One month home - and pictures - finally!

We've been home from China for one month! It's hard to believe we have been to the other side of the world and back but we made the trip - and our reward was our precious little girl. Some days I still can't believe that we are a family of 4 now (plus Adi of course). This summer has been a whirlwind and things are finally starting to settle down.

Both kids have been sick for a lot of the month that we've been home. We've had fevers, double ear infections, viruses, rashes, snotty noses and GI upset. That has been a little frustrating, exhausting and discouraging at times. However, they are better already and I am confident and encouraged that we are pretty much done with all of this crud. I do have to say that even when sick, these babies are pretty darn pleasant, loving and fun to be around. For that I am grateful. :)

Lia has adjusted well so far. Luckily she eats and sleeps well and she and Jackson seem to really like each other. It is adorable to watch them play, babble and laugh together. I think they realize the other is here to stay and don't seem to mind too much. Lia is actually a little firecracker still, and more of her personality emerges every day. We see more smiles each day and it is such a gift to hear her cute little laugh. And she squeals too. Yes, a shrill girlie squeal. She does it when she gets excited and it's actually kind of cute. She is pretty reserved and shy around people she doesn't know very well and is very attached to me when we go places. All of that is very normal and is to be expected. We continue to see more of her sweet and wide-open personality right here at home and that's perfectly ok with me for now.

Developmentally she has grown by leaps and bounds since we first met her in China. She was struggling to sit up straight those first days but now can sit steadily and can even pull up to standing. Earlier this week we even saw her begin to "cruise" along a chair. She is trying to keep up with her "little" brother and is succeeding. It is a joy to watch her make such progress.

Our lives have definitely changed. I would not be honest if I didn't admit that this transition has not been easy. We've had quite a month with a lot of highs and lows. But every day gets easier and in every day it is easy to find true joy. The smiles on these little faces first thing in the morning, their laughter throughout the day and the sweet hugs that they give make all of the hard parts worth it. There's no doubt about that.

We thank God each day for these blessings and for growing our family in the way that He has chosen to grow it. We feel so lucky - and wouldn't have it any other way.

I'll try to post pictures on here more regularly, for my own journaling purposes if for no other reason. But if you are still checking in, enjoy!

More pictures

The girls - Lia and Brooke. Lia loved her instantly.
The first day. They are still trying to figure each other out.

Mema and Papa and the two newest grandchildren.

We're home, safe and sound

Just a quick note so that everyone knows we made it home around midnight on Friday. I'll try to write more later but for now we are still just trying to recover, reconnect and get in a new groove. So many changes. Lia is doing so well overall. She is close to being on this time zone sleep wise and is loving friends and family so far. She even likes Adi now. She has her moments (we all do) but with all of the changes she has seen in her life within the past 2 weeks, she is doing remarkably well. Jackson is adjusting too. It was so good to see him. I've never missed anyone so much in mu life. We missed out on a lot in just 2 weeks of being gone. He is such a trooper and has such a sweet and happy disposition - even with all the changes to his little world. He is starting to pay more attention to his sister and thinks its hysterical when she babbles. Today I spotted them holding hands while in the highchairs at lunch. Priceless.   Chris and I still have a little jet lag but it's getting better each day.  He is at work today and I am here on my own. Nothing like hitting the ground running. This is back to reality day.   Here are a few pics from our trip home and from this weekend.   Life has reached a new level of chaotic and I have never felt so overwhelmed but I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. It will continue to get better - I'm sure of that.   Will be back with more whenever I get a second. Much love! Steph

Pictures!

Lia and Jackson meet. There were smiles on both sides.


Meeting "Nana" on Friday at the airport.

I took this just as we landed in DC on Friday night. That is the moment Lia became a US citizen!

The world traveler in the airport in DC, waiting to get to RDU!

A couple more - full of mischief and cuteness!

Jackson started crawling today too and thanks to Skype, we were able to see him in action. It was wonderful to see!  And as you can see from these photos, this little firecracker gets around pretty well too. Soon they will be together, the way it was meant to be!   So long for now!

Lia - The reason why we came here!

Last post from China!

So finally here we are - all packed up and ready to go home!! We leave here at 9:30am to catch a 12pm flight to Beijing. We arrive there at 2:50 and then head out on the long flight back to the US at 6:35pm (China time)! That will be 6:35am EST so when you wake up on Friday morning, think of us and say a prayer that the flight goes smoothly. We arrive in Washington, DC around 7pmEST (on Friday night) and then into RDU just before 11pm! It will be a long trip but we are ready, armed with toys and cheerios and just the desire to get home!   Today we went to the US Consulate office to do the "swearing in" ceremony. There was nothing glamorous about it. We did it as a group with many other families, but I have to say that I got a bit teary-eyed as we repeated the oath. It was the final step in our adoption of Lia and I couldn't help but to get a bit emotional. We have a daughter! This has been almost 4 years in the making and here we are - only a few hours from bringing her home! It still is a little surreal. We weren't allowed to take pictures but I'll always remember the moment.   This really has been a good trip. It has been well organized and relatively easy. We have enjoyed the culture, the people and getting to know all of the wonderful families in our travel group. It has been long but it has been a great experience that we are so fortunate to have been a part of. China will always be very special to us because this is the birthplace of our daughter, and what a precious gift she is to us and to our family.   I do know that the first thing we are going to do when we get home is love on our sweet dog (who we know will be awake!) and peek in at our precious baby boy who we've missed more than we thought was possible. We'll also have big hugs for my Mom who selflessly moved into our house and took care of both of them for the past 2+ weeks. She had lots of help from other very special people (and we appreciate all of them so very much too!), but she was the one who gave the most, and for that we are forever grateful!   There are many other thoughts and emotions running through my head right now but I need to try to get some sleep - we have a long trip ahead with a 10 month old and then a big transition back into the real world - so this could be the last decent night's sleep I get for a while! A few pictures will follow, and then hopefully I can get a few more up after we get home and get our bearings.   Thanks again for all of your support and prayers along the way. God is SO good and we feel so blessed!   Much love, Steph, Chris and Lia