Friday Success!

Today we woke up with resolve. Resolve to not allow the sleep deprivation get us down and to help Maelyn settle in as much as possible.

We were very relieved and happy that no touring was scheduled for today. We decided to stay at the hotel and mellow out a bit.

Our little Miss decided to wake up just after five this morning, with only six hours of sleep in her pocket. She was quite cranky again this morning, but we expected that. We were determined to help her sleep better than she has been, so we contacted our good friends Lianne and AM (also adoptive mothers) – and through the magic of Skype and emails, we got sound advice and our confidence was renewed.

After lunch, we came back to the room and set in motion our nap-time routine. I geared myself up for crying (on both our parts), and took a deep breath. We closed the curtains, read a book together, I sang her a song and then put her in her crib. I kissed her and then headed into the bathroom. It totally WORKED!! She was asleep within ten minutes! I swear there weren’t ever two happier people than Paul and I this afternoon. We crossed our fingers that bedtime would work out as well.

playing with her toothbrush...loving the toothpaste!

Later the same day…

I am thrilled, happy, blessed and over-the-moon excited to report that Maelyn is asleep and it is only 9pm!! Woohoo!!!

We repeated our bedtime routine tonight. Maelyn knew what was coming and wasn't happy about it. Paul took up his position on the bed at the far side of the room and I retreated to the bathroom. She didn't freak out, but was calling out 'Mama' over and over for about five minutes. I have to tell you - IT BROKE MY HEART!! I wanted to reach out for her, but knew that she needed to get to sleep. It didn't take long and worked like a charm, but it wasn't fun for me at all! Although, I should have realized how powerful my putting-people-to-sleep powers were.....when I came out of the bathroom, I was greeted by the sounds of my husband AND daughter snoring gently. :-)

So, we had a FABULOUS day today!! We cannot even get over the change, once again, in our little girl. She totally and completely blossomed. I am sure getting some sleep has helped. She has been playing freely, running up and down the hallways, laughing and chattering all day long. This is a little girl who only five days ago couldn’t walk very steadily, let alone run. Tonight she was climbing and walking across the bed, quite steady on her feet! What an improvement! She also turned the corner in her relationship with her Daddy. She really and truly engaged in play with him, asking for him often, even allowing him to pick her up! We played A LOT as a family of three today, making it the best day I have yet to experience.

Paul running Maelyn up and down the hallway -- she laughed right from her belly!

We leave for Beijing tomorrow morning. We have to be ready to leave the hotel by 8:30 and then we will head to the airport. I am nervous about how Maelyn will do on a flight, but this will be good practice for the thirteen hour flight home.

This afternoon we began packing and Maelyn decided that she should help out. She pulled almost everything out of her suitcase, one by one, and then placed it all back in – too funny! She has been copying everything we do…

Nanchang is very, very different from Beijing. Beijing is quite modern and very much like Toronto. Nanchang is the exact opposite. It is the capital city of Jiangxi, but even so, it is still quite run down and poor, in comparison. The traffic here is insane. I have read many a blog that described the weaving in and out of drivers, people on bikes, pedestrians, etc….but until you see it yourself, it is hard to believe! When we are being driven somewhere, I can’t watch. I hold onto Maelyn tightly and pray for our safety. Why do they bother painting lanes on the road if they are only a suggestion?! ;-)

I won’t miss the smoking, either. I am constantly coughing and feeling quite run down. Although we are on a non-smoking floor, it is apparently only a suggestion.

What I will miss are the people. We cannot get over how friendly and helpful everyone here has been. They have been kind to our family, especially Maelyn. We are also sad to be leaving the place where we first met our little girl. This hotel and area will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

As we leave the birth province of our little Miss, we have been thinking about the many people who have played a role in her life. From her birth parents, to her foster parents and the workers at the orphanage -- we will always hold them in our hearts and forever thank them for the gift of our daughter.

Note: As we will be travelling tomorrow, I most likely won’t have a chance to post….hopefully we can catch up on Sunday (Beijing time).