Shopping Day

Hello Everyone,

Well, we have been having a great time in Changsha with our new daughter. Today, we went to the local department store so that we could buy her some clothes and other basic necessities. The reality that Ruthie came to us with nothing but the clothes on her back is really hitting home. She needs clothes, toys, books, etc.

Department stores in China are set up differently then in the US. For example, in the children's department, there are at least 20 different smaller areas, each selling children's clothes. They are divided by the brand name. Each area has a sales person that follows you around every where you go. Once you decide what you want, they will take the item and fill out a ticket with the item # and the cost. You then leave the item behind with the salesperson and go to one of the cashier stations and pay. They then stamp the ticket and give you a receipt - so you then go back to where you purchased the item.

Doesn't sound to hard, does it? Well, once you have collected 3 different tickets and pay for the items, you have to remember where you picked out everything, which can get confusing.

We started out shopping for clothes for Ruthie and it was soon apparent that she was getting a little overwhelmed. In the orphanage, she had very little choice over anything, so it is common for children who have been raised in an orphanage to have a hard time when faced with choices. So Ruthie went to the children's play area with Todd and the other kids and I finished shopping for her.

In addition to a few new clothes, I also bought her a backpack and some pens, pencils, etc. Todd took her to the book section to let her pick out some books. We let her pick out 5 books because we figured it will be difficult to find children's books in Chinese back home. She picked out a Disney Princess book with all of the stories in Chinese. She loves reading it.

Later, I went to the play area to get her and took her to the toy section. She picked out a little Barbie doll (the ones that are little girls), that came a little bed and some play food. She was in heaven. When we got back to our hotel room, she couldn't wait to open it up and has been playing with it for a long time. Each time we leave the room, she has to make sure her little doll is safe in it's bed. It is bittersweet to see how excited she is with so little.

One thing that she picked out was some small puzzles. They were very small and only 12 pieces. She had a very hard time doing them, she couldn't understand where the end pieces went. It was obvious that she had never done a puzzle in her life. Todd spent 5 minutes with her and she got the hang of really fast. She completed the others very quickly.

She has set up her backpack with all her pens, pencils and new books. She likes looking through it and reading her new books.

She loves watching movies with us. We brought our portable DVD player with us and Todd connects it to the hotel TV. So far, Ruthie has picked out the Barbie movie we brought and also Rudolph.

Ruthie also loves to sing. She is always singing a little song. She also sings Jingle Bells in Chinese. She knows our alphabet song and Happy Birthday as well.

So far, we have not seen any signs that she is homesick. Today, Todd went out to the store and she asked to go with him and they had a great time. She eats anything we put in front of her, but will probably be more vocal with her likes and dislikes as she becomes more comfortable with choosing things. Our guide, Daphne, is very impressed about how well Ruthie is adjusting. She is beginning to test her boundaries, but is good when we correct her. She does not remember being in a traditional family setting, so our rules are very foreign to her, but she is adjusting very well so far.

While Gracie & Kai were doing their homework today, we worked with Ruthie with her English dictionary. She is very willing to learn English.

She has a great sense of humor and is always laughing. She is very shy when she first meets new people. She is graceful when she moves and is very loving.

Tomorrow, we are going to a large park in Changsha and will then go bowling here in the hotel.

We will post more tomorrow. I know I always say this, but we really appreciate all of your comments and emails. As I speak, Ruthie is already in bed and has put her new backpack on top of her pillow.

I hope you all are doing well.

Noelle