Aiden rode on my lap on the van ride back to the hotel after we got him. I felt like a new parent. Did I really know what I was doing? This scared little boy was relying on us to know so we did our best.
He was so sweaty from the heat and the tears but we knew undressing him could not be the first thing we did. We offered him snacks and toys but he wasn't interested in any of it. David and I just took turns holding him and walking with him. Every time we tried to sit, he kept saying the same thing. We found out from our guide he was saying, "no, carry me standing."
He also had a phrase he would say every time we tried to put him down on the floor to walk. She said he was saying,"No thanks". So polite!
I questioned if he could even walk, but also wondered if it was bc he was in so much pain from a terrible diaper rash. Terrible meaning completely raw. He also isn't used to having on a diaper. He wore split pants in the orphanage.
We were slowly able to take his clothes off. He had on jeans, his long sleeve bow tie shirt, and a onesie! It was 90 degrees that day! We put him in some of Asa's clothes we had brought and they fit.
His first diaper change with us was nothing short of traumatic. This kid is strong and made it very difficult to get medicine on his rash.
After his diaper change I somehow convinced him to let me sit down while holding him. He finally drifted off to sleep. We all took a much needed 3 hour nap.
He woke at 6:00. We decided to venture out to look for supper. I had tried once to put him in the Ergo and he didn't like it, but this time it worked. Praise the Lord because my arms were so sore by this point from carrying him.
We tried KFC first. No one could understand us so we pointed to pictures. I have to learn how to say "No Mayo" in Chinese! The food was so bad. I tried to give Aiden some of my rice but he wouldn't take it. We left there and thought we would try Burger King. They at least got our order right but it too made me sick just looking at it.
We went back to the hotel and made Aiden an oatmeal bath. His first bath experience with us wasn't great. He got water in his eyes and it was all over then, but we were able to get him clean and then snuggle afterwards. I love after bath snuggles with my babies!
It was close to 9:30. We weren't sure how he wanted to be put to bed. We put him in his crib and he took his blanket and rolled over. He cried for Mama a few times so we picked him up, loved on him them put him back. He was asleep by 10:00 and stayed asleep until 5:30.
This sweet boy is learning to trust his Mama and Baba! He doesn't know yet how much we love him, but he will soon!