Ian's Big Adventures

Ian & The Office:

This week has flown by. I can't quite remember what we did Monday and Tuesday, but yesterday was a big day for Ian. It was his first day of work!

We made a trip to my office to introduce Ian to my coworkers. He was a real charmer and was walking (with help) and crawling everywhere. He went with open arms to several of my coworkers (no stranger danger yet), and had a big cheesy smile for everyone.

We tried putting him to work, but Child Labor Laws got in the way, so to appease HR, which is always right around the corner, we allowed him to volunteer his skills at the hand truck and loading a sample rack. We tried to get him to reformat a hard drive or take a look at some code in my department, but he was really only interested in the things that had wheels.

It was a great two hours and we missed a lot of people, but he had a great time. Having missed his nap, he was snoring before we were out of the parking lot, but I live minutes away from the office, so his nap was pretty short.

Ian & The Haircut:

Today was another big day... Ian's first haircut! I'm not sure if they were trying to grow his hair over his little ear in the orphanage, but it was almost a mullet. Most locals in China assumed he was a girl because his hair was so long in the back. Well, we're not trying to cover his ear, so off to the salon he went....I use the word salon loosely since it was just the neighborhood Great Clips.

He did awesome. I was so, so, so proud. He sat great in the salon chair and I only had to hold his head still once while she used the clippers. It wasn't a major cut; just a little off the sides and back, but it looks so much better already. I wasn't thrilled with the price, however. It was $18 with tip for a 3 minute baby cut, but I guess it is what it is.

Ian & The Toothbrush:

Today was also Ian's first attempt at using a toothbrush. At count this morning, I saw 10 teeth and at least 3 more coming in. Including the new ones, that makes 6 new teeth since meeting him in Hangzhou just 3 weeks ago. Pool little guy. That can't feel good. I worry about the amount of sugar in his formula and juice with no brushing yet, so we decided it's a good time to get him used to the brush. Like just about everything else, he took it in stride and within only a few minutes, Shawn had him giggling and wanting more. We're so glad he's comfortable letting us touch his teeth. It might not last forever, but for now it's a good thing.





Coming up Saturday we have yet another big day. Ian will meet two of our dear family friends. They are one of the couples that wrote a letter of reference to our agency for us and it means a great deal to us that Ian get to know them. To us they are Mr. & Mrs. Wonderful, but to the rest of the world, they're just Dave & Kathy.

Finally, next week begins with Ian's first pediatrician appointment with Dr. Davies at UW Adoption Medicine, and quite possibly heading out for a trip to Arizona to meet my parents next week also, which will be one of the biggest days of all.

So many firsts for Ian! He's such a brave little guy, enduring so much in the past 3 weeks. A month ago, he had never been outside his orphanage walls, never ridden on a train, never laid eyes on us, never flown in a plane, never been licked by a dog, never tasted mac & cheese... to name only a few. He just takes everything in stride and keeps smiling. He's a great example of how to take things one day at a time. I should start taking notes from this wise little man!