Simply Amazing! 2-25-10

Such an amazing day! We picked up Pudding this morning and have had a wonderful first day with him. At the orphanage he was a little subdued when they brought him in and we hung back a little bit, as not to overwhelm him. After a few minutes, Stu held out his arms and Pudding went right to him! We had to run several errands around town and he was very quiet in the van, just taking in all the sights. His face lit up when I pulled out a little musical toy and that was the opening we were looking for. He quickly learned how to push the button to make the music play and we started to see brief smiles. The first real smiles happened when I pulled out the Cheerios. He took his time eating the first Cheerio in four bites; about 2 minutes later he was shoving three and four Cheerios into his mouth at a time. Later at lunch, he chowed down on some lemon chicken and a pork dish (thank goodness Stu is an expert with chopsticks; me...not so much. I just about blinded myself the first time I used them). This little guy can eat some serious food...which is good because he is tiny. He is just about 2.5-years-old and the 12-18 month clothes we brought are rather large on him. He definitely has some catching up to do.
After going to the Civil Affairs Office for more paperwork we can back to our room for nap. As soon as I put him in the crib he started crying. Of course I picked him and he snuggled right down on my chest and fell asleep. He ended up sleeping for about 2 hours like thatl anytime I tried to put him down he would start crying again. Not sure how that is going to bode for a good night's sleep tonight but I'm not complaining - I love my little snuggle bug! As I sit here typing, he just finished his bottle of milk and has fallen asleep in Stu's lap. So sweet.
While he has remained fairly quiet and withdrawn today, we've seen brief glimpses into quite a mischievious personality. He loves anything that makes noise or plays music. He's also quite ticklish on his feet and legs. And he LOVES books (a boy after my own heart). He spent about 30 minutes looking at a little photo album we had sent, full of pictures of us and the kids. We are hoping to skype with our little ones tomorrow so they can see each other for the first time.
I can't believe that after almost ten months of waiting, our little Pudding is finally in our arms. It feels like all of our dreams have finally come true. I know it won't always be smooth sailing, and we still have a long journey of bonding and attachment ahead. But everytime he looks up at me with those big black eyes (with such long eyelashes) or offers me a quick smile, my heart just melts and I know he was worth every second of waiting.
Now off to sleep while he sleeps. Good night!


Ok, so this is Dana, I have some pictures to post, but I am having some difficulty at work getting them to upload, but I will have them up for everyone as soon as I can. I am so sorry, but there are pictures on Facebook on my page and Ali's.