One Week Home

It's been a week  since Melaina's been in our home.

She's still having a difficult time transitioning into our family.

I haven't seen her "China" personality yet.

We haven't seen this face.

But she's definately smitten with daddy!

Her eating has improved dramatically, eating 2-3 servings of food.

She's regressed emotionally since our time in China.

I know the little girl in China will warm up soon.

What I do see in Melaina is the love she has for her sisters.

Teething & getting a cold doesn't help.

She's wiped out. Notice the drool on her chin, poor baby.

Melaina is sleeping well for the most part. She naps for 1 1/2- 2 hrs & goes to bed around 8.  A few times she's woke up at 10ish & wants to play.  She'll sleep until 7-8am.
Harper has been the best big sister. She's been so patient with Melaina even when Melaina hits her.
Transition isn't easy for this little one.

 

It was a tough week.
I'm hoping this week will get better with our little girl

We're home

We made it home safe & sound Saturday night.

The 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago was fairly uneventful.

Suprisingly, Melaina did awesome. She took a few cat naps & slept for 4 1/2 hours straight! The time she was awake, she played & laughed.

We then flew from Chicago to St Louis & she slept the entire flight.

There was severe weather in St Louis so our plane had to stay on the runway for about 45 minutes. Luckily we were able to get off the plane but it took 2 hours to get our bags. It could have been worse, waiting on the runway for that long.

We were happily welcomed by our family. Harper made a mad dash & went straight to Melaina & gave her a giant hug first.

She then hugged me so tightly telling me she loved me & missed me! My heart was melting.

Melaina quickly, or should I say immediately, warmed up to Daddy & Bria.

She's been Daddy's sidekick since then!

We've been in our home since Sunday afternoon & are still adjusting. Jet lag is kicking our butts!

Sleeping has been our biggest issue. Melaina is still on China time & loves the hours of midnight to 4am.  We're working on establishing a routine with naps & bedtime. I know it will get better but it's so hard trying to function on a few hours of sleep. I'm the person that truely gets at least 8 hours of sleep a night, so this has been exhausting for me.

Melaina was very timid & uncomfortable the first day at our house.  Each day she feels more comfortable & is acting more like the Melaina that I saw in China.

Harper & Melaina really seem to like each other. Harper is being such a great big sister & showing Melaina how to eat different foods, how to use a spoon & how to play. It's pretty cute to watch.

Their age difference is enough for Harper to be the "helper" & Melaina to be the "baby". Harper loves to help make the bottle & change diapers.

I've even seen Melaina making the first move on Harper for a kiss... pretty sweet.

Melaina is picking up & understanding English well.

The words she can say so far are: Mama, Baba (daddy in Chinese), bye bye, puppy, apple, shoe & tickle.

She's a sharp kid, much like Harper & will mimic things quickly.

Her strength is improving & even took a few steps on her own tonight.

With more nutrition & confidence, I believe she'll be walking by herself soon.

I haven't taken hardly any pictures since we've been home but we caught this one in the car tonight from our phone:

Car seat - Car seat

This is the beginning of a budding friendship.

Day 10

Today we went to the pearl market & Lychee Bay.

We went to the same pearl market the last time we were here & bought pearls, so we didn't get anything this time.

Mom & I were able to walk this huge mall & check things out, although we didn't get very far.

We then went to Lychee Bay & had a peaceful, relaxing walk around the park. 

Families in our group

Melaina's new boyfriend!

If the photos seem hazy, it's real.  We haven't seen the sun shine since we've been in China.

After naptime, I took Melaina to the outdoor kiddie area at our hotel.

Her favorite

Another good day!

If I haven't mentioned, we're at the China Hotel Marriott in Guangzhou. The accomodations are very nice.

We have a suite with access to the executive lounge which has breakfast (we eat bfast at the buffet) & evening appetizers, drinks & cocktails.  During the day, there's water, soda & coffee available, so we never have to go outside our hotel for drinks.

We eat dinner in the lounge because there's a variety of  food filling enough for dinner.

 Having the lounge reduces the stress of trying to figure out where to eat dinner.

The hotel & staff are absolutely wonderful.

I highly recommend the Marriott!

Day 9

YunTai Park

We're still hanging in there. Have I mentioned how homesick we are?

