She seemed to turn a corner today though. She still had some rough periods, but we seemed to have more happy than sad.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Grieving, but getting better
The last 2 days have been hard. Caitie has cried a lot. She has refused food (quite unusual), refused to be comforted and just been really cranky. She has gotten what we think are bug bites all over her face and shoulder and so between the changes in her life and the bug bites, she just hasn't been happy.
She seemed to turn a corner today though. She still had some rough periods, but we seemed to have more happy than sad.
She seemed to turn a corner today though. She still had some rough periods, but we seemed to have more happy than sad.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Our journey to Jiaozuo
Yesterday morning we tried to play hard to wear Caitie out before we met our guide at noon. At noon we left for Jiaozuo, the city Caitie is from. She fell asleep shortly after we left and slept the whole way there. We had a beautiful ride and got to know our guide a bit. We should have realized that it was too good to be true.
We got to the approximate location of Eagle's Wings baby house, but couldn't find the exact location. After a bit, our guide called and one of the staff came to find us. By then we had about 20-30 minutes to see Eagles Wings and meet the staff.
We saw the apartment, the bedrooms and her empty crib. We met the director, some of the nannies and the children who were awake. (We went at nap time.)
On gotcha day, Caitie was brought to us by an orphanage officer. We had expected a representative from Eagles Wings, but we found out that apparently the orphanage officer had not let her come. She brought us her backpack and there was a drink in there. The orphanage officer said it was what Caitie drank by bottle 3 times a day. As we spoke to EW yesterday, we found out it was not what she drank. It is a very sweet milk, yogurt and juice drink, which explains why Caitie loves it, but we also think its what has been tearing up her stomach. David is going to Walmart now to get the right formula, so we can get her off this drink, on to what she's used to and then eventually on to American formula and milk. She eating a lot of soft table food too, so we don't think she is hungry, but the bottles are definitely comforting to her and holding her and giving her a bottle is a good way to bond with her.
Caitie did fine leaving EW, which made us happy. We hadn't really talked about it before hand, but we were both worried that she wouldn't want to come to us when it was time to leave.
We went and had our passport appointment and got everything notarized. Our guide tried to argue with the orphanage officer about the information we received and about the formula, but the orphanage worker insisted it was all provided by EW. Our guide blamed EW, although we aren't sure if she believed it, but we went along with it. It was getting uncomfortable and even when everything is all in Chinese, I still hate conflict. The way of thinking here just makes me laugh sometimes. Our guide also made us nervous by telling us stories about passports not coming in time lately, so we are praying ours is ready on Friday like it is supposed to.
After our appointments we stopped at Caitie's finding spot, which was a local hospital. Unfortunately by then Caitie was DONE, so David just jumped out and took a photo and we were on our way.
Caitie was obviously exhausted but was not going to sleep on the ride home. We tried everything in our bag of tricks, including two bottles of the wrong formula, out of desperation. The 90 minute drive took about 3 1/2 hours on the way home. There was a ton of traffic, one big accident and a driver that loved to speed up, swerve and slam on his breaks. David and I were both car sick by the time we got back to the hotel.
We ordered room service for the first time and tried to help Caitie get her frustration out. All in all, she cried 4 1/2 hours before crying herself to sleep. It was pitiful and horrible, but completely normal. We expected her to grieve. It was just hard that it started like it did.
She finally slept for about 5 hours last night, woke up for a while and went back to sleep for an hour or two.
This morning she is fussy and crying and David and I are cranky too. We all need a lot more sleep and a little fresh air. We hope to get to the park later today.
We got to the approximate location of Eagle's Wings baby house, but couldn't find the exact location. After a bit, our guide called and one of the staff came to find us. By then we had about 20-30 minutes to see Eagles Wings and meet the staff.
We saw the apartment, the bedrooms and her empty crib. We met the director, some of the nannies and the children who were awake. (We went at nap time.)
On gotcha day, Caitie was brought to us by an orphanage officer. We had expected a representative from Eagles Wings, but we found out that apparently the orphanage officer had not let her come. She brought us her backpack and there was a drink in there. The orphanage officer said it was what Caitie drank by bottle 3 times a day. As we spoke to EW yesterday, we found out it was not what she drank. It is a very sweet milk, yogurt and juice drink, which explains why Caitie loves it, but we also think its what has been tearing up her stomach. David is going to Walmart now to get the right formula, so we can get her off this drink, on to what she's used to and then eventually on to American formula and milk. She eating a lot of soft table food too, so we don't think she is hungry, but the bottles are definitely comforting to her and holding her and giving her a bottle is a good way to bond with her.
Caitie did fine leaving EW, which made us happy. We hadn't really talked about it before hand, but we were both worried that she wouldn't want to come to us when it was time to leave.
We went and had our passport appointment and got everything notarized. Our guide tried to argue with the orphanage officer about the information we received and about the formula, but the orphanage worker insisted it was all provided by EW. Our guide blamed EW, although we aren't sure if she believed it, but we went along with it. It was getting uncomfortable and even when everything is all in Chinese, I still hate conflict. The way of thinking here just makes me laugh sometimes. Our guide also made us nervous by telling us stories about passports not coming in time lately, so we are praying ours is ready on Friday like it is supposed to.
