January 1, 2011 : New Years Goal- BRING THIS BABY HOME!

First, let me introduce you to "Kyle". Kyle is in an orphanage in China. This is his photo and description from the orphanage:


Photobucket

ChildID/Name, Birthdate: Kyle, 12/28/1007
Location, Gender: Asia, Male Agency: Wasatch Adoptions
Details: "This sweet little boy has Hemophilia (A Grade). His caretakers say "He is so lovely, likes to play with other kids, he likes to put on new clothes, likes to play with aunt, and its interested in the toy car which he can move. He is handsome, extroverted, and active. We all like him and hope there is someone familiar with this disease who could love and care for Kyle so he can lead a full life with his very own forever family."

As of April I know:
- That he was abandoned at 8 months old in a hospital in Shanghai with a brain bleed due to a fall from a bed, and intramuscular bleed due to IM injection, as well as respiratory infection and anemia.
- That he has had many bleeds so far including GI bleeds and shoulder bleeds.
-That every report I have read so far from the hospital shows him as malnourished and with respiratory infections.
- That he does not sing because "in the instution they do not sing or play music"
- That he likes to play with the other kids, and his aunties and caretakers, and seems behind in some areas only because he cannot attend preschool because of his Hemophilia.
-That he is not allowed to go outside to play because of his Hemophilia.
- MOST OF ALL I KNOW THAT I LOVE HIM AND NEED TO GET HIM HOME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Visit to Safari Park/Zoo...

We had a chance yesterday to visit the Safari Park Zoo here. It was fantastic and actually a very relaxing day. After riding the train through the "Safari" seeing all the animals close and personal...lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants, zebras, hippos, rhinos, tigers, giraffes and more..it was so cool- we went through the zoo part where we saw the many pandas and baby animals- we got to feed a bottle to a baby white tiger- which to me and Alexis was a really incredible experience. We also fed giraffes and just so many other things. It was a really great place and nicely set up for the animals which of course made me happy.

Today we have a free day, which is good because Alexis is sick..has that China bug, so she apparently has had water, or ice or contaminated vegetables or something. Started her right away on the antibiotics that we brought. Tomorrow we have our last appointment, our Consulate appointment. This is the final one...and this is it, he will be mine, no turning back! LOL!
The next day we will take a 3 hour train ride to Hong Kong, stay overnight and then fly home the next morning. I cannot wait! I am SO homesick right now. Got to skype with my little Max who is talking and talking and singing even more than he was when I left, which is such good news with the whole autism situation. Hes doing great and it made me so happy but I miss him so much.

So, the first pic here is another sweet success we have had with Ao Zhen. He is actually taking baths and happy about it! YAY! That is something that he was completely flipping out in the beginning about and normally I think takes longer for these institutionalized kids to deal with. You may also see the big bruise on his upper chest that he came to us with. Now, he has hemophilia so I hate to assume the worst since they bruise so easily, but the location of it makes me wonder as he has also had shoulder bleeds, if they are pretty rough with the kids. He is also going to sleep pretty easily now, only about 5 minutes of crying. There is still a lot of work to be done but I see improvements daily. We only had one melt down at the zoo yesterday, which is a record! And then of course his nose started bleeding again, so all the Chinese were just standing there looking at us like we were crazy!














Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!

We flew to Guangzhou Friday and just getting a chance to update- its been crazy. Medical checks, more appointments for pictures for his Visa, a new Guide, and more and more paperwork gathering making sure everything is just right for our Consulate appointment on December 30th. We will go tomorrow again to the Medical Clinic to get the TB tests checked. Today, we had a free day since it was Christmas and went with another family shopping on Shaiman Island. Its a pretty touristy place, and Guangzhou weather is perfect, high 60s today. Ao Zhen went on probably his very first visit to a park. The laughter he had going down the slide was priceless. Getting him to leave however was another story...but its typical. Everytime you hear a screaming child here, you can be sure its another family with an adopted child. Tantrums constantly with these kids! But Ao Zhen is getting better about going to sleep and has stopped screaming for 45 minutes- which is nice. And he is now letting me eat without stealing the food off my plate.
So, back in Shanghai, the incredibley emotional day for us was the day we visited his orphanage and his abandonment place (an infusion room inside a hospital which we went in to see with our own eyes). The orphanage that I had such high expectations of which is beautiful on the outside, and not at all on the inside....was just rooms of children. Thats all I can say. Dark, dreary. Sad. And this is a GOOD orphanage. Ao Zhen was told by our interpreter that he was only going for a visit to his friends and that he was going home with mama, that he was not staying there. They assured him of that. He would NOT go into his room. All the aunties were so excited to see him...but he absolutely clung to me in fear and would not go in. He did go in the other little girl's room whose family was with us, still clinging to me but he went in. I sat on the floor with him in my lap and just played and played with the other kids as much as I could. They were high-fiving me, even the shy ones. But Ao Zhen started getting upset and apparently screaming "Don't hit my mama" in Chinese. He had it at that point. I will never forget what I saw there- I will never forget those little faces all just so terribly craving attention. And the fact that my son spent 3 1/2 years there is just almost too much to imagine.

Then, we went to his "Finding Place". We went inside the hospital where he was left in the infusion room. I can't describe it- thats how bad it was. I will NEVER complain about our hospitals again, thats all I can say really. I can't believe someone left my little boy there...I just can't wrap my head around it. That whole day was so emotional and draining...I am glad I saw those places- I think its something everyone should see whether in China or back at home...so maybe more people would do something to save these children. I will forever be changed after this experience.

