Day 2 Gotcha Day!

We ended up being able to change rooms to adjoining rooms, but not until 11:45. So as you can imagine I was on pins and needles, trying to pack up the room, and get moved to a different floor and get settled before 1pm plus let our guide know that our room number had changed-only to find out that the hotel's entire phone system wasn't working!! I was able to get one of the receptionists to dial our guides number on her cell phone so it all worked out. Our rooms were not nearly as nice, and they were HOT, but they were adjoining, so we were fine. What a morning though. Nothing has gone quite the way I expected!!!

We got moved in and got Andrew's toys put out, and really only had a few minutes to spare. We said a little prayer and tried to remain calm!!  Our guide got to our room, asked if we were ready and said that Andrew and his caretakers were in the lobby and they were on their way up!!

We looked out our window and saw Andrew walking with his nannies!! He had on gray sweatpants, and a jacket!

 They rang the doorbell and Ava ran to the door saying "Andrew, Andrew!"

He walked in and talked to his caregivers and really never gave us a second look! He was beautiful though, and really talked a lot!

Immediately the orphanage director (on the right) who is called "Mama" gave him an awesome toy Thomas Train! He was very excited and all his attention was on playing with the director and his new toy. This was much different than Ava's gotcha day, because the second we walked in they were telling Ava that I was mama and they really backed off. But with Andrew the director was playing with him, holding his hand, etc. The director and his other nanny whom he called Jie Jie were telling Andrew that I was Mama, and the girls were his Jie Jie, and he would say the words, but I know he didn't understand. I think that's very confusing because he already had a mama an jie jie and we were called the same thing!!!  He just kept playing with his toys and talking to them. They stayed close to him.  He really loved his nannies, and we knew that it was going to be hard for him.

We noticed that he got down really really close to the toys he played with. We think he has some vision issues. Not sure if maybe he could be a little cross eyed or maybe he just can't see well.

We tried real hard to push our way in and play with him. He started to warm up a little and play with us!

The orphanage director brought a priceless baby album of him with pictures from his finding day, and several other baby pictures. I was so touched by this!

She also brought us the little jacket that he was found in. And with this I lost it...... Such a treasure to have!

Sweet boy!!

Ava got the first hug!!

Touching her face while he says Jie Jie!!

One really sweet thing was when I showed him a picture of Craig on the phone, he kissed the phone!!!! How sweet is that!!!

After we had our time in the room, we went to get our adoption day photos. Of course Andrew would have nothing to do with us so he grabbed the nanny and directors hands and pulled them along. They really had to hold on tight to him, or else it seems like he would have gone running through the traffic. 

After 22 million attempts (haha) to get him to smile, let me hold him and to sit still as the same time we managed to get our family day photo!!!

We had to wait for 10 minutes for the photos to process and this was when "Mama" (the orphanage director) and "Jie Jie" (his nanny) slipped away. I had distracted him by getting him to look at the things in the glass cabinet beside him, but when he realized they were gone he was heartbroken. He didn't really try to get up but he would reach out towards the door and cry Mama, Jie Jie---over and over. Eventually he started rocking back and forth in his chair, trying not to cry. We were able to distract him once again with some money they had in a jar at the photo shop. He began to play, and was so much better. When it was time to go though, he did NOT want to get up and he wouldn't hold my hand. He's so strong that when I tried to just pick him up and carry him I couldn't because he was kicking and arching his back. Thankfully he took Ava's hand and I just walked on the other side of him to make sure he didn't BOLT!!! Thank Heavens for AVA!!!

When we got in front of our hotel he ran up to a little water fountain---Andrew LOVES water. He kept leaning so far over, I thought he was going to fall in!

Ava was able to help us drag Andrew (they call him ShuaiShuai) back in to the hotel, and as we were walking in he looks up and sees the beautiful lights on the ceiling. He even told the guide they were beautiful!!! When Ava saw what Andrew was looking at she looked up too!! It was too cute!

Ava was being so helpful, and Andrew was letting Ava help him!!

I got out the bubbles and it was a love/hate thing. Didn't want to touch them, but didn't want me to put them away!!

I would just steal hugs whenever I could!! I'd hug him real quick, squeeze him and then back away!!

