Sunday, November 29, 2009
TODAY IS SOPHIE!!!!!
(and other notes from Fessick)

This was Amalie’s proclamation as soon as she woke up this morning.

It made me smile. That’s right sweetie, today IS Sophie (She was so cute I made no attempt at fixing the problems with grammar, sorry Leah).

And Oh what a day it was. I must start by telling you all that on this trip I’ve had a different feeling. I thought I might title my first post, “Elvis is BACK!!” but it just doesn’t seem to fit. I’ve been feeling more like Fessick. You know, the gentle giant on the movie the Princess Bride played by Andre the Giant. He’s huge and not very bright but has an incredible ability to make rhymes. If you haven’t seen this movie I recommend it. Everywhere I go people are still staring at me, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering me at all. I feel like Fessick. I’m just really big. That’s it.

Yesterday we were eating at the food court at the Ginza Mall and a little boy, I’d say about 4, comes around the corner where I am sitting and proceeds to get the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen. He then starts yelling something in Mandarin to his mother and pointing at me. Since I don’t speak Chinese I can only guess at what he was saying, but I bet it went something like this, “Mama, Mama!!!! Look, it’s Fessick!!!! And he has RED HAIR”. His mother was visibly embarrassed. I look at her and smile and say, “It’s OK”. She nods apologetically. Then she turns to the little boy and starts chewing him out. Again I can only guess, maybe she says, “Hey now look, I can see that this man in a freak too, but you shouldn’t point at him, it’s rude. Now you go apologize”. The little boy walks over to me with a little grin on his face and then says in very clear English, “Hello”. “Hello” I say in my deepest Fessick like voice, and I wink at him. He then runs off laughing. What can I say, I’m having fun with the locals.

Now for a note on Jet lag. Yesterday I was awake at 2:30 a.m. Oh yeah, that sucks. Today I was awake at 3:00 a.m. Better, but still sucky!!! (LOL,…………………. The computer says I have misspelled sucky!!) I guess that means tomorrow I can hope for 3:30 a.m. Oh won’t that just be GREAT!!!

At 10:00, after I’ve been awake for 7 hours and had a really good breakfast, it’s time to go meet Sophie. They brought her to the hotel because of concerns about swine flu. When we got to the lobby they were already here. Amalie sees her and starts running. Sophie is as cool as a cucumber (which I understand is very cool). Amalie gives her the little blue bear we took pictures with for the photo book we sent her. She also gives her the lady bug backpack. We all move to the open area in the lobby that is a café. Once we’re seated the women tell us that we need our actual passports, not just copies. Brandy runs back up to the room to get them. I’ve been hanging back. Why? Honestly I’ve been afraid for months that Fessick would scare Sophie to death. That’s why. I sit down at a table in the café just about as unsure of myself and what to do as I’ve ever been in my life. Sophie looks at me from 2 tables away (with Amalie chattering away in her ear in English) and gives me a huge smile and waves. What???? No FEAR???? Hmmmm………..

I remember that I have sponge balls in my pocket. Looks like maybe she’d watch so I break them out. What comes next is a magic routine that I’ve probably done a thousand times. Best part? Well, turns out the girl loves magic!!! Yeah baby!!! In like flint (whatever that means). We spend the next 15 minutes laughing and giggling and smiling. I give her the digital camera and she starts snapping pictures like mad. I follow her around encouraging her. I’d say she takes 30 shots. We go around the entire lobby taking pictures of everything. Then, the shocker. She looks up at me, smiles, and puts her arms up. You know, like the “Daddy please pick me up” arms up.

A little nervous, I think, well…………. Ok…………here goes nothing. I pick her up and she gets an even bigger smile. She is chattering away…………. Again I have no clue, but I guess “WHOA……… I can see everything from up here!!” That’s probably pretty close. Then the biggest shocker of all time. I get a Huge wet kiss on the face and a huge grin from her. Ok……………….. wasn’t expecting that one I have to say.

By this time Brandy has finished signing and finger printing the paper work, so now it’s my turn. I do it as quickly as possible. As far as I’m concerned this is just more red tape. At least we have the little girl now.

So now it’s time for the orphanage workers to say goodbye. Sophie is confused. She thinks she is going back with them. Houston, we have a problem. Uh Oh…………….. Here it comes. She starts to cry when she realizes that she’s stuck with us and they are leaving. We manage to get her upstairs without too much of a scene, but I can tell she is upset. We have a few minutes in our room before we are to head back downstairs for a photo. When we get to the lobby she starts to slowly melt down again when she realizes the orphanage workers are really gone. Slowly at first. A little louder. Then a bit louder. Then the guide says, maybe you show go back to the room…. Then…… well……….. full out nuclear meltdown. Brandy grabs her and makes a break for the elevator. She’s bawling and screaming at the top of her little lungs. When the elevator gets to the 10 floor Sophie is crying so much and resisting enough that Brandy can hardly carry her. Uh oh, I think…………. Now what? I pick her up off the elevator floor. Strangely she seems to calm a bit. We get back to the room; I carry her in, and sit down on the bed still hugging her. She cries and cries for about 10 minutes, although it seems like forever to me. I feel totally helpless. There’s nothing I can do, I think. This it dawns on me. Duh…………. Hey Fessick the sponge balls are still in your pocket. One simple vanish of a sponge ball and the crying is done. 15 more minutes of magic. 15 minutes of Amalie and Sophie chasing me around the room with flashlights. Good to go. What a sweet little girl! The end of nuclear meltdown.

We head back out for the photos. Sophie is as happy as can be. She’s already calling Brandy Mama and me Baba. We get the pictures and head to McDonalds for lunch. Dumbest parenting move for the day. Remember this, hot chocolate and straws do NOT mix. Luckily Sophie spits out the scalding hot hot chocolate before too much damage is done I think. Ok sweetie, maybe you should just drink my Pepsi. I hand it over. She smiles. Mows down her whole happy meal. Eats some ice cream. Good to go.