"Official" & Learning

It's been a few days since we welcomed little Nate into our new world along with our hotel room...and we have all been learning the ups and downs of the initial trials that adoption manifests.  All in all, Nate has been such a trooper and he is doing so great making the start of this easier than anticipated.  For all the day to day child routines at this age (changing diapers, eating, sleeping...etc), he knows the drill.  Seriously, it is crazy to see how good he is when it comes to all of this.  You don't expect a child to sleep 10+ hours straight the first night he is home, let alone three nights in a row along with good naps each day.  So, that's been awesome.  The not so awesome part is still how much this little guy has to learn about just being a kid.  We just returned from a beautiful park today thinking he would like to just run around in the grass and enjoy the outdoors.  Nope...instead he would just stand and look at us nervously as if to say "what do I do" along with "are you about ready to leave me with someone else?"  So, no playing, but we did enjoy some good walking time holding hands.

He is getting more comfortable with us (although, he has attached to Crystal with me only being allowed to help with secondary tasks) and certainly opens up when we are together in the room.  With time, I know this playfulness will make it outside our room and into more facets of his life.  Enjoy a few pictures we snapped lately...especially the first one at the registration office making the adoption "official" in the eyes of the Chinese government.  Now, the rest of the time we are here is dedicated to processing paperwork that enables him to get into the United States.  Again, thanks for the support and comments....we really enjoy reading them while here.

It's official!

Driving away from his orphanage city of Zhoukou after signing the application for his passport.

His favorite toy by far...he is an expert with these plastic cups already.  Very imaginative and smart!

It appears McDonald's is universal among all children

Sporting his first Florida Gator attire along with some snazzy shoes that are a personal favorite...sweet!

A very impressive park just down the street from our hotel here in Zhengzhou

-Tyson