The Mullet has (not) left the building!

Another day in Kras, another visit to see Baby Boy. Today was special as it is not a work day so the orphanage was sort of closed. We were allowed to visit, though, which was very nice. I don't know if all Mondays are like this or just today, but we'll be here for a few more so we can find out.

The visit went well, just us there playing with Baby Boy. He came to Heather when he was brought in which was good. He enjoyed playing with us, playing in the ball pit, exploring in the room. It's funny as he likes to try and climb into the ball pit, then he gets in and just tries to climb back out. If we aren't watching, he might plop over the wall with his feet going up into the air as he goes head first into the pit. He is fearless. He is also very curious. They have these 2 little stationary bikes in the room, kid sized. He was exploring near then and was looking at one of the handle bars. It has foam grips and little plastic caps at the end, on a metal tube bar. He noticed the end of one, then went to look at the other end and saw that it was the same. He went back and forth a few times looking at them both, pushing the caps to see if they were a button that did something. Very cute. He then noticed the other bike and it's handlebars and made the connection there. 

Another time he ha this little alligator xylophone thing, with bars of different colors to hit for sounds and a plastic stick attached by a string. He wanted to turn the thing upside-down to try and figure it out, along with trying to take the stick off of it. He is just curious and smart. Very cool to see him that way, to get a better sense of what he is like. Although we missed his first months, we are seeing differences in him now and what makes him 'him'. They have these mats and other shapes of mat stuff, for playing, etc. There is one that is a tunnel. I was holding him on one side, Heather would play peekaboo on the other, Baby Boy would be excited then he crawled through to Heather. Later on we did the same thing, but him coming to me. That was cool for both of us. 

He is really taking to Heather. Not that he doesn't like me, but maybe because she is female and he is used to only females there. Heather is also good with kids, so that plays a big part. She was singing him by his arms, throwing him up in the air, making him laugh and smile. It was nice to just sit and watch just the two of them playing together. She will be great with him. 

Of course, it also gave me a break so I could rest. He is tiring, but he also tires himself out as he is not used to this kind of play. He was doing the thing where a kid tries to fight off the sleepiness, doing anything to keep moving. At one point he was laying Heather's lap, kicking his right leg up on her leg, then taking it down, then kicking it up, then down, on an on. Very fun.

Tomorrow at 3pm here is our court time. The judge will ask me most of the questions, but we talked with our translator/coordinator about what to expect and how to prepare. We should be ready for tomorrow and know our stuff. The pictures in the photo album will also help to show the bonding we are doing. This judge seems to worry more about the bond you make with the child as opposed to repeating facts that she already has in paperwork. Describing our visits and showing the pictures will help her understand the bond we have and will continue to grow. 

After that is the 10 day period which is just a formality by law. It does allow any random family members to appear, although it won't happen in our case. We already have signed documents from them saying they won't interfere, and most wouldn't be allowed custody for various reasons. If all goes well we should pick him up Friday 5/22.

Last thing, the sour smelling milk that I bought was actually sour milk on purpose. Spoiled milk in a jug, why would you buy it! The smell made me almost ill. Just another part of the culture shock, people wanting foods that we wouldn't want. No biggy, just get me home for some regular milk and foods that are 'normal' to us. We are hitting up the California Pizza lots for their Hawaiian pizza. Very good, but it seems like people here don't get more than 1 slice at a time. Too bad for them, that's how we roll!