So day three with Chengbin and another day of trial & error as we figured out what makes this little guy tick. The need to take the backpack everywhere continued. We honestly don't know if he worries every time we leave the room that we aren't coming back so he wants to have his things OR if he just doesn't want to part from the first things that have ever been HIS. Either way, it was another day of our little man lugging around his backpack. And since he keeps adding things he loves into it, it is heavier for him to carry each time we leave the room.
Our day started with breakfast, where he once again ate his weight in food. You name it, he ate it. It was also Matt's birthday, so we were wondering if he was going to be ready for a dinner out or not. Our biggest concern was actually the fact that he hadn't pooped at all since getting him. I mean here's this little guy who has eaten A LOT and no poopy! He had to be hurting. We didn't know what the cause was though. Is it that he doesn't know how to go on a western toilet? Is it that he's all stopped up? We asked many times if he needs to go poopy, and we'd point and show but he always shook his head no. At one point Matt decided to just get him to sit on the toilet for a a minute so he would know where to go when he finally did need to go. Of course he refused to sit there and our second big power struggle began. Matt sat patiently and spoke gently to him for over an hour as he cried, screamed, and generally tantrumed because Baba wouldn't let him leave the bathroom until he sat on the potty. Finally, he gave in and sat. Baba told him "good boy" and he decided not to even hold a grudge against Baba for it.
We went to the police station in Guangzhou with our guide to apply for Chengbin's Chinese passport. It was a large room filled with some of the adoptive families we had seen on Gotcha day. Our guide explained that the process is the same the first 3 days for all families.
After going to apply for his passport we asked our guide if we could stop for medicine on the way back. She stopped at a Chinese pharmacy and got a pediatric tea for him. He was very excited to drink it, so as soon as we got back, he asked Mama to make him the tea. The tea did the trick and after a couple days of worrying about our little boy's tummy he was back to normal again. We were relieved and excited that we could go out to dinner now that we weren't worried about being far from a western toilet. :)
We went to an amazing noodle restaurant with a fellow adoptive family. It was delicious and we laughed at how excited Chengbin was about the food. He ate, and ate, and ate. I think he ate more than anybody at the table! When we arrived back at the room, Matt had a birthday cake waiting for him. It was shaped as a birthday present and he was surprised to get a cake here in China! We all had our cake then it was bedtime.
Another China day in the books. Our little boy is slowly but surely getting comfortable with us and learning to trust. We have a long way to go, but we are amazed at the progress already. On Tuesday night we went to bed hoping and praying that every day wouldn't be so difficult and exhausting. Wednesday night we went to bed saying this was his best day yet, feeling hopeful and optimistic about how quickly we are figuring him out. He has moments where he shuts down, gets really quiet and extremely obstinate. Luckily, there are more moments where he is sweet and kind and makes sure everyone has whatever snack we are having. The good moments are more frequent than the bad ones, and we are very grateful for that.
I know that the best days are yet to come and we are excited!! Chengbin is no longer an orphan. He is a loved son and brother, grandson, great grandson, nephew, and cousin. Praise God!
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