Beijing - Part 2

The reason for our trip was to take John Wayne to a facility that will correct his clubfoot. This is not a short process, so he will be staying in Beijing for about two months to have progressive casts put on his foot. (Google Ponsetti method for more info)
Have I mentioned what a happy and fun kid he is? He is nine months old and as sharp as a tack. He LOVED being out and about and took everything in with a smile. A pretty great accomplishment considering this was not a short trip, and he has not had a lot of (any?) travel experience. First, our van driver took Kristen, JW and me from Jiaozuo to Zhengzhou (2 hour trip). We checked into a hotel so we would be ready to catch a very early morning train. We met up with friends for dinner at a mall with a food court and play area. (I know this conjures up some very American images, and to some extent it was similar. Just not the food part.) Kristen and our friends' daughter Qing Qing had a great time slurping noodles and playing in the maze. JW just charmed everyone around us with his bright eyes and ready smile. The only thing he didn't like very much was the snowsuit that was kind of confining. Once freed from that he was a very happy kid.
Back at the hotel, he wasn't so sure about going to sleep in a strange bed. Well, neither was I. The room was clean and good sized, but the beds were like sleeping on a board- typical for China. Kristen had brought her Mermaid Barbie doll to play with in the bathtub, but she quickly discovered that we only had a shower. :(
JW did wake in the night for a bottle, and though I tried to ignore him, he was more persistent than I, so I got up around 2am and fed him a lukewarm bottle. Not his favorite, but the best he was going to get at that hour.
We were all up early to meet two friends, who were traveling to Beijing (BJ) with us, at 6:15. We took a taxi to the train station and were soon on a bullet-type train for a fast 5 hour ride to the nation's capital. The trip was pretty uneventful. I successfully changed a couple of diapers, made a bottle and fed JW a bowl of rice cereal and bananas. He slept and played and was just a perfect little travel companion. (Some lucky parents will have no trouble making a trans-pacific flight with this little guy!)
Arriving in Beijing, things were pretty hectic. Just a week before the biggest travel holiday of the year, the station was packed and there were long lines to purchase tickets. We tried to buy our return tickets to Zhengzhou for that night, but everything was sold out. We had to make a quick change of plans and settle for tickets the following evening. This necessitated several phone calls to rearrange schedules, extend my hotel stay in Zhengzhou and let everyone know what we were doing, but it all worked out just fine.
We then headed for the taxi line and got a tour of downtown Beijing. The fun part was riding right past Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City; the not so fun part was taking the "scenic route" because we were foreigners. After a brief phone conversation with the people we were going to meet, the taxi driver rethought his route and we arrived quickly at our destination. :)
Oooooh, now the hard part, turning JW over to his foster mother for his time in Beijing. She is a lovely woman, Canadian, with an 11 year old Chinese daughter. They are very excited to be able to help in this way and have a baby in the house, but it was soooo hard for me to let him go. Knowing I would see him the next morning at the medical facility (thanks to our change in train plans) eased the transition.
The next morning we all met at the facility, and JW was examined by the medical team. They were instantly charmed, of course, and also impressed by how on track and how strong he is. The latter will be a challenge for his casting, however. They felt that JW's foot is very correctable, not a particularly severe clubbing and no other complications were apparent. Because they are a bit concerned that he will be difficult to cast, they decided to wait until after the Chinese New Year holiday so they will have a full staff to do the procedure and be available if they need to do any repairs. I am so excited at the prospect of a great outcome for him.
Another benefit of this trip was meeting the facility's staff, understanding more about the types of procedures they do and talking to them about some of my other kids who might benefit from their work. I was really excited about the possibility of having this amazing team help me get treatment for my SB kids particularly.
Do I need to mention that I carried JW around the whole time at the facility? He seemed really happy to see me, and I can say the feeling was mutual. His foster mom just couldn't say enough about how happy and smart he is, and that he slept through the night - lucky her! He also has his own personal ayi while his foster mom teaches during the day; I can tell he is in great hands. After driving back into the city center, we said good-bye to JW, his foster mom and ayi. I look forward to seeing them again in a few months.
So mission accomplished...on to some fun!