Questions

Allright...I have some questions today.

When did walking down my hallway become an exercise in traversing a jungle gym? How can someone a fraction of our size make a bigger mess than the rest of us put together? Why are the hours between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. now the best three of the day? How come it seems so pointless anymore to make daily plans? When did I lose my own identity? Why does the quality of my day suddenly depend on someone else and my mood on their mood? How come I feel incomplete now when I go somewhere by myself? What happened to me that I am so willing and happy to sacrifice myself so much for another person?



Yesterday Eva was NOT in a good mood. She must not have felt well, probably another tooth coming in. She only slept for 20 minutes and then woke up and screamed and squirmed. She didn't know what she wanted, other than to feel better. I walked the floor with her for an hour and got her back to sleep, which lasted for another 20 minutes. What an incredibly frustrating feeling when she woke up that second time. Anyway, after that, she decided mommy wasn't going to fool her into sleeping again and she informed me of that fact in her most definitive voice! Finally, after an hour and a half of screeching baby noise in my ear, I squirted baby medicine into her open howling mouth. Half an hour later, she suddenly quit crying... I think I want some of these baby drugs, I can't remember the last time painkillers worked that well. In any case, by that time I was exhausted and wanted to cry myself. So, mom entertained her (Thank God for Grandparents). She taught Eva how to drink out of her sippy cup and they played on the piano. Eva has already figgered out that the keys at different ends make different sounds, and that it's important to use the foot pedal (she was very observant of granny with that). Also, when she bangs on the keys, she sways with the music. Just like she thinks she's the funniest comedian ever, she apparantly also thinks she's an amazing musician. It's important to have a high self image. I have learned also that it is important to be in a good mood when Daddy comes home, to laugh, giggle and cuddle and make sure he doesn't really believe mommy when she complains about how exhausting the day was. Seriously, what is up with that?!

Mommy moments

Today is a very important day in the Hurlburt household: Eva is taking her nap during the day!!! Yippee and yahoo! She slept last night until 5:00 a.m. David and I actually slept at the same time as each other for the first time since returning from China. I actually have a little time to get something done during the day. This is mommy moment #1...I have learned to appreciate and be thankful for somthing so simple as time.

Mommy moment # 2: I have discovered that my daughter has a sense of humor. For some reason I didn't expect that... I don't think I actually ever thought about it until I saw it. We knew in China that Eva would flirt with people just to get smiles and laughs out of them. I didn't realize then that it is part of a bigger personality trait... she really likes to tease and make people laugh. She teases daddy when he changes her diaper by pretending to roll away and then giggling like crazy when he brings her back. Yesterday she teased me by pretending to eat a cheerio, and when I laughed, she did it over and over again, giggling like crazy. I think maybe she cracks herself up more than anyone else.

Eskimo kisses constitute mommy moment # 3. Eva likes rubbing noses, she will grab my head, pull it towards her, smush her face into mine and then shake her head back and forth. It's an absolutely amazing feeling that my daughter is falling in love with David and I also. Intellectually I knew that would happen, but I don't think I ever realized it fully in my heart how it would feel.

Mommy moment # 4 is that I never realized how much junk there is on a freshly vacumed carpet before, and that my daughter is capable of finding ALL of it.

Eva, Daddy and I went to her baby shower last night. It was fantastic and beautiful and I love visiting with my Christ family. However, we had to wake Eva up before we went and she was still very tired and shy still, which means not many smiles and giggles. I can't wait for people to get to see her full personality. So far, she's just been quiet and really well behaved when in public. Can you believe I actually just complained about that?! Forget that statement...I can wait.

Granny loving

Eva decided it was time Granny got some loving this morning.

Just a Monday

Wow, it actually does feel like Monday... which means it feels like I'm actually alive and not in a waking sleep.

Church went really well yesterday. We discovered something amazing with the car seat. As soon as Eva saw it, she started screaming again. Not to be deterred, I buckled her in anyway, then Mom and I sat and waited for David to finish closing up the house while we lamented how he was going to have a horrible time with her screeching. Yeah, well, the second David gets in the car she shuts up, and low and behold even starts giggling. She had a great time with daddy on the ride into church. (And back home again.) Mom and I sat there in stunned silence. I am thinking it must have something to do with feeling secure in the family when we're all in the car together. I wonder if she will cry just as much if it's only David and not me in the car, or if she just is completely infatuated with her daddy already. Granted, he is pretty easy to become infatuated with.

