Last night we all went to bed about 9:00 pm. The girls room (Heather, Emily and Hana) was up this morning at about 3:30 am and couldn’t get back to sleep. They finally got up at about 4:00 am and watched TV until the rest were awake. The boys room (Steve, Ed, Joe, and Zeke) was similarly affected by the time change, however, while Ed and Steve had trouble sleeping, Joe and Zeke slept until about 7:30 am.
Once everyone was up and dressed, we went down to breakfast and found that Zeke will basically eat anything put in front of him. Thus, we have to be careful to not let him eat too much. Our thinking is that he’s learned to eat what is on his plate because that’s all he’s getting until the next meal. We filled his plate three times and finally decided that he was finished.
During breakfast Zeke really started opening up. He had been snuggling with Heather and Steve in the room, and playing with the other kids a little, but now we started seeing his personality emerge. When Joe stretched, Zeke stretched. When Emily did a “thumbs up,” Zeke did a “thumbs up.” It was pretty comical to watch. It’s also interesting to watch the interactions between Zeke and Hana. Zeke is speaking a lot of Chinese and he’ll say something, and then Hana will repeat it. Similarly, Hana will say something and Zeke will repeat it. We’re curious to see this interaction progress.
After breakfast Leila met us in our room at 9:00 am to complete some paperwork required for our meeting on Monday. During that time, the boys were playing a game, Heather was holding Zeke with his truck, and Emily and Hana were playing this goofy game of running around, falling down, and then Hana would stand on Emily. Zeke had a blast watching the antics and actually started laughing out loud. He still wasn’t comfortable enough to get down on the floor and join in the game (obviously a smart boy), but he loved watching.
After we completed our paperwork, we walked with Leila to a park (can’t walk on the grass since it might hurt it, but at least it was pretty to look at) and then to a convenience store to get water and some snacks since we didn’t want a full lunch. We returned to the room and all hung out together to eat and visit until it was time to put Zeke and Hana in for their naps.
The hour or so we visited before naptime was incredible in terms of watching Zeke progress in his relationship with us. He clearly feels most comfortable snuggling with Steve or Heather and watching what’s going on, however, during this snack and visiting time, he got down on the floor to join in. He and Hana ate Oreo cookies, taking them apart, eating the middles first. He figured out how to open the door between the rooms. He figured out how to work the television. He checked out the luggage. He got up on the bed next to Ed to watch what he was doing with a game he was playing, etc. In essence, Zeke was everywhere and into everything and interacting with everyone. It was so cool. He was smiling, laughing, and generally enjoying himself.
He and Hana were disappointed when we finally interrupted their fun for naptime, but it was necessary. After naps we went to a park, but we’ve learned that parks in China mean lots of people doing all sorts of neat things, but you can’t set foot on the grass. We had this goofy idea of a park being a place where you go, sit on a bench, and watch the kids run around in the grass. Not here.
After the park we found a local restaurant for dinner. It was a little scary, but hopefully we will survive with no intestinal problems. We passed on the dog, nixed the fish head and turtle, and opted for rice and some soup that Heather and the kids gave up on after one bite. The rice was good, but overall the cleanliness was ify at best.
After dinner it was baths, a little play time, and off to bed. We’re still recovering from Zeke’s early arrival and our lack of time to get on the right time zone prior to that. Hopefully by tomorrow we’ll all be sleeping right.
No big plans for tomorrow, but will post what transpired for the day tomorrow night. Thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes.
Snuggling with Mom.
Zeke and Emily watching Joe use the PSP.
Snacking in the room.
Playing with the doors between the rooms.
Out for a walk in the park.
September 10 -- Sunday – A Day of Rest
Today was a relaxed, easy day. We asked about the possibility of a church anywhere around here and were told there were none – note that we are in the Henan Province of 100 million people and the capital city of Zhengzhou, population 10 million. Thus, we took it easy for the day. Also, Zeke’s “system” was in need of staying close to the room since he’d been eating so much and so differently from what he was used to for the last couple of days.
For the morning we hung out in the room watching some fascinating documentaries on China, went for a walk for something to eat, and then Hana and Zeke took 3 ½ hour naps while Steve and the other three kids went swimming.
About 6:00 pm we met our guide, Leila and went in search of a new place to try for dinner since Zeke seemed to be feeling a little better. We did decide until all intestinal discomfort was resolved, we’d limit his intake (not an easy task and not entirely successful since he is like a little vacuum where food is concerned.) Anyway, off we went.
We ended up at a Korean restaurant not too far from our hotel and it was incredible. You take off your shoes and walk up on a platform and then sit down with your legs cross (kids), or dangling in the hole (parents) around the table. In the center of the table were two small holes with grills. Outside the window we could see a man preparing the coals for our dinner. We were all fascinated watching.
Our meal consisted of beef, sweet potatoes, onions, and various other vegetables, along with sides of rice and dipping sauce and then cold dishes. Each person was given tongs for cooking their items of the grill in front of them, and chop sticks. We’re really getting pretty good with the chop sticks, since our last trip to China and then using them at home whenever we serve Chinese food, and Heather and Steve found that Hana and Zeke would only eat when fed with chop sticks – it worked well though. Overall, it was a great meal and to feed the 8 of us our total bill was less than $10.00. We’re definitely going back.
We’ve asked Leila to accompany us to dinner each night as we search for places to eat. It’s too risky doing this on our own given that there are no translations or pictures on the menus. Without her reading the menu to us, we might have ordered sweet and sour dog (no joke, that was the first item on the menu), or fish heads (suitable for grilling on our little grills), and then there was the octopus (alive). Yep, we’re keeping Leila close by when we venture out to the local restaurants.
As far as Zeke goes, we’re seeing him smiling and laughing more all the time and the only time he’s really gotten upset was when Steve went out of the room without him. He was so devastated. He likes to keep Steve and Heather close by at all times, at least in one of the two adjoining hotel rooms. Zeke definitely did not like when Steve actually left the room and he basically had a tantrum until Steve returned from going to the front desk to exchange money. The other kids were amazed at how a tantrum could stop in an instant, even though Heather had told them Zeke was fine and would quit either when their dad returned or realized that tantrums don’t result in our changing our behavior. She even explained that they had all had tantrums, rarely luckily, when they were little, and we didn’t worry about them too much. We’ll just make sure Zeke knows he’s loved and part of our family and he doesn’t have to worry when we leave the room. We’ll be back.
Well, that’s all to report for today. There was nothing really new, just a great day of snuggling with Zeke, playing quietly, and just hanging out getting to know each other. Thanks for all the prayers, emails, and calls. We sure appreciate knowing you’re all with us every step of the way.
