I am amazed at all the cars,bike & mopeds that are on the street. There is constant horn blowing yet there doesn't appear to be any road rage- they all merrily go along after nearly getting into an accident time & time again. It is especially scary since they do not use carseats here in China. Neither do they use bicycle helmets. They do sometimes use a helmet of sort on the Mopeds. I am amazed at what they haul and carry on these things!
Abbey & I visited the NannIng zoo with our group. Olivia ran a fever through the night & was coughing so she stayed behind in the hotel with daddy. It was a very nice zoo- comparable to the smaller Akron zoo we visited all the time on Ohio. It had some nice shows- we caught part of the lion/elephant show- Abbey & I even got our picture taken on one! The seal/dolphin show was nice- but not knowing any chinese did lessen the impact somewhat. :) We have been very spoiled in America becuase most zooa have gone to a more natural habitat fo rthe animals. Most here where very much locked up in cages- very sad.
Luckily when we got back her fever seems down & she is acting better. Thank goodness for American medicine I brought along. I shudder to think of having to go to a hosptial here after the horror stories I have heard!
We dined out across from the hotel with another couple who adoptd an older child. We are all becoming quite adept at using chopsticks- because most restaurants have no forks available.
I am however concerned for Olivia's eating. Every other child in our group seems to be devoring any food put in front of them- not our Olivia! I keep praying she doesn't want to eat because of being ill & the transition. But I am more & more convinced she has a food aversion. Apparently children who have been institutionalized do 1 of 2 behaviours- devore food whenever it is available and eat even beyond full since they never know when the food will be available or 2- The other group -because they have been force fed as quickly as possible to meet nutritional needs but not social/loving needs- will not eat. We have to struggle to even get her to take a bottle. I have learned the Chinese word for eat and using a large chinese type spoon she will take some congee- a rice soup/porridge made with a meat broth. It broke my heart when I realized tonight she doesn't know how to eat off a spoon but expects it to be shoveled down her mouth!! Please pray for Olivia that God can heal her of this issue. She turns her head and visibly pushes all food away- even the bottle unless we force the issue.
This afternoon Mike , Abbey, Olivia & I braved a walk to a nearby park. It was such a beautiful day- mid eighties. But everyone here was still bundles with coats. Apparently the Chinese like their children to be warm on the inside & out!! We are told they will scold you if you go out with a child and don't have their arms covered- even in 100 degree weather! Olivia absolutely loves hestroller- she is a real people watcher. We got a lot of stares- one group on a paddle boat even paddled close to shore to take our family picture! aAnother lady accosted Abbey & tried to pick her up and even kissed her. I guess her chubbiness amuses them since so many of them are genetically thin here. I am just grateful Abbey isn't embarassed by it- or aware why they are giving her some of the attention.
VI- I know you are following- can you make sure to pull out the burgundy portable crib in Belle's bedroom closet so we can put it up in our Bedroom? I hope Belle is treating Carol & you right! XOXOXOX
Thank you all for your prayers & notes of encouragemenT! We are really getting homesick & it means a lot!!
Things are going great here! Glad to hear they are going good there too!! Can't wait to see Olivia. Hope she is feeling better soon. I am printing alot of the pics and putting them up to keep the patient's updated. The one on the elephant will be a favorite for sure with the kids. Continued prayers for a safe trip!!
ReplyDeleteDedie
Hey guys, glad to hear everything is going well. Sorry to hear Olivia is sick. Thank God for American medicine. Tom has fell right into place but we miss you greatly. China looks beautiful in the pictures. I love the picture of Olivia smiling with Abby. She looks so happy and she is beautiful. Still praying for you guys to have a safe trip.
ReplyDeleteLeann
Our daughter was from the same orphanage and she refused to eat for the first 4-5 days. She also didn't know how to feed herself. If I remember correctly, in addition to congee, we gave her tiny bits of fruit and bread. She especially liked banana bread at the WS hotel. She didn't have any experience with solid foods like cheerios and didn't know how to eat them or to feed herself.
ReplyDeleteAfter the first few days (by the time we left for GZ, I think), Lili got more comfortable and started eating more, so there is still room to hope that Olivia will come around.
Hey!! Please update! We are getting a little uneasy here at the office, since you haven't updated in a couple of days. We would just like to hear that all is well!
ReplyDeleteDedie
Hey! We are all praying for each of you each day. The boys keep asking me how is Abbey doing and when will she be home. They are praying for you all, but they say extra prayers for her. I have never seen you (Sheila)smile so big as you have in each one of these pictures. It is so great to see you so happy. We can't wait to see you all again! Take care! Jill Lowery
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