Sunday, December 24, 2006

Gotcha Day!!! Merry Christmas!!!

Good evening/morning everyone,

Today has been a long day - just like BIG days in Life tend to be.

It's Christmas Eve here in Nanchang, and we're settling in for the night.
So first, we wish everyone checking in a very Merry Christmas.
We arrived early here in Nanchang after rising at 5AM & catching our flight from Bejing.
We had some free time and then Kathy took us shopping at a Chinese grocery near the hotel.
This was an experience - we got some bottled water, and some snacks that weren't quite what we expected.
The weather here is very mild and today was actually quite nice with temps in the the 50's by my estimation.
We are excited to report that Gotcha Day has brought our son Kyle safely to us!
At around 2:30 this afternoon we went by bus to the Civil Affairs Office.
When we got to the Gotcha Room, we saw Kyle sitting off to the side with his escorts.
He has been driven by Bus about 90 minutes from his orphanage.
He looked a lot like his photos, and was dressed in a traditional Chinese red outfit.
He was escorted by a woman and man along with an official of the provincial government form the area of the orphanage. We're not sure who these people were and we'll try to find out tomorrow.
We've got a lot of pictures and some video, so I'll include a picute or two here, but will probably share the rest of the photos separately.
When first got to hold him, he wasn't as enthisiastic about the idea as we were. In fact, it wasn't pretty!!!
He cried a lot and wanted to go back to be held by his Nanny/Helper. He seemed to be quite attached. It was a little difficult for us at first, but we knew what to expcect and knew also that this might be a possibility. Nonetheless, we Gotcha'd him and he cried quite loudly the rest of the afternoon, until we were able to get him home and get him changed. He seemed better after that.
The rest of our group did well. The little girls in our group did very well, except for one or two, who cried. Kyle was clearly the most vocal - no wonder since he was so grossly outnumbered! Lisa tried to get some pictures of the other little girls so we'll have that for later.
The whole "ceremony" didn't take but 45 minutes and then we were on our bus back to the hotel.
Once back in the room Kyle got progressively better, and seems much more interested in us. After his diaper change, he and I hung out while Lisa did some of the local Nanchang papaerwork. It seems that Kyle is a whiz at stacking cups. He enjoys the sight & sound of the TV, and he also likes his "Knotty Blanket". His hand eye coordination seems very good and he had no problem understanding the cup-in-a-cup concept. He caught on quickly. He also found out that he could make noise by banging his cups together!
As expected he doesn't walk and doesn't seem able to crawl much yet either. We'll further test that theory tomorrow. He is a bit of a peanut for being 15 mos, but does seem to have a good number of teeth. He hasn't eaten much and will be hungry in the morning.
After Lisa returned, we gave him a bath. He seems to be OK with this and liked to splash around with his feet. The hotel gave us a small baby wash tub for him, which worked fine. We also have a small crib for the room. I'll have to report on this tomorrow.
After his bath, Lisa played more stacking cups with him while I went to fill out paperwork (lots of signatures and lots of red-ink thumbprints).
Right now he's sleeping comfortably on the bed. When I sign off, we'll try to place him in the crib. This should be fun!!
I guess that's it for now. Sorry for making you read all of the story before we got to the pictures.







Here's the moment we've all been waiting for!!!!!












Kyle:
Master of Stacking Cups



















Again, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

C

8 comments:

Avery said...

What a wonderful day!
Merry Christmas to everyone!
We showed Lukey the picture and he kept cooing and wanting to touch Kyle's picture on the computer screen.
Love, Mark
Avery, Paityn, Logan, and Lukey

joanne said...

I posted earlier. It didn't come back, so I'll wait and see if it ever appears at a later date...maybe 2007 the way Comcast has been cooperating lately. Merry Christmas! He's DARLING! Love...Actually, I think on the first posting I forgot to do my Entire address...does that surprise you? Blogs don't like that, so I'll repeat attempt number one. Luke has his training room all set up. There will be summo diaper wrestling (Mark's idea), training in how to remove the paper from straws and then stick two through the hole for one on the coke cup and last, but not least, how to decorate the floors and windows with all of those pretty crayon colors. I would guess he probably can crawl. He was pulling up on furniture six months ago. I think it's probably because he's in different surroundings, and when he feels more comfortable, will do it. When Luke comes here he mainly stays in one place for most of the time and at home flys! Also he was most likely more vocal because he's a boy (they're almost always louder) and he's old enough to be very sensitive to change. It sounds to me like he adapted rather quickly after reaching the hotel. He looks small, but not undernourished at all. What a cutie. Have a great Christmas Day!. Love YTA

Pat & Mike Barrett said...

Merry Christmas Charlie, Lisa and Kyle.

What an absolute cutie. He seems to be a quick study. He'll be jamming around before you know it.

Take care. Give him a hug from us.

Pat & Mike B

G'mom & PopPop Lockhead said...

Like Joanne, we posted earlier and it did not come back. So, I am trying again. We are soooo excited. Can't wait till you get home. Give Kyle a great big KISS from G'mom and Pop Pop. He looks great, and it will be no time at all until his is in the swing of things. Especially with Alyx and Sean A. so close by. They also are so very excited about meeting their new cousin. Merry Christmas to you all. I told you in an IM, we will keep our computer on all night, just in case you pop in. I have the volume up as far as it will go. Maybe even Dad will here it if you pop in. We Love you and wish you a very Merry Christmas. One you will never forget, and neither will we.

joanne said...

Dad and I opened our gifts tonight as tomorrow will be a bit hectic. The gang is arriving in the morning, opening gifts, returning home for R&R, opening gifts with A. Mom and then all returning here for dinner. THANK YOU...I now feel like a lady of luxury! Also a big thanks for Dad's earphones. Even with the leaky ones, I had to stand at the top of the stairs , shout and blink the lights for five minutes! Now I will no longer exist...I may have to go get a massage. He LOVES them.You must be up and about for your Christmas Day travels. How is it to get three instead of two ready? Love and another Merry Christmas. YTA

noel wedder said...

Dear Lisa, Charlie & Kyle:
Merry Christmas. I hope all of you are having a wonderful time getting to know each other and bonding. How fortunate for Kyle that he now has two of the greatest parents he could have ever asked for. He also has two sets of grandparents and a gaggle of aunts, uncles & cousins waiting at home to see him. Have a wonderful Christmas time. love, Poppa

Casey and Justin said...

We are so happy for you!!! What a wonderful Christmas. I am glad things worked out well for you and that Kyle is with you now.
Take care and let us know if you need anything!
Love,
Denise, Cresson, and Casey Green

John and Amy said...

We both are going back trying to read all of the postings on the site. I wish I had kept up with this day by day. Chris gave me the blog address. I am having a hard time leaving the computer. This is much more interesting than any TV program. Don't take this site down.

Thanks again.

John