Anyway, Eva enjoyed praise service and clapped along and waved her hands to the first song. She then promptly fell asleep during the second one and slept almost through the entire service--because it was her night time and not because the Pastor is dull, just to clarify. I had to take her out for the last five minutes because she woke up and wanted to talk to us, but really, I was very pleased with the whole outing.

We are progressing with moving her time to U.S. and she's taking her naps and nighty night times later and later. However, this morning, after her nap, Eva woke up from a deep sleep screaming, absolutely terrified. I couldn't console her at all--nothing I did would help. Finally, I got her calmed down enough she would take her bottle, and she couldn't cry while drinking her milk. By the time she was done, she was happy and giggling. I am thinking she had a nightmare. While I know it is true, it hurts my heart to come face to face with the fact that my precious little girl has experiences in her life which would give her nightmares. I really do wish I could just fix everything for her.

So, I am off to get some sleep myself... it takes a lot out of a person to stay up all night with a 14 month old.

Happy at home

Daddy changed the diaper

Eva and the cat, Enoch

Having fun

This and more recent photos posted are from home

Movie Star

Blowing kisses

Baby steps

I feel really good today, for the first time since coming home. I am also very thankful for the people in my life... for the words of encouragement and the meals my church family have provided. Oh my word, I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for that! Also, I am finally caught up on my sleep. Granted, I'm still having to sleep during the day and stay up at night, but this night I finally had time to do some things of my own while she was napping. I know there are people out there who appreciate exactly what a step that is.

Another major accomplishment for us... I have finally figured out how to get her to drink milk. She started refusing the formula the second day we had her in China, and I have tried everything I can think of to get her to drink it. Today we have acheived success, it depends on a combination of type of milk, sweetness, temperature and position she is being held while drinking it. Sometimes I feel like she is training me, not the other way around.

Eva is learning how to interact with the cats, she is delighted with them, although not at all willing to share us with them. I have come to the realization that she does not understand her own worth. However, in time she will! It is still a big step for the family.

Another step... she's finally showing signs of getting used to the house and Granny. I think that it must seem huge in here, for her, after living her life in one tiny room with occasional visits to another tiny room. Then while in China, we were in small hotel rooms. It must be confusing and daunting to have so many different places to go. In any case, she has begun to relax and be happy again. She has learned another English word, which Granny taught her, "num num."

And, in terms of the jet lag, we have gotten her bedtime stretched to noon MN time, which is 1:00 a.m. China time. It's definitely moving in the right direction.

So, today we attempt church. I'm a little concerned, considering it will continue through bedtime. However, I think she is going to love the praise service, since she loves music and dancing and imitating. Either it will be great or horrible, I will find out later today.

Until later, our baby steps are getting more frequent...

Jet Lag & Kisses

So, does anyone out there have suggestions on how to get a baby over a serious case of jet lag?! Help... Seriously, just about the time it gets to be too much, she does something absolutetly adorable and I can't even work up a good upset. Yesterday mom and I had to take her into town for some needed errands. We went in early, around 9:00 MN time, which was of course 10:00 p.m. and past bedtime, in China. She was not a happy girl... she screamed the entire time she was in her car seat. Then, when we got home was absolutely unconsolable. I felt really guilty because at one point I had to just put her in the crib and walk away for a few minutes and calm myself down so that I was capable of calming her down. I felt so guilty leaving her to cry for those few minutes but I didn't know what else to do. It took me over an hour to get her to sleep. Then during her nap time, (which is midnight MN time) she would NOT let me put her down in the crib, so I ended up letting her sleep on top of me, with her holding on for dear life. Poor baby.

On the positive side, this morning David and I received our first ever Eva kisses. I've also gotten lots of cuddles and sweetness from her. She can crawl really well now, it actually looks like a crawl not a horizontal mountain climber. However, she's taken to following me around and I can not leave her sight without serious complaining. Eva has also gotten to like the cats, they however, don't want anything to do with her. Only, she doesn't understand they are animals and wants them to imitate her. She waves at them and nods her head and then gets upset when they don't do it back. Also, she still won't stand for David or I petting them in front of her.

I gotta go... I'm pushing my luck and David is telling to hurry up.

Ahh... Home!

