Perfect Fit . . . .

Today is day 3 with Sean and I am constantly amazed by this sweet boy!  It feels like he has been in our family for much longer.  Having him here is so comfortable that I can’t believe it’s only been 3 days.

Yesterday, Friday, we received his passport and left Harbin for Guangzhou.  We had been watching the weather in Harbin for about a month before traveling and were delighted to see that it had warmed up into double digits(meaning the teens).  That seemed manageable as it gets cold like that where we live.  However, we really were surprised at how cold it was there.  Sean came to us wearing a pair of long underwear, some kind of insulated pants and then jeans over those.  He was probably the only one of us that was warm.  It was 9 degrees when we left.

Friday afternoon we flew to Guangzhou where the weather is 65-70 degrees warmer.  It was a long flight and Sean did just great.  We let him have a window seat so he could see everything . . .take off and landing.  We arrived in Guangzhou and two really amazing things happened with Sean.  First, he recited the alphabet for me.  Second, later in the evening he said “Dad! Come here!”  We were shocked, but thrilled of course.  He has apparently studied some English and that puts him ahead of the curve which is wonderful.

This morning, Saturday, we had a wonderful breakfast.  The hotel where we are staying is not the same as where we stayed her when we got Claire.  We wanted to stay on Shamian Island but all the adoption related appointments have moved off Island so there really wasn’t a reason to stay there.  The hotel where we are now is lovely, the room is much bigger and the hotel is centrally located.  There are a lot of other families staying here, including some that I met on line through our agency prior to travel, so it feels very comfortable here.  

After breakfast we headed to the medical appointment.  Our guides Richard and his wife Alexa had a plan for us to leave a little early to try to beat the rush and that was a great plan.  We were one of the first groups there and went right in to see all the doctors.  Sean had to be seen by nurses and doctors for cognition, ENT, eyesight etc.  Poor little guy also had to have blood drawn as well as 4 vaccinations.  He took it all in stride and came out of the shots with a grin.

The kids got to go swimming today.  The weather was perfect, the pool temperature was a bit cold.  At least that’s what I figured based on the screaming when they hit the water.  Sean was a trooper for what I have to assume is his first time swimming.  He got in and did a whole lot of splashing.  

 He and the kids are doing well together and Kevin and I are so glad that we brought all of them.  I think it really makes a difference for Sean, as it did Claire, to have them here.  He is teasing them, looking out for them, playing as if he’s always been with us.  

I am still mindful of all that he is giving up to be with us.  At our US Consulate appointment on Tuesday he will again be asked if he is sure he wants to be adopted and come to America with us.  We face that appointment with much less trepidation than earlier in the week but still acknowledge that he will again have to choose.  It’s hard to know what’s going on in his head.  I just hope that over these last few days, he has come to believe, even if he doesn’t understand it, that we love him and will do what we can to make his life a happy one.  Our job, from this day forward, is to help him understand it.