Olivia's 1st Family Day

One year ago today Olivia and I came home from China and she met the rest of her family. I'll never forget how she seemed to adore the boys from the moment we got home! We flew home on Chinese New Year last year. Today we are going to a big CNY party. It's just perfect to celebrate her Family Day!

I put together this little slideshow to show how much fun she has brought to our lives. No tissues necessary for this one but you might just laugh out loud at the song! :)

365 Days Ago...

SHE came into my life and my heart. For the last 3 weeks I've had China on my mind constantly. I have thought about every aspect of my trip to meet Olivia. It was hands down the scariest thing I have ever done. I was literally petrified to go by myself. Now, I would go back in a heartbeat!

As I have thought about China and my trip I have found myself on the verge of tears many many times. I've been easily overcome with emotion at the thoughts of the day I met my daughter. Last Sunday at church as we were singing, I was holding Olivia in my arms. As the tears flowed down my cheeks I thanked God again and again for giving me such a gift.

So,today is Mommy & Olivia Day. I met Olivia alone in China. We will celebrate her Family Day on Feb. 7th, which is when we all became a family. But this day will forever hold a special place in my heart. Many moms have said that when they birthed or adopted their last child they knew they were through. Although I have learned never to say that, I can tell you that Olivia has completed something inside of me. She has filled the space that God had placed there and I didn't even know existed. I love her more than words could ever express and she has changed my life forever.

This slideshow is of Olivia's life in China. I searched for a long time to find the right song for this slideshow. It's Van Morrison's Someone Like You. It's perfect!


The Christmas before I left for China Blake gave me a necklace that says Mother and Daughter in Mandarin. The first night that I met Olivia I pointed to the words on the necklace and said "Mommy" "Olivia" and I would point to me then to her. After only two days she learned that she was Olivia and refused to even answer to Ming Qing. The necklace has become a very special keepsake for both of us. She holds onto it all the time and says "Mommy and Olivia." So, naturally, my gift to her on this day would be a necklace of her very own.

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Girl

I love how she tries so hard to hold up three fingers
Today Olivia turned 3! She's been talking about her birthday for weeks. Almost every day she asked if it was her birthday. I thought a lot about her birthmother and how she must be thinking of her. We had a family only birthday party and I'm glad it was just us because it turned out that she's been sick with a stomach virus. She felt much better by the time the party rolled around but went downhill shortly after. The funniest thing is that when we ask her now how old she is she says "I 6". She INSISTS that she is six now!

I have to admit that shopping for her gifts was very emotional. The whole time I was in the store I was choking back tears. I literally had to give myself a little talk to make sure I didn't just break down and start bawling! I'm so thankful for my little girl. We are so very blessed to have her in our family. To celebrate her life is so special!

Home for 9 Months!

9 months ago Olivia joined her new family at home. We've been through so many changes since then and she is such a joy in our lives! In the last 3 months we've begun to venture out more and and meet new friends. Other than her deciding that she didn't like her dance class, everything else has gone smoothly. I believe that she feels safe and secure now.

She is really learning how to play with toys. For some reason she hasn't been too interested. She does love learning toys. She plays with Jackson's Leapster every day. She loves all things Leapfrog! She has learned all of her letters and each sound they make. She is also sounding out 3 letter words though she doesn't say the actual word yet. Letters are just about her favorite thing of all! Her favorite tv shows are Ni Hao Kai Lan, Dora, & Yo Gabba Gabba, though she would much rather watch a Leapfrog DVD. When a commercial comes on tv for toys, any toys, she says "I want that!" I just say "You do?" and she says "Yes!" She learned that from her brothers!!

It took her a full 6 months to become fully transitioned to American food. I remember it took Joe a long time too but not this long. She loves cereal, apples & peanut butter, spaghetti and her beloved chocolate!

She no longer sleeps with lots of toys, not even Bau Bau. She adores her "jamas" (pajamas). She loves wearing pig tails every day and begs to sleep in them. If you followed our journey while in China you know that Olivia was terrified of the bath. She only had one bath the whole time. Even after coming home it took a while for her to like it. Now it is a highlight of her day. She can't wait for her bath and even loves showers too!

Olivia has the sweetest personality and she is SO good all of the time. If she does anything wrong she instantly says "I'm sorry Mommy." She tells me at least 50 times a day "I lub you Mommy!" She and I are very very close. She gives me tons of hugs throughout the day too. She loves Daddy but will always choose to be with me. She cries and cries when he takes her out the door to go somewhere but stops as soon as they get in the car and then she has a great time. She woke up last weekend and turned to me and said "I want my Da". I was shocked! And glad!

