Our dear Clarisse

I've been posting so much about China, our travels, etc. that I wondered whether I was giving short shrift to the whole reason we're here--Clarisse.    I know I've said she's a charmer before, but I really mean it.  Everywhere we go, and I do mean everywhere, people come up to coo and smile at Clarisse, tickle her feet, or stroke her chubby cheeks.  And she loves every moment, flashing her patented high-wattage grin that makes her cheeks even more pinchable.    Older people do on occasion get hung up on the fact that we don't have her bundled up like a Russian peasant fleeing Moscow in 1941, but most are just a delight.  Especially the younger crowd (i.e. those under 40, since I'm 36 and the "younger" demographic is by definition whatever encompasses my age).  I'm learning that a guy walking around with a cute adoptive baby in China is like a guy taking a cute little dog to the park in the States--guaranteed hot chick magnet.  Not that I notice such things anymore, of course...   Clarisse is really something, though.  Very content, loves quiet time (good luck in Nanchang), detail-oriented, studies things intently with her hands and eyes.  She is one smart little cookie.  She's already figured out how to initiate peekaboo, which she'd clearly never even been exposed to in the orphanage.  In particular she seems fascinated by me, probably because she wouldn't have had much contact with men until now, certainly not a 6'4", 215-pound Caucasian man.  And yet not even at our very first meeting did she show any signs of apprehension around me.  In fact, aside from the brief morning disorientation episodes, which didn't even happen today, the only times she cries is if she's hungry, she's tired, or her teething is acting up.  Oh, and just like a proper princess, she can't tolerate a wet diaper.  (My boy Ceddy, on the other hand, could walk around all day with a full load and not bat an eye.)  Otherwise she's as happy as a clam.    Clare's already making tremendous progress in her physical development since Sunday.  I know, it seems hard to believe, but trust me--I'm a physician, Christy's a child development therapist, we know what to look for.  Her head control has already improved, she can now stand upright with a little support, she rolled over without any help for the first time today, and her fine motor (i.e. grasping) capability is fantastic.  I knew kids could "catch up" fairly quickly once out of the orphanages, but neither of us were expecting progress this rapid.     The one bugaboo is that her oralmotor skills are lacking.  She doesn't suck from the bottle, but rather laps from a nipple that has to be cut extra wide.  (Sure doesn't hold her back from snorking down the formula like it was about to be banned.)  She also doesn't instinctively take teething toys into her mouth.  I've even tried to show her how it's done, but when she tries it, her protruding tongue gets in the way and she quickly loses interest.  Too bad, because it would be a big help to that sore little mouth.  Nothing that a little occupational therapy can't fix, if necessary.   It's going to take some time to sink in that Clare's really our daughter, and not just a dear sweet little thing that we get to play with for a short while.  Maybe not until we actually get her home and settle into a daily routine.  No matter--she's already won our hearts, hands-down.