We're Official

On our first day together, if I’m totally honest, Eden still felt somewhat like a stranger to me. After all, I had only just met her. Trying to soothe her to sleep on the first night together began the bonding experience for me. I only hope she’s feeling a connection to us.

She couldn’t be a more cheery and delightful toddler, though. It’s everything from the Frankenstein walk, to the way she rests her forehead on mine, to the way she follows Malia everywhere (much to her big sister’s dislike), to her picky eating habits (as evidence, I’ve included a video clip of her discovering that I had tried to slip in some fruit into her yoghurt).

On Day 2, we officially became Eden Qinying’s parents. It was both formal and comical. We were instructed to stand in certain spots, pose for certain pictures, recite a vow not to abandon and abuse… and then the Civil Affairs office tried to awkwardly sell us a photo album of the highlights of Chongqing along with pictures of the ceremony for the low, low price of 300 RMB (about $45).

Last night was another tough night for Eden. Sleep time seems to be especially hard for her for some reason. I tried to recreate the conditions that worked last night, and of course, they failed miserably. I only succeeded in getting Eden to unprecedented levels of agitation. Finally, I walked up and down the stairs of our high-rise hotel, and the monotonous, rhythmic sound of the steps eventually did the trick… although I ended up doing more floors than I was in shape for… suffice to say, I slept well last night.

We’re off to the zoo today for an outing. Eliza is eager to do the next blog (and not let me, Paul, do all the representing).