Finally I earned the love of my little girl. It was morning in LA and we had been playing together for a few hours. Baba was in the shower; so mother and daughter were alone. I picked Hong Mei up and she did not go stiff in my arms. I said to her, “Mama ai ee (love) Hong Mei. Hong Mei ai ee Mama?” Hong Mei looked at me nodded and threw her arms around my neck. What a tender moment it was. Since then Hong Mei loves Mama just as much as she loves Baba.
One more day of traveling and then we were home. Hong Mei behaved very well on our last flight. She played nicely with a boy behind her. She buckled up her seat belt and stayed in her seat.
Our airplane touched down at 6PM. We were met at the airport by Papa and Amanda our social worker. Amanda presented Hong Mei with a darling stuffed bear as she slept in Baba’s arms. Amanda has been a wonderful support and friend to our family. Children’s Hope International has the most wonderful staff.
Our family with Gran was waiting for us at home. The big kids were overjoyed to see us and to finally meet Hong Mei. It was love at first sight for all. She had been looking for big brothers (ge ge) and big sister (jie jie) the whole trip. She loved the attention.
Adopting Aimee Hong Mei (this is the current version of her name) has been a joyous journey. A journey which has only began that will last a lifetime and into the eternities. For those of you contemplating adoption or are in the process my advice to you is: toddler adoption is not for wimps. Be prepared for several days of severe downs with only a few ups. Day by day we are making progress and it is indeed a joyous journey. We are so thankful that we have added Aimee Hong Mei to our family. We love her and admire her strong will. Each day she adds more English words to her vocabulary; she stays in her car seat; we can tell she loves all of us too.
Also all the Baba’s and Mama’s beware. It seems to be a common occurrence for the toddler age children to attach to Baba and to take out their negative feelings on Mama. Rulon thought he was coming along as support and to tote bags. Instead he carried Aimee Hong Mei everywhere as she felt secure only in his arms. He slept with her at night and he fed her at mealtimes. The only thing I could do to parent Aimee Hong Mei for a week and a half was potty and bath.
Finally a few travel tips.
What worked: document holder from Brookstone. Along with money belts this nifty holder, which you wear round your neck, kept us organized even when our arms were full.
Travel pants from Lands End. Lightweight, easy to launder, and comfortable in humid climates.
Baby doll. When Aimee Hong Mei was grieving and in a temper tantrum; I would (still do) sit beside her, talk to the baby doll as if it were Aimee Hong Mei. After awhile she would stop crying and watch what I was doing. This would help her to calm down.
Stacking cups and play-doh were a big hit.
What did not: blow dryer; the hotels all had one, but in the very humid climate my hair still went wacko.
Dopey thing I did: our documents were not well organized. I wish I had taken the time to attach sticky notes to the documents listed by CHI and put them all in a nice accordion pocket folder instead of a small bag. I would not have looked so goofy at the document meeting.
Last of all, a big thank you to all of you who kept us in your thoughts and prayers. While in China, we had technical difficulties with the computer and we were not able to retrieve email or our guestbook. It was so nice to read your emails and comments to us when we arrived home.
Good day,
Joanna
And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.
Alma 32:21
