Forever Family

Yesterday it became official! We signed all the papers and put our thumb prints in red ink all over 20 or so papers. And just like that, we are Ewan's legal parents! Here we are with the SWI director and someone else from the SWI. Ewan was throwing a fit because we made him turn off the iPad for the picture. I guess you could say he's just a typical kid. Little stinker!

Immediately after the adoption became official, we headed on a long and treacherous journey to Ewan's hometown, Datong. It is a four hour trip, and Ewan is more prone to motion sickness than anyone I've ever known. He does okay for a few minutes in the car, then starts grabbing his stomach and screaming he wants to get out. We successfully distracted him for about an hour and a half, then we took a pit stop. We got out of the van and went inside the gas station type store and he puked. I did what all responsible parents would do: walked away and pretended I didn't know my kid had just puked on the floor. You do what you have to do to survive, folks! We eventually made it to our hotel, and we had an hour to rest before we left for the SWI. I tried to get Ewan to take a nap, but there was no chance on earth he was going for that.

We headed to the SWI, and as you can imagine, Ewan was less than thrilled to be getting back in the car. We arrived and at first he was thrilled to jump out, but when he saw where we were, he really started freaking out. He was crying and screaming and yelling that he didn't want to go in. I told the guide to translate for me, and explained to Ewan that we were just visiting to give his friends some presents and say goodbye. We brought a lot of donations with us, so once we showed him all the gifts we had to give out, he was super excited to march in there like he owned the place!

This is right at the front and is apparently an administrative office building.

 This is a large, gorgeous courtyard with all the buildings surrounding it.

 Ewan leading the way.

 A sweet statue. Well, I thought it was sweet until I noticed the child is completely naked!

 Ewan isn't very good on stairs. I think his eyesight is so poor that he struggles with depth perception. It's much more successful if someone holds his hand while he goes up them.

 Once inside, Ewan right into the first room he saw and immediately began passing out stuffed animals. He was so excited, and so were the kids!

 I wish everyone could have the opportunity to go to an orphanage. There's nothing like it.

 The cute boy holding the fish (below) is one of Ewan's foster brothers!

Ewan is from a very unique orphanage. It's revolutionary, really. They have a building of apartments on campus where foster parents live. All the kids in the SWI have a foster family. They go home to their family for lunch, dinner, and bed. So amazing that these kids get some semblance of family life!!

 The girl in the white picture (above) is Ewan's foster sister!

 This classroom is Ewan's old classroom. This is his former teacher saying goodbye.

 Look how clean, charming, and bright this classroom is!

 Unlike many orphanages, all the toys in this building get played with. All the kids go to very enriching school and have plenty of play time. They also have several therapy rooms. Music, physical, water, language, and even a sensory therapy room! And they were all in use! AMAZING!!!

 This next classroom is Ewan's current classroom!

 Ewan was SO excited to hand everyone a gift! These kids are so, so amazing. Truly. They are darling and polite and sweet as can be.

 Ewan saying goodbye to his teacher.

 These kids are just so amazing! I wish I could hug every one of them!

Ewan giving his buddy a farewell hug. I couldn't help my tears from falling. So much loss, yet so much gain. Even though these kids have foster families and wonderful, loving teachers and SWI staff, they are no replacement for permanent families. They just aren't.

 The girl in the back in the red is the cutest thing on the planet. She is in Ewan's birthday pictures and I've yet to see her without the biggest smile on her face! She's SO darling!

 She patiently waited for her turn...

 and couldn't have smiled more if she'd won the lottery!

 On a mission to deliver to the other side of the table.

 Hugs all around! Goodbye forever, sweet school friends!!

Even the halls are charming with clean walls, murals, and Chinese lanterns.

 The next classroom was for younger children. They were sweet as pie!

 The boy in the green striped shirt is another of Ewan's foster brothers.

 Last hug for his brother. So bittersweet!

 There are several kids with Down syndrome at the SWI. They are all SO darling!!

We were running out of good loot by this room. They got toothbrushes and stickers. The funny thing is, they were completely stoked about it!

 I love this little one! She's such a doll!

 Ewan's cute foster mom came in to say goodbye.

 He was hesitant to go to her, but we told him he needed to go say goodbye and he ran right over to her. She is such a sweet lady!

 I wish I could understand what she was quietly whispering to him!

 We had a special present for her with a locket and picture of Ewan in it. He also threw in a toothbrush for good measure ;)

 Goodbye, darling little ones!

 They were doing some kind of therapy in the last classroom. I just love these kids so much!

And I can't speak highly enough of all the staff here. They are the most loving, gentle, sweet ladies! I am so thankful to them all for the love they've give Ewan!! It makes such a difference!

 Gifts all around. Even to the teachers! My favorite part of this activity is how he'd give it to them, then say "Ni Hao" immediately. He was instructing them on how they should act. Haha! Told you he was bossy!

 I mean the ham in the striped shirt!? Come on!

