Yesterday I had my first homeschool portfolio review. (In Maryland, if you're not under an umbrella group you have 2 reviews each year to make sure your kids are really learning something.) I was a little nervous, but the lady doing the review said everything looked great and she had no concerns! She was really friendly and even gave me a couple resource lists of ideas to use. I was fairly confident that Ethan's schooling is going well, but it feels good to have someone else say so!
Today we're having a big snowstorm, so of course the entire area has shut down. Our church meets in a school so the county makes the decision on weather cancellations. Yesterday--before there was a single flurry--the county cancelled all weekend activities, which means we can't have church tomorrow, even if the roads are totally clear! Good ol' Maryland. The grocery stores were all packed too, everyone stocking up for the coming apocalypse of snow. It's just funny because when I lived in Illinois we could have 3 feet of snow coming down and we'd still have to go to school. (I do remember school being closed for a "cold day" though--negative 30 windchill.) But despite the terror that seems to hit the masses here, the snow right now is gorgeous! I even went sledding with Ethan this morning...I hadn't done that in years! Ethan could stay out all day and never get tired of it. Right now he and Heath are still out shoveling (which is kind of pointless since it's coming down faster than they can scoop it up).
Tabitha, on the other hand, is terrified of the snow. She was completely bundled in snow gear so she couldn't even feel it, but if I tried to set her down instead of holding her, she'd scream like I was putting her down in hot lava. Jesse enjoyed the snow for a little bit, but he gets cold fast so he usually comes in pretty quick, much to Ethan's dismay.
Mmmm...such a nice day to be snowed in. Right now I'm in my snuggly sweat pants and ready to do some baking and hot-chocolate drinking. And then maybe I'll sit by the fire and read for a few hours while all the children play quietly and peacefully without disturbing me. (Well, I can dream anyway.) =)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
The New Normal
Well, I am very excited to announce that we have been home for one month! And I'm even more excited to say that life is getting easier! I no longer feel like we're recovering from travel and adoption . . . I feel like we're settling into our "new normal."
I also realized a big OOPS in my posting. Thanksgiving Day was our one-month anniversary of adopting Tabitha, and I didn't mention it! On October 26th, we signed the papers and were given an official certificate saying that she's ours. Such a special thing to be thankful for this year. And the best part is, I'm finally coming out of the "fog" and actually feeling thankful!
This past week or so has been much better. Tabitha's sleep is improving, and her tantrums are diminishing. Not gone of course, but more like a typical 2-year-old rather than the outrageous ones we had been experiencing. We haven't had to go to any doctors appointments for her since the strep throat, and that's been a nice break. She seems to be settling into her new life pretty well, and I'm feeling more attached to her.
Tabitha's no longer afraid of Shadow and even tolerates her being around while we're eating (without attempting to kill her with dirty looks). The catheter is no big deal now--she even tries to help! She also plays with her dolls and isn't afraid of them anymore. (But if you try to tuck a furry friend or doll in to sleep with her she violently throws it on the floor. I guess she doesn't want to share her bed!) She holds her silverware like an American adult--we can't figure out how she learned that since Chinese adults usually use either chopsticks or spoons with a different handgrip. She also continues her favorite pasttime that we first discovered in China . . . she loves to stack papers into neat little piles. She also loves to write with pen and pencil on them, but heaven help anyone who tried to give her crayons and a coloring book. I guess that's seriously beneath her dignity! I still have little success on doing her hair, but I guess I'll keep learning. She's picking up new words and learning a little bit of sign language VERY quickly. She also falls asleep faster than any child I've ever seen (as long as she's not having a temper tantrum at bedtime). If we let her hold onto one of our fingers she'll be instantly asleep in less than 2 minutes. It's really quite precious. She definitely knows who Mommy and Daddy are now, and has started to prefer us to strangers. Yay!! She does do fine in the nursery though, so Heath and I were able to relax during the church service this past week.
Heath and I might even be able to go on a real date next weekend. (Tabitha doesn't have to be cathed at night, so if we go out at bedtime we can stay out late!) Ethan and Jesse are still treating her pretty well, but you can definitely tell they're all siblings now--complete with the squabbles and tattling and all.
