Day 6 was a good day! After breakfast we had a miracle! We were hanging out in the restaurant having some coffee. Lucy was on her Daddy's lap, as usual. She was laughing and playing. She held her arms out to me. She does this a lot but when I got to pick her up she pulls away. (psych!) But on this day she came right to me!
She laughed and played with me for 20 minutes! It was the best ever! I have been telling Chris the whole time that it is going to have to be her decision to come to me. He has been wanting to "fake her out" into spending mommy-time but she is way too smart for that! After a bit she went back to Daddy.
We had some good mommy-time after dinner as well. She let me hold her hands while she walked around the restaurant visiting with all the other babies. Other than these two times, she is still Daddy's girl. She will go to almost anyone else but always comes back to Daddy. She still screams bloody-murder if I try to pick her up on my own. Chris is getting very good at getting himself showered and dressed in about 2 seconds flat.
I am feeling much more optimistic about things. She loves her Mommy. She just wants to establish who is in control. (Obviously she is!) In the meantime, Chris and I have worked out a pretty good routine. I am thankful to have my hands free to make bottles, clean up and feed Chris. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. We are feeling your prayers and they are working!
In the morning we took a field-trip to a local village. It is important to us to understand the environment that Lucy comes from. We also want to know as much as possible about her history so that we can share this with her as she grows up. The village we went to was not far from the city and is considered one of the "nicer" areas. It is all relative. The conditions were so far outstide of anything I could imagine. These people have nothing. They live in small dirty rooms with chickens and pigs and dogs. They farm in the fields nearby to feed their families. It is easy to see how a family could not afford to take care of multiple children.
Despite the living conditions, these people seemed genuinely happy. They were very gracious to us and allowed us to take photos and look inside their homes. I am not sure what they thought of us! Some of our group took photos with their digital cameras and then showed them to the people. It was really fun to watch their reactions! One woman in our group speaks a little Chinese. She spoke with one of the local ladies who said how lucky our babies are. Obviously we think we are the lucky ones. Did we see more split-pants? You bet we did! We saw them on babies, young children and on make-shift clothes lines. If we could figure out the timing on this whole bathroom thing we could save a fortune in Pampers!
Afterwards we went to a small porcelain shop. (Known as a China Shop in America!) The Jiangxi Province is famous for its porcelain. I did a little bit of shopping. In hindsight I wish I had bought a few more things. The porcelain is beautiful and the prices are very good. I am just not sure how much room I will have in my suitcase. Also, I am hoping for some good shopping in Guangzhou. I did buy a handful of gifts and 2 things for Lucy.
When we got back to the hotel we took a nice long family nap! Hooray! Lucy is sleeping through the night but Chris and I are not. Our body clocks are still a mess. After the nap we had a photo session. I cannot stop taking photos of this little monkey. Every time I turn around she is doing something cuter than before. Chris, despite my strong skepticism was able to get Lucy to wear a hat. I was so impressed! Not just one hat, but two different hats. She wore one of them to dinner. I continue to be impressed with his parenting.
As long as I am bragging on my little monkey, let me say that I am surprised at how well she plays by herself. She loves her toys, especially her purse and cell phone that was a gift from her cousins, Lauren and Annie. She will sit and play for an hour. She also loves her stackie cups and books. When she's not playing with her toys she is making faces at Mommy. All of this is done within the comfort and safety of Daddy's lap.
One more thing. THANK YOU to everyone who has sent e-mail. It is so cherished! I am not likely to have time to respond to all of them but please know that Chris and I are reading them all and loving them.
A special note to friends of Taya: Amy and Dana have shared with me that some of you are following Lucy as well. (Some of my friends are also following Taya.) Thank you all for your well-wishes and prayers. I am being blessed by them more than you know!
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