 I happen to know this cutie pie has a mama of his own coming for him! Such a doll! He couldn't quite figure out why I was taking a bunch of pictures of just him.

 The next room Ewan ran in blew my mind. What orphanage has a sand tactile play area!? And it gets used! He knew just what to do in there!

 AMAZING!!

 My mind was officially blown at this point!

 Full on sandpit!

 And they have two shelves of little toys like this so they can swap them out!

 Hydrotherapy room!

 Goodbye, beautiful orphanage! Thank you for taking such amazing care of our son. He has clearly been loved and now has a full, wonderful life ahead of him. No orphanage can take the place of a family, but this one does their best to try. Thank you, Datong! Thank you!

 Here's the courtyard from a different angle. There's a waterfall and a fountain. So lovely!

 This building is where the foster families live. There was laundry hanging up in the living rooms and they look well loved and lived in. Wonderful!

 Our boy's last walk on the grounds of the place he's called home all but 10 months of his life so far.

 He decided to celebrate the occasion by throwing the ball they'd let him take from the sensory room.

 He and Geh Geh had a wonderful, belly laughing time throwing the ball back and forth.

 Sometimes boys just need to run!

 He loves balls! He's going to be a soccer player when we get home!

 This park is on the SWI grounds and the local kids come play with the kids in the orphanage on the weekends! So great!

 I included so many pictures of the brothers running because they were having such a good time! They ran like this for quite a long time!

 Once we finally convinced the boys to leave, we saw all these older people. Ewan ran right over to this lady and gave her a big hug. Apparently there is a home where older people can come to live if they have no children to take care of them. The kids from the SWI visit with them. SO great! Ewan knew this lady from visits and they're apparently good buddies!

 Putting older people who are lonely with children who are lonely is the greatest idea ever! Just when I thought I couldn't be more impressed with the SWI! It's about the complete opposite of Milo's, and I'm SO THANKFUL that my boy wasn't trapped in an awful place for 7 1/2 years! He was loved and well taken care of and waiting patiently for us to find him.

 Here's the front of the home for the older people. Many of them were out enjoying the sun and blue skies!

 The front of the SWI. Ewan was sad to leave. He kept saying he wanted to go play with his friends. Broke my heart!! He'll never see them again.

 As we left the SWI, I asked to go to Datong Park, where Ewan was abandoned at approximately 10 months of age. This was the exact gate where he was found, and here the family that found him stands with him.

 The vendor gave him a pinwheel to play with. They're tricky like that.

 He was lured away from the pinwheel by the sound of music in the distance...

 Right around the corner was music playing on a ride. Ewan immediately began to dance. It was the cutest site ever. 

We aren't the only ones who thought so, either. He had quite a crowd of Chinese people watching him!

 The symbolism of the moment was not lost on us. Here he is, right at his finding spot. The spot where his birth family had to leave him, for whatever reason, dancing. Celebrating life. Showing all who watched him how perfect he is!

 It didn't end at dancing...

 Cue the lip-syncing!

 Look at the crowd watching him!

 It was time to leave eventually, and he was not happy about it. I had to carry him out screaming and crying. We were quite a site. People continued to take pictures and video as I carried him, hitting and kicking me, out of the park. Well, you win some you lose some. I just kept reminding myself that I'd never see these people again.

On the way to the hotel, we spotted a McDonald's. We weren't going to pass that opportunity up! We walked back. At first Ewan was hesitant to give it a try, but he followed Geh Geh's lead and quickly became a fan of the deep fried goodness.

 He's ready to become an American!

 I don't think he's ever had ice cream, either. He wasn't so sure at first, but he really enjoyed it!

I will admit that I was quite overwhelmed yesterday. I even broke down in tears at McDonald's. I miss my kids at home so fiercely it makes my stomach hurt, and to think we're only 1/3 of the way through the trip is very discouraging. Luckily I'm feeling better today, and I think we're going to make it. Each day gets better with Ewan. I couldn't imagine taking him to a restaurant the day we got him, and we left McDonald's after eating for quite a while and only two fits later! And he's calmed down quickly as soon as he realizes he's 1) Getting what he wants, or 2) Not getting what he wants, but okay anyway. Progress! The fits all come from lack of communication. He's frustrated and thinks we can't understand him. His needs are getting met and he's happy, though, so I think he's starting to calm down a little bit.

A lot of people have commented about how he has a lot of energy and we must be exhausted. He's so great, though. Yes, he has a lot of energy, but his energy is all appropriate. He's not running around in restaurants or running around the hotel room all day. He runs and plays like all boys do, but he can also sit still and play for hours at a time. He's truly amazing! He watched the iPad in the car for 4 hours yesterday. We're all a little sick of Ni Hao Kai-lan. And yes, I know that doesn't do much to help his carsickness, but try telling him that! It's the only thing that would distract him from his screaming about his stomach ache. He also loves playing Magformers, coloring, and reading books. He's just so fun! I can't wait for everyone at home to meet him!