Since We've Been Home....

I can breathe for the first time..... owww Kelly Clarkson! Sorry, I digress....  It has been a flurry of activity. On Friday, Feb. 4th, we too Sweet Cheeks for her first pediatrician appointment. NOT FUN! She was 29.5 inches long and she weighed in at 18.14 lbs. That put her at 50th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight. She's just a little peanut! Her developmental delays were documented but are not of significant concern because she continues to develop and improve on a daily basis.  Her development is comparable to that of at 6-9 month old.  Of moderate concern is the flatness to the back of her head.

After her examination, it was time for Sweet Cheeks to have blood drawn, start her immunizations and collect stool samples. That was where the fun stopped and the tears started. I have to admit it broke my heart because you could tell, Sweet Cheeks was highly offended that she was being stuck. It was a very hard day as a Mommy... it makes me very thankful for the health of my children.

The ped recommended that we go for a PT Evaluation to see if there was anything that needed to be done as far as correcting the shape of Sweet Cheek's head. The bones start hardening between 12-15 months so if there was something that needed to be done, we needed to get on it.

Yesterday, we met with a Physical Therapist who evaluated her ramge of motion and development level. She stated she was in the 7-9 month range developmentally but she did not see a need for PT or for further evaluation of her head. Her face was symmetrical and at this point it was more of a cosmetic issue than anything else. We think Sweet Cheeks is absolutely perfect in everyway!

Some highlights of the week have been: Sweet Cheeks has learned to crawl, usually loves being in the walker, is starting to eat a little better, has been taking two naps per day (it is so sweet how she falls asleep with the bunny ear in her mouth), she has been in the swing (was not much of a fan the first go around but hoping she enjoys it when it is a little warmer) and she and big sister love bath time together! Big Sister still has a special way of making her laugh the minute they see one another. It is very sweet!

This week has been crazy busy with doctor visits, Cupcake going back to school, everyone trying to get over jet lag and get Sweet Cheeks on some type of schedule. My family has been loved on by many of  family members who came to welcome us home and friends who have stopped by for a visit and a peek, dropped off meals, etc. We are very thankful and appreciative for all of the love and support.

Here are some pics of everyday life...enjoy!

Chinese New Year!

February 6th:

This is the third year we have gotten together with fellow adoptive families and friends to celebrate Chinese New Year and this year was no exception. New baby home, jet lag and all!  And we were so glad we went! The party is something that Cupcake really enjoys and we are trying to be diligent about keeping her life reasonably normal now that Little Miss Sweet Cheeks is home. The girls were all adopted from China and it is amazing to see how their friendship's with one another has grown throughout the years.

The Year of the Rabbit was welcomed with crafts, yummy Chinese food, firecrackers, a lion dance, Chinese music, red envelopes and plenty of laughs. The host family did another great job. Mrs. Cheryl loves cooking Chinese food and each year she makes the main dishes herself. Each family bring something to share... we are the fried rice family. One year, I made it from scratch but this year it was takeout from our local Chinese restaurant. Still very yummy!

It is great having this annual celebration with families just like ours. We are already looking forward to celebrating next year!!!! Enjoy the pics....

Our Journey Home

February 2nd:

It was a sleepless night in Hong Kong.... our beautiful, modern hotel where we can drink the water in the restaurant is right beside the airport. Convenient? Oh yes! Quiet? Oh, NO! Seriously, instead of counting sheep, I was counting airplanes!

Jeff had been up many hours getting our trip for home planned. We agreed that the goal was to get home... we were not interested in spending a second night in Hong Kong. I had Tempurpedic on the brain. And that is what we did.

The morning started early and quite stressful... the airline was supposed to have emailed us our new itinerary overnight... that did not happen. Cupcake thought she left her DS on the train... that did not happen either, Dad had pulled it out of her bag and was charging it. Sweet Cheeks did not want to wake up... had to wake her up. All too soon, we were off to the aiport and hoping things were going to go as planned and we would have seats together.... we did!

The first leg of our flight was 12 hours from Hong Kong to San Fran... I thought we would get some sleep. Nope, not meant to be. Cupcake did not sleep until two hours before landing and through blekfast, I mean breakfast. Sweet Cheeks slept maybe four hours total. She was too busy having diarrhea, bless her little heart. We had finally reached the point of "whatever keeps the kids quiet" mode. We were trying to survive the flight and the day. The other passengers were people we would never see again. So, Sweet Cheeks loved sitting on the tray table. She also enjoyed the COMPLIMENTARY magazine in the seatback, which she proceeded to shred, one page at a time. With kid #1, that would have never happened. Kid #2, it was a different story... whatever was keeping her quiet. Did I mention that the last 5 hours of the flight were really rough and turbulent too?!? Which totally did not sit well with Cupcake. Please, let's just make it to the US.

And we did where we got to welcome the newest American citizen to our family. The US Customs went off without a hitch and soon enough, we were collecting our luggage, restocking clothes and diapers for Sweet Cheeks for the rest of the trip home, rechecking our luggage, getting rescreened through security, having another diaper blowout but we were in the US, no more squatty potties and hot water to wash my hands. Life was good!

We got reconnected with everyone, our next flight was for five hours and was scheduled on time. Plan to be home by midnight was still good. Our next leg was uneventful and we all managed to get some sleep. The kids pretty much slept the whole way which was great. Everything was going well until we landed. It was quite rough, there was snow on the ground and we were getting very close to it. It seems, the steering broke on the plane as we landed! So, there we sat on the runway, waiting for a tow. It took a little while to make it to the jetway but once we were there, we knew we only had one more flight!  This is where we separated from Nana. After a quick hug and a tearful goodbye, there was Sub*ay for dinner and we were on the last plane and headed south! Everything was on time and we finally made it to our final destination.

