I knew it was coming. It was inevitable.
Take one orphan. Send the daddy she’s only known for four days away. Skip the much needed afternoon nap. Have an early dinner. Arrive at the airport starving at bedtime. Add to that the communication factor that doesn’t allow her to ask what is going on or allow her new mommy to tell her. Then to really get her going, let the security guy go after her mommy with a crazy looking wand and then turn his attention to her. After all that, what do you get?
You guessed it. Meltdown…after meltdown…after meltdown.
It started at the security gate, immediately after our guide left. Even one coin in your pocket will set off the metal detector. Then they make you stand on a stool and give you a very close once over with a wand. Jia got very scared and ran off when that happened. And despite her running off in the opposite direction, security did NOT let me go get her. They grabbed her and picked her up and brought her back. Not good. She had a look of terror on her face and everyone in the vicinity (and beyond) could hear her screaming.
After the fiasco at security, we went and got seated at the gate. She was fine for about 10-15 minutes and then it began. She can drop to the floor like a 40 pound sack of potatoes. Bad back or not, I had to get her. (Thank goodness for pain meds.) After she went crazy for a can of Pringles, I realized it had been many hours since our dinner. Thankfully, I had the forethought to bring the leftover dumplings and she gobbled those down immediately. Whew. I thought the worst was over. Not.
I wasn’t sure about the bathroom situation on a Chinese airplane. I had a nightmare about an airplane squatty potty, and I was terrified that they might actually be real. Can you imagine? Haha.
I decided we all needed to go at the airport first. I took Jia alone, because we had too many carry-ons for us to haul them to the bathroom. The problem was, I can go into the squatty potty with her, but she refused to go in with me. I asked a lady to watch her real quick while I went. (Very dumb idea) She nodded her head yes, but as soon as I went in, she left. So…I had to use the facilities while holding the door open to make sure Jia was right in front of the door. Um…not something I ever want to do again.
Jia was doing OK until our walk back to the gate. I’m sure she just had a simple question or wanted something, but I just said, “Mama’s hand,” so she would stay with me. I needed to run into a little shop and get us some water. Well, meltdown number two happened. She dropped to the floor again and started screaming. I was just hoping someone would tell her to obey her mommy in Chinese, but they just gathered around watching, like it was a street fight. I paid for the water quickly and picked her up. Back to the seats we went.
The flight was supposed to board in about five minutes, so I thought, “Whew…almost there.” Not.
They announced that we were boarding and then the whole mad dash thing happened. We got in line, expecting things to move right along. We ended up standing there for another 10-15 minutes. Jia was totally confused, I’m sure. I wanted to throw a fit myself, so I really don’t blame her for having yet another meltdown. This time, she screamed and wanted to run off. When I caught her, she threw herself on the floor again. I kept telling her it was OK and that it was almost time to go. It was too late. She was pretty much done. We were the main attraction at Gate 4.
We finally boarded and Rachel and I were so ready to get going. Carrying around all those bags AND carrying Jia was nearly impossible. By this time, it was about 8pm, her bedtime. We had arrived at the airport at 6.
Jia knew she was going to be flying on a plane. She got right into her seat and buckled up, but she would not take off her coat. Maybe she was comparing it to being in a car and it stays cold in the car. The airplane engines were on and the heat was on. Then we sat and sat. And the engines turned off. Uh-oh. I started praying immediately for God to fix the plane or whatever might need to happen in order for us to leave Shenyang. The thought of getting off this plane and boarding some other plane would have done me in. Who knows how Jia would have handled that.
After 30 minutes of sitting at the gate and sweating her little head off, she lost it again. This time, it was a hard, loud cry and she started calling for her “Mama” and not this mama. I felt so bad for her. It was bedtime and this whole “flying in an airplane” thing was not as fun as she was told. She cried and cried. We were all crying by this point.
Another 20-30 minutes went by and the engines turned on again. We started heading to the runway, but she was still going strong and refused to be buckled again. One of the flight attendants saw her and offered to take her. I thought she was going to give her a hug and reassure her in Chinese, but she actually took her all the way to the back of the plane. It freaked me out for a minute. She came back with a handful of mints and much calmer. I have a new name for this thing. It’s called the “Chinese Candy Cure”. Suddenly, she was happy and willing to be buckled and back to her old cheerful self, giggling as she counted her candies.
*Sigh* As crazy and exhausting as tonight was, it’s not that different from days I’ve had with my other kids. It’s just parenting. My other kids have had more meltdowns and difficult days than can count and we just love them through it. But, each day, meltdowns, fussiness and all, my love for this little girl just grows deeper and deeper. And she becomes more secure and at ease with us. God has been so good. His grace is abounding. He has given us the perfect little one for our family.
The flight went reasonably well once we finally got in the air. I told her in Chinese that mommy was going to take a nap and that she should to. As I was dozing off, I could hear her and Rachel playing and then finally she rested her head on a pillow on my lap and fell asleep.
The rest of the trip to the hotel was uneventful. She did so great. It was nice to have a guide there again to reassure her of what was going to happen. We got in bed around 3 am and got up at 7 to get ready for the medical exam.
She was a big hit at the medical exam facility. Everyone commented on how polite and sweet she was. One doctor even asked her if she wanted to go home with him. I was not happy about that, but he was completely charmed by her.
We’ve had a nice, low-key day. The island is so beautiful. We are really looking forward to relaxing here for the next six days. We also got a suite this time. It’s so nice! Jia is napping in the bedroom and Rachel and I are relaxing in the sitting area.
Here are some pics.
We got rid of the crib. The three of us are in the king size bed.
Two bathrooms
No comments:
Post a Comment