To Baby, with Love

You'd think that in the seven months we waited for our referral, we'd have Szu-Chuan's first care package well-prepared and ready to go. Not so. Thankfully, I had already purchased everything that was to go in it. However, as I found this morning as I prepared to overnight the contents to FFC to meet the end of the month deadline, there was much more involved. This was not a matter of merely squishing everything into a one-gallon Ziploc bag and popping it in the mail. If you have the patience, read on.

Currently on their way to Taiwan via Utah are the following:



(1) Taggies blanket. After just having run a load of colored laundry, I had to run yet another load just to pre-wash this last night. Call us weirdos, but Craig and I took turns over the last 24 hours wearing it against our skin so that our smells would rub off on it and give the baby some sense of familiarity with his new parents. You'd think we were wolves marking our territory. Well, hey - we could use any help we can get in speeding up the bonding process.

(1) Disposable camera with digital capability and (1) disposable video camera. I'm told, thanks to Island Boy's mom, that the caretakers at St. Lucy's sometimes forget to turn on the flash on these cameras, resulting in useless pictures. Last night and this morning, my mom and I waged a war with modern technology to get her written Chinese translation of "Please turn on the flash by pressing the grey button on the front of the camera" sent from Virginia. Alas, I'm sorry to report that technology triumphed. We may have to settle for dark pictures and a blank video. (By the way, in case anyone's interested in also using those directions once I receive them via snail mail, I'd be happy to share them with you.)

(1) Infant toothbrush. We discovered this toothbrush when Andrew was a baby. The child can gnaw on it and the tiny bristles lining the inside will rub against his gums. It also makes a good teether. I hear from people who have adopted older children that while medical care for Taiwanese orphans is excellent, dental care can be atrocious.

(1) Soft-cover photo album. I've had all the pictures ready for a few months now. However, when I looked at the album again, I was dissatisfied with the quality of the pictures produced by my home printer. They left inky smudges all over the insides of the clear plastic holders. So, I made a mad dash to CVS and printed the pictures out on their photo printer. I then summoned up my atrophied written Chinese skills and wrote, "Daddy," "Mommy," "Big Brother," "Our Family" on adhesive labels to be affixed on each photo.

(1) Philadelphia Eagles teddy bear. OK. After moving to the Philadelphia region a little over a year ago, I swore we'd never fall prey to the mania that has beset many people I encounter here. Eagles worship should go down in the DSM as a verifiable illness. I will never erect a 6' inflatable Eagles linebacker on my front lawn nor buy a car that is Eagles' green and plaster it with matching bumper stickers. No, no, no. However, just because Andrew picked out this bear for his Di-Di at his school's Secret Shop Christmas fundraiser, I have agreed to let it occupy half of the precious space in our one-gallon bag.

(1) Soft book with 3-D objects on the inside that crunch when touched. Andrew liked the book so much he made me read it for him 4 times in a row. I had to ditch "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" at the last moment or risk popping a hole in the Ziploc bag.

(1) Set of baby wrist/ankle rattles. I figured these would challenge Szu-Chuan to move about and explore cause and effect relationships, keep him occupied during the periods in which the caretakers were busy tending to other children. (You know, only adults would think of designing such nuisances for defenseless babies; I can't imagine having to live a day wearing rattles wrapped around my ankles.)

You'll notice we didn't send him any clothes. Since space was so limited, we took a triage approach and tried to focus mostly on things that would be of immediate benefit. As tempting as it was to shop for a few cute outfits, I'm told that St. Lucy's has no shortage of infant clothing.

Had I the foresight, I would have taken another parent's advice and recorded our voices reading a few children's books on CD. I've heard the caretakers will actually take the time to play the recordings for the children. I also would have had translated a letter to the caretakers to thank them for tending our little lamb. All that is for the next month. For now, I'm just happy to report that the care package has left the building.