Preparing for the baby's arival

Friday, March 31, 2006, 6:34 a.m.

By Terry R. Cassreino

BEIJING – It's early morning Friday, just three away days from getting Cao Ai Hua.
Pam and I are starting to get a little nervous. Actually, Pam has been nervous and antsy for several weeks and I'm slowly starting to reach the same point. I don't know what to expect, what I'll see, how I'll feel. I have a feeling it will be an emotional moment when we see Ai Hua, but I'm not quite sure how emotional.
The scene likely will take place at our hotel in Nanchang. The staff of Ai Hua's orphanage will arrive with the babies who will be matched with approximately 10 U.S. familis rom Holt. We'll all gather in a room at he hotel for the hand-off and from there I'm not sure what happens next.
Unfortunately, we won't be able to visit the orphange.
One couple Pam and I met on Thursday said the last time he and his wife were here – this is their third adopted daughter and second from China – said the scene was chaotic as orphanage workers brought a large group of screaming, crying babies into a room at one time to meet their parents.
That same family said their daughter took to dad quicker than mom, something I've read happens to a lot of times in Chinese adoptions. I guess the baby is still upset that her birth moher abandoned her and is looking for help from someone other than a woman.
Anyway, Pam is starting to fret over baby supplies. Do we have enough? What about formula? Should we buy some now to have it available when we get Cao Ai Hua? Should we get milk-based formula? One family recommended soy milk based formula because you don't know if the child will have an alergic reaction to milk.
I discouraged Pam from buying formula backome in Hatiesburg before we left. It just didn't make sense to get there and transport it all the way to China when the country has Wal-Maert SuperCenters that most assredly stock baby formulas we can use.
So when we visited the Wal-Mart in Beijing the other day, I again advised Pam not to hold off purchasing baby supplies. But after talking with a few more Holt families on Thrusday, we bought some soy milk based formula at a small grocery store near the hotel. I think the price was about $11 in U.S. money.
I know we could have bought the formula and other supplies when we visit the Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Nanchang (yes, they are all over China), but we aren't scheduld to go there until Tuesday and we needed something for the baby for Monday night.
As we continue to meet other Holt families, I'm sure we'll get some more ideas about what we need and what we can expect.

Copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino