We have Alex!

We have Alex! And oh my, he is a cutie. He is sweet and happy and funny and smart. But first, the story.

After hours of waiting this morning, we went downstairs to meet our guide, to go to the bank and exchange dollars for yuan for the orphanage donation. That was our first snag. The bank would only exchange a certain amount per person per day. Our guide said no problem; we would just exchange some in Caroline’s name showing her passport. Only the bank insisted on seeing proof that Caroline was my daughter. Sharing my last name and address on a passport was not proof enough. Richard, our guide, said no problem, we will go to another bank. I asked, don’t the banks actually track this centrally? He thought no. We went to bank number two. There was a long line. We went across the street to bank number three, where it looked like we could get the rest of the money I needed, but then the teller checked a central database. Busted.

Fortunately, Richard called the orphanage adoption coordinator, who agreed to take the donation when we visit the orphanage on Thursday. We’ll get the rest of the funds before then.

So of course by then, we were running behind schedule. We made it to the provincial center for adoptions just a few minutes late, and there he was, sitting in a playroom with the adoption coordinator from his orphanage, Ms. Yang. We were not supposed to meet until someone from the provincial affairs office came, so we stood outside the door smiling and waving, while he smiled cautiously back and waved once or twice too. In a few more minutes the official showed up, and Ms. Yang led Alex out to sit on a cushioned bench with us.

We pulled out the backpack full of tricks. We had little cars – he looked with a little bit of interest. We had crayons and a coloring book – a little better. Then we pulled out the secret weapon – the iPad. I have no idea if he had seen one before, but it didn’t matter. He was ready to play all day on that iPad!

We were treated to lots of smiles while Ms. Yang answered my questions. He likes to eat just about everything, and in fact I was warned that he will eat and eat, so I have to monitor how much he eats. He gets along well with other children, although when he started public school in the fall he did not like it at first because he felt out of place, being from the orphanage, and the other kids were mean to him. Now he likes school, although he would rather not do his homework!

We learned that a little girl who is his best friend is now in foster care in Guangzhou while her family works to finish the paperwork to adopt her. I also learned that Alex and the little girl, who is also 6, have already promised each other they will stay in touch in the U.S. Good thing I’ve already been in touch with the girl’s adoptive mom! Unfortunately they live far away from us, but we will certainly do everything we can to let them stay in touch through Facetime/Skype once she gets home.

I asked Ms. Yang if he had been apprehensive about today. She said no, as a matter of fact he has been asking when he gets to go to the United States. He also told her he will come back to visit when he is 18. I told her we had just brought Caroline back to meet the people who raised her while she was in China, so we certainly would want him to come back sometime too.

Finally it was time for us to head out. Alex happily waved good-bye to Ms. Yang and the man with her (whose name I never got), put his hand in mine and walked out. What a sweet, sweet feeling it was to have that little hand in mine!

In Richard’s car we had a bit of a power struggle over the seat belt, but he eventually left it on. Most cars in China don’t even have seat belts, so it certainly was not something he was used to. The actual booster seat at home will be even more fun, I’m sure!

When we hit the hotel room the first thing he spotted was the TV on the wall. He cheered, ran over and turned it on. Yep, he’s a guy.

He is fascinated by my camera and the iPad, and desperately wants my computer. I have a feeling the matchbox cars at home won’t get much attention. This kid is into electronics big time!

                                                                                                        

Richard and I did paperwork for tomorrow, when I will formally adopt Alex. Meanwhile the girls kept him entertained. Richard was laughing and said, “Now he has three moms!”

Afterward we went to one of the hotel’s restaurants for dinner. I guessed at an assortment of dishes, hoping Alex and the girls would like some. We all loved a dish of flat rice noodles with beef, and ate that until it was gone. Then Alex dug into a bowl of shrimp wontons in noodles (although he didn’t like the wontons). After that he scooped up a lot of rice, but shook his head at the barbecued pork and rubbed his tummy, indicating he was full. He then proceeded to throw up every morsel he had eaten, all over the restaurant table. I don’t think we will be going back there any time soon!

So of course as soon as we got back to the room he headed straight for the minibar where the snacks were stored. We said no, let’s brush teeth instead. He went and got his pajamas and clean underpants from his backpack that the orphanage had packed!

He knows a few words of English, the most important, of course, being “no!” He also says yes,   

hello, yummy, sorry and bye.

We’ve already had hotel security here twice because he had pushed a red emergency button in the bathroom. The light switches and lamps have been turned on and off more times than I can count. He already knows how to operate the hotel room key card to open the door or operate the elevator. Yes, we have a boy.

And we are so, so happy!