her until Nana told me to have her stand on the bubble wrap she was trying to pop. I moved her leg to show her to stand on it, and she crashed to the floor. She started crying and so I let mom go to attend to the little one. The tears were most likely from fear and subsided quickly and she was ready to call Nana again. She gave me the signal it was time to eat. Now the negotiation begins. She indicated her wish to eat rice of all things. I gave my indication I wanted her to eat some beef and broccoli as well. She was not a fan but did take a few bites. We played some more and then it was time to take a bath. We started a bath and Kelsey came in the middle. She was very excited to see mom. To be really honest, I was as well. We finished the bath and dried her off, and I went on my evening break!

She did really seem excited that I was home and kept cheering. After her bath, she was very clingy to me. She wanted to hold my hand, sit on my lap, and help get food ready for her party. She is also getting better with giving hugs (back patting included). This is not a common form of affection in the Chinese culture. We played a game of CandyLand as a family (Bessie kept walking over the board) and she won this time. She wanted her picture taken with me and then with Chris. We marked off her calendar before bed and she has 6 days left in the US. It sure is crazy how quickly the time has gone and how much she has adjusted to our routine!