Sept. 18 - Nanjing/Guangzhou

Not my best friend....

My Best Friend!!! (I know McD's - I haven't given up on you - it's just that this is closer right now!)

Wearing Dad's shoes!!

I can not even explain it - all we did was fly and arrive - but we are whipped today! We flew out of Nanjing at noon - arrived in Guangzhou at 5pm, got our luggage and headed to the hotel and arrived around 7 pm. We just grabbed some dinner at our FAVORITE HAUNT - Lucy's!!! And now are heading to bed. It is exhausting - we tried to travel light - but let me tell you - 3 year old, backpacks, luggage, computer bag - well, you get the point. We aren't so light and the 3 year old is NO help!! : ) So it's been a day. But when you sit on that plane - you have a lot of time to think. I sat there and watched Joe and Jada sleep - and thought about how her little life has changed. She has just started to refuse almost all food we give her - we are feeding her the same things, but she isn't eating anymore. That is such a hard feeling as a parent - how in the world do you get her to eat!?!? But she's acting fine otherwise. So we don't think it's because she is sick. It makes my heart ache as I just think she is sad. We watch her almost every night - we lay her down - she doesn't fuss or fight - just lays there and tears run down her face. She is sobbing because you can see her chest move and hiccup, but the tears just flow. Totally breaks my heart. What in the world has this little girl been through?

We have a three year old that ...
...does not know how to grasp my hand or finger when we walk. I have to physically mold her finger around mine or her hand is flat and won't grasp.
...does not know how to be held - she is a still board - she does not grasp you to hang on - she would literally fall if you didn't hold her back like a baby.
...does not say hardly 3 words - so far we've heard "Mama", "didi" (Chinese for little brother), and "night-night". (Oh yes, and "Aaron", when we look at his picture.)
...just watches everything - she takes it all in - as her little eyes wiggle to capture it all.
...is just now starting to walk more assuredly - at first she was so hesitant you had to pull her along.

When I look at her alongside other 3 year olds I have known, it can be scary. She seems more like a one year old sometimes. Although, at other times, we are amazed at her. She follows us all over - she won't let us out of her sight - and she copies everything we do. If we wash our hands, she has to as well - she knows the routine, wash, dry, and gel cleanser. She cracks us up. She sits so politely at the table before we get our food - we almost forget she is there. Tonight she sat at Lucy's and took the signs off of the table and pretended they were babies again - she rocks them and sings to them and wraps them in napkins. I teared up just watching her - she loves to play babies - we've had water bottle babies, signs, door handle cards - they have all been babies. She can be so loving. She surprises us - she makes us laugh. I just want to know what is going on in her head - I can't wait for the breakthrough when she will start talking. She is so sweet - but oh so far behind. My heart just breaks - we love her dearly - wherever she is in her development, but we pray for breakthroughs.

Pray for us tomorrow - Jada has to have ALL of her shots redone - they told us to expect 6 or 7 and her TB test - that's the biggie - we need a negative. We covet your prayers for our little one. We could sit and worry but we give it all to our BIG GOD - the One who brought us here and led us to Jada. "He Knows"......At the airport waiting with Gabe and his mom.