Play Date

It was a day without purpose other than hanging out while the visa is processed. We did the breakfast buffet (which I am going to miss), Starbucks (in the opposite order!), talked with Jaden on Skype until she wanted to watch TV :), did a little souvenir shopping, and then called our friends from the first week in China - the single mom adopting the 3 year old, "Gong Gong" (again, I do all this phonetically), who will be having bilateral cleft and palate surgery this summer. His mom is a nurse and she met him when he was 15 mo old and she traveled with a group of US doctors and nurses to do cleft repairs. Gong Gong's was too severe for the team, and for anyone else in China. She fell in love with the little guy and worked for a year towards a medical visa and found US surgeons to provide what was needed, gratis. But then, China opened up again to singles for the adoption of special focus kids (older, severe special needs) and she decided with her 9 year old daughter that they would like to add him to their family. So that is how it came to be they were in China and on that elevator the first day when I arrived and I asked "are you adopting, too?" I even saw Gong Gong before they did as he was in the lobby when I went down to wait for Yin Yin. We enjoyed our week together as the kids played and us single moms swapped stories. Jaden would have had fun that week (but still no regrets she did not come, the traveling is tough!). So back to today - Harper and I got in a taxi and went to their hotel about 20 min away to hang out for a couple hours before they had to get in their naps and pack before flying home tonight. We plan to stay in touch. I hope so as they are a very cool family.

Harper is resistant to falling asleep in any way, shape, or form the last few days. And she has sneezed all day and a slight runny nose, so I was not going to let her get away with no nap if I could help it. So it took her an hour and a half in her crib while I sat nearby to finally settle down after periodic protesting, but the cool part was that she was singing little songs, saying nursery rhymes (based on the repetitiveness), and otherwise jabbering away. I didn't dare move from my chair to get my phone for a video, but I should try to capture it. Very cute and she was singing some parts with such emphasis as I am sure she was taught. Also while packing she came across the rubber shoes she was wearing on Gotcha Day, and she insisted on wearing them to bed. Not sure if I can get them off her feet without waking her, and not sure if I want to.

Tomorrow, the train to Hong Kong, which would give me an anxiety attack but one of the other families here under Michael is on the same train and going to the same airport hotel, so that is huge help to me since I have added a stroller and seem to need one arm more to move all my "stuff". So for now, I can continue to focus my anxiety and dread on the flight home!!

Tai chi every morning around 8 am. We are on our way to Starbucks.

The stick-out-tongue phase appears to have been short lived. Gong Gong and his mom, also
little peek of big sister.

Gong Gong and Harper. She's a tad flirtatious don't you think?

Partners in crime.