Home +1

Well . . . we made it!  We have been home for a day and it feels SO good. I will pick up where the last post left off.  

Thursday (the 8th) we had the morning and early afternoon to pack and make sure everything was ready for our travel extravaganza home.  Unfortunately on Wednesday Randy's back decided it was DONE.  Zeke didn't want to be held by Mama so Papa fielded all of the squirmies at the US Consulate appointment.  26 pounds of wiggle did him in so on Thursday and Friday Randy was down for the count and Zeke only had Mama to hold him.  Zeke was not pleased that Papa couldn't pick him up.  So hard to understand for a little guy!  But, he did end up taking his nap with Papa, which made things a little bit better.


After everything was packed we were killing time in the room until our 4:00 checkout deadline.  I had purchased a USA hat for Zeke prior to the trip and we decided it was time to see if he would even wear it (and if it would fit)!  We were also told that Dum Dum suckers were a great way to ease little ears when the airplane ascended and descended.  Since the child will put NOTHING in his mouth that he isn't absolutely certain he knows he likes I wasn't sure if the Dum Dum idea would work.  We decided to try both at once, the hat and the Dum Dum.  The hat was a little small but doable and we about fell over when he put the sucker on his tongue and then popped it in his mouth!  The crazy thing was, he dropped the grape sucker he had on the carpet (fuzzy, sticky mess) so I got him another one (a different color) and he refused to even try it.  Oh bother . . . Mama should have found another grape Dum Dum!

Then we were off!  We met Helen in the lobby and she handed us our envelope of documents from the US Consulate (to be given to Immigration after clearing Customs at Sea-Tac) and put us in a van to Hong Kong.  It was a horrific 4 hour ride.  Zeke was a MESS!  Crying, throwing things, not wanting to stay in his seat . . . it was chaos and all Randy and I could think was what in the world is he going to be like on a plane?  We arrived at the airport hotel around 8:30pm and crashed for the night.  Friday morning came for us at 6:00am so we could get checked in for our 9:40am flight to Tokyo, Japan.  Zeke had done really well that morning so we were hoping it wasn't the calm before the storm.  Our seating assignments put Zeke and I together and Randy one row back and to the side.  We boarded and prayed!

We were blessed!  Zeke spent almost the entire four hour flight playing with the headphone jack.  Seriously!  Plug it in, take it out, plug it in, take it out, drop the headphones on the floor, have Mama pick them up.  Over and over and over again.  He didn't make a peep other than singing.  We were astounded and overjoyed!  It also turns out he does not have ear issues on airplanes so the Dum Dums were not needed.  After a two hour layover in Tokyo we boarded the 9 hour flight home.  Again, Zeke was a trooper!  He played with the headphone jack (in, out, in, out) watched bits and pieces of cartoons on the seat back screen without sound (too busy playing with the headphones to put them on) and then slept for several hours.  An interesting side note:  even though Zeke was exposed to TV in the orphanage (the song DVD's) he really shows very little interest in watching.  YAY!

When we arrived in Seattle at 11:00am on Friday (yes, we lived Friday twice because of the time difference) we cleared customs and then had to wait for the Immigration officials to go through the package of paperwork we had brought from the US Consulate in Guangzhou.  Once that was finished we were done and free to go.  Zeke is now a US citizen!!  AND they let us keep his Chinese passport . . . very cool!  We picked up our bags, put them on a new carousel and then went up to the main baggage claim where Grandma and Grandpa Youngquist, Uncle Brian, and cousin Danika were anxiously waiting for us.    

Grandma and Grandpa came armed with balloons and a squishy prickle ball and Uncle Brian produced a new Little People car (perfect!) and, of course, a baseball.  Zeke was taking everyone in and loving the new toys.  Mama and Papa were exhausted (no sleep on either flight) and Zeke was raring to go. 

Here we come!

Balloons from Grandam and Grandpa.

Hanging out with Papa while
everyone was chatting. 

A new car and a baseball from
Uncle Brian! (Mama was tired, she
needed to sit down!)

Look at me!  A US citizen!

Not too sure about the whole
car seat thing . . . 

