First of all, a HUGE thank you to everyone who has followed us and encouraged us on our journey. I hope that this journal has helped increase awareness of China adoptions. If you, or anyone you know is interested in more information about China adoptions, please feel free to e-mail me. There are many website available including www.awaa.org, www.shaohannahshope.org and www.worldorphans.org
Some of you have been nice enough to inquire about "day 14." Day 14 consisted of a 13 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago with a 1-year-old on our laps. Trust me, no one wants to hear about that! Instead, I will use this last space to give an update on how we've been doing since coming home.
We have had Lucy for 3 weeks as of today. I can barely remember a time when she was not in our lives! She is completely our daughter. We are amazed at how God continues to place the right babies with the right parents. I see this everyday in the e-mails of my fellow travelers. As with all new parents we are grateful, amazed, challenged, entertained and tired!
We spent our first weekend in Chicago so that Lucy could get to know some of her extended family. We were thrilled to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Lucy brought gifts for everyone. The most fun gifts were "china-man" outfits for Simon and Owen. They looked great in their blue silk china suits and china-man hats. Hopefully there will be a group photo at Christmas time! Being in Chicago also gave us a chance to relax a bit and get over jet-lag with the help of our family. The jet-lag on the way home is so much worse than on the way there!! I was pretty useless all day Saturday. Lucy took quite a while to reset her clock (13 hour difference!) so we spent a bunch of time playing with a baby at 2:30 in the morning.
We were sad to leave our family but really, really, really ready to finally be home!
When we got to the Orlando airport we were very surprised to be greeted by my cousin Amy and her hubby Steve! Steve is a pilot for Southwest and he helped us get flights home. The crew was so good to us. They announced Lucy to everyone on the plane and gave us a certificate for her and a bottle of Champaign for us. Amy and Steve surprised us with a gigantic ladybug balloon. It was truly the scariest balloon I have ever seen but Lucy loves it! She is still playing with it!
Kim and John came to the airport to pick us up, complete with a "Lucy" sign at baggage claim. After getting luggage we immediately headed to Carraba's Italian Restaurant to eat non-Chinese food. Chris and I were very pleased to find out that we could still have a nice dinner with Kim and John (complete with a Peroni and a Cosmopolitan) even with Lucy. She does great in restaurants. Hopefully our friend's were not too bored with our conversation. We now discuss things like nap times, squeaky shoes and poopy on the potty.
Lucy and Ed are doing well together. Chris is very patient to teach Lucy how to be gentle with the kitty. She is fascinated by him and he is not terribly bothered by her. On Wednesday Lucy and I spent the day strolling around Celebration. During the trip I purchased a few items including a turkey sandwich for lunch, which I only ate half of. When I got home I had some challenges getting in the door with Lucy and all of my packages. I set Lucy in the entry way and then made a mad-dash to the front door to pick up my dropped packages. I found myself sitting in the entryway with a hungry toddler, a curious cat, many packages and a half eaten sandwich. I opened up the leftover sandwich, fed turkey and bread to Lucy while Lucy fed turkey to Ed. I think it was the start of a beautiful friendship.
Lucy had her first trip to the pediatrician on Wednesday. Our doctor was very pleased with Lucy's motor skills, communication abilities and general development. It is obvious that she was well cared for. As far as she could tell, Lucy is completely healthy. We still need to have blood work done to rule out any hidden diseases. The doctor said that Lucy needs to gain a few pounds before her body will be big enough to support walking. That is okay with me because I am in no hurry for her to walk! At the rate she is eating, it will not take long! The doctor said that she will probably chow pretty heavy for a few weeks and then back off a bit. Then the nurse came in and gave her 5 shots. Ow!! She screamed pretty good for those, but when the nurse left the room, Lucy waved bye bye! My daughter is amazing.
Lucy and I have made HUGE progress together. We have been in Orlando for a week now and have had 3 good girl-days. She is adjusting very well to a busy schedule. Most often her naps are in the car seat or stroller. (Which is great because she refuses to sleep in her crib.) Today we went to lunch with our friends Alison and her adopted baby Anna. Anna is 9 months older than Lucy and came to America a year prior to Lucy. Alison has been a wonderful support to me. She gave me lots of good tips on things to feed a toddler and she encourages my shopping habit. Afterwards we did a little shopping and then went to visit Esmeralda. Lucy loved Esmeralda!! Lucy let Esmeralda hold her and feed her and even stay with her when I went out to the car. I think I have found a babysitter…
Parenthood has been great for Chris and me. So far we work well together as a team. He is a natural parent and is very generous with his time. They spend a bit more time in front of the TV than I would prefer but I am willing to let that slide! Lucy loves her Daddy so much! We had a very nice family weekend together. I love being with my hubby and my girl. On Saturday night we went to Disney's MGM Studios to see the Christmas lights. Lucy loved it! She got very excited about the lights and the music. She is so expressive. We even took her through "The Great Movie Ride." On Sunday we put her in a fancy dress and took her to church. Chris ducked out with her during the sermon and took her to children's church. Apparently we have adopted a Charismatic because Chris said she had her hands in the air during much of the program!
Thank you again for your prayers and support. We are so grateful to have wonderful friends and family to share this with. I will miss writing this journal. It has been a joy to write about the process of becoming a family. Hopefully I will be writing another journal in a few years when Lucy is ready for a little sister…
Love and blessings to all,
Teresa, Christopher and Lucy
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