Firsts

What a day. Magnolia had a lot of firsts today. She had yogurt for breakfast and LOVED it! We had a great time at breakfast. All the families were in one section and we all had our babies pulled up in their highchairs, what a sight! We sat near baby Lucy, she's a doll! She kept looking over at Magnolia so we got them on the ground to see if they wanted to play. Magnolia really didn't want to but Lucy kept crawling towards her. In fact, it seemed like Magnolia was possesive of me for even giving baby Lucy any attention!

After breakfast Magnolia had her SECOND nap of the day by 9am! AND, she slept from 7pm to 6am. All that sleep is so good for her, for her cold, and for her now highly stimulated environment. After her nap we took her across the street to the mall. We were stared at by almost everyone we walked by. People would actually stop, point, and say something in chinese to the person they were with. It was a little uncomfortable for me at first but I noticed that when I was cooing at Magnolia, being carried by George in the Bjorn, people who were staring would break into smiles. It was almost like a look of relief...like they were making sure we really loved this baby.

Another first for Magnolia was swimming! She seemed to like it. Maybe not like but she doesn't protest about anything, except when I wipe her nose. She's so easy going and compliant. Just very content.

Later in the afternoon we all had to go to the police station to get the babies passport photos taken. Then we were taken to a huge wholesale mall where they had wholesale pearls, jade, and everything else under the sun. On the ride over our guide gave us a quick lesson in buying jade and pearls, on quality and on bargaining. It was so hot in there and I was carrying Magnolia in the Bjorn, she loves being carried, I can't put her down. She was drenched, I was drenched. George fed her water out of the cap of the water bottle and we had an old chinese lady stand right in front of us watching us. A little intimidating but she eventually lost interest.

George and I bought Magnolia the most beautiful jade bangle of the highest quality. Real jade feels cool, fake jade made of glass, will not. I plan to wear the bracelet for years and eventually give it to her. While I was trying to keep Magnolia cool, George went and bought us each the most beautiful pearl necklaces. Magnolia's is a strand of the highest quality of freshwater pearls and mine are Mikimoto's. Wow! They are gorgeous! He also bought her a pair of simple pearl earrings. That was so much fun! The bus ride home was very quiet, we were all exhausted!

Magnolia is doing very well. She won't let me leave her sight, wants to be held ALL the time. She gets very close, nuzzles, and pats my back and my chest with smiles, like she is so happy. She's not saying mama dada yet but we say them to her all the time so she knows that we have names. :) She does babble and likes to mimic. Today she surprised me with a growl so we growled back and forth together. She has a harder time going to George. He's able to nap with her which he loves but cries and reaches for me all the time. He was able to carry her in the Bjorn for quite a while today which was nice. She keeps saying the word "a-nigh" all the time. I asked baby Lucy's mom about it and Lucy says something similar...it means "aiya" or "auntie" from the orphanage. That makes sense. Lucy also brushes her hands across her ears, we think it's some kind of comfort thing. Almost all the babies suck their thumbs or fingers. Magnolia brings her other hand up to her face when sucking and watches her finger move back and forth. Certainly a self stimulating tactic she learned being in the orphanage. She makes excellent eye contact with me and is getting more comfortable with feedings. Now she brings her hand up to my mouth so I can kiss it when feeding her.

Our agency guide went out and bought "tea" for Magnolia and other babies who haven't gone poop yet. She says all chinese babies drink this tea to help with sleep and poops. hmmm???
She advised giving it to her before bedtime. Hmmm...sweet TEA before bed = poop? We made up a bottle, looked at Magnolia and said "When in Rome." Wouldn't you know it, out like a light within minutes!

A lot of the babies are still sick, including Magnolia. Most of them were underweight too. Magnolia only gained 2lbs. in 3 and a half months! Some babies lost weight. Magnolia is very very tiny herself. I think she's around a 6 month old developmentally. I could be wrong but she seems like SUCH a baby, she's just a tiny little thing. The way Magnolia has clung to me breaks my heart that I couldn't have gotten to her sooner. She's just eating up the attention. When the guide brought her "tea" she looked her and smiled and said "you have a very active baby" and I said, "really, because I can't put her down." She said that when she was there last week, she specifically remembers Magnolia because she wouldn't stop crawling and climbing all over everything. I have yet to see that side of her. The only time she crawls is when she comes to me and she drags one leg, it's not a perfected crawl. All she really wants is to be loved and cuddled. She doesn't even fidget or fuss in my arms, it's like complete contentment, what a joy!

Well, I swear I would never post this long again but I obviously love talking about someone in particular. I can't post pictures in the evenings (our evenings) for some reason so I'll post them in the morning, your evening.

Love to all of you, thanks for all of your comments. We love all of your love and support!