Here are a few pictures taken in the last couple of weeks. She has changed so much from the day I met her but she's still has such a baby face! I love her so much and cannot even imagine my life without her!

>



And my personal favorite:

6 Months!

Today we are celebrating! Miss Olivia Ming Qing has been home for 6 months! The time has flown by. I almost feel cheated because it's going so fast. I'm enjoying every single minute with my little girl. I can't believe she will be 3 years old in just a few months.

The first two months were definitely the most difficult. She really wasn't sure if I was going to be here forever. I feel very fortunate in that I was able to spend a lot of time at home alone with her. Ben and the boys were at school all day and she and I just spent that time getting to know each other. And she was learning to trust me.

I think the real turning point came at 4 months. She just seemed to all of a sudden realize that she was part of our family. She had slipped into our daily routine truly began to be herself. We all feel like she has been here forever now! I've said it before but it bears repeating....I'm totally in love with this little girl. We are so close it astonishes me on a daily basis. There are so very may things that I love about her so here's a list that I will try to condense but don't count on it!

When Daddy comes home the first words out of your mouth are "Tea Party?"

When one of the boys gets even remotely close to touching you and you start saying "He heh me! He heh me! (translation: He hit me)

When you want me to pick you up and you say "Hugs!"

You call Ben's friend Bryant, "Nanny" (that's what our kids call my mom)

You kiss me randomly throughout the day for no reason.

You sing every song you know in Madarin.

You can count to 10 in 3 languages!

You stand at your door in the mornings and say "Help Me" the you say it in Spanish.

I ask you "Are you my girl?" and you shake your head yes twice each time.

When all the males in the house are working out...you do squats and push ups too!

Every time you pass a stranger you say "Hi guy!"

You call pizza "pizza guy."

You sing the Sponge Bob song and play the flute on your nose then say Arrrgggghhhh!

You finally like American food!

You hold my ear and rub my elbow when you are sleepy.

I love that you still suck your thumb.

Livi Lu you ARE my girl and I love you to pieces my darling!!
THEN

NOW

3 Months

Last week marked being home 3 months with Olivia. The first two months were spent nearly entirely working on attachment and her getting used to her new life. I stayed at home almost all of the time with her. We only went out when it was necessary. This was difficult at times. Sometimes I had cabin fever. However, after 4 adoptions I can honestly say that this has been instrumental to Olivia's security.

We spent a lot of time playing together but we also just spent time "living togther." I didn't feel the need to fill her every moment with something. She needed to get used to the routing of our life and just be able to observe us as well as interact. She went from not even wanting me to hold her to crawling up in my lap and giving me hugs...all in her own time. Now that I've gotten to know her, I realize how very special this is. She is a very touchy, feely person. She loves cuddling and kissing and just touching skin to skin. It makes me so thankful that I didn't force her to hug me. Physical Touch (from the 5 love languages) is Olivia's way of showing love. She certainly didn't love me at first and wouldn't have wanted to show affection to me. I just eat it up now though! :)

This past month has been a drastic difference. I'm not seeing hardly any attachment issues. She's settled into our routine and seems really happy. As I said we've stayed at home almost all of the time and now when we go out somewhere and we get back in the car she always asks "Ibia (Olivia) home?" She does enjoy going to the baseball games. On game days she goes around the house saying "I LOOOOVE Baseball game!" It's so funny. After the last post about the ballgames and attachment I wore her in the sling the whole time at the next game. She did great. The next couple of games I made a point of making sure she stayed right with me. Now she acts entirely appropriate. She stays with me on her own. She will walk a short distance away but comes right back. She and I have become best friends. I ask her if she's my girl and she shakes her head yes. It's so sweet.

Her vocabulary is amazing. She is totally fluent in English. She says 4 and 5 word sentences. She understands everything we say to her. She can boss Jackson and Joe quite well! She is NOT good at sharing with other kids though. We are working on that.

Sometimes it's hard not to just sit and cry with joy when I watch her. I love her so much already and it just keeps growing!

A Mother's Love

Two years ago today, Olivia was left in the front lobby of the People's No. 1 Hospital in Qinzhou. (the picture is not Olivia) I wrote a little story about what I imagine the day might have been like. Birthmother's are my heros.

