Halloween in China, A Baby Throw-down, and Other Drama

I just found this post that I wrote in China, somehow I never put it on the blog.  It was written 10/31.

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We had a modified celebration of Halloween in China. I brought surprise costumes and planned for the kids to dress up. Or at least Annie, wasn't sure Dan Dan would be into it. She started to undress to put her costume on, and Dan Dan thought it was bath time! He LOVES bubble baths in the huge tub in our hotel room, which he treats as more of a white water rafting ride. He stripped off his clothes, jumped in the tub, and turned on the water. So..... plan B. After the bath, our wet-headed kiddos dressed up as Nasa Flight Crew members, and they were super cute! We trick-or-treated in the hotel, complete with chocolate candy and H'ween treat bags. Fun stuff, these are the moments that make parenthood grand. 

After trick-or-treating, it was time for dinner. An explosive French Fry War broke out, and it got ugly. Charlie's favorite food is french fries, and he does not appreciate having to share them with anyone, including Annie. It is not unusual for newly adopted kids to hang onto to things and have an extra hard time sharing. He is looking out for himself at a time when everything is so new to him. He's not sure what's around the corner, so anything that he loves, he does not want to let go of. As an adult, I get it. I also get that it's not unusual for 8 year old new sisters to take issue with such behavior, and Annie reached a point where she was DONE with being nice to Dan Dan. Dinner was colorful! But thankfully by the time it ended they were friends again. And I needed some Advil.

Today we had to leave the hotel early and head to the US Consulate to finalize Charlie's visa. We had to pull him out of bed, and he was very sad and unsettled. He handled the van ride and whole procedure fairly well, but on the way back to the hotel, he and another newly adopted little boy got into a shouting match, and screamed at each other in Mandarin at the top of their lungs. This lasted for a long time, complete with spitting and growling. It was a baby smack-down! It was funny, it was loud, it was stunning, and our son was BOLD. The other child said "these white people (meaning our family and his) speak a strange foreign language, we can't even talk to them!", and Charlie replied "you say bad words! I am older than you, I tell you be quiet!" Our son is actually younger than the other boy, but I don't think he really cares. oy.

Thanks so much for your prayers, support, and good wishes.  They mean the world to us!