The secret of life? Stackable cups and a full stomach

For all five of us, it has been a 24-hour rollercoaster. To start,
last night was rough: Darcy was incredibly distraught calling out for
his foster mom, looking at the door, hoping that someone would come to
his rescue. Other than two hours where he passed out from exhaustion,
he insisted that I hold him and carry him whilst he wailed into my
ear. Most of the morning continued along this vein with Darcy getting
more violent in his objections to our presence. Boy, this kid can
kick and punch! Nothing wrong with his arm strength, regardless of
his diminutive size.

Our two moments of respite came when he had the congee and fruit my
parents brought up from the breakfast buffet. The other came with the
introduction of the stacking cups. Darcy was meticulous in his
stacking attempts and equally enthusiastic in his attempts to throw
the cups across the room or bean us in the head with them. Again,
nothing wrong with this boy's throwing arm.

In the afternoon, we had to do our required Chinese paperwork. All
five of us, along with guide and driver, visited 3 different offices
in downtown Nanchang - the Civil Affairs office, the Notary, and the
Public Security bureau, getting pictures taken, paying fees, attesting
to our love of Darcy and signing even more forms. Throughout, Darcy
railed against us. Compared to the multitude of placid girl babies
being adopted we saw throughout the afternoon, our little toddler was
bringing a whole new meaning to fiesty. We retuned home exhausted and
Better Half Dave, Darcy and I promptly passed out. Admittedly, I was
near the end of my emotional tether: with minimal sleep and growing
fear that I was never going to be able to console Darcy, the family
voted that I needed to go down for a nap.

Meanwhile, my parents then earned their place in the Grandparents'
Hall of Fame, seeking out smaller diapers, other necessities, Darcy's
favorite soy milk drink called Wa Ha Ha, more congee and fresh fruit.

Darcy then woke, pooped like a pro, and then sucked back a Wa Ha Ha
like there was no tomorrow. His mood since has considerably improved,
including his opinion of us. He then ate an entire bowl of pork and
egg rice congee, an entire banana, and a piece of persimmon. He then
was happy to let me get him ready for bed and is now sleeping and
snoring (like his Ba Bay) between me and Better Half Dave.

With all our paperwork done, we have 3 free days in Nanchang to wait
until we get Darcy's Chinese passport on Friday. Tomorrow, we hope to
ply Darcy with more food, affection and Wa Ha Ha and earn to start
earning his trust. There will be likely be many stacking cup
interludes as well.

Pictures tomorrow, we promise.

- Laurelle.