 Once we had our bags and had finished visiting we headed home via the chiropractor's office!  When we walked in the door at home we were unsure how Zeke would react to his new surroundings.  I was holding him and as we walked into the kitchen I looked at him and said, "Zeke, this is your new home.  You get to live here with Mama and Papa."  He looked at me and smiled and I would have bet money he understood exactly what I meant.  I put him down expecting him to shadow us like he did the first few days in the hotel but my expectations couldn't have been more wrong.  Off he went, exploring the downstairs and eventually his bedroom (he can't traverse the stairs by himself yet).  We were happily amazed.  He found some toys he like, we took them downstairs, and he was happy as a clam.

Bedtime . . . where would Zeke end up sleeping?  The pack-and-play we had set up in our room or the crib in his room?  We told him he had a new bed he was going to sleep in and I put him in the crib.  He did not want to lay down, started crying, and immediately put his arms up to get out.  I pulled him out and told him again that this was his room and his bed.  We pointed out his name on the wall, the toys he had been playing with, etc.  Then Randy grabbed a stuffed bear and put the bear to bed.  Zeke thought this was hilarious!  He wanted down next to the bear and then put himself to bed.  That was that!  Zeke did wake up around 1:30 crying (we think he woke up disoriented about where he was) so I picked him up, rocked him for a bit, and put him back down.  Then he tried the fake cry to get Randy or I to come back but we waited him out and the fake cry turned to singing and then he was out.  Successful first night!

Today was all about playing with new toys and hanging out with Mama and Papa.  We are so happy to have Zeke home!!

RRZ

P.S.  I would like to extend a HUGE "Thank You" to my brother Brian for taking care of all of our blog posts while we were in China.  Not only was Facebook blocked but the Blogger site was as well.  Every post you read while we were gone was a group effort.  I wrote the posts, Randy edited the pictures, and each day everything was sent to Brian via email and he put it together on the blog site for us.  I am looking forward to going back and seeing how it all came together!

The Last Hoop

Today we jumped through the last legal hoop required to bring Zeke home! Our appointment with the US Consulate was this morning at 10:00 and we, as Zeke's legal guardians, were sworn in as US citizens for him (we took the oath in his place) so as soon as we land in Seattle and go through the interview with Immigration at the airport Zeke is a US citizen! YAHOO!! :) Our guide will pick up the final paperwork from the US Consulate sometime tomorrow after 3:30pm and then we head for Hong Kong. We are booked at the airport hotel for one night and then head to the airport at 7:30am on Friday morning. Our flight leaves at 9:40am and we are off to Tokyo and then Seattle!! We are SO looking forward to being home!

I don't know what our internet access will be like in Hong Kong so this may be the last blog post until we get home. I will make sure to post "US Citizen" pictures and photos of Zeke in his new room at home once we are back. :)

This afternoon we went to the play area at the hotel to have a little "get out of the hotel room" fun! :)

Having a blast on the

dolphin swing!

Wheeee!













 
 





Zeke decided he wanted to push

the swing after he got off. He

learned very quickly that if he

didn't want to get hit by it he

needed to turn and run!

Coming off the slide!





For reasons unknown to us
Zeke likes to sit on the floor

right in front of the door in

our room (if he is not in "his"
chair). He is "reading"
out loud. :)



See you soon!

RRZ

Zeke's First Two Years

Today we took a trip into Zeke's past. Our guide, Helen, asked us last week if we wanted to visit Zeke's orphanage and "founding place." There are many families who don't get this chance because the orphanages are spread all over the province, some 5 to 6 hours away. We knew it was something we wanted to do not only for our information, but to provide Zeke with as much information about his first years as we can when he starts asking questions.

Zeke's orphanage, the Social Welfare Center of Dongguan City, is about an hour and a half by van from our hotel in Guangzhou and his "founding place," Changan Hospital in Changan Town, Dongguan City (different areas of large cities have different names, like areas of Seattle) is about an hour past the orphanage. We weren't sure how he would handle that much time cooped up in a vehicle but we packed the diaper and camera bags and went for it! We also weren't sure if we were going to take Zeke into the orphanage when we arrived because we weren't sure what effect it would have on him. Would he think we were taking him back? Would he not want to leave with us once he saw his nanny and friends again? So many unknowns when you can't ask your child how he will feel. Once we were there we decided to take him inside with us.
 

 

The main entrance to the Social
Welfare Center. The characters read
"Everything Done for the Children."

Outside of the orphanage. The sign reads
"Social Welfare Center of Dongguan City."





