Bonding Begins--Very Slow, but We See Hopeful Glimpses

After a very emotionally and physically exhausting Gotcha Day (Monday), Shane slept for about 12 hours and probably didn't even move for the first 8. He woke up still unsure of Susie and I as well as our surroundings. His waking up was quite comical....he would momentarily open his eyes as if hoping the surroundings had changed as well as that his new parents maybe had disappeared only to find us staring at him. He would quickly close his eyes like he was hoping we did not notice he was awake. We finally got his attention that was time to awake. He seemed to tolerate us and even gave us the pleasure of a few eye to eye contacts as Susie dressed him for breakfast.

Although he is beginning to eat well, he appears to be somewhat finicky--especially on sources of protein. Susie keeps experimenting. We have found that he will still somewhat eat the congee (Chinese porridge) that has been basically cooked with pork bones and broth. But his favorite foods so far fruits (watermelon and apples) and sweet things. Later in the day we discovered that animal cookies and french fries were a big hit. As for drinking we found that he is only fair from drinking from a cup if you hold it for him. We ended up trying a variety of sippy cups and bottles until Susie removed a control valve out of a sippy cup. This seems to provide the best solution-controlled flow without the requirement of much sucking. He can Blow air through his lips but has real difficulty sucking. Like yesterday, we noticed he had some trouble chewing and swallowing, but that appears to be improving. So the discovery process continues.

We get the impression that a lot of things were essentially done for him in the past. He prefers Susie to hold his cup. He like holding a spoon, but he does not have the dexterity to get the food on the spoon as well as most of the food in his mouth. He will gladly let you feed him if you feed him what he wants. He also prefers for the most part to be either held or ride in the stroller when we are going places. He can walk,but he is very unsteady on his feet. Part of this is probably due to lack of practice,but it is also obvious that he is much weaker that child his age--I'm sure largely due to his heart defect. He did play quit a bit standing up while leaning against a coffee table and would walk back and forth to the bed or to pick toys.

Susie was also able to get him to smile quite few times...we are still waiting to hear a good happy laugh.

Highlights of the day were visiting Walmart...yes, Kunming has has a Walmart since 1996 which carries everything you would expect to include many of their local favorites. We bought a stroller, diapers and some local apples, pears, and watermelon (delicious). We went in the early morning to avoid the crowd...it was still very busy for American standards. After dropping off our goods at the hotel, we walked to a nearby park called Green Lake Park. It made for a very nice outing. Shane likes being outside seeing the sights and sounds. He is much more comfortable out than in our room. Every time we just enter the elevator to go to our room, he begins to pucker up and cry. Many times he just melts down when we enter the room like we just entered a prison. Susie is getting quite good at distracting him with toys and food but it is obvious he has not completely bought into the idea that being with us is a good thing--but I expect each day will improve.

Final outing of the day was a walk through Kunming's business district looking for a western restaurant. The walk was good for us all. We definitely get the expected stares from passers-by checking us and Shane out and trying to make the connection. We receive a few smiles but mostly looks of curiosity and few looks of contempt. We finally settled for a nearby KFC--probably the most popular of the fast foods we have seen in China. The food was great and the prices were very reasonable but not as good as when we visited in Beijing in 2003. It is obvious that the US dollar is losing its value in this country. We tried to introduce Shane to ice cream but he would not even let us get it to his lips...another day perhaps.

We returned back to the hotel for a little playtime to include his now routine bath which he seems to like very much. Wednesday, we are scheduled to visit Shane's orphanage...this was not a visit we requested and we are a little apprehensive about returning Shane for the visit when he is not still comfortable with us. don't want to undo our progress. This could lead to another meltdown.

Please continue to pray for us...especially Shane for peace, understanding and health. And for us, knowledge and wisdom. God bless all