First Full Day Together

Today was our first full day together - with no social worker, just us! Abe slept in his bed last night, it is a roll-away bed, and we put it at the bottom of our bed. I kept waking up during the night to make sure he was still there - he was so quiet! I heard him get up at about 5:30 and go to the bathroom, and then he crawled back in bed and covered his head - he was so cold in our room because he is not used to air conditioning! Anyway, about 6:30 he hopped out of bed and opened the curtains, so I guess we knew that meant he was ready to stay up. :) We went downstairs for breakfast, which is a buffet with many choices, and he picked fried rice with eggs, pancakes, bacon, and fruit. He ate all the rice, finally figured out how to eat the bacon with his hands (he was trying to cut it with a fork) and tasted the pancakes. He didn't eat much of them, so I asked the waitress to ask him if he liked them. She said he told her he had never had something like that before so he wasn't sure he liked them or not. After breakfast we had a short meeting with HSF worker to go over the paperwork she is submitting to the Embassy for Abe's visa home. Then it was free time in our room for a little while. We brought along some Tom & Jerry DVD's since there isn't a lot of talking, if any, in them. He LOVES Tom & Jerry! We taught him to say their names, and he laughs a lot when watching them.

Rob and Michelle, the other American family, told us about a place called Funquarium, which is like a bounce house in Tennessee. We decided to take a taxi and go there for the day. At first Abe was a either scared or intimidated, but either way, he got over it soon! Matt went up inside with him, and then he was ready to be on his own. He definitely needed to burn off some of his energy! Besides the climbing wall and big slides, there was an indoor basketball court that he used as a soccer field - he loves to kick the ball around. There was also a bicycle track around the perimeter of the play area. Abe decided he wanted to ride a bike... all I can say is thank goodness there were helmets and training wheels! We thought we had been told he has had a bike before, but clearly not. Poor guy, he crashed almost every time he turned a corner! But, his head-strong nature did not let him give up - he kept getting right back on and trying again. We all had a really good time!

We passed a little shopping mall close to the Funquarium, and we spotted a McDonald's inside - jackpot! :) We knew he has had McDonald's before, and we are so tired of Thai food we thought this would be perfect for lunch. One thing you should know, not all McDonald's are the same! They ask you if you want your hamburgers with beef or pork meat! Also, they have fried chicken in addition to the McNuggets. It was the closest thing to home, so we didn't complain too much. Abe got a Happy Meal with a Shrek toy - he was so excited to get the toy!

We walked around the shopping center for a little while. We found another book store, so we picked up a few more books that are both Thai and English, and Abe kept picking up DVD's he wanted to see. I remember Kelly Stevens, the other American family that came to Thailand in January, telling me that any DVD purchased here would not play on her DVD player in the states, so we found an electronics place and bought a cheap one to bring home. After that we bought Disney movies The Incredibles and Under Dog that have both English and Thai languages... he is watching one right now in Thai. He likes to have a blanket on him in our room because he stays cold, and he makes sure that Matt or I am also covered up with him!

We took a taxi back to the hotel, and the driver missed our street. Abe's eyes perked up because he knew where we were and where we were supposed to be. As soon as he saw the hotel, he started telling the driver where to go. We all laughed about that! The driver must have asked him something to do with him being with us, and he responded with America - he told the driver he was going to America! :)

When we got in our room, we told him (more like sign language) that he needed to take a shower (big Thai adoption meeting tomorrow!), and he went straight for his pajamas. Matt showed him the shower, and he was in and out very fast. I know they had almost no time for showers at the orphanage, so he knows to take one quick! After his shower, and any time he washes his hands, he likes to smell his hands - he likes the smell of soap! Funny the simple things he seems to like the most - the smell of soap, or being clean, and every time we pay for something, he likes to get the coin change back and he has a spot in our room where he is keeping it.

Tomorrow is a big day - the formal adoption board hearing where we will be given a "Memorandum of Understanding" - which is what the Embassy has to receive in order to give us the paperwork to bring Abe home. We leave at 8:00 a.m. - please keep us in your prayers that everything goes smoothly, and I will post again after we return. In the meantime, early bedtime for all of us!

Good Night friends and family!