We're in Nanning with Zen

We got Zen yesterday.  Was a very tiring trip to Nanning as we had to negotiate the airport by ourselves and my cold was at its worse.  However, I survived even though I couldn't clear my ears for hours after we got to the hotel.  

We can't post any pictures because we don't have the USB cable for the camera but hopefully when we get to Beijing on Saturday (Oct 18) and join up with the rest of the group someone will take a picture of us on their camera and we can post it then.

Two nannies from the orphanage brought Zen in from Wuzhou on the bus.  It's apparently a 7 hour drive.  I don't think we'll be able to visit the orphanage the place where Zen was found.  Maybe one day when he's older we'll go back and visit those places.

Zen is very bright and knew when the nannies were leaving.  He started crying and Mitch could not console him.  He calmed down when I picked him up.  I think it was because I spoke to him in Toisan (my dialect of Cantonese).  He seemed to understand or at least be consoled by a familiar sounding language.   Zen seems to understand both Cantonese and Mandarin.

We took him back to the hotel.  The doctor came to check him out -- not the medical check required by the Canadian Embassy but just a physical checkup which I guess Sunrise arranged.    When I told Zen (in Chinese) that this person was the doctor and that he was going to check him, he was very good.  The doctor poked and prodded him all over and Zen just lay there without complaint.  He would even bend his head forward when necessary or lift his legs.  I'm guessing he's been checked over a lot because he was very calm and cooperative.   The doctor said that Zen's skin, appendages and organs are all in excellent shape.   The only thing he noticed was that Zen sometimes has a heat rash.  Good thing we're going to a colder climate.   He's like me -- comes from a hot climate but can't take the heat.    The doctor also prescribed some medication for my cold.   I had already bought the medicine which Tannis recommended but it came in capsule form instead of a drink.  The one that the doctor recommended is just like what Tannis described -- looks like maggots and you dissolve it in hot water.  I'm taking both the capsules and the maggots and the Cold FX.   Seems to be helping.

He ate a very good meal and slept soundly for almost 11 hours even though he was coughing a bit.  He's developing a cold.

This morning, Zen definitely has a cold and he's a little listless.  Nevertheless, he still went to the bookcase and pulled out a book that he liked (the one Jennifer recommended from Costco) and started playing with it.   He even laughed once.   He also decided that the music book which Mitch's Judith gave us was his favorite and now carries it everywhere.  But, mostly he is quiet and serious.  I think he's still missing his foster family and, of course, having a cold doesn't help.

We went to complete the registration and adoption papers today.  Zen was very placid and cooperative.   He's even okay with having Mitch hold him.  There's a large number of Americans in our hotel and on our floor who also got their babies the same day.  It's nice to have other new adoptive parents to talk things over with.

Zen slept in my arms quite a bit while we waited to complete the registration process.   When we came back, we had lunch and then it was time for Zen's nap.  He wasn't sleepy so he tried to climb out of his crib.  Mitch put him back in and gave him a toy.  He laid in the crib and played with the toy and sang and babbled to himself -- he sounded content.  He frequently said "DaDa".

I forgot.... lunch was so funny.  I put some rice on Zen's plate and he was trying to eat it with the spoon.  He couldn't manage it with the spoon but finally started picking it up with his fingers and eating it.  Whenever some grains of rice spilled off the plate and onto the table, he would carefully pick each grain of rice up (individually) and place it back on his plate.  It wasn't easy because rice is sticky and wouldn't get off his fingers.  Zen doesn't like to have a messy eating area but he likes to eat a lot and he likes to eat fast (two classic Cantonese traits!)

That's all for now.  Zen is sleeping right now in his crib and Mitch is sleeping in the bed.   I'm so relieved.  I thought it would be so much more difficult to console him because of his age but he seems to be okay.   The singing in bed was lovely.