A trip to Xin Xiang

A trip to Xin Xiang

And corners in the East and West

Today Evan had a mostly good day.  We went to the breakfast buffet and Evan enjoyed himself but actually came to a stopping point where he said he was full.  We all amused ourselves until about 2 p.m. when it was time to go back to Xin Xiang with our guide and driver to retrieve Evan’s passport from the police station. 

Xin Xiang is the city where the orphanage actually is.  Our original plan was to visit the orphanage, but after Evan had such a hard time making the initial transition, I decided I didn’t want to risk confusing him by bringing him back for a visit.  Still, the young lady who brought him to Zhengzhou the first day was to meet us there, and that had me worried.  Was he going to want to go with her?  We arrived early and sat around waiting for about 20 minutes.  Evan was very well behaved but he might have been subdued because he napped the entire ride to Xin Xiang.  He enjoyed using my camera to take photos of everything in the Police Station, starting with the men trying to fix the steady leak in the ceiling that was soaking the floor next to us. 

The young lady arrived and Evan seemed happy to show her his new toys and give her a hug.  Still, he sat by me and that made me feel better.  We went to the counter to complete our business.  Evan snapped a photo of the police woman and she didn’t crack a smile.  They were very businesslike – the man who retrieved Evan’s passport hardly turned to face us as he tossed it up on the counter. Next. 

When it was time to go, Evan looked at me confused, and I held his hand and gestured that he was coming with us.  Thankfully, this pleased him.  He gave the young lady from the orphanage a kiss on the cheek and I saw tears in her eyes.  I assured her I would send  photos of Evan in his new life. 

The ride back was uneventful.  The guide dropped us at the hotel and we decided to go to dinner.  It had been a very good day and Evan’s behavior had really improved.  However, I’ve determined that Evan likes to show off the most when we are in public, so   apparently it was show-time at the restaurant.  Or maybe he was just too hungry.  Whatever the case, Evan started being his wild self – not running around, mind you – just doing things to aggravate.  For lack of a better term, my new son can be a real “ball buster”, lol.  He would not release my camera and was flashing pictures in our faces and the waitress’ face.  When I was trying to order from the waitress and show him the menu, Evan made the hand shape of a gun and pretended to shoot me.  Oh yeah, that’s my boy! J We were sitting in couch like seats, and he picked up the cushion and pretended he was going to hurl it.   He dropped his straw on the floor and wanted to pick it up.  When I wouldn’t let him, he didn’t have a tantrum like most kids would.  Evan motioned for me to, “Look –look over there!”  But the smirk on his face betrayed him and I caught him as he tried to use my distraction as an opportunity to grab the dirty straw. Sometimes he is 6 going on 26.  

It just went on for a while -----until I had ENOUGH.   I told Anita I would be right back.  I took Evan’s hand and we walked down the stairs to the front door of the restaurant.  We walked outside.  Evan was looking at me as if to say, “What are we doing here, we haven’t eaten yet?”  I led him a few feet away from the front door and I gestured that I am the Mommy and he is to be good.  Then I turned his face to the wall.  Evan’s whole countenance changed.  I could tell Evan was WELL ACQUAINTED with “corner time.”  I am not surprised.  LOL.  He, on the other hand, was very surprised.  He looked hurt.  He looked bewildered.  He looked at me as if to say, “How do you know about ‘the corner?’  I told him again that he had to be good.  Then I asked him if he would like to go back upstairs to eat.  Evan shook his head, “No.”  I waited a moment and asked again. “No.”  I could tell he was really disappointed in me.  I finally picked him up and gave him a hug and kissed his head and asked if he was ready, and Evan finally nodded, “Yes.”  Back upstairs, he was somewhat better.  I could tell by how he tore into his food that he was very hungry.

Later, we went back to the room, got washed up, and went to bed. Every day is a little better.  Evan is starting to pick up some of the signs I am using with him.  He definitely understands when I use them, even if he is not ready to use them himself.  I thought he would be eager to learn signs to communicate – but as my sister pointed out, Evan has NO problem making himself understood.  This little guy is extremely smart.  He is fearless.  I am sure until now he has done a remarkable job of fending for himself in the orphanage.  They also taught him quite a bit.  I brought a coloring book with numbers and letters.  Evan doesn’t know English letters, but he is well acquainted with our numbers.  One page had 1 through 20, but some numbers were missing and you have to fill in the missing numbers.  Evan did this without hesitation.   He is quite typical in some ways – he loves the bath and likes to brush his teeth.  He prefers to wear his underwear backwards so the characters are in the front – Ben did that too!  He likes toys and cartoons.   Each day we bond more, and he makes us laugh.  I am sure he is going to do very well as time goes on.  That’s all for now….we will see what tomorrow will bring.

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