China Again

My daughter and I went off to China to become a family of three.  Just as surreal as the first time only with a four year old.

She hardly ate anything.  I thought it was most likely because of the transition.  When I said hardly, it was more like nothing.  Maybe a few pieces of watermelon.  The orphanage said she ate everything and she would pick out her foods.  But not with us.  I dismissed it to the transition.

She also hit and bit my daughter and I.  She was very possessive of her bed.  Mostly likely the result of the transition.

During the trip, I asked our guide if she could take us to a store to buy some clothes and things for my new daughter.  She took us and as we were entering the store, my youngest daughter asked the guide in Chinese why were there.  Our guide explained it was because I wanted to buy her things.  With her eyes wide and her mouth gaping open, she held her two hands to each side of her face and said in Chinese, "For me?"

She wanted everything in that store and had difficulty making a choice.  Not surprising.  But she absolutely wanted a pair of pink tennis shoes she saw on the shelf.  And she got them.  That night back at the hotel, she refused to take off her new pink tennis shoes and slept in them all night.

Fast forward to our flight home. We had successfully made it back to the United States and were waiting for our last flight home.  At the Detroit airport, we were early so we got something to eat.  My newest daughter, QiuLu, ate very little again.

We moved onto the gate albeit early.  We were the only three there with LuLu sitting between my oldest daughter and I.  With no warning, QiuLu became sick with projectile vomit.  My oldest daughter has never to this day became sick like that.  While I wasn't a new mother, this was new to me.  I knew I was unprepared from experience.  I mistakenly thought she must have the flu.  This was the beginning of the next phase of our life.