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The orphanage grounds are quite extensive and there are many buildings surrounding the main building. We found out that each of the surrounding buildings was a "family house." The children are separated by age and ability and put into a "family." Those with more significant medical needs are housed together in a "family" or elsewhere where they can be cared for appropriately. Each "family" has a living space that is all inclusive. There is a living room/play room, two bedrooms full of cribs, and a bathroom/washroom. We were able to go into Zeke's former living quarters and watch as he interacted with his friends and the nanny. He was by far the most dominant personality in the room. :) We weren't sure, but he also seemed to be the oldest. There are up to 15 children in each "family" and two nannies who care for them; one during the day and one at night. The children who were in this "family" were adorable . . . I bent down and one little boy looked at me, walked over, touched my hair and then proceeded to pull it to see if it was real. He had probably never seen blond hair before! :) Another little guy came over and just stood in front of me. I could see in his eyes that he wanted to be held but he had no idea how to ask (they don't hold their arms out, that is a learned behavior) so I just scooped him up and was rewarded with a smile.

 

Left wall after entering the door.
A TV (for watching children's songs
- Now we know why he is singing
all the time!) and storage cabinets.

Main door into the "house." It is left
open with the gate to block off the
entrance. The windows are also left
open. The way the building sits this
creates nice cross breeze for cooling.













Zeke and his nanny
Lady Wang
(pronounced Wong)



Right wall after entering the door.
This wall is blank except for the
cabinet in the corner. The mats on
the floor are alphabet mats with a
picture of an animal, the English word,
and the Chinese letter for each.





While in Zeke's former "house" we saw his crib (which we found out he crawled out of on a regular basis) and were able to ask more questions of the nanny (the one working is the one who brought him to us at the Civil Affairs office). Some more pieces fell into place pertaining to his personality and reasons why he does things the way he does. For example, they do not have toys to play with lying around or things that are their own. Everything is communal. We somewhat expected this but it drove home why something as simple as putting away Zeke's spoon can send him over the edge. He doesn't know how to process that he will get it back when he needs it. When it came time to continue our tour of the grounds we weren't sure what to expect from Zeke. Would he want to stay? Start crying? Throw a tantrum? We had braced ourselves for the worst but what we hoped for happened instead. I walked over to him and said, "Come with Mama, it's time to go." He looked at me, raised his arms, and as I picked him up gave me a huge grin. Then off we went without a second glance. Whew! :) That little action on his part confirmed that he knows we are Mama and Papa.

 

Zeke in his former crib (7 cribs in the room).
It was longer than the others because he is
taller and it was stuck in the corner to help
keep him from climbing out. Good thing the
mattress is way lower in our crib! The children
sleep in the crib as seen. No mattress, sheets, or
blankets. This helped us see why he prefers
sleeping on the chair rather than the bed,
it is firmer/closer to what he is used to.

Next we went to the main building where there are classrooms and dorm rooms for the the children ages 3 and up. They are moved from their "family home" to this wing of the building and live in boarding school type rooms once they turn three. This is where Zeke would have moved to at the beginning of October. More of an "educational setting" was how it was described to us. The "school" is called Sunshine Academy and the cool part is that the orphanage partners with a school with the same name in California. Several times a year training is provided for the teachers at the orphanage by people who come from the California sister school. They are taught teaching techniques and child progress is monitored.

Overall Zeke couldn't have been in a better orphanage. It was extremely clean, the nanny was caring and friendly and he was well fed, kept clean, and seems to have been cared for to the best of their abilities. Dongguan is a wealthy city because of all of the industry so donations from businesses and people are frequent. This is a huge benefit and it is reflected in the conditions. Another interesting side note is that the Social Welfare Center is not only an orphanage but also a home for the elderly. The two groups are usually kept separate but sometimes a "grandma" will go into the outdoor areas with the children and hug on them. :)

After the orphanage we drove to the hospital where Zeke was found. We went to the location in the hospital where he was found and took pictures. That was a bit surreal . . . attempting to put yourself in the shoes of the mom who left him is impossible. The stairwell/elevator area is at the entrance to the patient intake area and has heavy foot traffic. Our guess is that he wasn't alone long before someone found him. After this journey we still have questions that will never be answered, but we have gained personal experience and knowledge of places that have influenced our son; places he will need/want to know about in the future.

 

Zeke's "founding place."

Stairwell/Waiting area where Zeke
was found. The exact location
(in the stairwell, by the chairs, etc.)
is not specified in his file.

