Today marks the magic "72 hours" that adoptive parents often refer to when the true personality of the child often starts. The first few days are often marked with regression, grieving, "shutting down", etc. Of course, every child is different and Kaylee is different than Sydney was. Kaylee is not as quick to smile or laugh, but she definately has her times where she'll give me full, open mouth smiles. Not just a grimace of a smile. Usually after a bottle!
Today is a lazy, or supposed to be, day for us. The rest of the group are off tourning their childs' birth city and finding locations. Since Kaylee's orphanage is the opposite direction of where they went we elected to stay "home". Instead, a simple trip to McDonalds and Walmart is enough of a disaster to make us never go out with 2 kids again!
First mistake: Today was the day the doctor prescribed for Kaylee to start laxatives after 2 days of a little prune juice each day. Well, the constant squirting only increased in amount and frequency and baby changing areas are a foreign concept in this city. At Mc Donalds I asked, or rather signed, to an employee of the packed and sweltering place if there was a place to change a baby diaper. She proceeds to show me into one of two stalls in the ladies room, she sits on the toilet and motions for me to put Kaylee on her lap. Well, at this point, I had to do something and not at our table in a full restaurant, so I put a changing pad on her lap, handed the screaming child to her, knelt in front of her and proceeded to do my best to clean this child while praying she doesn't poop or pee all over this nice lady! I did manage to finish quickly without mishap and was very grateful to her, but even before I could get back to the table Kaylee's diaper was full again.
I wasn't about to ask her again, so I decided to wait until our meal was over and we could walk to walmart where I knew there was a handicapped, private bathroom which is the only western toilet in that place and where Andrew could help me. By this time Sydney was getting tired and whiny and is not being cooperative at all, so we quickly ate what we ordered and left. By this time, after being in China almost a week I don't care if people are starting at us or not.
We walk across the street to Walmart dodging the pedistrians and vehicles who all claim right of way to the street. We make our way to the private stall which has no lock on the door, no toilet paper, no paper towels, a urinal next to the dirty toilet, and certainly no A/C vent. Kaylee is screaming by this time and Sydney is crying that she wants her Happy Meal toy from McDonalds. I instruct Andrew on how to sit down and hold Kaylee while ordering Sydney to stop crying and wait a minute. I go as fast as I can to clean this poor baby whose butt has turned a rosy scalding red from all the poops and am nearly done when she decides to pee--all over the floor and up her back on her dress. It's getting hotter in there by the second and we're all sweating and yelling by now. At least Andrew was saved by the changing pad on his lap or I never would have heard the end of it.
I did find a change of clothes for her and we go off to find a few small things while we're there. I only wanted to find some cotton balls I could soak in warm water to clean Kaylee with instead of wipes, but you'd think I asked for the moon. We never did find any. How does one go about describing cotton balls to another person who speaks zero english? I tried to use motions like taking fingernail polish off, and while she did understand that and take me to the polish remover, she never understood what instrument should be used to accomplish that task. By this time Sydney was sound asleep in Andrew's arms, I've got Kaylee in the hip carrier pushing the cart and we're both hot and tired. I didn't feel like playing charades anymore, so we left.
Tomorrow is scheduled to be a busy day. We tour the countryside in the morning and leave late afternoon for Guangzhou which is only an hour's flight away. We're both looking forward to a change of scenery for a while!
Jennifer
