One thing that we are especially pleased about is that she has not spent the entire time in the orphanage. The orphanage typically cares for 200 children, with one care-taker per 15 children. Clearly, being one of the many children in these cribs doesn't allow the orphanage the luxury to provide them with a lot of individual care.
Since October 31, 2006 Samantha has been in foster care. This is preferred over being in an orphanage in that she has had more direct one-on-one care. This means that she will have learned how to build a strong bond with an individual care-giver, but also means that there will be some transitional bonding issues and a significant grieving period which we will need to be aware of. Nothing that we aren't prepared for.There is also some interesting information included that helps us understand how she is compatible with us and why she was our chosen child.
- she's a deep sleeper
- she's an early riser, but loves her naps
- she eats five times a day (the pictures prove that)
- she's cheerful and active
- she's fond of watching TV and listening to music
We think she's going to fit in just fine.
Some additional research we've done about China has revealed some interesting things. One of the fascinating things we've found out is that China is trying to overcome the bad rep they have about their driving, and is starting their driver education at a very young age.
Or, maybe it's just Chinese bumper cars.
Whatever is going on over there, we can't wait to find out for ourselves.