Our last day in Guangzhou was good... We did some shopping in the morning, had lunch, well David and Eva did. I think I managed a couple of bites. I have been eating out at restaurants with her ever since we first got her and still haven't figured out how to do it successfully. We have to feed her first or she raises such a fuss, and then when she's full and I can eat, she then gets bored and demands play, or rather further investigation on her treatise on gravity. There's got to be a way to manage restaurants, I just don't know what it is yet.

After lunch, we went to the U.S. consulate, which took quite a while. We weren't allowed cameras inside the consulate, but took some pictures of the outside. We went through security and our guides took care of the passports and paperwork. After waiting for a while, we all got in a line and went to a window to show a woman our faces which were compared with the passport photos. Then we waited some more, over an hour later we all stood up and repeated the oath of citizenship together for our daughters. We were taken from the consulate to the airport.

It is very slow getting through airport lines in China. It takes a lot of patience. Even though we arrived at the airport 4 hours before our flight left, we got to the gate about 40 minutes before boarding. Fortunately, for this long flight, we were able to get a couple of empty seats between David and I so Eva was able to sleep most of the flight, at least 8 hours of the 13 hour flight. David and I didn't get any sleep, however because we were worried she was going to fall off the seat. After she woke up, she spent the rest of the flight flirting with everyone and playing. Oh, I can't forget eating. I think I'm raising a cleptomaniac though, every time someone walked by our seats with a watch, she did her best to take it off of them.

So, we left China at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday and arrived in L.A. at 7:00 p.m. on the same day. We went through immigration and Eva got a stamp in her passport that officically made her a U.S. citizen, Yea! After customs, we went to the hotel and ordered out for pizza. David's family came to visit us. It took Eva just over an hour to warm up to them, but she really liked it when her grandpa walked her around the room. After they left, she decided it was nap time. David and I informed her that it was night time, but she just looked at us like we were nuts. She slept a good long nap length time, and David and I were thrilled to get about 2 and a half hours of sleep.

On the flight to Minneapolis, Eva spent the first third of the flight flirting with everyone around us on the plane. She particularly enjoyed the grandparents seated behind us. After that she decided it was time to screech a while and mommy had to walk her up and down the aisle. She finally fell asleep, and slept the remainder of the flight. Mommy didn't get anything else done but hold her.

After waking up for the plane transfer at Minneapolis, Eva was in a good mood but that didn't last once we got onto the small plane to come up to Thief River. She had enough! I'm suprised how good she did... she was tired, mad at us because she knew it was bed time (in China) and we were the ones so stupid that we couldn't figure it out, she had a wet diaper and mommy didn't have time to change it, her ears hurt and she had enough of being confined. It's lucky for David and I that flight was a short one.

We had lots of family to greet us at the airport arriving home. Eva got balloons and a welcome sign and lots of love. However, still suffering from jet lag, she wasn't up to visiting. We got home and went to bed, got up late, unpacked and went back to bed. I don't know how long it will take us to get back to Minnesota time, but I at least am feeling much better with some sleep.

Eva has already started warming up to Granny and has been giggling and smiling. She was very afraid of the cats when she first met them, and gave me such a look, like, "What do you think you're doing, exposing me to that thing... don't you know that's an animal!" Right now David and Granny are entertaining the little princess while I'm writing. She's not letting me get away from her very long and she gets very mad when she sees David or I pet one of the cats. She immediately fusses and makes us hold her, dispelling the cat. She is NOT going to share us with anyone. Personally, I don't think she should have to. The cats are going to have to deal with it.

I don't want to forget... Eva did say her first English word on our flight home, other than "ma ma," which doesn't count because it's the same in Chinese. Eva's first English word was "look." She will point at something and say "ook" I suppose we've been doing that to her a lot.

I'll post some pictures later today. For now, so long from home.

Squeaky shoes and french fries

This morning, I woke up with little fingers touching (or more accurately slapping) my chin. I opened my eyes to a little face that was about half an inch away from mine. I must say, there are lots of worse ways to wake up. Eva was an absolute delight all day today, she is so different from the little girl who sat on the bed and stared at us a week ago. It really is hard to believe it's only been a week. Even in this short time, Eva has progressed amazingly. She recognizes her name, she has much better arm and hand control, she seems bigger and she is very happy. She has reached the point now, however, that she wants to see me all the time and gets upset when I leave the room. This morning, she even crawled (her version of a crawl looks like a froggy swiming across the floor) all the way across the room to come to me.


This is a laugh not a scream... she enjoyed getting out of the confining high chair at breakfast.