A Mother’s Love

I barely slept last night knowing what today would bring. I tried to stay awake and just listen to my little girl breathe. As I placed my hand upon her heart I tried to memorize the tiny pitter patters that I felt. Somehow, I dared to hope that my love would pass from my hand into a small part of her heart and that it would remain there forever. As I drifted in and out of sleep, I prayed. Prayed for her, prayed for strength , prayed that somehow I could keep my daughter.

The warmth from the sun cascading through the small window above the bed woke me. She looked so angelic with the swirls of light bathing her. This was it. My last morning with my Ming Qing. Today I would become one of the many mothers who have had to give up her child. I never thought I would be one of them. What made me think that I was any different than they were? I never understood how they could do it. How they were able to walk away. Until I was faced with choosing life or possibly death for my own baby. Now I know that their reason, like my own, were driven by love. We tried, her father and I, to help her. Being poor is not fair but it is the fact of our life. She needs so much more than we can give. She is growing sick and we are unable to make her well. We understand that she will probably need an operation. For weeks we have taken extra jobs and even begged for money to pay for it. It is not enough. It will never be enough. We are not enough for her.

Ming Qing’s father is already in the kitchen and has prepared her bottle for her. A pain shoots through my heart as I reach for it for the last time. My darling little one has no idea what is about to happen to her. She snuggles close to me. She stares into my eyes as if she senses something is different. She tries to eat, but she’s so weak. I just hold her and absorb her scent. Her father, who has fashioned a basket with blankets for a covering, takes her and lays her in it. I tuck the note with her birthday and time of day she was born into the folds of the blankets. He asks if I want him to go with me. I tell him no. It’s my duty. I was the first one with her. I will be the last.

The 9 blocks to the hospital seem like a hundred. The weight of the basket, though actually very light, seems like I am carrying bricks. I can’t believe I am doing this. It doesn’t seem real. How will I have the strength to say goodbye? God, you must help me. You must! Why? Why? I ask Him over and over in my mind. I get no answer, yet I have an assurance that I am doing what is right. He surely has a plan for my sweet baby girl. I am the beginning. Another mother will be the end. Dear God, do you already have that mother picked out? Is she waiting for my daughter to become hers? Will You choose one who will love her as much as I do? My thoughts are coming so fast that I am nearly to the hospital for I realize it.

I slip into an alcove that is near the North entrance. It is sheltered so we cannot be seen. I set the basket on the ground and peel back the blankets. Ming Qing stirs. The cool air has awakened her. She smiles. My heart breaks. Her dimples, her shining eyes, her perfect mouth….I try to memorize them. I dare not pick her up. If I do, I may never put her down again. I lean over and kiss her so many times that she begins to squirm. The words come softly at first. “My baby girl. I love you. I love you more than my own life. This is the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. I have held you in my arms for 5 months, but I will hold you in my heart for a lifetime. I will never live a day without thinking of you and praying for you. I’m so sorry my darling.” The words are coming now between sobs. “I don’t know how I will live through this pain. I pray that one day you will know that I did this for you. Because I love you. Goodbye my darling.”

I gather the basket and dry my eyes. Looking down I quickly walk into the hospital lobby. I see a man sitting alone along one wall. He looks nice. I pray he is nice. He is turned so that his back is to me so he doesn’t see. I walk slowly toward him trying to be quiet. He still doesn’t notice me. My heart is beating so fast and so hard I'm sure he must hear it. I set the basket with my life and heart inside it down beside him. I turn and walk quickly back outside. There is a large column outside the door so I stand behind it and peer in through the glass. After a few moments, Ming Qing must have made a sound because the man turns suddenly and looks at the basket. He begins to pull back the layers of blankets. I see the look of astonishment on his face. Then, a small grin. He lifts my baby gently from her bed. He holds her close then stands and calls out to a nurse passing by. I see a flurry of activity as more people gather around. The nurse takes my Ming Qing and her basket and walks away. She goes through a door and as it closes behind her my breathing stops. I begin to feel lightheaded and I finally take a breath. I can’t believe it is over. I am alone. My arms are empty. My heart is torn. My final petition falls from lips, “May she grow up to serve You, Lord, so that one day we will meet again.”

One Month

Today is the one month anniversary of Olivia's adoption! I can't believe it's only been a month. I feel like I was in China at least that long! And she seems like she's been home for much longer. I hope to post monthly updates here for the first year then make the keepsake book for her. I'm going to try to be pretty open about how things are going because I know that there are waiting families who are reading and I hope that it will help in some way when their little ones come home.

