11/01/2009: The Meeting Day

Today is 1-1-1. As in November 1. It's a snowy day in Beijing. There is significance in all that. The fact that it adds up to 3. And that it's the earliest snowfall that the locals can remember. And that it is clear and crisp. And the gray smog-fog has been cleansed away.

Today all the other families left to go to their provinces where they will be meeting their children tomorrow. We are alone in Beijing since our son is from the Beijing Orphanage.

When everyone left to go to the provinces, we were assigned a new guide. Her name is Lilly. Her email is LovelyLilly@... and she is quite lovely indeed. A definitely Chinese beauty with a personality to go with it.

This morning we met with our new guide, Lilly, in the lobby of the hotel and we chatted about the process while waiting for the Orphanage entourage came to meet us. We had been told that we could get our child early, especially if you are the only family in that region for that travel group. We fit the bill to a T.

Finally, the teacher from the orphanage came. I don't think she was a real teacher but an official. So calling someone "teacher" is a sign of respect for upper level people. We think that she was JJ's case worker who basically prepared him for adoption and for transition into a family.

We started out with doing some question and answers and nice-nice conversation. Then the paperwork checks, which caused some bit of a problem due to my name being different. China had made a mistake on the spelling of my last name. I had pointed it out but the After great chatter, it was agreed that we would continue with the agency told us it would be fixed. We would continue with the process cautiously with the understanding that the paperwork would need to be created in the next day or so. I know that the Agency back home was just gonna love this. We knew it was wrong and I was told that they were "working on it." Obviously, it was going to be down to the wire.

There was a lot of signing of various different paperwork, passing paperwork around, checking for copies, making the right copies etc etc etc. If I had thought that the paperwork was completed when I was in America, I was wrong wrong wrong.

We had to make some copies for The Teacher so we went to the end of lobby to the "business center" where they had a copy machine. And that is where we were when JJ came in. Joseph's Mom brought him to us in the business center, which was all the way on the other side of the hotel lobby. He called for Mama ("Mama, mama, mama...") and then for Baba ("Baba, Baba, Baba") and then Mei Mei... who, uh... didn't really exist so Joseph and I just looked at each other and didn't say anything.

He took us by surprise and we both turned around quickly. We both say "HIIIII!!!" (I am sure he didn't understand that), and then hugged him. He seemed nervous and surprise. He laughed but didn't make a lot of eye contact. I am not sure how I felt at that point. I was happy I think. But I think I was more nervous than anything else.

He is tall. I was shocked. There was a 9 yo boy traveling with us and JJ is 8 1/2 and taller than him! We thought he'd be smaller after hearing the anecdotes from other people who had children much smaller than the standard height and weight charts. He is also very thin. I also noticed he had this cluster of skin around his ears - ear tags of some kind...I was a little perturbed by it... and he has really bad teeth. Sigh. Yes. I notice these things.

He seemed to take to us right away. Harriet told us afterwards said he came in and asked for Mama, then Baba, and then Mei Mei. I think he was looking for my niece Hannah. He had our photo album we sent him and he showed us all the pictures we sent him, naming each of us. It was amazing. And one of them is a picture of Joe with Hannah on his shoulders. I am sure that he thinks that is his Mei Mei (Little Sister). He is going to be sorely disappointed! LOL!

He is already seems to know some English. How much is going to be interesting. And I am wondering if he is just mimicing or understanding. Doubtful. He seems to be really smart. He is very active and has good motor coordination. Harriet said that at first blush, he seemed to be mentally good. That is a huge relief for me.

He is also spending a lot of time talking to himself. Very odd.

For those that do not already know, JJ has corrected cleft lip, palate and VSD (ventricular Septal Defect - which is, simply put, a hole in his heart). Harriet checked his mouth and commented that he has a wide palate. He will definitely have more surgeries when we get him home. He will also need speech therapy. We have a hard time understanding him with our limited Chinese because of his lisp and his inability to say aspirants. But when he says English words I can definitely understand what he is trying to say. And when I correct him, he works very hard at saying the words correctly.

Other than that, he's good. Actually, he is GREAT! Such a happy kid. He was very outgoing and affectionate. He seems to want to be with baba but it very interested in pleasing mama. He also likes transformers, which are age-appropriate according to Harriet. And the toys that Niles (our friend Yongmei's son in the USA) sent with us were a huge hit! He was ecstatic! I had no idea what they were, of course.

He was brave and cried only once when the teacher gave him a lecture (and Asian lectures are always arduous. You have to be Asian to understand that kind of pain.) She told him that he is a very lucky boy and that he is going to America with very nice people and that he must be good. That is what Lilly The Guide told us when she translated the conversation. I think Joseph has it recorded so we will play it back andd find someone to tell us what it really says! LOL! Anyway, that's when he broke down. Small tears, veiled by a smile. It was sad and sweet at the same time. And he knew it.

He walks with us and holds our hand.
It seems he's been waiting for a family for a long time.

We will see how this day holds up.
I find it interesting that he is so... open... hmmm... not shy.... so committed... to this.