Melaina continues to progress especially with food!

So far, she's eating a ton of oatmeal & yogurt (drinkable) at breakfast.  Bananas & dry cereal have also been a staple around here.

Each day she'll try something new:  taco meat, the filling of a dumpling, steamed rice &

drumroll......noodles!

We skyped with Neil & Harper during their dinner time & they were eating ramen noodles, coincidentally, she tried & ate a few noodles shortly after that.

Having a big sis around to mimic should open her up to more foods.

We know Harper isn't picky & doesn't miss a meal.

She seems to be attaching just fine.  She still will easily go with a Chinese person if they hold out their arms to hold her.  When I leave the room or step away she'll say Mama, but not much of a reaction when I return. 

By the end of the 2 weeks with Harper, she was securely attached to us & would NOT go to another person, not even Mimi.

Once we get home to our new normal, Melaina will love us.

BTW, we've showed her our dogs while skyping & gets a little smile on her face :)

We were told she's scared of dogs, cats & stuffed animals.

She kisses the stuffed animals, so I'm not sure who was afraid, her or her foster family.

We'll see....

Day 8

Pedestrian-Medicine Street

Older gent speaking to Melaina

Black ants

The only brave soul of the bunch willing to try

Later on, we went to Shaiman Island

Lucy's

An American restaurant

I had to throw this one in

Harper & Daddy in China on the island

I miss them soooo much

Breaking news....

Melaina took her first steps!

I'm so proud of her :)



Day 7

Today we went to a non religious temple with the families in our group.  Again, it was cold & rainy but we toughed it out.

We went to another local Chinese restaurant....

The local food has been excellent, I don't think mom & I have missed a meal since we've been here.

Melaina continues to progress each day.  We played on the bed in the afternoon & I showed her how to crawl.  I don't think she's ever had to do anything on her own. 

She's coming along beautifully! 

Day 6

We flew from Chengdu to Guangzhou on Friday night.  Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes so we didn't get to our hotel until nearly 11pm.

Melaina was a champ on the plane & even ate some rice!

We didn't get to bed until  after midnight & had to be up & ready by 9am for the medical exam.

Melaina weighs 22 lbs & is 35 inches tall.

She was a trooper during the exam. The only time she cried was when she couldn't have the squeaky toy that was used for the hearing test.

Later on in the evening, our guide took us to a local Chinese restaurant.

This was my chance to try the baby carrier. She seemed to like it.

I had this for Harper but she couldn't sit still & was too squirmy.

We're in Guangzhou now with about 10 other families. It's so nice being here & keeping busy which make the days fly by.

The weather is cold & rainy, much like Chengdu....not fun.

We've been exhausted, barely being able to stay up past 9 so my blogging has been minimal.

Melaina is doing much better & getting more comfortable with us. She still won't eat a ton of food & will only drink water & a little bit of formula.

Her strength is improving but she still won't take a step on her own. She's so scared & hasn't gained any confidence yet. We'll keep trying...

Day 5

We spent our last day in Chengdu at Renmin People's Park.

This is the Chinese version of Match.com

People post their gender, age, hobbies, phone number & what they're looking for in a companion & hang up the pieces of paper. 

This is an 88 yr old ?male/female looking for an 87 yr old ?male/female!

Goodbye Chengdu...it was fun!

Day 4

We're at the end of the first leg of the trip. I'm looking forward to moving on to another city.

Chengdu has been gloomy, rainy & cold.

It's hard to get out & about with a baby with this weather.

The forecast in Guangzhou doesn't look any better. Rain Rain Rain

Melaina is doing a little bit better each day.

She ate a banana all by herself (whooppee!)

Started experimenting & feeding herself

And decided she really likes it

We had alot time to kill today so we headed to Ole McDonald's

It seemed like she'd been there before...

She knew exactly what to do with the ketchup!

Her personality is starting to come out.  She's a little flirt who blows kisses & smiles at  anyone that looks at her.

Naptime & bedtime is still tough. The sobs of grief are heartbreaking to watch.

I'm hoping that a change in atmosphere will help.

Tomorrow we head to Guangzhou.

Seven more days & we'll be home, but who's counting.

I'm sooo homesick :(