Day 4 Jack Day

We took the short ride over to the Civil Affairs office, arriving about 9:55.  I was surprised to find the office locked up tight.  Our guide went up and got the key, and we watched out the window.  I was surprised because last time we were there, the room was packed.  This time, it was just us and one other family.

 It wasn’t long before we saw two women walking through the parking lot with a baby.  I couldn’t see the baby well, but I recognized one of the women from the day we met Kate.  When they came in, I walked over and picked him up.  He fussed just a little, but let me take him and sit down. Tim and the kids sat around us, and we started talking to the orphanage ladies and our guide.  I offered him a piece of watermelon, which he eagerly took, but didn’t eat.  So then I offered him some puffs, which he loved.  Then we signed the temporary custody forms, asked a bunch of questions (he has a cold, drinks warm milk from a bottle, and fell and bumped his noggin three days ago), and had our official family photo made.

Then we headed back to the hotel to fill out some more forms and let the guide translate some paperwork.  He was fairly content, as long as I was holding him.  Remember how much Kate disliked me when I first met her?   Well, Jack isn’t quite that bad towards his Baba, but at first he did not want Tim to hold him, touch him, or look at him.  Don’t worry – that got much better as the day went on.

About 1:00, Jack and I lay down, and he fell to sleep really quickly.  When he woke an hour later, he was clearly confused and upset.  He cried for quite awhile before he calmed down.  The kids have been great, and this is one of those times they came in and acted goofy to cheer him up.  They put bowls on their heads and walked into walls.  Jack wasn’t quite sure what to make of them, but he stopped crying.

I put him down for bed in his crib, thinking he would cry and cry.  Instead, he laid there and grinned at me.  He even grinned once in his sleep.

Now for the important parts – what is he like?

Well, he is pretty good humored.  He likes to be walked around the room and look out of the window.  When he smiles, his forehead crinkles up, and he almost looks mad.  When he laughs, he kind of grunts – no belly laughs yet.  He thinks it's really funny to whack his siblings in the head.  When he eats he crams as much food into his mouth as possible, and then he asks for more.  He likes eggs, not bananas.  He is very opinionated, and shakes his head “no” often. He is just the size I pictured him – maybe a hair bigger than my little Emery (a child I babysit, fyi).

He is sweeter and funnier and more lovable than I imagined he would be.

And now, I must sleep.  Tomorrow we complete the adoption, then take a train to Suzhou.  It will be another busy day.