The first 2 weeks were very difficult. Normal, and not unexpected, but still hard. As I've mentioned before, Olivia has had 2 disruptions in her short life. She's learned that mommy's don't stay around. It will be my job to show her that I WILL be here for her. But that is going to take time. Think of it like this...If your spouse hurt you very deeply in some way, how long would it take for your trust in them to rebuilt? It's one step at a time.

I allowed Olivia to go at her own pace until I felt that she was comfortable with me. Then I took over. Although we have been doing lots of things already to promote attachment (playing games that promote eye contact, reading, carrying in the wrap, looking in the mirror while I'm holding her, etc...) I have now "stepped it up a level". I'm seeing tremendous progress as a result.

It's so very easy to miss signs of attachment issues. I'm not talking about an attachment disorder now, I just mean that it's easy to think our child is attached to us when, in reality, it's not possible to fully attach in a short period of time. It takes time to get to know someone and trust them. Even more so when your life has been disrupted. Now that Olivia is home, I can look back and see many mistakes that we made with our other adoptions. Some were not really a big deal, they would have just made things easier for our child quicker. Some WERE a big deal and we are still seeing the consequences of not spending enough one on one time. I'll cut myself a little slack...I did have three 2 year olds at one time and one had Autism. AND I didn't know what I know now! There's alot out there about the philosophy of attachment but not a lot of practical ideas.

Some of the signs that cause me to realize we need more attachment work are: Seeing Olivia freely wander away in a public place, the fact that she calls for Joe when she is upset instead of me, she isn't fully comfortable with me, she looks to me for approval before she does just about anything...in other words, she doesn't feel free to be a two year old! I've done Holding Time with her and saw great improvements immediately.

Going somewhere is such a chore! I had several errands yesterday and there's no more hopping out of the car to drop something off somewhere. Noooo, you have to get out and go around and open the van door, climb in on your knees all the way over and unbuckle Olivia, put her socks and shoes back on every time, find the sippy cup that she threw, get her out of the seat , heft the giant diaper bag up onto my shoulder, pick her up and carry her in. Then we go back out and do everything in reverse! I'm huffing and puffing by the time I get in my seat!

Overall I think that Olivia is doing really well and every day gets better and better!

Keeping Up With Olivia

I've had a few emails asking how to keep up with how Olivia is doing. I didn't explain it very well in my last post....sorry everyone!

This blog was just for travel and a few updates over the next year. We have a regular blog that I update frequently. So here's what to do if you want to continue reading our main blog:
Go to our family blog, Somewhere In The Sun. You can bookmark this site so you can go back to it whenever you want. Or you can go to Blogarithm and type in www.arnett9.blogspot.com in the URL space. Be sure to respond to your confirmation email when you get it. By doing this you will receive an email every time I post on the blog. You will then have the option of clicking the link in the email to take you to the blog.

I've added a post about Olivia's first doctor's appointment. She's doing great! If you stop by be sure to leave a comment. We LOVE hearing from you!

Adjusting

Olivia will literally turn her back to me
I don't know who loves who more
Tea in Bed! She has these boys doing her bidding. Yesterday Olivia was trying to play with Jackson. Joe said "Olivia wants to play". Jackson said "No, she want's to push me down" to which Joe replied quite loudly "Well, Let Her!". These are the same two boys who wouldn't go NEAR the "pink" bed before Olivia came home.
Well, this is one way to get long hair

Today was a better day. I think I know where we made our first mistake. The first morning home, Olivia woke up very early and Blake, knowing how tired I was, decided to let me sleep in. He took Olivia downstairs and fed her breakfast and they spent about an hour playing and having a grand time. When I came down, Olivia took one look at me and turned her back to me. She was very upset. It went downhill from there. We know better than to hand off the caregiving to anyone other than mom. We just weren't thinking. I wonder if Olivia thought I had gone away. She obviously thought "something". So, we immedietley went back to only me meeting her needs. I do the feeding, bathing, changing, disciplining, putting in the car, etc....Everyone else just plays with her. She is eating it up, which is good. But she is taking all of her fears, anger, and confusion out on the one she is closest to...Mommy. She basically won't have anything to do with me unless it is to get something she wants. Each day is getting better though, just like it did in China. Tomorrow the boys go back to school. I think that will help tremendously. The whole bonding thing has been very hard for Ben to understand. He wants to hold her all the time and thinks that what we are doing is stupid. (remember he's 17!) It does sound odd to someone who is not a parent or has not adopted before.