Today we put squeaky shoes on her for the first time. She laughed histerically every time she made them squeak and then insisted that we hold her up so she could squeak them more. She will stand and just stomp her feet, however, she also did a lot of practice walking today. As long as her feet were making noise, she was thrilled. Lots of giggles and smiles. That's how we spent the morning, while our guides took care of the paperwork with the consulate. In the afternoon, all the families got together for the traditional group photo on the red velvet couch. I managed to actually get a bow in Eva's hair, so that people will quit asking me about my son--It's still bothering me. As long as she didn't know the bow was there, she left it in. Since we distracted her when we put it in, it took about an hour for her to pull it out.



After pictures we did some more shopping.

Shortly after we arrived in Guangzhou, the Davids saw an advertisement for the mega big mac at McDonalds. And of course, since they can't be gotten in the U.S., they've both been wanting one ever since. Well, after shopping, Kathy, Eva and I were exhausted and so we let the Davids have their adventure and get their burgers. Also, at this point in the trip, we are all ready for some American food, even if it is fast food. They even navigated a cab ride to obtain those burgers. In any case, I fed Eva while they were out, but she still insisted on sharing in the feast when they returned. I suppose it's fitting that since we leave to come home tomorrow, she begin her iniation into American culture. If french fries are any indication, she's not going to have much problem.





Tomorrow we are all going as a group for a dim sum lunch. Then we'll be going to the U.S. Consulate for the swearing in ceremony through which Eva becomes a U.S. citizen. After that we get on the plane to come home. We have an overnight layover in LA on Tuesday and will be returning at 3:40 on Wed. to the TRF airport. I won't be posting again until after I arrive home. David and I appreciate the prayers regarding the flight and Evangeline's peace throughout it. We need sleep. We look forward to seeing you all as soon as we can.

Happy Fathers Day

David celebrated his first ever official fathers day today with a defining milestone. Today is the day that David changed his very first diaper. In fact, he even did better than that, he changed two diapers and one of them was a whopper. We're all very proud of David and Eva was pleased that she could help him reach this acheivement.

Actually, Eva has made some amazing discoveries today... One, she discovered that she could come to me as well as getting me go to her. She doesn't really crawl in a true sense, but she has good upper body strength and was able to pull herself with her arms to come to me. A fact which delighted her to no end. The second discovery she made today, which is quite fitting with this day, is that she has two parents, not just one. She decided today that she wants both David and I in the room with her at all times, not just me. Also, she has figured out that David is more than just a big toy, he also is capable of comforting her. It is a joy to me to see David blossom into fatherhood. He is having problems, however, with his leg. The swelling is excessive and he is in a lot of pain due to the increased activity, but nonetheless, having the time of his life.

Eva has made some other changes since we got her seven days ago. At that time, her 12 month old clothing was pretty loose on her... it isn't anymore. Seven days ago, she was quiet as a mouse and never laughed. Today she spent at least half an hour laughing for no reason, except maybe that the adults were laughing too. Another change, it's getting harder and harder to get her to go to sleep in the crib. I can get her to fall asleep, but as soon as I lean over to put her into the crib and she no longer feels me, she lets out ear-splitting, heart-wrenching screeches. The closer she has gotten to Dave and I, the more she wants us to give her constant attention and to not let go of her. Today, I couldn't take it anymore and so I just laid her on the bed with me. Instead of screaming, like she does when put in the crib, she giggled and smiled at me and made eye contact and cuddled up to go to sleep. It was an incredibly intimate moment, and I can't help but think she has had way too few of those moments in her short life.

More about our trip... yesterday after the medical exam and visa photo, Eva took a nap and the spent some time playing with me while David went and finished some more paperwork. Then, we all went out to dinner at the Thai restaurant. Eva had plenty to eat. Today, we did some sightseeing and shopping in the morning. They took us to tour the six banyons Bhudist temple... it had some cool architecture and some very old trees. After than we did some shopping. Eva had another nap, and we spent the afternoon walking around Shaiman Island, doing more shopping of course. Shaiman Island, which is where the White Swan is located, is much different than Changsha... it's much more touristy, more expensive and lots more English spoken. However, I have found that when I use the Chinese words I've learned, the shopkeepers are nicer to me. I have been enjoying bartering, and Eva has hammed it up for everyone. One of the shopkeeprs had so much fun with her, that she went and gave her candy. Eva very much liked her first ever piece of candy. In fact, when she tasted it, she whipped around so fast to get that bag that I thought a hurricane gale had come through the building. After tasting the candy, she didn't want anything else,.. I had to hide the bag. By the way, EVERYONE has two comments they make about Eva, "She is very big baby," and "She is very beautiful."

