Getting caught up!

I've been trying to figure out just how to get all caught up on everything that happened when we left India and whats been going on since we got home. I wrote this email the day after we got home and rather than sit down now and try to write all that I was feeling four days ago, I decided just to post this. I am going to censor it slightly, just to protect the privacy of the recipients.

Well, we are finally home and very happy to be here. He's running around here today like he's the king of his castle and very impressed to be surrounded by so many kids. Our flights went really well ... He did a lot of sleeping (with the help of some dramamine).

Friday was easily the worst day of my life. We went back to the orphanage for his going away party and it was pretty rough. I would have preferred his party be on Wednesday (the day we actually got him) and I wish now that I had pushed harder for it. We got there for the party and Babbu was pissed at us .. he knew what was coming next. I took a couple of photos of him and made a big fuss and he decided we could be friends again then. The kids all ate and then they danced for us. Jyoti was very attentive and spent most of her time pretty close to me. The other kids all knew what was coming which made it hard for all. Rashid was totally cool with everything, but I cant say the same for me and Jason. Right before we were due to leave I got a photo of him sitting on the steps at the home and the look on his face is just heart-breaking. Leaving was horrible ... the kids were in tears, J and I were in tears, Surekha was in tears, the social worker was in tears, ... you get the picture.

All the way to the aiport he was quiet but doing fine. We got there and it all turned to shit. I think the realisation that he was really leaving hit him at a million miles an hour and he got VERY upset. Just kept saying over and over in Hindi that he wanted to go home. Nothing we could say or do would make it any better, and it was made harder by the fact that we ended up with a TONNE of people surrounding us all wanting to know what was going on. I really think at that point it would been better if we could have just been left alone but no way was that happening. It was so bad that Jason had to hold him as I couldnt, and I'm sure that had we put him down he would have run. We found a somewhat private place to sit (or as private as can be found at the Delhi airport) and then got told to move as we were too close to the VIP lounge and he was being loud. It was a nightmare. I got into a pissing match with an Indian woman who told me I had no business being with him and that "this is why foreigners should only take babies" .. Yeah, you guys know me well enough to be able to work out how that went down. We'd been told by Vijay to be there 3 hours before the flight, and the check-in counter didnt even open until 2 hours before. Eventually someone from airport management came to our rescue and I got us checked in while Jason held a very upset Rashid. Once we got thru the first part of customs things got a little better. (the customs guy was fabulous ... even though Rashid was still really upset he told Jason and I that we were doing a very good thing, which just about had me in tears .... it was completely an "emotional overload" kind of day. We went upstairs where there is a large open area leading to the lounges and we sat on the floor there while I tried to find stuff to distract him with. It was like the ONLY place in the airport where we could be somewhat alone. He found my mobile phone and even despite the language barrier it was very obvious that he was demanding I call Vijay or Surekha to come get him. I made a big fuss of not being able to make the phone work as he hadnt yet found the power button. I managed to convince him that chewable dramamine was candy and gave him a whole one. I figured the kindest thing I could do at that point was knock him on his little ass. We went into the lounge and bought him some Fanta, and then he was back to being all loveable and sweet and happy. In some ways it was a relief to see him get to sad and angry, as his lack of emotion upon leaving the orphanage had me knowing that something had to give at some point .. I just wished he had picked a different time or place. That was our first and only meltdown to this point, and I suspect the next will come tomorrow when the girls leave for school as hes totally running on adrenaline at the moment ... very hyper and into everything!

He fell asleep as soon as we were on the plane and slept all the way to Bangkok which is where our next nightmare started. They could only check our bags as far as Bangkok (I'm sure they could have done them all the way but was too stressed to argue at the airport counter), which meant that in Bangkok we had to clear immigration to retrieve our bags and then recheck them for the rest of our flights. It shouldnt have been a big deal, given we had 6 hours to fill. Well, the woman at immigration decided that Rashid needed a visa, even though we weren't even going to be leaving the airport. Jason took Rashid to get passport photos taken for the visa while I filled out the forms. He couldnt find ONE passport photo booth that worked (and that airport is HUGE). Then the visa woman decided that we could just wait where we were and check in at the transit desk when it opened at 4am and see if they could move our bags over for us. At that stage I was beyond giving a shit about the bags, so I agreed to that. We went in search of a transit room where we could get some rest, but wouldnt ya know it, you cant get a transit room without a boarding pass, and we couldnt get a boarding pass until two hours before the stupid flight, thereby making a transit room completely useless. We filled time by walking the airport and Rashid had his first taste of Burger King. The poor wee man was soooo tired and kept on telling me over and over that he wanted to sleep - I was like OH NO .. no sleep, lets walk! Needless to say by the time we got on that plane we were all exhausted and he slept all the way to Japan.

