Building Up Those Muscles!

It's hard to believe that Hannah has only been here with us for two weeks.  She fits in so beautifully it seems as though she's always been here!  The boys have accepted her as "one of us" and life has just continued on as if nothing changed.  It's amazing!

You know what else is amazing?  Hannah left a hair bow in her hair for almost an hour without ripping it out!  Okay, okay, it's not really that amazing...but it is super cute!

Hannah had her evaluation for the early intervention with our state this week.  We already knew she would qualify for speech therapy, and we assumed since she isn't walking yet that she may qualify for physical therapy as well.  We learned a lot from the evaluation, including the fact that she has very low muscle tone (low tension or resistance to movement in a muscle when there should be more resistance) which may be part of why she is not yet walking or crawling.  We feel pretty sure that she was held a lot (she is super social and wants to be held so I don't think she was just left in a crib or anything) so this also contributed to why she is delayed.  She will have an evaluation for Occupational Therapy on Friday...it looks like we might be busy for a while!  We don't mind though - we want to do everything we can to help our little one get caught up and we just love the therapists we will be working with.

While we wait to get started with therapy, we have found out that she should not yet be in a bouncer/jumper as she is much more likely to injure her knees or ankles.  She will be getting some stabilizing shoes soon we hope, and then she can jump.  Until then, it's lots of floor time for this little one!  We are working on building up her strength and encouraging her to crawl.  She has already made a lot of progress - when we met her a month ago she would scream when we put her on her belly!  Now look at her go!

I am amazed with how far she's come already and I know it won't be long before I'm chasing her all over the place :)  I just love her so much and I am so thankful she's here in our family!

Monday Ramblings

Life is beginning to settle into a new and comfortable routine.  We are figuring each other out, and figuring out how to get things done with all these little ones running around!  The boys have adjusted better than I could have ever hoped, but that is not to say there haven't been some little bumps along the way.

Nathan just adores his little sister, but there have been some signs showing that he is struggling with the changes.  He has been testing the boundaries in a big way, being defiant and difficult and challenging at every opportunity.  This weekend he just about wore us out!

Along with correcting this behavior we are working hard to let him know that he is still loved and wanted and valued and ours!  He gets lots of cuddles, play time, attention...and he even got to help Daddy with a special job this weekend - shoveling the driveway after it snowed!

This little guy just loves his Daddy so much and doing jobs with him is pretty much Nathan's favorite thing ever!  He is such a helper and took his job seriously!

Hannah is starting to realize just what a fabulous Daddy she has.  She has been fine with him from the beginning (except for one afternoon) but this weekend when he was home after being at work a few days last week she just couldn't get enough of him!  Every time he walked by she lunged for him and wanted to be in his arms.  I think Brad was pretty happy to be getting more love from his little girl :)

Today was a good day - I always dread Mondays for some reason, getting used to being with all the kids by myself again after having Brad home all weekend.  But it was a great day!  We played, did some cleaning, sat at the table and colored and did play dough, went to the store (I conquered my fear of taking all three of them out and they were wonderful!), and all three kids took a super long nap (this has always been a struggle with the boys so it kind of felt like a miracle that they all slept at the same time!).

Little Miss Hannah figured out today how to scoot around the room on her behind and this made her so happy!  She was much more content to be down on the floor playing and I felt a lot of relief that she didn't just want to be held all day.  We're making progress!

Favorite China Pictures (Part One)

I thought I'd try and share some of my favorite pictures from China over the next couple of weeks.  What an amazing trip!  It is crazy to look at these and to know that I was really there!

A park in Nanchang that we often walked to - it was on the way to Walmart :)

Our hotel in Nanchang - really nice, great experience

"Galactic Peace Hotel"

Inside the lobby was all decorated for Chinese New Year

Soon after we met Hannah!

Our view from the hotel in Nanchang (city of about 4 million I think it was)

Beautiful girl :)

She really hates tummy time...with a passion!

Although you can't tell from this picture...

Shopping at Walmart

Out for a walk!