So, as we move on with life, this will conclude my posts with the label "adoption." From now on, it'll just be LIFE!
I also realized a big OOPS in my posting. Thanksgiving Day was our one-month anniversary of adopting Tabitha, and I didn't mention it! On October 26th, we signed the papers and were given an official certificate saying that she's ours. Such a special thing to be thankful for this year. And the best part is, I'm finally coming out of the "fog" and actually feeling thankful!
This past week or so has been much better. Tabitha's sleep is improving, and her tantrums are diminishing. Not gone of course, but more like a typical 2-year-old rather than the outrageous ones we had been experiencing. We haven't had to go to any doctors appointments for her since the strep throat, and that's been a nice break. She seems to be settling into her new life pretty well, and I'm feeling more attached to her.
Tabitha's no longer afraid of Shadow and even tolerates her being around while we're eating (without attempting to kill her with dirty looks). The catheter is no big deal now--she even tries to help! She also plays with her dolls and isn't afraid of them anymore. (But if you try to tuck a furry friend or doll in to sleep with her she violently throws it on the floor. I guess she doesn't want to share her bed!) She holds her silverware like an American adult--we can't figure out how she learned that since Chinese adults usually use either chopsticks or spoons with a different handgrip. She also continues her favorite pasttime that we first discovered in China . . . she loves to stack papers into neat little piles. She also loves to write with pen and pencil on them, but heaven help anyone who tried to give her crayons and a coloring book. I guess that's seriously beneath her dignity! I still have little success on doing her hair, but I guess I'll keep learning. She's picking up new words and learning a little bit of sign language VERY quickly. She also falls asleep faster than any child I've ever seen (as long as she's not having a temper tantrum at bedtime). If we let her hold onto one of our fingers she'll be instantly asleep in less than 2 minutes. It's really quite precious. She definitely knows who Mommy and Daddy are now, and has started to prefer us to strangers. Yay!! She does do fine in the nursery though, so Heath and I were able to relax during the church service this past week.
Heath and I might even be able to go on a real date next weekend. (Tabitha doesn't have to be cathed at night, so if we go out at bedtime we can stay out late!) Ethan and Jesse are still treating her pretty well, but you can definitely tell they're all siblings now--complete with the squabbles and tattling and all.
So, as we move on with life, this will conclude my posts with the label "adoption." From now on, it'll just be LIFE!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving Week!
I've never been very good at refraining from complaining, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm going to change my outlook and list my top things to be thankful for this week.
#5 Hood College did an abridged version of Handel's Messiah. Heath and I had our first time out away from the kids last Sunday, but we're on a 3-hour schedule for Tabitha's catheter. Add travel time to that, and we were wondering if we'd get to see the whole concert. We did. :) Some day we'll supposedly be able to be away for more than a couple hours at a time.
#4 Tabitha enjoys taking medicine and likes yogurt. Why are we thankful for that? Well, after four days of a high fever and abdominal pain, we thought she had a bladder infection or something serious related to her special needs. So it was actually quite comical when it turned out to be just strep throat. Thus we add another antibiotic to her daily regimen and more yogurt to her diet.
#3 Tabitha's a good actress. So far when we've gone out to other people's houses, Tabitha has been mainly good, with only a few tantrums thrown in for good measure. So everyone says, "Aw, ain't she cute. What a nice little girl." Ha--if they only knew! (OK, OK, sarcasm aside . . . she IS a cute and sweet little girl. When she's not having a meltdown she's quite adorable. And today at church, while I was helping in her class, she was sharing with another little girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The litte girl proceeded to hit her and pull her hair. At that moment, I really did appreciate what a sweetie Tabitha is.)
