Monday, March 10, 2008

Day 2, It's official!

It is day 2 & how our life has changed. Enter Hudson: full of energy, happy, charismatic, used to getting his way, & stubborn. It was a long first day. He is a solid little boy, holding him is much different than holding Ravenna. He is well proportioned & very strong (especially his left hand). We think he has done well considering all the changes. He did whimper a little as he was going to sleep last night. I think that is normal though. He is a very happy little boy, and he is also used to calling the shots. From what we can tell, it looks like he ran the show in his foster family home. Ivan said this is sometimes normal, since the children are mainly being raised by the mother & the father isn't around as much. In the Chinese culture little boys are highly regarded, especially due to the one child policy. This is the one thing we are having a tough time with. We will slowly have to make some changes in this department. For now we are just getting use to one another.


We went to the Civil Affairs office & signed a bunch of papers, gave our fingerprints, & it is now official, Hudson is now our son and we are thrilled.


Then Ivan and our nice driver took us to see the Yellow Crane Tower, which was 700 years old. It was built to teach calligraphy & has no religious affiliation. It has a gorgeous vantage point from its spot on a hill in the middle of town. You could see the local orphanage from the 5th floor as well as the Yangtze River. It was a perfect day, about 72 degrees. We also learned the Three Gorges Dam is about a 5 day boat ride up the Yangtze....maybe next time.
Today we found out his nick name is "Wenzie", meaning mosquito.....maybe cause he buzzes around so much. He calls himself "Wenzie" when he sees pictures of himself. So we are going back & forth from "Wenzie" to Hudson. He hasn't grasped onto the fact Hudson is his new name, unless he is ignoring us....which very well could be. He loves the cars & little dinosaurs we brought him, which is great since he is easy to entertain.
He just woke up from his nap & we plan to go the park later. We will come back for dinner, bath & then bed time. Stephan & I are really not finding much to eat here, thank goodness for the Power Bars (thanks mom).
Tomorrow we are meeting Ivan at 2:30 to go to the orphanage to meet some other waiting children. I know some families are very anxious to see those pictures. I hope our Internet at the hotel will cooperate & I will be able to post asap. The Internet here has been very temper mental & I am still unable to view our blog & the comments. Thank you to everyone who has left them. We should be able to have better access when we get to Guangzhou on Friday. Looking forward to a change of venue & to get home. We miss Ravenna so much. Loves & kisses to her for us!

Playing with his "Phonics" phone, he loves to dance to the music.


Checking out the fountain at our hotel.

Showing off one of his dinosaurs.

Our official family picture at the Civil Affairs office.

Hudson wanting to sit in his own chair, by him self.

Calling for mama at the entrance of the Yellow Crane Tower.

Giving mama a little impromtu kiss, with the Yellow Crane Tower in the background.









9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Am, I love the nickname "Wenzie" personally! How flipping cute is he? What a go getter! I love it! I am on cloud nine for you guys. As always keep us posted on your daily adventures. Much love, Colie and the Gang

Tiffany said...

I got chills when you wrote that Hudson is now officially your son! How amazing! Sounds like he has quite a different personality than Ravenna! ;) He is going to be in heaven when he gets back her and hangs with all of his cousins!

Thanks for being so great about updating your blog! It's so nice to not have to wait until you get home to hear all of these stories!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!! Hudson is lucky to have you two. I recommend "Raising your Spirited Child". We've used it for Jamison. :)

Good luck and I'm so thrilled for your family.
Love Meg

Anonymous said...

congratulations on your new son, hudson. he is gorgous. we have enjoyed reading about your journey. we are excited about your trip tomorrow to the orphanage, and we hope you are able to see all the waiting kids. if you do get to see dani, give her hugs from us. have a great time, the fraser family

Anonymous said...

I look forward to your posts every morning... WOW what a wonderful and inspiring thing! I am so happy for your sweet little family! Hudson is adorable and he sounds like a 2-year old boy that I know... :) I can't wait until Ravenna gets to meet her big brother! Congratulations! The Mikkelsen's

Anonymous said...

Dear Wenzie, Welcome to the family my man. You are truly a fortunate son. We are blessed to have you. Appears to me that the food budget will increase for your parents. Maybe you can get a paper route when you get here to help out.

Grandma Tessa

Anonymous said...

Wenzie and Demie sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G that has a a nice ring to it dont you think? I am glad Stephan has got him throwing the football around. Sounds like he will be ready for next years Turkey Bowl. you guys must be having a great time. We are excited to meet Hudson next week. Great job on the web sight. AOMFA
Rob and Demo

Anonymous said...

Hudson is sooo handsome!Thank you for sharing your precious moments with us! The Gotcha video brought tears of joy, Yeah!! We love him soo much! The photos are moving... Thank you Bebe and Steph for this beautiful experience. Love, LaLa and Ron

Anonymous said...

Amy & Stephan,
Congratulations! Thanks for sharing the blog - seems like I am right there with your guys. Hudson is adorable -can't wait to meet him. What an incredible experience you are having. Luv to all of you. See you soon!
Love, Mols