This Is How We Spent Our Day with Oakley

I was worried that when Oakley woke up this morning she'd be terrified, or angry, or sad, or all of the aforementioned combined. She was quiet, but smiled readily and she eased into the day with bravery. She's become somewhat of a "velcro baby," and if we venture out anywhere, I have to be holding her or she falls to pieces. She's great in the room and will walk around on her own, exploring her toys and bringing Sawyer books to read, but the moment we head out, she holds her arms up to be held and if I try to put her down to hold her hand, she gets hysterical, cries and does this floppy arm dance thing. She won't let Michael or Sawyer hold her yet if we're out of the room, but she's interacting really well with them both and will let them blow her nose (which we do A LOT), feed her, play with her, help her with her shoes, etc. We took a walk this evening and tried the stroller but she was having none of that. We would have probably gone farther, but my arm was ready to fall off and I didn't have the hip hammock with us. Lesson learned.

We had an appointment with the notary this morning, and promised once again, to take care of her, never abandon her, educate her and make sure she receives medical attention. It only lasted a few moments and then we did a little shopping. Michael tried to take pictures in Wal-Mart, but security came after him and the camera was quickly put away. It's SO VERY different from any Wal-Mart in the states and it's four stories tall. You have to see it to believe it, especially the meat and seafood departments. We bought Oakley a new pair of shoes but she still wants to keep her other ones on at all times -- ALL TIMES. She finally took them off on her own this evening right before she fell asleep in my arms.

She has a bad cough (mostly at night), some funky green snot, and yesterday she had a fever. We started her on antiobiotics immediately and she seems to be improving. She's a champ about taking her medicine and brushing her teeth, which I suspect hasn't happened too often in the past. Her teeth are not in really bad shape but she has some dark spots on the front top two. As you can see, she also have somewhat of an overbite and I'm guessing that's because she sucks her pointer finger to fall asleep. She turns her hand palm up when she does it and thus, pushes outward on her teeth. We know when she's getting sleepy because her finger stays in her mouth. She kept it there pretty much all day yesterday (I'm sure she was comforting herself), but much less today. She's a doll baby and we are totally smitten with her.

We are doing great and it's hard to believe we've had her less than 36 hours. Her personality is shining through and she's pretty silly. She LOVES to read books and I wish we'd brought more. Sawyer is teaching her all the body parts and she will readily say nose, ears, eyes, hair, lips, teeth and hands. She also knows baby and bye-bye (complete with a wave) and uses them appropriately. She's AMAZING!! We met a couple from Switzerland this evening in the hotel lobby and they just received their beautiful 9-month-old baby girl yesterday. Oakley completely turned on for them and they were astounded by what she can do and say. I know I sound like a bragging Mom, but my gosh, she learns so quickly.

I've posted some photos that show her pointing out her body parts to Sawyer ... too cute. If the photos are out of whack it's because I haven't been able to view our blog all day. I'm not sure what's up, but I hope I can at least get this to post.

Can't wait to see what's in store for us tomorrow!! Love to you all, and many thanks for the comments. It's wonderful to know that so many people are following our journey and rejoicing with us in our blessings!!

Love from Fuzhou!

Sullivan and Hagan:

You better get ready, because your little sister is too funny! Tonight she finished a bowl of dry cheerios, then put the little bowl on her head, walked to the mirror to see herself, and busted out laughing. She still gets really sad sometimes, but overall, she's doing really, really well. Sullivan, they had a bunch of fish tanks in Wal-Mart with fish as big as your leg! They also had cow stomach, dried fish heads, and lots of things we couldn't recognize. Hagan, we sure miss you and I hope you had a wonderful time on the boat and were successful in your fishing expedition. I'm sure you didn't catch anything as big as the fish we saw in Wal-Mart today -- that was CRAZY!! We miss you both so much and can't wait for you to see your little sister in person.