Thurs. PM - Nanjing Thunderstorm!

Well, we know where the humidity was coming from. Tyson slept for almost three hours, then after just hanging out in the hotel (then Kacie was napping) we decided to go out to go shopping and see a branch of the Yangtzee River just behind our hotel. As we were out, we could tell a thunderstorm was on the way. We just about made it back when suddenly, there was rain like I have never seen in my life. I grew up in a temperate rainforest and have seen some major storms, but nothing like this. We were totally soaked walking the 50 yards back to the hotel. Dan put his Cougars hat on Ty, so Ty stayed dry—glad that hat was finally good for something! (Sorry Coug fans…had to say it!) So as Kacie says, this was an experience! I actually had a really good laugh about the whole thing and was glad to experience it too.

We knew there was a restaurant somewhere in the hotel, and there was no way we were leaving, so we’d just have to suck it up and pay what we thought would be a high price. As we walked back to the restaurant, I could have fainted. There was an indoor connection to Burger King from our hotel! All week long I’ve went outside and around the front, and I could have just stayed inside. I guess there is something to be said for exploring your surroundings!

So we were the only table in the restaurant, and we had 4 servers totally doting over us. Ty threw his usual fit as we tried to put him in a high chair, and then one of the ladies came and held him and said something to him in Chinese, and he sat down and was very very good. Clearly, we have a huge language barrier. And dinner was amazing AND the same price if not cheaper than other dinners we had all week. We kept it basic with sweet and sour pork, rice and vegetables, noodles for K, and meat congee for Ty. Not sure where Ty put all that food, but he loved it.

Ty is skinny. His legs and face look good, but his belly…there isn’t one. He’s long enough for 2T, but 18 month shorts barely stay on. I think his cold is getting better, but he’s still got it.

We are sitting in the dark watching this magnificent lightning show from our 10th floor room. Right now he is lying in his crib and making noises we’ve never heard before. He’s babbling! We haven’t heard this from him yet! He is certainly trained that when he goes down in his crib, it’s bedtime and he doesn’t cry at night. He’s saying “La la la da la la la” So cute! We haven’t heard this! We are just trying to be quiet and listen. It’s adorable. “Oh ah!” he sings…and it’s music to my ears. I just told Dan that he doesn’t babble or vocalize, and I was worried. Not anymore! This is great! He’s singing! He’s really singing! I’m almost positive he’s speaking Chinese! Wow! He can make many sounds, consonants and vowels.

So the scoop on Ty is this: He is capable of more than he lets on. He is very smart, but also delayed due to obvious orphanage issues. I do believe he was well taken care of, I really do. He is so frustrated with the language issue, and so are we. But we know for sure, God has given us Ty for a reason. We are his parents, no matter what! Times have been tough this week, that’s for sure, but we hope better times are to come.

When we get home, we need people to understand he is in transition and not to come at him when we get home. We need to take this slow. He still screams when we change his diaper, but I did put his PJs on with no crying for the first time tonight! He shows more of his personality everyday, good and bad.

Tomorrow, we are outta here! Praise the Lord! We are headed to Guangzhou, home of the US Consulate that takes care of adoptions. We have a late check out, and we fly out around 4 and get to Nanjing around 6. I can’t wait to see all the adoptive families from the US. I am about out of battery, so I’ll post picts tomorrow. We have to turn on lights to use the power outlets, and since Ty is calm and in bed, I’m going to just keep it to words. Thanks for the prayers. They mean so much, and listening to Ty tonight was a huge answer to prayer for us. I’m glad I got to share it with you all as it was happening—and he kept talking and singing, and Kacie got out the flip camera, so we have some of it recorded! Yay Kacie! She has been amazing by the way. When you see her, tell you heard she was awesome in China, because it's true.