First Encounter

Sorry we’re a little late with this update. Yesterday was an draining day, and Mom and Dad were pretty wiped out by the time we put the kids to sleep… “kids”… it’s kinda nice to say that for the first time.

Eden has quite the personality. What we’ve observed so far is she’s rambunctious, a prankster, already loves to get a rise out of Malia (could become a lifelong pattern), has a constant motor, smiles and laughs a lot, can’t sit still, is feisty and pretty willful. All positive traits to Mom and Dad! We were afraid she’d be a little listless and withdrawn, and that isn’t the case at all. When she wants something, she grabs Daddy’s hand and brings me over to whatever it is to make me get it for her.

Malia is definitely going through an adjustment. She’s very clingy with Mom, and is not quite sure yet how to feel about this new addition to the family. When she saw the Social Welfare worker who accompanied Eden, Malia proclaimed with some relief, “She already has a Mommy!” We had to break it to Malia that the woman was not Eden’s mommy but her “auntie.”

We had dinner together at a local restaurant, and she seemed to be able to eat reasonably well. She definitely likes rice and does NOT like greens… pretty typical kid. Every time I tried to sneak in a little vegetable under the spoonful of rice, she’d be wise to me and turn her head away. Like I said, willful. J

The bedtime ritual was the first sign of Eden going through a tough transition. She refused to lie down in her crib or in our bed, so I (Paul) had to take her on a walk to try to soothe her a little. We were having a grand old time for awhile, and then all of a sudden, she started looking around for something (or someone), tearing up, and crying out for “Ba.” “Baba” means daddy in Chinese, so I wonder if she might have been looking for her foster dad. We know almost nothing about her foster care situation other than that she was only there for 4-5 months. We figured she probably didn’t develop much of a bond with them, but we could be wrong. In any event, I eventually took her out onto a busy street and rocked her in my arms. The noise and lights and general hustle and bustle seemed to calm her down, and she fell asleep pretty quickly. She’s been fast asleep ever since… Malia’s wondering if she’ll ever wake up so we could all go get some breakfast!

Well, I’ll end our update here with some pics. Eliza will write more soon.