Goodbye Shanghai

Today we leave Shanghai.  It feels good because we are now 2 cities down with 2 to go...and home is within reach.  We are really starting to get homesick, especially as we show Nolan the pictures of the kids, we almost can't bear to do it.  It feels like now that we have him, lets go home!  But we are on the other side of the mountain, so hopefully this last week goes quickly. 
We had a lot of rain in Shanghai, so we were not able to do exactly what was planned, but feel like we got a good background on Nolan's city.  In the orphanage, all the children admitted in 2010 were given his last name Feng, all the babies admitted in August were given the first name Sheng, and he was given the second or personal name Cheng.  So his name means prosperous city which is a nice tribute to Shanghai.  We learned our pronunciation is off, the a is not long but more like 'ah'--Shahnghai.  It is a new city.  Much of it was farm land until the 1980's, and today it looks like NYC.  There are 23 million people and is the second largest city in China.  Shanghai is known for it's unique architecture and for its dumplings.  We've eaten lots of them!  They also are known for fresh water crab called hairy crab.  It tastes like sausage  :)
We visited a popular shopping site called Yu Garden which has lots of restaurants and shopping in traditional Chinese shaped buildings, and a river walk called the Bund. The Bund is an Indian word meaning muddy river bank.  It was a French Concession and the buildings there remind you of something like Paris.  The Bund is a popular date location because the river walk has the lit skyscrapers in the background.  Very pretty.
Nolan is doing well.  I think he is becoming more and more comfortable with us every day.  Especially while out in public, he is very clingy to me, and doesn't even want Jason, though in the comfort of the hotel, he really will go to either of us.  Strangers have held their hands out to him and he pulls away and says mama, which is a great feeling.  He is really thriving.  Only 3 days with us and he has said a new word every day.  Pretty good for a baby who has only heard Chinese yet didn't speak a word of it.  It is so clear to me that while his orphanage did a great job of meeting his needs, they can not replace a mom and dad.  His little brain was just wasting away while he waited.  I have wondered if he was my son all along where he would be by now.  He is now saying mama, dada, daddy, more and nana (for banana).  He has mimicked the signs for all done and eat.  He can follow one step commands, ie, "go get your shoes", I point to my shoes then in the direction of his shoes, and he does it.  So smart!  He feeds himself well with his hands.  He has started to be a little choosy with his food, which is probably a good thing.  He also throws fits.  Not really sure how to deal with them, especially since we're in this important "bonding period".  I've tried to ignore him for a few seconds, walk away while he cries, then come back.  Any suggestions?
It's been really fun to watch him do and discover new things.  We went to a restaurant that had 4 stairs in a row, and it was pretty obvious he had never done stairs before.  He just laughed uncontrollably as I held his hand while he stumbled up and down them.  Also, I gave him a package of 8 chunky crayons.  He didn't really care to color, but took them out of the box and put them back in the box for well over an hour. 
I can't wait for Audrey, Layla and Julian to meet him!  They will have a blast showing and teaching him new things.  He is a sponge just waiting to be stimulated.  We are trying to get him to say the kids names, which would be a real treat for them.  He is close to saying La la for Layla.  We will keep trying, kiddos! 
Thank you to everyone who has left such sweet messages!  I am reading them!  I can't wait to get home and share the real thing with all of you.  We are definitely home sick and your messages are encouraging.  We are leaving today at 2:30 local time for Guangzhou (pronounced Guang-Jo) to finalize immigration and shop! 



  Learning to brush his teeth

First bath 

Playing

Adoption Ceremony

Old and New buildings of Shanghai

Yu Garden

Making the famous dumplings

Yu Garden at night

Practicing Stairs