A very special day

Well, the first thing I’m going to say is, “I’m EXHAUSTED!” Two year old boys are active! Our little Samuel is no exception. He has been so interested in every part of our hotel room and loves the toys we brought. He absolutely loves his brothers and sisters. I it seems Luke is his favorite right now. Anna keeps telling me how much she loves her new baby brother, and they even managed to take a very long bath together with no fights! He is definitely an extrovert and doesn’t let mommy or daddy go very far.

Our special day has gone very smoothly. On the bus ride to the civil affairs office our guide said that the boys usually don’t cry, but the girls do. She couldn’t have been more spot on! At first there were about four families whose children came into the office first-all boys, not one tear. Then the girls arrived-lots of tears and wailing. Samuel and a little girl from the same orphanage came in near the end. Samuel came right to me but was really overwhelmed by all the chaos. He didn’t really seem scared, just confused. The little playground was helpful and he enjoyed playing on the ride on toys. He was really bothered by the crying little girls so we eventually went outside. This was great for his spirit. We played near the water and somehow managed to keep him from walking right into it. We found out later at bath time that he absolutely LOVES water! There was a lot of screaming and kicking when bath time was over.

 He seems to be enjoying himself and beginning to bond. He struggled with naptime. We played for quite awhile on our bed and when he started getting tired he threw a big fit with lots of kicking (aimed unfortunately at mommy.) Poor guy kept crying for mama and he wasn’t talking about me. Even though it is never fun to watch a child grieve it is healthy for them and an important part of this process. He cried himself to sleep and had a good nap with daddy while mommy got to fill out lots of paperwork. Now it is bedtime and of course he just wants to play. Not sure how this is going to go. He doesn’t seem scared of sleep like Anna was, but more just wanting to play and explore. He is very sweet and concerned about others. He is even pretty obedient. Trying different things and looking to us for an OK or a “no.” He even let me cut his hair. I just wasn’t digging those Elvis sideburns! We are trying to let him have as much freedom as possible right now since his control of his life has been so abruptly taken away. He is curious and fun and just a joy to be with.

As with Anna’s adoption, our ability to communicate in Chinese has been immensely helpful. He understands us and can tell us pretty clearly what he needs or wants. He really likes to go places and was very excited to ride on the bus and go for a ride in the stroller to dinner. He got upset when Anna got in the stroller before he did.

Tomorrow is a long day of paperwork. I am sure it will be an adventure keeping a very curious and active little guy occupied while we finalize the adoption and apply for his passport. After that we have several free days which will be good. It has been a good day. We are so blessed. It was a beautiful reunion with our son. We are excited to continue to bond with him, understand him, and most of all show him how much we love him.

Good night. I'll try to post more pictures when I am not so tired. The internet is very slow and we have a tiring and early day tomorrow. (And as I finish this post Samuel has snuggled down in his crib with his book of photos and is going to sleep.)