Lots of smiles at the hotel!

More to come...

One Week Home

What a week it has been!  So much better than I ever could have hoped for.  I had prayed so many times that Hannah would just blend seamlessly into our family, but to see it happen...what a gift!  It really feels as though she has always been here.  She brings such joy to all of us and waking up to her smile every day is just wonderful.

A little update on all of us this last week:

Miss Hannah - she is doing so well!  For the first 5 nights we saw a LOT of grief in the form of screams, tears, hysterics, back arching, sobbing at bedtime.  She was waking up a lot at night and crying (which she never did in China).  It was very difficult to watch and she did not really want comfort from me (well, she did and she didn't - she would push me away, then reach for me, then push me away...over and over until finally falling asleep).  The last two nights have been so much better as she has had a lot less crying at bedtime (none last night) and she has slept through the night!  Last night after she fell asleep in my arms I laid her in her crib and she stayed there asleep all night :)  I was so thankful as she has been a very restless sleeper and I've received quite a few blows to the head in the middle of the night!

During the day Hannah is pretty happy...except when I put her down :)  Actually, she will do okay for a little while playing on the floor or in the bouncer, but if I make eye contact she reaches for me.  I think it's a combo of having been carried a lot in her foster home and everything being so new here.  It's a bit of a struggle because I can't carry her around 24 hours a day, there are things to do, but I also want her to feel safe and secure, and I want her to have the chance to build some muscles, to realize she can get around on her own and that she has to work for that.  So we do short spurts on the floor or at the table in her booster seat and she does quite well.

We saw the pediatrician this week and it went very well - no surprises about her health which was wonderful.  Our little peanut weighs in at a whopping 17 pounds 10 ounces (which does not even put her on the chart!) but we expect her to do some catching up in the next few months and the doctor expects her to do just fine.  

Her motor skills are improving so much already.  When we met Hannah she was wobbly when sitting, and she did not want to put her feet down or try to stand up.  Let me tell you, this little girl now loves to motor!!!  Her favorite thing to do is for one of us to hold her hands while she walks around the room giggling, babbling and smiling!  We have an evaluation for physical therapy next week but honestly I don't think it's going to take her long to get going.  She'll soon be running after those brothers of hers!

Speaking of the big boys...they are doing amazingly well!  After we came home from Korea we had quite a challenging time because Nathan was M-A-D that we left him for a while and he let us know it! Thankfully this time he was back to his normal self after just a few minutes (he did snub me a bit when I first walked in the door - just had to let me know he wasn't happy I guess!).  The boys just love their little sister.  If you want to find Nathan, just look for Hannah and you will find Nathan about three inches away from her :)

We are getting into a groove and finding our new normal much more quickly than I expected.  I must admit, three kids under five is EXHAUSTING!  There is always somebody needing me, wanting up, asking for food, spilling something...you get the picture.  I don't sit down much but that is okay.  I'm so thankful for the chance to be Mom to these little ones.  It is such a blessing and I don't take any of it for granted.  

I look into these eyes and I know without a doubt that it is all worth it!

Flying Solo

Today was Brad's first day back to work...my first day solo with three kids.

Yikes!

When I asked Brad how he thought it would go, he said he expected I'd be calling him by 11am asking when he was coming home.

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

No, actually he just knows how much work these littles are!  And also it's possible that when Nathan came home he got a lot of these phone calls!

So of course I just had to prove him wrong and not make a single phone call asking him to come home :)  

We had a simply wonderful day - I am so thankful!

My two big boys are just that - BIG boys!  They are so helpful, they did great listening, they played well (until later in the day when Nathan was crashing because he wouldn't nap...).  It was great!

This morning I decided we needed to get out of the house for a bit so we bundled up and headed out for a walk.  The boys took turns riding in the stroller and walking, and Hannah seemed to enjoy being out (even if it is WAY colder here than she is used to!).

I love the cuteness that was staring up at me from the stroller!

We spent the rest of the day playing, eating, trying to keep the house from becoming a total disaster, and after lunch we all took a rest.