Bonding is much more than learning to love each other. It is learning to trust as well. When you give birth the mother meets every need of her baby and in turn the baby learns to trust her mother. The same thing has to happen when you adopt, no matter what the age. When you allow others to "help" you meet those needs, it delays the full bonding between mother and child. This is the reason I was glad that Olivia was still taking a bottle, so I could hold her close and feed her. Unfortunatley she stopped taking it while we were still in China.

Tomorrow I'm going to put her in the sling. I think that should help too. She did so well in China that it was almost inevitable that she go through this once she got home. Blake goes back to work on Tuesday and Olivia and I will settle into our daily routine. She will have nobody else to turn to but me. It breaks my heart for her to know that she trusted me once but not anymore. How difficult this must be for her and how scary! I'm glad that she has her brothers to play with because she does love them!!!

This will be my last post on this blog for a while. I will return to posting on our regular blog, Somewhere In The Sun. If you'd like to see how she's doing you can have an email sent to you when the blog is updated. Then you just click on the link to go to the blog. You can sign up at Blogarithm. (Thanks Lori for this tip. It's a great timesaver!)

I want to tell everyone who left comments or sent emails while I was in China that I am so grateful to you! Even though I was alone with my baby in a foreign country, everyday I would read your comments and they would lift my spirits and make me feel no so alone anymore. I read every single one of them and they are each a precious part of our journey. And a special thank you to my dear friend Katrina for crying with me on the other side of the world!

Homecoming

I've finally figured out how to get a post done after your bring your child home. You get up at 2 am to do it! Of course, this is normal for me since going to China anyway. Actually, I'm having an easier time adjusting to the time that Olivia. I guess becuase this is my "normal" time and I'm just getting back to it. She's adjusting to a totally new time. We've both been taking lots of naps. The late afternoon one is especially difficult to wake up from. She's not really happy about it.Olivia's final look at her homeland. She feel asleep in my arms and slept through the take off from Guangzhou. I had very mixed emotions as we flew away. I felt sad that I was taking her away from her country, her people. Yet I know that this is the plan that God has for her and that she WILL be happy. She did fantastic on the flights. I can tell you that I didn't have enough "new" toys. I'd saved the Color Wonder books for the plane and they were a lifesaver but I wish I'd had about 4 more different things for her to play with. Fruity Tic Tac's helped alot too! The flight is so incredibly LONG. Just when you think you simply cannot possibly take one more minute, you look at your watch and realize you have 6 more hours!She got to be a pro at the airline service. She was taking her tray table down when she heard the cart coming down the aisleHey, this is not Dora!Olivia meets her first family member! This is my great nephew, Justice (and yes he is great!). My sister, Vicki and her 2 children and grandson, Justice met us at the airport in Detroit. I had a 5 hr layover and they drove 2 hours to meet us. It was so fantastic to see them although, by that time, I was pretty much in a fog. Olivia really loved playing with her cousins!Vicki brought me ladybug earings!Look at the sweet signs the boys made for OliviaWhere are you?I'm willing to post this horrible picture of myself because this is Olivia's first glimpse of her daddy! Priceless!Just look at Olivia's face as she sees her Ge Ge (guh guh)She was pretty overwhelmed by seeing everyone. She did great in her car seat on the way home though.Once we got home she felt so much better. She was having a blast with her daddy and brothers.When she saw her referral photo on the table she grabbed it and started kissing it. She said "Ming Qing". It was so sweet.Talking to her Jie Jie (gee gee means sister), Jill on the phone.
Within about 30 minutes of being home she had all 4 males in our house having a tea party with her! Only one was brave enough to have his picture made. The tea parties have become a regular event. She pours everyone tea then she clinks the cups together like she's toasting! Too funny!>She loves Skip! She sneaks food to him so, of course, he hangs out with her alot!
Here's a video of her hugging Jackson & Joe.Ben gets all the kisses!
These pictures portray one happy little girl. That lasted until the next morning. The next 2 days were extremely difficutlt. I will try to post about it as soon as I can. I do want to ask for your prayers as she struggles with fear, insecurity and confusion. She's regressed drastically and is about like the 2nd day I got her. From her progress I expect for her to be much better within another week.

We're Home!

We are both exhausted but excited! I'll post pictures and an update when I can hold my eyes open fully. MANY thanks to everyone who prayed for our trip. Olivia did amazingly well.