This is my sweet snuggle bunny. I was so proud of her today. At the same time my heart was absolutely breaking for her. She was so used to being the baby, and so many times I'd look over and there would just be tears in her eyes. Especially when Andrew wouldn't let her help, or when I was busy with him. I think any time you add another child to the mix, you mourn a little for your other children, because things change, and sometimes it's just hard, before it gets good!

Andrew can be a little ham, and we tried to capture all the smiley moments he had. Believe me, there were some sad moments, we just didn't try to take pictures of those times. This was taken when all the girls started playing with the balloon with him. He really laughed a lot!!

Since the day had been pretty emotional and Andrew didn't really want to hold my hand, we decided to order room service and just have a picnic on the floor. Andrew did very well eating. He let me feed him and he ate rice and broth. He didn't over eat or seem to pack his food.

Every time Andrew would go potty he would turn on the faucet on the tub and splash and wash his hands! He did that several times throughout the day. He was a lot like a little crazy two year old, running around in to everything!! I'm sure he'd never seen a bath tub like that though, or most anything else in our room. Plus I'm sure he had tons of nervous energy. Since he seemed to love the water I decided to give him a bath!!

He loved the water and the bathtub, but he wouldn't sit down!! There was a gold square in the middle of the tub which was the drain and he liked to step on that and hear the loud suction of the water draining. That was terrifying to Ava, so she was screaming and Andrew was stomping around splashing in the tub. Then Ava started really crying when I got Andrew out of the tub because for months she has been wanting to help me give Andrew a bath. This was so hard for Ava and she had a little meltdown. She hates loud noises, so I was trying to bathe Andrew fast, and it just turned out hard for Ava :(  Bathing Andrew was hilarious though, because I kept having to chase him around the tub. Busy, busy little boy!!!

Even when I got him out and dried off he wanted to stick his hands back in and splash around!!! But look at how beautiful he is!! His skin is like ivory!! 

Look at those precious little feet!!

This is the last picture I have from the day. We got his pjs on him, put some lotion on him, then he wanted his shoes and socks back on!!! We started this process at around 5:30pm or so---believe me it felt like 10pm at night! So after Andrew had his jammies on we decided to go for a little walk around the hotel. Turns out Andrew found the stroller and wanted to be pushed around. Now this was another thing that set Ava into a meltdown. She had been enjoying that stroller since we'd been on the trip at the airport, then yesterday when we were out sightseeing. So in her mind, this was really hers!!! Well she was so tired, and she was so upset that Andrew got to ride in it and she didn't. But we felt that if we could get Andrew to like the stroller, then we might be able to get out of the hotel room, because he surely wouldn't hold my hand!!!  So once again, Ava was sad.  But Andrew really liked the stroller, and he insisted on Mama (which is now what he calls me) was the one pushing him. In fact I have been the one he has wanted today (if anyone) to help him go potty, or feed him, etc. We know he can feed himself, but as long as he was letting me, I decided that that was a good thing!

When we got back to the room and got both the little ones ready for bed, we put Ava and Andrew next to each other in the big bed and left room for me on the outside. It's a little snug with all three of us, but not horrible. I went to take off Andrew's shoes and he clearly was against that. So I decided to leave them on. He was so tired and he had already started rocking back and forth. He wouldn't lie down, he just sits up and rocks back and forth. It was one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed in my life. He was teary eyed but trying not to cry. I was crying though, I just couldn't control myself. I said a little prayer out loud to him and Ava and then just tried to sing some songs while he rocked himself to sleep. Not long at all (thankfully) he was asleep and just sat back against the pillow still sitting up. After he was good and asleep I slid him down so he could lie down!  I was going to try to blog last night but I was so emotionally and physically drained I decided that I had better go to sleep too. 

What a day. Perfect, but oh so NOT perfect. Beautiful, but so very messy at the same time. Not wondering "why" we chose to do this, but maybe wondering HOW we were going to do this. But we knew that adoption is messy, beautiful, life changing, and rewarding all at the same time. 

I said it before, but ONLY JESUS can take a situation like this and make it good. But HE will. I think this was one of my hardest days in my life EVER. Ava's story was just so different. But I am praising God for this day. The very beginning of a beautiful story. I just know it!!