Eva really does enjoy being the center of attention, she craves attention, she hates small places and she is desparate for input. She is very tactile and interested in the world. David and I are loving being parents and watching her discover her world. Today she experienced her first ever banana, and the look on her face as she discovered it was priceless.

About parenthood... I have to say, it is nothing like I've ever felt before. I get so little accomplished in my day, and I don't care. I have very little time to myself anymore and almost no sleep, yet, I can't wait for the next day to do it all over again. I find myself laughing at nothing but a grin and I have let a 24 pound little person completely consume my life. It's hard to imagine my life without her anymore.

Well, I must go to bed, my bed which I am sharing with that little girl in my life. Tomorrow, we have our U.S. consulate appointment, and will do more shopping. On Tuesday, we're coming home... I am looking forward to it. Mostly because, I very much miss my own bed.

More pictures

Waiting for the medical exam






Tour of the six banyons temple


Eva was upset that her bowl was empty... she ate the entire bowl of scrambled eggs.

Eva the world traveler...

Yesterday was a good day for us and Eva. She is so happy anymore, and smiles and giggles are easier to get out of her.

Eva has definitely formed some culinary opinions and they can be summed up in one word, "flavor!" She won't eat the congee anymore (not enough flavor). One of the great things about feeding Eva is how much she enjoys all aspects of food. She likes the feel, the look, the smell, the taste and has become quite an expert on trajectory analysis in relation to each food type. We ate breakfast early so that we could meet in the lobby for our tour of the University on the East side of the river dividing Changsha. Part of the University is very old, one of the very first in China. We toured the central building where the students used to sit around and learn about Confucious. We enjoyed seeing the old style architecture and attention to detail.


Uncle David posing tourist style in front of the center (ancient) part of the University.


The bus rides with Eva were better than before. I've gotten adept at distraction via cherios. After we returned to the hotel, I spent the afternoon doing paperwork, and then I had to pack for our early morning trip today to Guangzhou. David watched Eva for the hour plus I spent doing the paperwork and really enjoyed learning new tricks of how to keep her entertained. She finds David absolutely delightful, although insists that I be the one who comforts her and puts her to sleep. I've started getting smiles and giggles out of her as well, but David still gets the most.

For dinner, we went with our group back to the restauarant across the street from the hotel. We did a much better job with navigating the crossing--we didn't have to be rescued by the doorman this time. Eva hates the highchair. I've come to the conclusion that Eva hates anything that confines her. If she's not asleep she is constantly moving or demanding to be held. Her hands are never still, she has to touch and investigate everything, and she enjoys making impromptu airplanes out of otherwise common objects. In any case, getting Eva in a highchair is a two person job... she first spreads her legs straight out as she gets near the chair. Literally, 180 degrees apart. Then when you push her legs together she goes stiff and arches backwards. Following that is an ear-splitting screach... this is where the second person is needed. While the first person is navigating the mechanics of the chair, the second person must simultaneously demonstrate the worth of sitting by providing food, a polite way to say "shove cherios in her mouth." She always, without fail, quiets down for food. For dinner, my 13 month old baby had some pears (a full serving of baby food), cherios (entire bowl), cooked red bell pepper, a bowl of steamed pumpkin and three bowls of fried rice. As soon as the fried rice hit the table, she saw it and vehemently insisted she be given some immediately. She really likes the stuff! Yeah, not only did she eat more than all the other babies, but she ate more than some of the adults (myself included--I didn't have time to eat for some reason). I'm letting her eat everything she wants now, until she learns that food will always be there for her when she wants it. I've been told that this will taper off in a couple of months. In any case, she went right to sleep and I was able to finish packing.

I got to bed at 11:00 p.m. and up at 3:30 a.m., we had to meet in the lobby by 5:50 to catch the morning flight. (The reason I didn't post last night.) Eva thought we were crazy getting up so early, (daddy thouroughly agreed) but she didn't grump too much. I dressed her in a very light summer outfit today. I decided that I didn't care if the old ladies come up and get after me, my daughter is too hot. David had some little old Chinese woman in Walmart yelling at him, poking Eva and just totally disgusted with him for something, we don't know what. Eva had a runny nose when we got her (presumably teething related), so we think she was telling him to keep her warmer so that she doesn't get sick. However, my daugther spends all of her time trying to pull her clothes off of herself because she's so hot. We figured we'ld just let them yell at us today. Most of the time though, people just come up and ask me about my son. It really does bother me that her hair is so short. It's such a small and petty thing, but it irritates me more than any of the big things. I learned how to tell people in chinese that she is a little girl now, and so when they start talking to me I tell them that first before they get a chance to congratulate me on my son.