A friend came for a visit later in the day (so great to see another adult!!!) and then Brad was home!

It was a good day...but I am exhausted and looking forward to bedtime!!!!

I'm hoping that all three sleep through the night again like they did LAST NIGHT!  But I'm not counting on it :)

Life These Days

Life these days

is full of smiles!

As we learn how to be a family...

Learn new skills, like drinking from a sippy cup...

...and using a spoon!

It has been wonderful having Brad home.

He goes back to work tomorrow.  Sigh.

The boys have loved having this time with him.

There have been some difficult times over the last couple of days

but that is for another post.

For today, I'll just share some of the cuteness!

Sweet girl, we are SO glad you're here!

Gotcha Day Photos

 I've been up since 4:30am (thank you, jet lag) and so I've been going through my China photos!  I wanted to share some from the day we met Hannah.  It seems like so long ago now!  My poor sweet girl had quite a rough time at the beginning but thankfully the tears only lasted about an hour before that amazing smile came out.

 I thought I was going to pass out 

when I saw them carrying her in! 

She was so confused and scared...it was so hard to know what she was going through and to not be able to make it better.

Every time one of my babies has been handed to me I have found it really hard to let them go even for a minute...even to Daddy!  But he wanted a turn :)

Our first picture all together.

This picture is blurry but I feel like it really shows how sad and scared she was.  She wouldn't even look at us :(  She had lots of layers of clothes so that combined with the screaming led to some very hot pink cheeks!

And then all of a sudden...Daddy got a smile!  He showed her Pinky Stinky, they started to play, and a little giggle emerged.  It was so precious!

Can you even believe this is the same child, less than an hour later?  She was all smiles!

I have a daughter!  So blessed.

Things are going really well here at home and I hope to share more about that soon.  The boys have been amazing - such an answer to prayer!  Hannah is adjusting, though we have seen a lot more grieving from her since we've been home.  We are seeing her move through it though and know that we'll be settled in no time.  She is such a sweet and wonderful little girl and we are so thankful that she's part of our family!

Full Hands (and a Dirty Kitchen!)

I thought I'd try to get a quick post up before Hannah wakes up...life is kind of busy these days (can't imagine why!).  We were so excited to arrive home on Thursday evening after a very long (and very exhausting) trip.  Seeing our boys again was absolutely wonderful!  Our flight went well (I mean, as well as a 14 hour flight with a baby can go...it had its difficult moments but overall it was okay).  It is just really hard to entertain a little one in a confined space for that long.  Hannah did great playing for about 8 hours and took one short nap, but around 8pm she wanted to go to sleep for the night.  She would fall asleep, and then after 20 or 30 minutes she wanted to stretch out and move, but of course she was on my lap so she couldn't really, so she'd wake up and cry...this repeated over and over for the last 5 hours of the flight.  Picture me with my eyes bugging out of my head - that's kind of how I felt by the end of it!  Still, I know it could have been so much worse and I just thank God for His mercies in bringing us home safely.

I was so glad to be off that plane and the tears started falling once we made it through customs and saw Josh and Amanda, Brad's brother and his wife, who had come to the airport to pick us up.  I have never been so glad to be home!  We were nervous about the 4 hour ride home as Hannah had never been in a car seat, but after crying/fussing for about 20 minutes she fell asleep for most of the ride!  She woke up happy with just a little while to go.

Walking into my house was the best feeling ever!  The boys were so happy we were home and I just couldn't wait to hold them.  They seem enormous to me now after holding a little peanut for two weeks :)  Brad came in after me with Hannah and both of the boys seemed happy to see her.  We visited for a little while with Brad's parents and my parents, then everyone headed out and we settled in for the night as a family of five!

Let me just say...three little kiddos feels like a lot right now!