Feb 6 Last Day in China

Last night Olivia had another breakthrough. She went into the bathroom and sat on the side of the tub. She was jabbering on and on and then decided to get in the tub (there was no water in it). She got in and walked around it and bent down and looked at the drain, tocuhed the spout and touched the sides. She was really checking it out. Then she got out and took her socks off and got back in. She really liked it. I decided not to ruin a good thing by trying to actually bathe her. I just let her play for a while. I think we are on the road to a bath yet!!
I also finally got her to let me paint her nails. She tried wiping it off and couldn't understand why it stayedBen, Jackson, Joe, here's a shot for you. We were walking down the street and some soldiers came marching by. It was pretty cool.This morning after breakfast we went to Starbucks. This tree is outside the door. There are lots of these tangerine trees here for the New Year. Tangerines are the "lucky" fruit. The trees are decorated for Chinese New Year with the lucky money envelopes. They are supposed to be red but the Starbucks ones are pink.In front of the Victory Hotel, as we are leaving the island.
I've read on other blogs about how parents felt sad when leaving China. After I'd been here for a few days I felt kind of guilty because I knew that I would not be sad. I couldn't wait to get home! Now that our last day in China has arrived I'm filled with all sorts of emotions. After the bellboy took our luggage downstairs at the Victory, I sat in the floor with Olivia and just cried. I was overcome with sadness as well as relief that the trip is nearly over. I felt heartache as well as excitment for Olivia because of the adventure she is about to embark upon. I realize that I am taking her from her country of birth and her people. The place that God originally placed her in order for her to be the person she is, but not the place He intended for her to grow up in. Not the place where her family is.Olivia eating her lucky tangerines that were in our room when we arrived at the NovotelThe lucky envelopes had a fake gold coin in themLook who decided to take a bath tonight! She wants to look good for her daddy! She kept going into the tub and touching the faucet. So I turned it on for a second and she got real excited. I undressed her and started running the water and she was fine. She had so much fun with her stacking cups! She even poured water on her head several times. I'm so proud of her!
I can't believe I will see my boys in a little over 24 hours. It seems like it's been SO long! I know they are excited about seeing Olivia too. Jackson has been counting the hours for several days now. Tomorrow we will say goodbye to China and begin a new journey together as a family. This trip has been life changing not only for Olivia, but for me as well. I've learned alot about myself. I've learned that when I'm very tired I shouldn't trust my feelings!! I've also learned I can do some very difficult things. I may not always like it and I may not always have the best attitude, but I can do what I need to do. Olivia, my love, let's go home!

Day 9 Feb 5th

February 5, 2008
I was thinking that a lot of you who are reading the blog may not know how to pronounce some of the words so here are a few pronounciations:
Guangxi (Olivia's Province)-Gwang Zhee
Qinzhou (Olivia's City)-Cheen Joe
Guangzhou- Gwang Joe
Ming Qing (Olivia's Chinese & now middle name)-Meeng Cheeng
.Today we went to the Guangzhou Zoo Olivia was again, happy to see Alison. She really likes her. There was a 60% chance of rain but it only rained on us a little. It was chilly but we had a good time. We got to hear the lion roaring REALLY loud! It echoed through the zoo. It was kind of scary! Olivia was very quiet. I used a stroller for the first time so I'm not sure if that was it or not. She was better when we got back in the van to leave.
I was glad we got to see the Panda

Dont' you just love my new Chinese coat with the too short sleeves? Better to stay warm than stay in fashion!
It has become a tradition for families who adopt from China to take the Red Couch photo. There are red couches in the White Swan Hotel and you dress your children in the traditional Chinese costume and take their picture with the other children in your travel group. So, here are Olivia and Alison's pictures. They are both just adorable!We just couldn't get Olivia to look up for their pose together. She kept trying to cover Alison with her dress
I finished up the rest of my shopping today. All of the shops will be closed tomorrow because it's Chinese New Year's Eve. Jordon, a local shopkeeper said I would be the only white person on the island because all of the other families are going home tomorrow. I'll be like a celebrity! Actually, I leave at noon to go to the airport hotel for the night. Then I leave for home Thursday morning.
Today was very busy so Olivia was pretty quiet. Once we were alone again, she started showing her sweet personality. While we were shopping she was SO good I just couldn't believe it. We were in Jordan's for over an hour and she played with a few toys but was very well behaved. I think that she realizes she belongs with me but I wouldn't go so far as to say she is happy. Generally, she is a happy child, but there are obvious signs of security issues and some saddness. I'll be so glad when we are home and in a good normal routine.
She's very comical in the evenings. Here's a video of her singing a song to me.