More Malia Day Photos and Malia Day + 1

Bonus Photos From Malia Day

Malia Day was busy towards the end, so we didn't get some of the photos uploaded and posted. I'll finish those off before moving on to today.  

First is a picture from Kao Chi, where we had dinner.  The quantity of food on the table can be interpreted in two ways, both of which probably have some truth.  First, there was a slight misunderstanding regarding portion size.  Second, don't let Shelley order dinner when she's hungry.  It sure was good, but we only made a dent.

After dinner we went back to the small Yongkang neighborhood park, where Shelley helps Malia ride the duck. I'll go ahead and say it -- doesn't Shelley look great!

After the park, we walked home and Shelley took this artsy photo of a small shrine about two stalls down an alley off the main street.  It seems to have one or two worshippers present every time we walk by, despite its seemingly odd location.

MALIA DAY + 1:  AIT and SMILES

The night passed uneventfully.  Malia slept between Shelley and me on the king bed.  We'd been warned that she likes to play with the foster mom's hair while she slept, and that seemed to be true.  About once an hour, Malia would roll over and reach out trying to play with hair. Sadly for Malia, I seem to sleep on the same side of the bed as the foster mom did, and Malia was sorely disappointed if she was looking to twist her fingers in my hair. Despite that setback, she woke up only once, and then she cried for all of about 30 seconds and drifted back to sleep.

We spent the morning continuing to get to know each other.  Malia was quiet and reserved most of the time -- soaking it all in and trying to figure out who we are.  

We left for AIT (American Institute in Taiwan -- aka the American consulate -- but we can't call it that for political reasons) at lunchtime. We planned to leave earlier, but both Shelley and I had forgotten how long it takes to get out the door with toddlers -- you can't just say, "let's go!"  

On the way, the worship theme from last night repeated itself. We saw small offering tables outside of nearly every shop, and many of the shops also had fires going in small modified trash bins.  The owners could be seen dropping small printed papers into the fire. We knew that tomorrow is a holiday, and we assumed it had something to do with that -- we assumed wrong. Shelley asked Victor, a hotel employee who has been incredibly helpful to us, about the practice. He explained that most shopkeepers make small offerings (called "Ya") on the second and sixteenth days of each lunar month, asking for continued business success and prosperity.  

This one is outside of Burger King, so it's not just the "local" shops that ask for continued good fortune.

No pictures from inside of AIT -- we had to check in all electronic devices, though Malia's toy bumblebee snuck through by accident and was buzzing in her bag from time to time. The AIT people were friendly, but the paperwork was very confusing. Both our own agency and the federal government should do a better job of explaining what is needed and how it should be arranged. We had everything, but it was nerve-wracking because we weren't positive going in that we were set. After our paperwork was approved, the "interview" lasted 30 seconds. The immigration officer had us raise our right hands, swear (or affirm) that the paperwork was truthful...and that was it. One hour later we stopped by and picked up Malia's immigration and visa packet.  She's now clear to hop on the plane and become a U.S. citizen. While we waited for the visa to be processed, we went to Da'an Forest Park, which is across the street and where we spent our first day in Taipei with Jonathan and Ryan. The boys played while Malia fell asleep on my shoulder -- yes, that was as sweet as it looks.

Our only real mission for the day accomplished, we went back to our room and enjoyed a snack. We were able to coax Malia into playing a small game of passing finger puppets around to each other. The game made it clear that she knows who "Mommy," "Daddy," "Jonathan," and "Ryan" are, but she isn't verbalizing our names, yet.

Malia also played with the toy bumblebee -- as did Jonathan and Ryan before her. It's a simple toy -- you push one antenna and music plays; you push the other and it buzzes. All three of our kids have just adored it. And apparently it can sneak through AIT security...ssshhhh.

After a rest, we went "Western" and got pizza at Alleycats, a basement-level restaurant in the Yongkang Street area. For anyone heading over to Taipei who gets a hankering for pizza, it's outstanding thin-crust pizza, with a healthy selection of European beer. Dad was happy.

Speaking of happy, after bathtime Ryan climbed on the bed with Malia and started goofing around with her. She's graced us with a few smiles before, but these are the first we've captured on camera and it was her first full-on giggle that we've heard.

Here's Ryan acting the goof -- just putting his fingers in the air and bobbing back and forth.

And it got a smile out of Malia!

Which made Ryan pretty excited!

After a few more rounds, Ryan got her to goof around with him.

And then it was a last feeding and off to bed.  