Things are going really well, and Hannah is fitting into our family pretty seamlessly but it is still an adjustment to getting used to the new dynamics.  The boys were a little emotional the first night, just wanting us to hold them a lot (totally understandable).  Hannah looked terrified when Brad brought her in our house - a combo of being tired, in a new place, with lots of new people.  Oh yes, and the dog...she's pretty petrified of the dog.  Yesterday we saw her start to settle in and I don't think it will be long until she's really comfortable here.  She seems to like the boys a lot, and they have been so sweet to her, which I'm really thankful for.  They bring her toys, play with her, try to make her laugh, and Nathan loves to be the "bottle-maker" helper with Brad.  I really think we will find our new normal sooner rather than later and all will be well :)

Sleep is still a work-in-progress, and anyone who has traveled knows how difficult jet lag can be.  We did pretty well the first night, but last night Hannah had a fever and was up from 10:30pm-3:30am...ouch!  Still, I am shocked how good I feel (three years of Matthew and Nathan seems to have prepared me for sleeplessness!!!!) and I'm ready for the day.

Our hands are full, our kitchen is messy...life is so good!

Almost Time To Say Good-Bye

I feel like I should blog but I'm kind of stuck. Honestly we haven't been up to too much the last couple of days and all we can think about is going home. Nothing is wrong; in fact it's quite the opposite. Things here are wonderful. It's just time. We are ready to find our new normal, ready to see our boys, ready for everyone to meet Hannah.

I can't wait to get home, but I am dreading the 14 hour flight, that's for sure. We did most of our packing today and tomorrow we are just going to shop a little more with some friends and then finish up our packing before saying good-bye to China on Thursday morning, Yesterday we had our consulate appointment and today our guide dropped off Hannah's passport with her U.S. visa in it along with all the paperwork we need to get into the States so we are good to go!

Hannah continues to do very well and as the days go by we see her spunky side emerging :) I think she's going to hold her own with her two brothers just fine! I can't get over how adorable she is. People often comment on how expressive and beautiful her eyes are and I have to agree! We don't see much crying from her but when we do (like when we take her out of the tub) it's so stinking cute I have to try not to smile!

We are so thankful for the time we have had here and I really feel like its achieved its purpose. Seeing and experiencing China has been incredible and I am so glad we could come. Having time with Hannah like this has created a bond that we could not so easily have formed at home with the craziness of life. It truly has been a gift!

Three More Days!

I have purposefully not been counting how many days were left in my trip because for me that just makes it harder and I wanted to try to really "be all here" for this trip. I feel like I have accomplished that - I have been missing my boys a lot but not really pining for home. Until today that is :) All of a sudden I feel done. I just want to get home and to start our new life as a family of 5. This trip has been incredible and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to experience Hannah's culture and to learn about where she was born. I'm also thankful for the time we have had to bond with Hannah. It has been great to be able to focus our time and attention on her.

Speaking of Hannah...she is still doing very well! She seems to be very comfortable with both Brad and I and will go easily to either one of us. Right now all three of us are hanging out on the bed (it is Sunday afternoon). Brad is snoozing and Hannah is happily playing with her toys. We have been sitting here for over an hour and she has yet to fuss at all. She loves having her diaper off so she's just hanging out on a towel, but she doesn't really need to be - she has started signing "more" in the last two days and she uses this to tell us that she has to go potty (she signs more then lifts her hands up for us to pick her up). She has started to come out of her shell a little more the last couple of days and has started rolling and scooting on her bottom a little bit. When she first came to us she would not even put her feet down to stand up. If she did stand up with us holding her it was very short and then she wanted us to pick her up. We have noticed her getting much stronger over the last week and now she happily stands with us holding her and she even tries to take steps! I think she will be crawling in no time.

Yesterday we finished our adoption paperwork with our guide and tomorrow is our Consulate appointment. Everything has been very well organized and taken care of and that part of the trip has not been stressful at all. Both our guides have been wonderful and we are glad to not have to worry about anything.

We have been exploring the area and hanging out with other adoptive families and it has been great. We went to a beautiful park today and enjoyed walking for quite a while. It is 70 degrees here today and its going to be hard to go back home to snow. I'm ready for spring now!

We have three more days here and then we fly home on Thursday. I am dreading the flight but anxious to be home to my boys!