 


Zeke was a trooper today! Four and a half hours in a car is a LONG time for a little guy and we don't know what emotional impact, if any, being at the orphanage had on him. We know it was a lot for us to process! We are glad we made the trip and hope someday he will want to make it again when he can better comprehend its significance.

3 days left until we are home!

RRZ

P.S. Taking pictures at the orphanage was a bit tricky because we had to make sure we did not get any of the other children in them. Hopefully the captions will help you get an idea of what is what. :)

 

All About Zeke

Zeke has been in our care for a week now and we are amazed at how much he has learned and how much he understands.  Coming straight from an orphanage he had limited interaction with adults other than his nannies, as far as we know he had never ridden in a car, stroller, etc. and his days were very rigid and scheduled within the confines of the orphanage.  Now, everything about his little life has changed except some of the foods he eats and the milk (formula) he drinks. 

Here are some fun facts about Zeke! :)

*  Zeke doesn't know his name yet but we are working on it.  When he sees a picture of himself and is asked who it is he responds, "Luo, Luo"  (pronounced Loo-u, Loo-u) which, once, is his Chinese name.  The nanny from the orphanage told us they said Luo twice which is why he says it that way.

*  He LOVES the stroller!  It gets unfolded and he laughs, jumps, and comes running over with his arms up.

*  Zeke likes to ride in the car and sit in the seat like a big boy.  (They do not use car seats in China.)

*  When we hold up his shoes and say it's time to go he comes running over, plops down on the floor, and promptly raises a foot.  He knows we are going somewhere and he is excited!

*  Zeke mimics almost everything.  Read him a book and he makes sounds with similar intonation (same with counting), put your hands in certain positions (Randy has been showing him KungFu hand movements) and he will not only copy them but remember them days later, cross your legs while sitting on the bed and he does the same thing, etc.

*  He started out rather unsteady on his feet but has been improving as the days go by.  He can now run in a straight line rather than bouncing off furniture for balance!

*  He would rather be held or ride in the stroller than walk.

*  Zeke loves to kick the small soccer ball as well as the beach ball . . . and he doesn't usually miss!  

*  English words said at least once:  Mama, Papa, camel, hi, up, one, here, hello

*  English words understood:  Too many to list!  If we ask him to do something he can generally figure out what we want him to do.  For example, "Go get it."  "You can play." (he will run and get a toy to play with) "Time to change your diaper." (he lays down and gets ready)

*  Zeke loves to talk and sing.  This morning (Monday) in the van Helen (our guide) figured out he was singing a song about little turtles.  The words "little turtles" were the only ones she could make out.  We had been wondering if anything he was saying meant anything.

*  He has the cutest giggle that can make you smile and laugh with him.

*  Like a typical toddler, Zeke can go from calm/mellow to tantrum in a nanosecond when he is tired.

*  He only cries when he is throwing a tantrum.  He has bonked his head on the table, fallen off the bed, etc. and tears have not appeared.

*  Zeke is a water baby . . . LOVES being in the water as well as putting his fact in it.

*  Open mouth, insert thumb when tired.

*  He is fearless!

We went to a garden in Guangzhou this morning and it was the last thing we expected.  Chinese gardens are known for their creativity and the beauty of its plants, but we weren't expecting representations of Scandinavia to be thrown in as well!  Wooden shoes and everything!!  The plants and gardens were beautiful, but it was odd seeing so many Scandinavian representations.  



At the entrance to Yun Tai Garden

Another part of Yun Tai Garden





At the lake in Yun Tai Garden

 Loving the Wooden Shoe!









Four days until we come home!!  The hotel room is getting smaller each day and we are ready to be in our home so Zeke can begin settling in to "real life" in the Ross family.

RRZ

Odds & Ends

Don't get is Zeke's way
when he's eating
noodles! (Which is what
he eatsthree meals a
day - picky little guy!)

Crashed out for the
night. Yep, he's on
the chair! (Although
he has slept on
the bed too.)

Another trip to the pool today!

Outside the Shamian
Island Primary School

Family Picture on Shamian Island
(You would never know Zeke threw a massive tantrum five minutes before!)