Some thoughts on the first couple of days.  First, the boys have been incredible. Jonathan has really stepped forward and shown responsibility and independence. Ryan is also stepping into his "big brother" role with relish. Second, Malia seems to be doing incredibly well, but you can almost see her working through the grief process. Her moods come and go; she'll be reserved for long periods of time, then open up with a little playfulness, then go back to being quiet. The resiliency of children never ceases to amaze.  

MALIA DAY!!!!

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 -- known from now on in this family as "Malia Day"!

After the years of waiting and then the scramble of preparing, we met Malia this morning and welcomed her into our family!  We're thrilled; she's overwhelmed but already trying out a few English words! It's tough for me to put into words, so I'll rely on pictures to guide my writing.

Ready to head out!

Jonathan and Ryan leading the way to the MRT.

We were a few minutes early, so we hung out in a nearby park, surrounded by our new kid stuff!

Navigation worked OK.  Chung Yi is on a side street in a non-tourist section of town, so we were a little nervous about finding it, but Google Maps and Streetview led us right to it!

After filling out paperwork, we met Malia's foster parents who have cared for her since she was five days old.  They are wonderful people -- Malia enjoyed a rich family life with the foster parents and their extended family.  She was, and is, loved.

The parents and translator explaining her snacks, clothes, and supplies.

While we were dealing with paperwork and meeting the foster family, the boys were meeting Malia and entertaining her.  We gave them a small camera to take with them.  Here are their first interactions (and our family's first interactions) with Malia through the boys' eyes.

After a tearful goodbye to the foster parents filled with "thank you" from all of us, Malia was brought in! When the social worker left her with us, Malia was a little concerned.  Ryan documented the moment with his camera.

And Jonathan tried to keep her cheered up.

We had a some concerned looks and then little lower lip trembling...and a few tears.

So dad did some comforting.  She didn't exactly cling tight, but she did calm down and almost went to sleep.

After the group photos, we took the MRT back to our hotel, where mom fed her some sweet potato we picked up from a stall just outside our hotel and taught Malia her first English words ... we tried family names, but her first English word was "open" when she was opening and closing a water bottle.

After lunch a nap was clearly in order.  

She's now awake and playing with the boys.  They just taught her how to "high five."

Day 7 -- Tomorrow is Malia Day!

Abbreviated posting today -- for the very good reason that we've got some organizing to do tonight!  This is it!  We're here.  After 7 ½  years of waiting, tomorrow morning we meet Malia.  Here's a brief chronicle of our last day as a family of four!

Start off with scenes of our walk to the MRT station.  We've started cutting through the side streets on the way to the station to get a bit more local flavor.  Even though the streets are mere alleyways, there is business going on everywhere.  The alley behind our hotel, for instance, looks somewhat dingy from the main street, but if you walk down it, there are several high end salons and a flooring sales/showroom (with a very nice Mercedes conspicuously parked outside).  Fascinating to see the constant juxtaposition of high- and low-end living.

In addition to the business, there is a constant bustling of everyday life in the back streets. Here are some older men playing Go just a block off the main road.

Here's a view of our "home" MRT station -- Dongmen Station as the train pulls in.

For lunch today, we went to Din Tai Fung, a well-known dumpling restaurant that marks the start of the Yongkang Street food scene I've written about.  The boys tried a variety of foods, which makes their parents proud.

Waiting -- you place your order while waiting outside.  When you get seated, the food arrives relatively quickly.

Picturesque alley (foot traffic only) off of Yongkang Street.

Who knew?  A little slice of Maui right here in Taipei.  Unfortunately, it's under construction.  We're not even sure exactly what the Maui Lounge will feature. Thoughts?

Before dinner, we hiked up Elephant Mountain near Taipei 101.  Hike is a misnomer; it's basically a long stair climb for about 500 vertical feet to a wonderful overlook.

This was just the beginning, so Ryan's doing a little posing for the camera!

Now it's getting a bit steeper!

The climb only took 15 minutes or so, but you could definitely feel it!  The view at the top was great.  We arrived just at dusk.  The cloud layer was too thick for a true sunset, but we watched as the lights of the city came on.

A photographer capturing the scene.

Night falls on Tapei 101.

And we head home to get ready for Malia Day!  I'm surprised the kids have actually gone to sleep.  They were so excited they couldn't calm down.  Ryan was bouncing off the walls so much he bounced right into the corner of a table and went to bed with an ice pack on his head (he's fine, just a bump).

Off to get the clothes, paperwork and ourselves organized.  We meet Malia in under 12 hours!  We'll leave you with a couple of our favorite photos of her from when she was 14 months and 16 months old.