And Hereeeeeeee's Caleb!!!

Well, my friends, what you’ve all been waiting for… actually, we’ve been waiting a good bit, as well. After a hurried morning to finish packing, eat breakfast, in order to catch our flight to Nanchang, we finally have Caleb. So, here is his world premier….

After arriving in Nanchang we were taken to our hotel where we unpacked, Mer and our guide, Lisa, ran to a local grocery to pick up some diapers, sippie cups, etc. We then met in the lobby, went to the CCA (Civil Affairs Office), and received Caleb. Let’s just say he was not a happy boy. We arrived and he was sound asleep. Not only should you never wake a sleeping baby, you should never awake a sleeping Chinese baby and surround him with a bunch of very strange looking white folks. He cried, and cried, and cried, and cried. Lisa, our guide, told us that he was very fond of and attached to his foster mother. Meredith and Abbie were the best at consoling him. He is still trying to figure me out. For the most part, he cries when he sees me. He’ll get over it… I hope.

In reading blogs of those who have been on this journey before, I can’t even begin to count the number of people who wrote of their particular bonding (or lack there of) experience. All of them expressed concern and bewilderment as to how they could not be welcomed with open arms by their new little bundle of joy. I never imagined being “the one.” If you are reading this now as a potential adopter, realize that your new child just might not think you are the greatest thing to come along since sliced bread. When it does happen to you, realize that it is not really about you at that moment, and that your time will come. It was helpful to remember that this takes time, and the poor little guy is scared beyond belief. Wouldn’t you be?

I tried explaining it to Collin like this. Collin’s only concern in coming to China was that he would get separated from us and then be lost in China. Every hotel that we stay in we give him a card with the hotel name, address, and phone number (in Chinese), so that he can show it to anyone and get back “home.” Well, Caleb really did get lost. He is lost in China. Collin understands why Caleb is crying, now. Simply put, it will take him time to reconstruct his world: who gives him love, what is safe and not safe, who meets his needs, etc. He has a lot to learn; don’t you think?

Upon returning to the hotel, we had a bit of what you might call a breakthrough. I gave Caleb a cracker/cookie thing. Apparently he likes them, and he likes to share them. Upon putting one in his hand, he immediately stuck his arm out and tried to stick the thing in my mouth. When in Rome, do as the Romans to, so I took a nibble - not too bad. He was then ready to eat, and eat, and eat. It was actually a very moving moment. He was done crying, looked happy, and so I took advantage of the opportunity to give him back to Mom before he started crying again. I want him to have happy memories of me. Not sad ones.

Considering my work done with child #3, I turned my attention to child #2 (Collin) and headed out to find some sustenance for my family. Baby crackers and borrowed snacks simply wouldn’t cut it for tonight. After perusing the hotel’s options, I returned with nothing more than word that room service was on the way with food for all. Fortunately, they delivered on their promise and we all ate well.

That’s all I know for now, and will post more as our adventure continues to unfold. Tomorrow, we are back to the CCA for more paperwork, and adventures in the life of Caleb. I have no idea what the day holds, but I know Who holds it and because of that it will be a great day.