Visits

At 6:40 AM on Tuesday Morning (October 31), Rick texted Grammy and Grampy, "Maylee had a tough go last night..  Do you two feel up to taking Bo this morning?"  Bo spent the morning with us.  We played in our room for awhile.  After feeding him, we took him on a stroller ride to the busy nearby streets, something that he has enjoyed each time that we have gone.  He carefully observed the surroundings, and on our trip back to the hotel, at each intersection, he pointed in the direction that he wanted to go, and he was always right, leading us back to the hotel's front door.  By then, it was time to feed him again; Bo is fed his prescription formula by G-tube approximately every 3 hours.  We took him to the restaurant patio in front of the hotel and fed him there in the shade and breeze (daytime temperatures here: mid to high 20s).

Holly (director of the Xi En orphanage that cared for Maylee) and Debra (a social worker who has worked on adoptions for Xi En) came for a visit, bringing lunch for everyone, "a traditional Taiwanese lunch".  Soon after eating, Debra received a call on her cell and told us that Maylee's birth parents were in the hotel lobby, here to visit us. (Christine had discussed the possibility of this with the birth mother at their meeting on Sunday.)  We (grandparents) were glad for the opportunity to meet them.  The mom expressed some concern about the possibility of Maylee getting cold in Canada.  In fact, she was also concerned that we all were dressed too lightly for Taiwan's fall temperatures.  We have noticed that many local people are dressed in long pants, long sleeved shirts and often jackets or sweaters also when outdoors, so from their perspective, the birth Mom had a point (although her husband came today in shorts and a short sleeved shirt).  Holly and Christine assured her that there are warm clothes for Maylee in Canada.  The Mom also hoped that Christine had supports available in Canada (therapists, medical options, etc.) to help in the care of Maylee and Bo.  She was astonished to hear that these supports are readily available in Edmonton at no out-of-pocket costs to the family.  The afternoon of conversation was helped a great deal by the bilingual abilities of Holly and Debra.

L to R: Holly, Debra, birth Dad and Mom, Christine, Marj

Photo courtesy of Holly's smart phone self timer camera