Orientation and new friends

So – it is only post 2 and it is me writing tonight (to be posted tomorrow) because Rob and Abby are already in bed even though it is only 7:00. Our days have been long and though we are sleeping longer through the night it is not the same kind of sleep as we are used to and we are still making up for some lost sleep.

This morning we had an orientation meeting with 10 other families. At the end of the meeting, our guide put an updated picture of each child on the screen to see if we could identify our child. Matthew was one of the last ones to be put up and as soon as it was on the screen, Abby yelled out “There’s mine! There’s Matthew! There’s ours!” She was elated! At this meeting we also got updated information about Matthew. Just a few highlights: It says that he likes to sleep with the lights on and that he gets up somewhere between 12-2 am to have a bottle. He still takes a bottle with formula mixed with rice cereal which he can hold himself. He also eats a few types of solids.

The update says that he is a quiet boy and that he likes to be held, especially by his favorite caregiver. He likes to be outside and he likes to play with car toys and toys that make noise. (Luckily I brought two of the cars from my friends at College Park – he will love them!) It also said that loud voices scare him sometimes, so we will see what he thinks of Abby, because she can be LOUD! His nickname is Li Li (prounounced Lee Lee).

This afternoon we went to Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. At the orientation meeting, Abby met Maddie, who is also 5. They were inseparable all day. Maddie kept asking, “Can we have a playdate in China?” They ate lunch at the same table, sat on the bus together and toured around all afternoon together. It is taking time, but we are starting to get used to the looks we are getting to be Americans walking around with a Chinese girl. Maddie’s dad was feeling a little uncomfortable as Maddie is American and the Chinese were curious about her and would want to take her picture and touch her face. At our meeting we learned that this is culturally normal, that because Chinese people are used to living in a country with so many people and not much space, that you have to get along well with your neighbors (a.k.a. not the same concept of “personal space” that we have).

We broke down tonight and ate at McDonald’s. We have had quite a bit of Chinese food and it has all been very good, but I can’t say that Abby has been crazy about it. She hasn’t really been too crazy about the “American” food served at the breakfast buffet either, although she had two helpings of French toast with some kind of chocolate sauce drizzled on it this morning. (Don’t worry Grandma Buettner – we have been feeding her snacks that we brought.)

We are reliving some of our memories from our first trip and thinking fondly of Hunan 8. There are some things that we forgot about – that you sometimes need to bring your own toilet paper and that you might need to use a squat toilet (it’s just what it sounds like). Abby is a pro at them now (with my help). Something new that we learned is that in some older parts of the city, where people might own their own homes they don’t have toilets in their homes, but rather must share a public restroom with their neighborhood. So that would be like our whole block (and probably more) sharing the same bathroom. I guess we would get to know each other even more than we do now!
Well, the next time we post we will have Matthew – we are getting excited beyond words! Get ready for some new pics! Thanks for the comments we have gotten – because even though we are on an adventure of a lifetime it is great to hear from y’all back home. We are constantly converting our watches to what time it is in Americ