We're Still Here

It was 2 weeks ago today since we came home. It's hard to believe that we have been home almost as long as we were in China and nearly a month since Gotcha Day. Last week was kind of a rough go. Jet lag was a real bear, especially considering the restless flight we had over from Beijing. It wouldn't have been so bad had we been able to sleep when necessary, but of course there is now a Chloe in the picture. She thought 2:30am was good time to be awake for the first few nights. That first Friday, she slept from 6:ooam to 1:00pm and the girls just about couldn't wait to get their hands on her.

Chloe came down with a cold and ear infection on Sat., so that put a serious damper on adjustment and really set things back last week. We were glad for a good report from her adoption doctor at Akron Children's Hospital though. We'll go back to assess her development the end of the month. In the mean time, she has learned to roll over in both directions. Tonight, the girls were practicing synchronized rolling on the floor with Chloe. We laughed until we about fell over. She seems to be very excited that she can actually get somewhere on her own.

We're still waiting for blood work to come back before we start immunizations. They did find that Chloe had a parasite from drinking contaminated water, so she been on some nasty medicine for that too. Today was the first day of no more meds :) We'll get her new giardia test results tomorrow to see if one round of medicine got rid of the problem. In the mean time, we just do lots of hand washing after diaper changes so we don't get it too. The other girls don't have the "privilege"of changing diapers yet. Their time is coming though.

Chloe has done a beautiful job of adjusting. She is happy, playful and secure when she's with Greg & I. She was a star at Walmart the other day, just grinning and talking to people as they went by. Of course, Mom was close by. However, when she is not being held by one of us, the fussing & crying is almost immediate. She has truly attached and bonded to us, but right now it's more like a magnet. I keep thinking though of all the things that must be scary to her. Each new sound, a hairdryer, the ice maker, a dog barking, are potentially scary. It's not that Chloe is easily frightened or timid. It's just all new. Greg & I are the one constant that has not changed for a while. This has had a big impact on sleep at our house too. We have not been able to lay her down to even sleep. That means we've spent many a night in the recliner, not to mention all the daytime naps. I wasn't surprised that she'd want to be with us all the time, but the sleeping has taken me back some. With my other girls, even though they needed a lot of attention, at least I could be 'productive' while they were sleeping. This has not been the case with Chloe. I have to hold still while she's sleeping too. I wish I had made plans to have help around the house, but somehow that just didn't sound necessary before we left. Just getting the dishes done or a load of laundry is a big accomplishment. Our church family has brought meals in this week, so that has been great!

The last few days have been the best yet. Chloe is warming up to the girls and today I was able to leave the room while they were playing with her. Each day we see small steps in her comfort level. She woke up yesterday morning with a smile on her face instead of crying and afraid. It's starting to feel like home.

Chloe is very affectionate. She loves to give big wet sloppy kisses. Sometimes they land right on your nose.

Chloe always has a smile for her Papa. It's been fun to see the obvious bond she has with Dad since he traveled with us.Please continue to pray that Chloe remains healthy and continues to adjust. Please pray too for this mom who's trying to figure out how to take care of 4 kids at once :) Thanks for all your calls - they've been great. Keep them coming.