First Day in China-October 12, 2008 (October 11 at home)

10/31/2008

Slept about two hours, same as the previous night. Breakfast was great-lots of fresh fruit-I ate melons and pineapple. Probably not a great idea. Remember me saying that I don't travel well? Our van for the day smelled of cigarette smoke and I was in one of the back seats. So it is easy enough to figure out what came up-first time just before meeting Aidan, second time just before our photo was taken together (we both look ghastly-he due to trauma, me due to illness), and the third time a little later on. After that I got the front seat when going anywhere.

So, on to the orphanage. When our son came out he refused to make eye contact and physically moved away from me. His head was bowed, and after a few minutes tears began to fall silently. Then he started sobbing. The nannies tried to reassure him, but he left still crying.

There were problems with our paperwork. My agency said to bring one copy of my husband's passport and didn't mention needing any of my own. I had one copy of his passport for Guangzhou, none of my own, and my donation was in US dollars, which they would not accept. So we left with the children (my travel mate, her mother and daughter-myself, my daughter and son) to do errands. We got our passport photographs (mentioned above), then went to the hotel where Aidan began crying again during his snack and continued until errands were over-those included changing money at the bank, getting photocopies made, picking up our passport photographs, and shopping at the store for some foods that are familiar-to Aidan, not to us.

Back at the hotel LB was asleep. The real Aidan finally came out. With Matchbox cars, a coloring book, a flip-sheet invisible drawing pad, and stickers, he giggled, jabbered away, and acted silly.

Late in the afternoon he took a nap. He is a great sleeper. Took off his shoes, took a toy to bed, and was asleep within minutes. When he woke we walked to McDonald's, then back to our room. He fell out of the bed so I pulled a chair up next to it and then he was fine, even cuddling up to me a couple of times.