Eva did great on the plane. She informed herself about the safety regulations, she ate most of David's breakfast and more of my breakfast than I did, she tried to steal the breakfast of the man across the aisle, she shoved everything she could get her hands on through the seats into the row in front of us and she held a conversation with the people in the row behind us. She giggled and smiled and introduced herself to everyone on the plane. She did not cry or fuss, she was too busy doing everything else. She really enjoys mimicking aunt Kathy.

Immediately after getting to Guangzhou, we got our luggage and then on another bus. Eva didn't like this one any better than the one in Changsha. They took us to get our babies visa photo and their medical exam. Most of the babies cried through the exam, Eva just slept or tried to grab things. The exam was done production line style. She was stripped and examined first, then weighed and measured. She weighs 23.6 lbs and is 78 cm (34.8 in) long. Yes, she is in the 100% percentile of weight for Chinese babies. She didn't like the part of the exam where they put the thermometer under her armpit and held her arm down... again, it was confining. She did manage to pull the pan they used to measure the babies length to the edge of the table and given another minute would have had it on the floor. I guess that sums up what she thought about that. The last station we went to tested her hearing and general health. The Doctor said she was strong. The nannies at the orphanage said she was strong, the Orphanage director said she was strong, our guides (both of them) have said she is strong. I think they use the word strong to mean, "she's big," David thinks they mean that she is willful and stubborn. One of the babies in our group is 17 months old, she weighed 24 lbs. She was the only one bigger than Eva. Another one who is one month older than Eva weighed 16 lbs. I think the best thing about the medical exam, was that while we were there we saw lots of other babies who have come from all over and are also getting their exams done, and it was clear. Our baby is definitely the cutest!

So, now we are at the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou. Eva fell asleep immediately and David decided to take a nap with her. Later this afternoon we have some paperwork to do. Tomorrow we shop. So goodby for now from China.

Pictures from day 5

Me, Eva and Aunt Kathy in the gardents at the University. Eva wasn't enthused about posing for the camera.

David and Uncle Dave at the entrance at the University.

The locals have a superstitous custom of touching this large longevity symbol. Eva copied them.

Smiles and Giggles

Last night was a hard one for mama and baby. She was just too tired, and didn't feel well, so naturally she woke up. Every time I would get her to sleep, she'd wake up when I bent over to put her in the crib. There's got to be a better system. In any case, she ended up sleeping on top of me for about an hour before I was able to get her back into the crib. However, hard yesterday was, though, today was the best.

After waking up bright and early, Eva sampled some cherios and water, refused the formula and fussed whenever mama left the room. Ba Ba (David) earned some smiles and enjoyed the cherio offerings long enough for me to get ready and we headed off for breakfast. Eva consumed an entire bowl of congee and some watermelon to go along with her cherios. We then all gathered in the lobby of the hotel for our trip to the orphanage. Despite Eva's opinion that we should immediately exit the bus, mama insisted that we stay put, and so she yielded to the inevitable and fell asleep for the majority of the hour ride to the orphanage. Once in Xiangtan, we stopped at a department store first and as a group purchased a washing machine for the orphanage as a donation. (It was what they requested.) The excitement of the moment woke dear little girl up, despite the fact that mama and Eva stayed on the hot bus in order to avoid that very contingency. After screeching in the guide and drivers ears for at least five minutes, with tears rolling down little cheeks, mama asked if she could stand up in the middle of the bus... and of course that met Eva's approval. She instantly cheered up, quieted down and prepared for arrival. I on the other hand, got to enjoy the completely new experience of Chinese driving while standing up. Seriously folks, they drive down the wrong side of the road against oncoming traffic. Today I even saw a lady with a cart of apples completely stopped in the middle of four lanes of traffic (one side of a 8 lane highway). It's insane.