After our appointments we stopped at Caitie's finding spot, which was a local hospital. Unfortunately by then Caitie was DONE, so David just jumped out and took a photo and we were on our way.
Caitie was obviously exhausted but was not going to sleep on the ride home. We tried everything in our bag of tricks, including two bottles of the wrong formula, out of desperation. The 90 minute drive took about 3 1/2 hours on the way home. There was a ton of traffic, one big accident and a driver that loved to speed up, swerve and slam on his breaks. David and I were both car sick by the time we got back to the hotel.
We ordered room service for the first time and tried to help Caitie get her frustration out. All in all, she cried 4 1/2 hours before crying herself to sleep. It was pitiful and horrible, but completely normal. We expected her to grieve. It was just hard that it started like it did.
She finally slept for about 5 hours last night, woke up for a while and went back to sleep for an hour or two.
This morning she is fussy and crying and David and I are cranky too. We all need a lot more sleep and a little fresh air. We hope to get to the park later today.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Random thoughts
Once again, the photos will post in random order and will probably not match this post at all.
So, driving in China is CRAZY! However I wasn't really worried about an accident. From all the reading I have done, the taxi, van and bus drivers are aggressive but very careful. One minor accident could cause them to lose their job. So you can imagine my surprise when we were in an accident in Beijing. It was not our driver's fault and no one was hurt, but definitely not expected. Now I am pretty anxious about riding in the bus and I've noticed a lot of other parents in our group feeling a little more apprehensive than we were before. I'm not looking forward to our 4 hour drive tomorrow with no car seats.
The last night we were in Beijing, we saw a good acrobatic group. One of the other parents in our group got some pictures. The boys would have really liked it.
Caitie loves to eat. So far the only thing she has refused is Similac formula.
She has a birth mark on the back of her neck, a strawberry, right under her hair at her hair line, just like Connor. She also has some Mongolian spots.
Her hair is longer than it looked in pictures, but still very short. It's hard to gets bows in, but I'm trying. It's pretty soft with the exception of the brand new growth. If I put my face on her hair when I'm holding her and come across a new little hair, it's so coarse it's almost sharp.
She's going to kill herself or one of us with constantly, and all of a sudden, throwing her head back and arching her back.
David is the Walmart king.... Both in Georgia and China. I hate Walmart so he usually goes for us. Here in China, the smog is bad and hard with my sinus stuff, so he has gone to Walmart twice. I do want to go at some point though, just to see it.
Netflix worked in Beijing. It does not here. I hope it works in Guangzhou. We have watched part of Top Gun three times now on the one English channel.
I forgot what it is like to try to get a baby to sleep in a hotel room and walk around in the dark quiet room trying not to wake her up. :)
You need wifi and a VPN to blog, Facebook or get mail off gmail. That presents some issues.
So, driving in China is CRAZY! However I wasn't really worried about an accident. From all the reading I have done, the taxi, van and bus drivers are aggressive but very careful. One minor accident could cause them to lose their job. So you can imagine my surprise when we were in an accident in Beijing. It was not our driver's fault and no one was hurt, but definitely not expected. Now I am pretty anxious about riding in the bus and I've noticed a lot of other parents in our group feeling a little more apprehensive than we were before. I'm not looking forward to our 4 hour drive tomorrow with no car seats.
The last night we were in Beijing, we saw a good acrobatic group. One of the other parents in our group got some pictures. The boys would have really liked it.
Caitie loves to eat. So far the only thing she has refused is Similac formula.
She has a birth mark on the back of her neck, a strawberry, right under her hair at her hair line, just like Connor. She also has some Mongolian spots.
Her hair is longer than it looked in pictures, but still very short. It's hard to gets bows in, but I'm trying. It's pretty soft with the exception of the brand new growth. If I put my face on her hair when I'm holding her and come across a new little hair, it's so coarse it's almost sharp.
She's going to kill herself or one of us with constantly, and all of a sudden, throwing her head back and arching her back.
David is the Walmart king.... Both in Georgia and China. I hate Walmart so he usually goes for us. Here in China, the smog is bad and hard with my sinus stuff, so he has gone to Walmart twice. I do want to go at some point though, just to see it.
Netflix worked in Beijing. It does not here. I hope it works in Guangzhou. We have watched part of Top Gun three times now on the one English channel.
I forgot what it is like to try to get a baby to sleep in a hotel room and walk around in the dark quiet room trying not to wake her up. :)
You need wifi and a VPN to blog, Facebook or get mail off gmail. That presents some issues.
Monday, April 8, 2013
It's official, we're a family of 5
Today was registration day. Our 24 hour period to change our minds is over. (ha ha) Tu Xue Hua is now Caitlyn Noel Xuehua Morrow.
She had a bit of a rough night and morning so we're going to nap.
Enjoy some pictures of our morning at Civil Affairs.
She had a bit of a rough night and morning so we're going to nap.
Enjoy some pictures of our morning at Civil Affairs.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Gotcha Day
This morning I was up early. Time seemed to drag, but finally at 9:30 this morning, we all met in the hotel lobby and drove to the civil affairs building. There were a total of 10 families.
