The first day of the rest of his life...

We feel that Simon has been ours for a long time. Maybe before time began.  But today he is legally ours according to the Chinese government.  All we have to do to satisfy the US Government, is fill out some paperwork and touch down on US soil next week.  After having him spend the last 24 hours with us, there is no doubt he has been prepared for us to be his family.  He first warmed up to Hannah, our 14 year old daughter traveling with us.  Then he seemed to be comfortable with dad - which usually comes first for Chinese children for some reason.  They are cared for by women in the orphanages, so maybe they have a hard time transferring their love and acceptance to another woman. He is a little hesitant with Deanne still, preferring dad's or Hannah's hand over mom's, but he laughs and plays with mom and is just being a silly 4 year old with all of us so far.  He got scared and a little upset just before going to sleep last night - being tired and in a strange hotel room with strange people was a little more than he could take, but Deanne was able to help him through it.  At one point he reached out and took Deanne's hand for comfort. We started him off in the bed with Hannah, but after Deanne gave him different options, he ended up on the floor by himself.  Maybe he was more comfortable having his own space since that is all he has known.  The hard floor might have felt more "comfortable" to him also since that probably felt more like his crib than the soft, warm hotel bed. 

With dad at the Civil Affairs office - smiles are very common with him now.

At breakfast this morning, Simon, preferred potato wedges with ketchup over fried rice with eggs.  He is already becoming and American kid.  I couldn't even coax him over to the Chinese side with this piece of dragon fruit.

Simon getting his hand covered in red ink for the hand print on the official paperwork. 

 Finger painting with a purpose....

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this Chinese moment.  As we walked down a narrow sidewalk, there was a restaurant on our right and a construction site on our left.  These green leafy vegetables (I don't think it was bok choi, probably spinach) hung from a rusty wire fence separating passers by from the construction site.  Plenty of dust and dirt was flying around and people could easily reach up and touch it.  No doubt the vegetable was intended for lunch at the adjacent restaurant. Another reminder why McDonald's and Pizza Hut are very popular with visitors from the US.  We will stick with our favorite Chinese restaurants in Utah for our version of "authentic" Chinese food.   

 

Overall, this has been a wonderful first couple of days with our new son.  His heart condition is definitely noticeable in his skin tone, blue fingers, pink cheeks and respiratory capacities.  We are very anxious to see what the cardiologists, now our friends, at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake will say about the severity of his condition and how soon surgery will be needed.  But for now we are trying to become familiar with every bit of this sweet little spirit and get him familiar with a new way of life....with a family.