Back to the Island

We love Shamian Island! We spent most of our time in Guangzhou there last visit and were excited to go back. It was a rainy morning in Guangzhou, but it had pretty much cleared by the time our guide dropped us off. We took a mandatory adoption picture before doing any shopping. A few of them turned out SO cute, though!

We also rented a stroller from the hotel today to see how Ewan did with it. He LOVED it! Yahoo! This could be a game-changer in a great way for us!

We then headed for a store we spent much time and money in last year to say hello to the owner. We were good buddies by the time we left. He remembered us, and the shopping commenced! It was fun to have the kids there to pick out their own souvenirs this time! Poor Ewan just doesn't know how to act in stores. He thinks everything is for him to touch and hold and have. I took him from the store after a while because he couldn't stop grabbing things and there are many fragile items. He screamed bloody murder for a few minutes, but we'd purchased him some cute little Chinese stuffed dolls that he began playing with. He was in his own imaginary world with them for a bit. So darling!

Next we went to Jenny's to pick up some shoes. I just love the shoes in China! Inside Jenny's, though, Ewan was even more of a problem. I had to physically remove him, kicking and screaming, from the store after he'd dropped and broken open some bubbles. Oops. We tag-teamed and did some major power shopping in there for a few minutes. Luckily he was distracted outside as he played with the remaining bubbles we were forced to buy! We knew our shopping excursion on the island was over just like that, though. Such a bummer! Oh well. We went to Lucy's to make up for it. Lucy's has American food as well as Chinese food. Perfect! I enjoyed a quesadilla while Ewan ate some noodles!

While we were tag-teaming the Jenny's shopping, these two girls sat down by Geh Geh and helped themselves to pictures with him. Hahahaha!

Ewan was tired and grumpy by this point, though. I wish we could have taken more pictures, but it was time to go back tot he hotel and give Ewan a nap. Luckily he had a nice, long three hour nap!

Ewan's new eating habits are starting to catch up to him. He definitely has food-related anxiety, which is always to be expected with kids who've been institutionalized. If he sees food, he thinks he needs to eat it. He would eat for hours at breakfast if we let him. He's starting to have an upset stomach a lot of the time and has to go to the bathroom. It's either from overeating or eating different foods than he's used to, or maybe a combination of the two. It seems counterintuitive to let him eat himself sick, because you'd never do that with a child you'd raised from day 1, but food, eating, and bonding all go hand in hand. He needs to know he's in control of his food and that he will always have food available to him when he needs it. This is one of the most fundamental things we can teach him to let him know he's safe. Karyn Purvis is very clear on this subject. If your child, whom you adopted from an institution or circumstances where they didn't have enough food, asks for food, you give it to them. Period. Nothing sends them into fight, flight, or freeze mode faster than denying them food. It doesn't matter if you think they don't need it or that they've had enough. You give it to them. Of course you need to have healthy snacks available and not fill them up with garbage, but this is parenting theory we're using with Ewan (and Milo). It's working great, really! We have to keep all snacks out of site, but he still knows they're there. He is eating a LOT of food at meals, but if we feel like it's getting to be too much, we let him take some in a napkin to-go. As long as he's allowed to bring it with him, he'll happily get up and leave. I'm so glad I feel empowered in this parenting subject with Ewan. It could be overwhelming to know what to do in this situation without the education we have, but I know we're doing the right thing. Ewan feels safe and happy around food, and I know he'll self-regulate soon.

We went to dinner tonight with friends again. It was a restaurant with a good reputation, but we didn't have very good luck. It was super expensive and not tasty to our Western palates. Luckily our Chinese boys enjoyed it, and the kids are currently eating Easy Mac back in the hotel room. At least we had a fun time together!

Tomorrow we're going to the Safari Park. I'm excited, but nervous. I hope Ewan has a good time and doesn't get too overstimulated. We shall see!