As we got there, the guides realized that several children were already there. Bags were shuffled, cameras were passed as families started to meet each other. The first 3 families had a few minutes together and then another baby came in. She was a small little girl, so we knew it was either Stephanie's Ashton or our Caitlyn, but her back and the guides were turned away from us. When they turned our way, I realized it was our Xue Hua, or Caitlyn. I got David's attention as he was taking pictures for someone else and we got our cameras. David actually made it over to her first and started talking to her. The orphanage director was holding her and after a few minutes I reached for her and she came right to me.
We found a quiet corner and held her and talked to her and fed her Cheerios. The orphanage director answered a few questions but it seemed we got a lot of conflicting information. We gave her a bottle of a milk/yogurt drink they sent. She took it like a champ, but the nipple had been cut in a big x. Unfortunately it looks like her lip repair will need redone. It is really fat and doesn't really pull away from the top of her teeth. But she looks clean and healthy. Her skin and eyes are clear. She was wearing an outfit we sent her at Christmas. She was a champ on the bus back to the hotel. She ate Cheerios, fed baba (daddy) Cheerios, laid her head on my chest, sucked her thumb and held the cuff of her other sleeve with her fingers like a blanket.
When we got back to the hotel we found her diaper had leaked. She had two diapers on and the top one was dry, so it must have leaked around the leg. We had no intention of changing her clothing because we wanted her to get used to us first, but now we had to. The only time she really cried started when we took her clothes off and continued until she was asleep. After the diaper we tried to get her down for a nap. She laid with me on the bed, but that didnt work. We reluctantly put her alone in her crib, like her notes said she liked, but that only made us both upset. She finally fell asleep laying on me while I was sitting in the chair. She transferred easily to the crib.
She'll have to grieve at some point. We'll just wait it out. Anyway, thanks for letting me record the details, but I know you really just want pictures, so here you go. I'll load them in order, but I think we all know by now that Blogger will upload them however they want.
I couldn't get this uploaded earlier, so I may as well finish the day. Caitie woke up and had wet through everything. I didn't realize it until I also felt wet, so we both got changed; third outfit for her and a sink full of laundry for me. We ate and played and went to sign paperwork and she had a huge blow out. Rather than a fourth outfit, we took a bath and put on jammies. I wasn't planning to do a bath today as often it is traumatic and her paperwork said she hates baths. Ummm, no, baby girl splashed and screamed and giggled and smiled. She stayed in until the water got cold. Now she is snuggled in bed with David proving she drink from a water bottle. She's so smart and cute!! We are so in love!!
As we got there, the guides realized that several children were already there. Bags were shuffled, cameras were passed as families started to meet each other. The first 3 families had a few minutes together and then another baby came in. She was a small little girl, so we knew it was either Stephanie's Ashton or our Caitlyn, but her back and the guides were turned away from us. When they turned our way, I realized it was our Xue Hua, or Caitlyn. I got David's attention as he was taking pictures for someone else and we got our cameras. David actually made it over to her first and started talking to her. The orphanage director was holding her and after a few minutes I reached for her and she came right to me.
We found a quiet corner and held her and talked to her and fed her Cheerios. The orphanage director answered a few questions but it seemed we got a lot of conflicting information. We gave her a bottle of a milk/yogurt drink they sent. She took it like a champ, but the nipple had been cut in a big x. Unfortunately it looks like her lip repair will need redone. It is really fat and doesn't really pull away from the top of her teeth. But she looks clean and healthy. Her skin and eyes are clear. She was wearing an outfit we sent her at Christmas. She was a champ on the bus back to the hotel. She ate Cheerios, fed baba (daddy) Cheerios, laid her head on my chest, sucked her thumb and held the cuff of her other sleeve with her fingers like a blanket.
When we got back to the hotel we found her diaper had leaked. She had two diapers on and the top one was dry, so it must have leaked around the leg. We had no intention of changing her clothing because we wanted her to get used to us first, but now we had to. The only time she really cried started when we took her clothes off and continued until she was asleep. After the diaper we tried to get her down for a nap. She laid with me on the bed, but that didnt work. We reluctantly put her alone in her crib, like her notes said she liked, but that only made us both upset. She finally fell asleep laying on me while I was sitting in the chair. She transferred easily to the crib.
She'll have to grieve at some point. We'll just wait it out. Anyway, thanks for letting me record the details, but I know you really just want pictures, so here you go. I'll load them in order, but I think we all know by now that Blogger will upload them however they want.
I couldn't get this uploaded earlier, so I may as well finish the day. Caitie woke up and had wet through everything. I didn't realize it until I also felt wet, so we both got changed; third outfit for her and a sink full of laundry for me. We ate and played and went to sign paperwork and she had a huge blow out. Rather than a fourth outfit, we took a bath and put on jammies. I wasn't planning to do a bath today as often it is traumatic and her paperwork said she hates baths. Ummm, no, baby girl splashed and screamed and giggled and smiled. She stayed in until the water got cold. Now she is snuggled in bed with David proving she drink from a water bottle. She's so smart and cute!! We are so in love!!
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