David and I feel very fortunate to be able to visit the orphanage. We weren't allowed to go into many places, but it was enough to get a feel for it. As soon as we got off the bus, and yes, Eva and I are always the first ones off, the nannies saw her and they all started calling her name. They all seemed to both know her, and be very fond of her. I wasn't sure if I wanted to let them hold her, but I thought that it was more important that she have the pictures with the nannies, so I decided it would be okay. I'm glad I did. Something amazing happened. She would let the nannies hold her for a minute, give them a smile, and then twist around at her waist, look for me and hold her arms out for me to take her. I didn't realize how much I needed for that to happen. She chooses me back.

The grounds outside the orphanage was neat and clean. There are some older children, puppy dogs, gardens, and some playground equipment. The rooms all exit to an outside hallway on each of the floors of the orphanage, so we were taken up a flight of stairs to the second floor outside hallway. We were then taken into the rooms where the babies stayed, and we weren't allowed to take pictures in those rooms. There were about 10 cribs in the rooms, all pushed together, and all but a few (those belonging to our girls) were filled. Some of the babies were only a few weeks old, some about a year. Many were crying, some were sleeping and some of them were just laying in the crib staring at the ceiling. I noticed that they put split pants on them and cloth diapers under the pants. The room itself was very old, with old dirt stains on the walls and peeling paint. Eva's crib was in the second room, against the far wall, under the window.

I got a chance to ask the nannies why Eva's hair is so short. I was told that her immune system is not strong and that she gets sick alot. So, apparantely they shaved her head and had an IV in it at one point. I don't know what was in the IV, I don't know anything other than that, but I am glad I asked about her hair. It was good to get the additional information. I am not surprised she got sick alot... they do not have heating in the rooms during the winter, and Eva's crib was right under the window. She probably had a draft on her all winter.

After visiting the orphanage, the upper staff took us out to lunch in a local restaurant. The food was fantastic (at least that's what I was told--it smelled good), although they were careful to give us the mild dishes. Eva enjoyed a tomatoe and egg dish, consuming at least 3 bowls of that, along with a bowl of steamed egg, some sticky rice and more cherios. She also broke a spoon, jabbed everyone with the chopsticks, and talked constantly. All of the families in the group that came (4 of the 5) sat around the same table, and all other three children were so good and sat quietly and ate what they were given. They didn't grab anything or fuss. Yeah, not Eva, we had nothing in a two and a half foot radius of us by the time lunch was finished, there was a layer of food on the floor and chopsticks were flung everywhere. The nannies enjoyed it... they kept saying her name and looking at her and laughing. They said that she liked to be spoiled... Yeah, I don't even know what to say to that. She's definitely ornery and the reason mama missed lunch.

Forntunately for all of us, Eva decided that it would be appropriate to sleep on the bus ride back to Changsha. All in all, she managed to get 2 hours of sleep today. When we got back to the hotel, David and I just spent the time getting to know Eva. It was great. She's really come out of her shell a lot, and she laughed outloud a few times today. She giggles, plays and is constantly discovering new things. We discovered, that she can't really crawl, but she can sit on her butt and scoot herself backwards with her legs. David left once during the afternoon to purchase a cane, and we met up with our fellow travel mates for dinner at the food court. Eva decided it was a good idea to eat again as well. She had half a bowl of her rice cereal mixed with formula...I have given up on trying to get her to drink her formula/cereal like the orphanage workers told us to. Instead, I have decided to feed it to her with a spoon...it works until the food arrives and there is something she enjoys more to choose from. So, in addition to the half a bowl of rice cereal, she had another two bowls of fried rice and a bowl of broccoli. Once finishing those entres, she still had a little room, and so she topped off with some noodles.

She and David are both asleep now. She went down very easy tonight. Granted, she ate more today than I did and she got a lot accomplished. I'm hoping all that food in her belly will take a while to digest and keep her occupied for a long time.

I did experience my own breakthrough this morning as well. On our way to Xiangtan, when Eva was sleeping on my chest in the bus, I looked down at her and realized fully for the first time that she was mine. I no longer felt like I was babysitting someone else's baby. Just as her attachment to us is growing stronger, so is ours to her. She is adorable, delightful and I wouldn't trade any part of it... although, there are things that I won't mourn when she outgrows them.

Pictures from day 4

Outside the front gate of Xiangtan orphanage where Eva has lived for the first year of her life.


Eva & mama posing with the vice director of the orphanage.


Aunt Kathy enjoying teaching Eva valuable life lessons and face contortions.


David feeding Eva cherios with chopsticks during lunch in Xiangtan.


Eva topping off dinner with a few noodle snacks.