shanghai and the layover

we are hiding out in shanghai at the moment. we have a 6 hour layover, which has included a whole lot of nothing. well, nothing and a quick stop at kfc because we were so hungry, followed by immediate regret due to the impending belly ache. i'm not sure why we come all the way to china and then eat the worst american food possible. somehow french fries call my name (ok, they always call my name) but it's harder to resist when someone is standing beside you eating shredded squid. no, not kidding. the lady in line beside us as we were checking in was chowing on a bag of squid. it made me dream of french fries, frapacchino and something along the lines of a turkey/stuffing/cranberry bobbie.

 

the little lady is cute as ever. she's been gazing a lot...gazing up at me from the carrier, and i get goosebumps. she's so darling and wonderful.

 

have i mentioned that this girl eats like a champ??? i had no experience with cleft lip/palate before we met her, and i had no idea how babies can eat when they have a big hold on the inside of their mouth. man oh man, this gal chows down anything we put in front of her. we literally feed her all day long. she couldn't feed herself the first day we got her, but she quickly learned how to pick up food and shovel it in. she's always famished. it makes me sad to see her so hungry...and then i realize what a fighter she is. she's probably been hungry for a long time, but she never gave up. it's awesome to see her with a full belly all day long.

 

our first flight this morning was mostly peaceful, followed by an hour of intense screaming. for some reason, her fretful shrills don't phase me. it's as if God has instilled some sort of new found patience within my soul. i'm sure i will test it out again after 10 hours of flight and maybe my patience won't be so surefire....but so far on this trip, i've been filled with compassion. i've been reading The Connected Child...i would HIGHLY recommend it. i read it on the plane ride to china, and it gave me such insight into how a traumatic start to life can effect the way kids cope and communicate. when this baby girl starts screaming and terrorising the surrounding passengers, all i can think is how hard it must be to have no way to communicate. no way to tell these two people who are holding you how you feel. what you want or need. that your ears hurt from cabin pressure. that you really want a drink, but they keep stuffing banana bread in your mouth. oh my sweet little girl. you can keep crying if you want to. one of these times i'll know what you mean. until then, let's keep figuring each other out. working our way to an even place of understanding. i'll wait with you while we figure it out. after all, you're my little girl. i don't scare easy. and the nearby passengers can put in earplugs :)