So, we have our typical "moments" that you know you are going to have with institutionalized kids. The food hoarding, toy hoarding, fear of being undressed and bathed, the grown up and doing things for themselves that kids this age should not be doing...cleaning every spill while freaking out in fear, picking up every piece of trash, so many things its hard to even begin. He is very wise for his tender 4 years of age. And we also have the typical issues of sort of being attached...I cannot leave his sight without him going crazy. Yet, if I don't let him have something he literally will NOT look at me for about an hour or more and he will go to Alexis for everything. And vice versa when he gets mad at her. And when he was mad at both of us one day, he decided he would only walk with the father in another family. I will be posting a picture of him in an elevator..I call it our Elevator Standoff. He was mad at everything and would NOT come out of the elevator. So, we stayed there for a while...then once he got off he laid on the ground and would not get up. So I just sat there with him, waiting for him to simmer down. I don't always let him get away with it...usually I pick him up kicking and screaming but I thought I'd wait it out that day and see how long he sat there- it was a good half hour.

He has had an off and on nosebleed for 3 days...and that is a nightmare with Hemophilia. His nose was so crusty and stuffed up when we got him, and its so dry It just happened. I think its on the mend. But, let me just say this. We get stared at constantly be the Chinese people anyway...they are always looking at us I think disapprovingly, with one of "their" kids. Not all are probably disapproving stares but it sure feels like it. And I have a very healthy looking boy so I am sure there is a lot of thoughts on their part. Anyway, so try walking down the street with a tantruming, screaming child...held sideways, fighting me the whole way down the street, AND add the bloody nose to it. We really have gotten some looks! Now, Alexis, Miss Supermodel...has actually had people approach her and ask to have her picture taken with them like she is famous. Its hysterical!

So, enough talk...here's some pics! First the orphanage and hospital:
















Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Pictures

We had an orphanage visit yesterday as well as a visit to the hospital where he was abandoned. It was so overwhelming I do not even have words for those visits right now....its just too sad and there are so many things I need to describe about it, I have to do that in a few days when it is not so embedded in my head as I am trying to forget a little bit of that right now. All I can say is that I will never ever be the same after seeing what I have seen. I am changed...not in a bad way but it has changed me. I think everyone should experience something like this and see these things so more can be done to help the situation.
So, for happy times- following are pictures of Gotcha Day and the day after. We are dealing with tantrums and a very headstrong little boy who wants to do EVERYTHING his self...and I mean major tantrums. But we will get through it- and I knew exactly what to expect and it was this!



















Monday, December 19, 2011

Gotcha Day!!!

We have had our little guy since yesterday at 9:30 am...and it has been such a whirlwind that I have been too tired to update! It has been 2 days of running around from one office to another for paperwork, applications for his passport, etc. etc...and there is still so much more to do. To sum him up until I can write more later...he is doing amazing. Besides eating nonstop and I mean literally he never stops eating - he is extremely possesive of every single toy and item of clothing he has. I know it will pass, but it is really sad when I stop to understand and know exactly why he is like that and what he has done without for 4 years. He knows I am Mama, he seems to understand that, and loves his big sister. He is a big ham, smiles and giggles endlessly. He is incredibly smart and "wise" for his age. Its almost scary - he will surely outsmart me in a matter of months I am sure. It also is sad though and very hard to explain right now!
My other smart child, Alexis...is having trouble downloading pictures and has promised to help me tonight after we eat dinner. We are traveling with another amazing family who adopted a cute little 2 1/2 year old girl, and our guide is taking us out to a new restaurant tonight for dinner thank god as we are tired of the hotel food.
I will download video of Gotcha Day soon- he actually ran to me and sad Mama and gave me a hug...but it was definitley rehearsed ahead of time, still very sweet. He cried when his "aunties" from the orphanage left, which was really sad.
I do have this picture for now.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

We are in Shanghai!

We left Wednesday morning at 6 am...arrived Thursday at about 2:30 US time. We have had all of these days so far as Free days, with no guide...since we had to come so early because of the prices of the flights. So, we've just been kind of hanging out, and venturing out in the huge city of Shanghai taking it all in. We've discovered a lot of really cool shopping - and kind of "underground" malls. Its hard to explain. The people here are very stylish. They also all look at us because we are the only Americans...even mom's pointing us out to their little kids and commenting on our big eyes. They have an indoor pool here which is nice and Alexis has been swimming every day. Food is great in the hotel, we are getting ready to be adventurous and try a Subway we found. We have to go out to get bottles of water daily as we cannot drink the water, brush our teeth with the water and we have to close our eyes and mouth in the shower...and we can't get ice in our drinks or eat the salads, etc. Its kind of scarey! Anyway , it is about 11:00 Sunday our time, US time is about 10:00 pm Saturday. Of course Max is home getting sick - figures that would happen when mommy is gone.
I am going to post some of the pics we have taken so far, but tomorrow is the big day. We go to pick up our little guy at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Thats when the fun really starts! I am so excited and nervous and terrified and emotional. I am thinking about him spending his last day with all that he knows and all of his little friends and so worried about how his little world is going to be ripped out from under him, even though it is so much better for him, he has no idea. He will be leaving everything and everyone he knows and I am so sad for him. Please keep him in your thoughts.