Getting to Know Qi Fu

Man, this kid is CRAZY! But he is officially ours now!!! We finished the Chinese end of the adoption this morning after 2 brief interviews - one with a Civil Affairs official and the other with a notary. We still have to stay a few more days in Nanning, however, while we wait for his passport to be finalized and delivered. Then it is off to Guangzhou to visit the American consulate and prepare him for his US Visa.

In the meantime, we are having lots of fun getting to know Qi Fu (or Little Man Fu as I have started to call him). Today we walked to the park with our friends. We thought it was just a playground, but it was actually a minnie amusement park. He loved to ride the electric cars - although he did not like that he needed an adult to ride with him and help steer. After all, he is Chinese and thinks he can drive well on his own, but trust me, we know how they drive and there was no way we were going to let him behind the wheel by himself! After the cars, he got to ride in this three man bike with Eric and Hannah that circled the park about 20 feet off the ground. He was so cute waving from up there! Then he rode this minnie roller coaster where the cars were all shaped like cars. He rode in the firetruck one and really loved it because he could "steer" all by himself.

After the park, we had another group dinner at a Cantonese restaurant. It was very good. We have started to notice that Qi Fu hordes food - very common in orphanage children. He will keep wanting food until his plate or bowl is overflowing. He won't eat all of it, but I think he takes comfort in knowing it is there. Once he even hid a piece of beef on the ledge behind our booth and got it and ate it as we were leaving - kind of gross, actually. His favorite food is congee - a rice porridge that is kind of like bland rice soup with various meets. The only problem is, it is usually SUPER HOT and he hates to wait for it to cool down. He gets very upset if he can not have it right away! We have started to ask for an extra bowl to mix a little at a time with cold water to make him happy.

You would think with all the food he eats he would be bigger - but he is so tiny. He is wearing a size 18-24 month and they are even a bit big. We forget that he is almost 3, so when he does something a 3 yr old would do, we are surprised because he is so small. It is quite deceiving. Later today we are going to Walmart as a group to shop for necessities. And believe me some clothes are on our list because I only have 2 outfits that fit him. He wore one yesterday and he will wear the second today! And then, we will be in trouble because all the 2T clothes I brought are way big!

But, trust me his size does not slow him down one bit! The kid is a maniac. He never sits still and he is just bursting with talking and personality (reminds me A LOT of Lilly - I think I am in big trouble with those two!). The other families laugh at him and think he is so cute, but I think they are secretly relieved it is not them chasing him all over as they walk around with their sweet little girls :)

And speaking of the other families, it has been so awesome to be here with them. There were 5 families that hooked up in Beijing (there was a total of 7 families, but the other two were more to themselves). But only 2 came to Nanning with us - the Heckys and the Kruits. We also have the other 2 families with us, but again they are more on their own. One of those families is on their 4th Chinese adoption and is so helpful to the rest of us. They know everything and are always stocked with things that we do not think about because we did not even know we needed them! They have shared many things with us: cookies, fruit snacks, bibs, spoons, etc. We are all so grateful for them! But, the Heckys and the Kruits have been our constant companions and support during all of this. We are already making plans for a reunion in a year or so because we all live on the east coast (Ohio, Chicago, and VA). It would be fun to see these kids in a year speaking English and feeling like regular family members! And we will hook up with the other 2 original families in a few days in Guangzhou. We are excited to meet their new children. One has a boy about the same age as Qi Fu. Hmmm, wonder if he is crazy, too?

(Author's note: By the way, that cute little panda shirt in the photo was a mess by the end of the day. I am not sure it will ever be the same again. What a pity.)