Off to the Zoo

This morning we went to the zoo in Guangzhou. It is the second largest zoo in China (the first being in Beijing). Our timing happened to be perfect because it was fairly dry for the few hours we were there and then as we were leaving it started to POUR. If you have ever been to a tropical location near the equator you know exactly what I mean. (It makes hard rain in Washington look like a light shower.) Usually we get one dump of rain a day, around 4:00. It dumps for about 30 minutes and then the blue skies are back. Today it rained all day. Apparently a typhoon was hitting somewhere further up the coast and we were getting the outer reaches of rain it brought to land.



Zeke was Born in the Year of
the Tiger . . . And he is a tiger!

The zoo was an interesting place. The habitats were very small (and some aren't habitats at all, just cages hooked to old 1950's looking bunkers) which isn't great for the animals but puts them a lot closer for pictures! Zeke was fairly interested in the larger animals but we often saw him people watching instead. :) I have attached a few pictures Randy was able to take of the animals as well as some of Zeke.




Can You Find the
Monkey?

Grandpa Giraffe
Eating Lunch

Watching the Birds



Watching the Bears with Papa

 

 

Our afternoon was low key . . . a Skype conversation with family and then watching Zeke learn how to kick the beach ball. This was especially entertaining because he was having a VERY hard time running in a straight line after the ball. (The children in orphanages don't run around and play much. They are often put in one spot and that is where they stay so their gross motor skills can be a bit behind.) He basically looks like he is drunk . . . bouncing off/pushing off the things around him. Funny stuff! He had us in stitches and of course he was laughing the entire time too. ;) Later in the evening he and Randy were doing the same thing with a small soft soccer ball we brought with us. I have to say, his kicking skills are right on target . . . he doesn't miss the ball with his little feet. Possibly a future soccer player in the making . . . We will see what suits him best as he gets older. It is fun watching him experience new things!

 

 

RRZ

 

 

Another Busy Day!

Our first order of business after breakfast today was Zeke's medical check at the Chinese International Medical Clinic.  This is required in order to obtain his visa to enter the US.  They did a cursory exterior exam, which went great.  Then we got to the ear and throat check . . . Zeke pretty much went ballistic.  They got what they needed and left us to pick up the pieces.  The boy does NOT like things in his mouth that he hasn't chosen to put there, which is why we haven't attempted the toothbrush yet. :)  The last order of business was drawing blood for a blood test.  They asked us to calm him down (kicking, crying, and yes, scooting on the floor on his back doing all of the above).  Once that happened (Thank you Helen for finding the toy that did the trick!) they took him into a room and closed the door.  We didn't hear any yelling and he didn't come out yelling or crying . . . they must be VERY good at drawing blood from unhappy little ones!




 Chillin' by the Pool

Getting Ready to Swim!

Back to the hotel and Zeke refused to nap so we went to the pool.  FUN TIMES!  Zeke is definitely a water baby!  He was mimicking everything he saw:  kicking, backstroke, etc.  The nap came after our pool fun and then it was time to head to a river cruise down the Pearl River (it runs right down the middle of Guangzhou).  



Swimming with Papa



Canton Tower from
the Deck of the Boat
(The lights changed
color in rainbow swirl
intermixed with
solid colors.)

 On the Boat Deck

We were the ONLY white faces on the boat which made for some entertaining watching of "watchers."  The "watchers" seem to encompass those who do not approve that we have a Chinese child, those who think it is great (big smiles), those who are curious in general, and those who think Zeke is adorable and can't help themselves! ;)  We ate dinner (Fun times with a toddler who is fiercely independent - poor lady with the broom had a large mess of noodles to clean up that missed the mouth!), hung out on the upper deck (Zeke came to enjoy the wind and loved watching the passing buildings and the other people on the boat) and then a clown came in and put on a show.  She was an excellent juggler and was quite taken with Zeke.  As soon as she came in the door she saw him, came over and gave him a balloon (which he is currently playing with as he nods off to sleep), and then came back and helped him spin a ball on his finger.  Seriously!  She was going around the room helping people spin a soccer ball.  Zeke is VERY observant and loves to mimic things he sees people doing with his hands so as she came toward us he put up his little hand palm out and fingers pointed into the air.  She took his hand and put the ball on his finger.  He didn't even flinch . . . . brave little boy!



Zeke Spinning the Ball

It was an eventful evening and it is time to call it a day!  I can't believe Zeke has been with us for five days already.  The time is going fast and every day we learn new things about our little boy.  Loving it!

RRZ