Even Better than the Real Thing

from Anna:

I can hardly stand it. Here we are, Day 3 in China, and there are already too many firsts to count. First time he has run to me saying, “Mama!” with arms outstretched, first kiss, first time to dry him after a shower, first time to say, “Don’t hit,” first time to share a treat with Baba (Shane)…

Can a mere mortal stand it? YoYo has a tight knit group of friends, and many times, he and his buddy Hai He resemble two little old men, patting each other on the shoulders and nodding in agreement about a snack.

So much to say… we have been showered with gifts. We’re staying in a small apartment for volunteers, and fresh flowers greeted our arrival. We’re invited to every meal, and we were Doctor H’s guests on May 1, a special holiday in China, for an elaborate feast at a very fine restaurant (which took who knows what to book). We ate Peking Duck, tofu soup, seafood soup, steamed riced potatoes, stir-fried mushrooms, in all about 20 different dishes, complete with Chrysanthemum tea.

We’ve been given a pile of YoYo’s clothes, a book of well-wishes from a group who sponsored a man to run a length of the Great Wall when money was being raised for the surgery in the US last summer, a book with notes from every volunteer passing through who has met or worked with YoYo, many tears from his loving ayis*, a book which his favorite ayi reads to him each night…

And then there’s Gogo, the stuffed dog we first met many Skypes ago. Gogo is a constant companion, sleeping with YoYo, eating with him, sometimes joining him in the shower. Yesterday, YoYo used a tiny chair to pin Gogo against a table, where he mixed dried beans in a bowl and pretended to feed his friend a simple dinner. And our photo ball is the guest at YoYo’s changing table, where he plays our Shilo’s bark each time he’s catheterized. He talks to her photo each time.

There’s so much more… but there is also time to tell it. Suffice it to say… Wow!

*ayi = nanny