Our welcome home party consisted of Uncle and Aunt Lisa. It was great to be home!  We took a few quick pics and were quickly off to get our bags and head to the car. There lurked the dreaded carseat and we were not too sure how Sweet Cheeks would respond. She was totally fine!  I sat in the back with her, fed her a few snacks and she was good to go, only crying out a few times.

We were greeted at home with balloons and Welcome Home signs from our great friends. It was great seeing that. I really wish we could have had the welcome at the airport with friends and family but at this stage, we were just glad to be home... FINALLY!  And as a family of FOUR!!!!

Leaving GZ

January 31:

So, after checking out of the White Swan and waiting for the bus to arrive, we learned that our flight from Hong Kong to Chicago had in fact been cancelled due to the winter storm headed that way. Needless to say, we were a little antsy to get to Hong Kong and try to get our plans HOME finalized. With a light lunch in our tummies and a sleeping baby in my arms, we boarded the bus, headed to drop off Veronica at the US Consulate (to get our babies' Chinese passports and US Visa's), pick up a porter from the train station and finally, the train station. I have to admit, with everything we had heard about the train station, I was feeling pretty nervous... it is very busy, even busier because of Chinese New Year, getting all of your bags checked or carry-on, getting through Customs, the list went on and on. I was pleasantly surprised that we had three porters helping our families navigate luggage and getting us to the gate. Everything went off without a hitch.

We made it to the gate in plenty of time to give Sweet Cheeks a bottle, change a diaper and let Cupcake burn off some energy. It was quite organized as far as having someone tell us when we needed to show our tickets and make our way through Customs. While we were waiting, Veronica arrived with our final documents in order for us to leave China with our Sweet Cheeks. YEE HAWWWW!!!  That's what we were waiting for:-)

Off to the train, we go. All of the families were in one car together. The seats were comfy and Sweet Cheeks was still snoozing. Cupcake was sitting with her new friends so the Best Husband in the World and I were able to sit and chat for the first time in several days.

It was a very interesting being on the train. It was not a bullet train but did go faster than the cars we would pass. It was very smooth and we got to see some amazing sights of China that we otherwise would have not seen. It was fun sitting and chatting with our travel mates about what awaited us at home or how we were getting home. There were several families hoping to fly out on Feb. 2nd and with the news that our flight was cancelled, things were not looking promising.

The train was quite uneventful but a pleasant experience. Once we got off the train, we waited for quite some time for our luggage before heading out to catch a cab and head to our hotel. That's where things got interesting... All of our families, headed to the same hotel, lots of luggage, lots of people and small cars. Our family of five squeezed into one car with five suitcases, all of our carry-on's and lots of prayers that our suitcases would make it (the truck did not close...). Everyone and everything arrived intact. I am not saying I am not a little scarred from it all but it will fade in time.

After getting checked in at the Marriott Sky City, we headed down to have a final dinner with two of the families we had spent the past two weeks with. It was nice to sit, with a glass of GOOD wine, have a nice dinner and talk. Not to mention, drinking the water from the table. It was sort of a big moment!  All to soon, it was time to wrap it up. We all promised to keep in contact and definitely wanted to do a reunion. I was volunteered to plan it, so I am saying now, it will be in FL and on the beach... somewhere. 

After a heartfelt, elevator goodbye, we were off to our room for a shower and bed. That was my task while Jeff was tasked with finding us a plane home. We know who got the short end of that stick;-) And he did not disappoint! 

Here are some pics on the train and from the train.

Our Last Day in GZ and Hong Kong

We are Home!

Home sweet home never felt so great! After nearly 30 hours in the air on three different planes, we landed in Tampa at 12:15am. We were met at the airport by my brother and sister in lawd. After a quick hug and a few pics, we headed for the baggage claim and the car. We got the kiddos buckled in their caresses and then we were off! Sweet Cheeks did great in her carseat, no issues at all.

We were greeted at home with wonderful signs, streamers and balloons courtesy of our wonderful friends and amazing neighbors. It was a sight for sore eyes and very much appreciated! We made it into the house and cave Zweet Cheeks a tour of her new home. Both girls got baths and then it was bedtime. I think it was 2:30am. We all went to bed around 4:30am and got a few hours sleep before it wa rise and shine. I am here to say that jet lag is not fun!

On the plane from Hong Kong to San Fancisco, Sweet Cheeks wanted nothing to domwith sleeping and maybe got four hours sleep on the plane. She was wide awake and pretty vocal. We discovered that she loved sitting on the tray tables. It was quite funny, actually because with Kid #1, I would have never let her do that. I also would not have let her shred the magazine in the setback. I beard several of the pafents on our trip say they were in survival mode and I have to agree! We just did what we needed to do in order to get home.

I will post a few pics later! Good night!

Change in Plans!

We are leaving Hong Kong at 12:30pm, headed for San Francisco. From there we are headed to Dulles before reaching our final destination, which is at 12:15am!  So, if you were planning on meeting us at the airport, PLEASE do not feel obligated to be there. We will catch up with everyone when we get home.

 

This momma is feeling more than a little stressed and is ready to get the show on the road. Prayers will be appreciated! Love to all!!!