Today we are officially Maya Lin Liu Pykett's parent in the eyes of the People's Republic of China. We had to go to the registration office again to formally accept the adoption of Maya. We were asked a few simple questions and had to place our thumb prints and Maya's right foot print on the documents. Next we had to travel over to the Notary office for more questions and again, sign documents. It was a huge relief to know Maya is officially ours. We also said goodbye to the nanny frm the orphanage, and it's Director. Their picture is shown here with us. They told us Maya was a favorite of one of the nannies at the orphanage because she reminded her of her own daughter. They also said this nanny tended to spoil her more than the other children.
Maya has been bonding very well with Sheila in particular. Because the orphanage director was a woman, we suspect she has had little to no contact with men. She can be a little, and a lot, fussy when I hold her. Other times, she is OK when Sheila is in sight. We decided it was best to go with the flow and not force her to be held by me when she doesn't want to. The last day and a half has been extremely stressful for her.
Sheila has been playing lots of little games with her and getting her to laugh and smile. She has also started to babble alot more today. It is really sweet to see Maya in Sheila's arms. Maya (and Sheila) seem so comfortable.
I ventured out for a couple of hours in search of some prunes to help with Maya's constipation. She has been visibly uncomfortable all day. I think the stress of all this is a huge factor. I did not have any luck finding prunes. I was also unable to explain what I was looking for to the store clerks and hotel staff. After searching on my own, I asked our travel mates, John and Julie, for some advice. They have been here a day longer and have ventured out around town quite a bit. John walked me over to the large "WalMart" like store, about twenty minutes away. They only had 4 flavors of baby food. Prunes was not one of them.
Tomorrow, we will meet with our local rep, Hannah. She should be able to help us find what we need. We are planning to go to a local "flea market" to shop for some locally made crafts. We want to share these things with Maya when she gets older, to help her connect with her heritage.
Friday, we will receive Maya's Chinese passport so we can leave the Guangxi Province. We will fly to Guangzhou on Saturday. Guangzhou is the city where all adoptive families from the U.S. go to receive their travel Visas for their children. The next couple of days we have no itinerary, so we will probably take it easy, only making short trips to shop and sight see. We stay in Guangzhou until Thanksgiving Day. Our flight arrive in Chicago at 3:20 p.m. This flight will probably be quite stressful for all of us.
Well, it's almost 11 p.m., Sheila and Maya are sound asleep. Time for me to join them
Love, Tim
6 comments:
I love the pictures! What a beautiful family! Tim, you need to find prune JUICE, not actual prunes for her (she won't take those). Or look for Corn Syrup and mix 1 teaspoon with 2 ounces of water in a bottle. Corn Syrup is sweet, so she should take it well in the water. Another way of helping is to take a rectal temperature, sometimes that will stimulate the bowels to move (if you guys are comfortable doing that). Sounds like it's been a very smooth transition with Sheila and Maya. It won't take long for the same with you, Tim. Hope you all slept well!.....Sam
Another option, foods high in fiber such as peas, beans, apricots, peaches and pears. You could try to find these kinds of baby food for her. That might be easier than finding the corn syrup and prune juice. Have her take the food twice a day. Sam
What a beautiful family!! I've had fun shopping in Orlando. can't wait to see you all...Debbie
Tim, Shelia, and Maya
We are so excited for you. You are such a beautiful family. It is really touching to read your blog. Noah has a constipation issue too. Prunes are the best however any juice will work. Don't stress out about it our doctor said sometimes kids can go as long as a week to ten days with out pooping. You really look happy. We can't wait to meet Maya. Congrats Bridget & Jeremy
Tim, Sheila and Maya,
Craig and I are soooo excited for you. Everytime I read your blog (which is like twice a day) I get tears in my eyes. Sheila is just beaming in that one picture, and looks so peaceful with Maya. You are a beautiful family, and we keep you in our thoughts for a same journey home. I have no constipation advice for you - sorry! Please post more pics (as if you have nothing better to do!) and give Maya an extra snuggle for us tonight! You are all truly blest,
Beth & Craig North
I hope I'm leaving this in the right place. CONGRATULATIONS!!! Angela and I are so happy for you two. I'm glad to see all is well and it looks like your having some fun on top of that. Sheila smile a little you have a beautiful baby and the start of something unbelievable. Tim that a boy and you didn't even feel a thing, birth was easy. CONGRATS again.
LOVE,
Tony, Angela, and Kelsey Mae
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