It was a huge relief to be back on US soil. We had no problems with immigration, and outside of the episode at Delhi airport, no problems with Rashid either. He did pee himself in his sleep on our last flight (which was bought to my attention by the Japanese lady sitting behind his seat who told me "water" ..haha). It had run down the back of his seat and dripped on her baby-blue suede shoes. We had a change of clothes so that was no problem. He was thrilled to see everyone, and Denise bought Chotu and Shivani to the airport to meet him which was very special for him.

He FREAKED at the cats and dogs, so we gave them all the heave-ho to outside. Within four hours he wanted the small dog back in and was giving him treats and patting him. He'll play with the other dogs thru the glass sliding door but thats as close as hes come so far. He'll pat one cat but is very scared of the black cat we have, but all in all hes doing superbly!

Saturday after our arrival, we spent some time letting the kids all play and then we took turns taking a nap. For most of the day we were all pretty much running on adrenaline.

Sunday we had our first arguement, and it was over cleaning our teeth. All day he was very very tired and a little grumpy. Twice he got upset and had a wee cry, which was completely understandable. By the time Sunday night came around we were back to being friends and I was getting lots of kisses and cuddles. He tried out the trampoline and loved it! Its a good thing we have a safety net, as he looked like a drunk person trying to jump. He also got a huge kick out of the swing and slide set .... We played outside kicking the ball around and blowing bubbles. Sue and Allan bought Peter over to visit and it became obvious immediately that the boys are going to be firm friends. Peter is a few years older, but is already taking that "big brother" role.

Monday morning, he woke up in the WORST mood. All day long nothing would make him happy, and when he cried he wouldn't let me anywhere near him. All I could do was sit with him and ride it out. I'd wanted to go to the store to get him some gym shoes, but was hesitant with the mood he was in. In the end I decided it might be a good distraction for him, so we headed out. As soon as he saw Fred Meyer he said "airport" ... I explained that no, it wasnt an airport. Once we were inside and there was a lot to look at he was happy. We found a pair of shoes, along with some more underwear (Power Rangers, Spiderman and Superman), and a pair of jeans that actually fit. He did really well and enjoyed the attention that he was getting from all the employees. Arriving home it all turned to crap again. He flat-out refused to get out of the car. He took off his shoes and threw them at me, and then grabbed a hold of the headrest and refused to budge. Gentle coersion wasn't working, so I was left with no alternative other than to out-muscle him. By the time we got in the house he was less than impressed and totally peeved at me. He took all his new stuff out of the bags and threw them on the ground. He was mad! I chose to ignore it all, and within 30 minutes he was back to being sweet, happy and affectionate.

Tuesday we opted for a very quiet day here at home. The jet lag really hit me yesterday, and I think it hit him too. All day we stayed in our pyjamas, watched cartoons, snuggled on the couch and read some books. We both took a nap in the afternoon and all day he was happy. He loved last nights bath and discovered that body wash makes more lather than soap, thereby making it a lot more fun! Every time one of the other kids gives me a kiss or a cuddle, he has to do the same which is super-cute. We're definitely back to being best friends again.

Every day I'm seeing huge improvements in our ability to communicate, which is making all the difference in the world. The speed at which he is understanding English is amazing. He loves books, espescially the ones that the girls had when they were younger that have both pictures and texture. We go through the books and he tells me the Hindi word for what we're looking at, and then I tell him the English word. His English is definitely a lot more advanced than my Hindi!

Well, my monkey boy is using the harmonica to torment the dog, so probably best I go find us something to do!!