#2 I'm good at faking sleep. Well, I don't really fake it, but if I'm slow enough to get out of bed when Tabitha wakes up, Heath usually beats me to it, and I can stay in bed. =) (Just kidding, honey. Thanks for being so awesome and letting me sleep.) The last two nights at precisely 11:30, Tabitha has thrown tantrums in her sleep! Now that takes talent! I think it may be night terrors. She was incosolable for a good 10 minutes or so, and then finally she calmed down and went back to sleep. This has only happened twice, but most nights she's still waking up crying a couple times. (We have our first post-adoption visit with the social worker coming up soon, and we plan to discuss these issues with her. And if any adoptors of toddlers have advice, please share!)
#1 Children eventually fall asleep. This evening we had our little family Advent story, sang a song together, sat around the lighted tree, and then made candy canes together. It was almost picture-perfect. But then Ethan decided to touch the candy in the pan to see if it was cool enough yet. It wasn't. Tabitha decided that not being allowed to eat the molten candy was reason enough for a meltdown that lasted until bedtime. Jesse was fine until he was told to get in bed. So, at 7:53 pm Ethan's crying over his burned finger, Jesse's crying over having to go to bed, Tabitha's crying because that's what Tabitha does, and Heath and I . . . well, we had to laugh lest we flee the house in despair! But now, all is quiet upstairs, and I can revel in this moment of peace.
So this week has been another tough one, and even included a couple other challenges I can't post about. BUT . . . I'm not giving up. Some days I've been tempted to, but God (with the help of Heath and others) keeps bringing me through to the next good day.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair. . . . We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (From 2 Corinthians 4; And if Paul could call his troubles "light and momentary", mine certainly are.)
#5 Hood College did an abridged version of Handel's Messiah. Heath and I had our first time out away from the kids last Sunday, but we're on a 3-hour schedule for Tabitha's catheter. Add travel time to that, and we were wondering if we'd get to see the whole concert. We did. :) Some day we'll supposedly be able to be away for more than a couple hours at a time.
#4 Tabitha enjoys taking medicine and likes yogurt. Why are we thankful for that? Well, after four days of a high fever and abdominal pain, we thought she had a bladder infection or something serious related to her special needs. So it was actually quite comical when it turned out to be just strep throat. Thus we add another antibiotic to her daily regimen and more yogurt to her diet.
#3 Tabitha's a good actress. So far when we've gone out to other people's houses, Tabitha has been mainly good, with only a few tantrums thrown in for good measure. So everyone says, "Aw, ain't she cute. What a nice little girl." Ha--if they only knew! (OK, OK, sarcasm aside . . . she IS a cute and sweet little girl. When she's not having a meltdown she's quite adorable. And today at church, while I was helping in her class, she was sharing with another little girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The litte girl proceeded to hit her and pull her hair. At that moment, I really did appreciate what a sweetie Tabitha is.)
#2 I'm good at faking sleep. Well, I don't really fake it, but if I'm slow enough to get out of bed when Tabitha wakes up, Heath usually beats me to it, and I can stay in bed. =) (Just kidding, honey. Thanks for being so awesome and letting me sleep.) The last two nights at precisely 11:30, Tabitha has thrown tantrums in her sleep! Now that takes talent! I think it may be night terrors. She was incosolable for a good 10 minutes or so, and then finally she calmed down and went back to sleep. This has only happened twice, but most nights she's still waking up crying a couple times. (We have our first post-adoption visit with the social worker coming up soon, and we plan to discuss these issues with her. And if any adoptors of toddlers have advice, please share!)
#1 Children eventually fall asleep. This evening we had our little family Advent story, sang a song together, sat around the lighted tree, and then made candy canes together. It was almost picture-perfect. But then Ethan decided to touch the candy in the pan to see if it was cool enough yet. It wasn't. Tabitha decided that not being allowed to eat the molten candy was reason enough for a meltdown that lasted until bedtime. Jesse was fine until he was told to get in bed. So, at 7:53 pm Ethan's crying over his burned finger, Jesse's crying over having to go to bed, Tabitha's crying because that's what Tabitha does, and Heath and I . . . well, we had to laugh lest we flee the house in despair! But now, all is quiet upstairs, and I can revel in this moment of peace.
So this week has been another tough one, and even included a couple other challenges I can't post about. BUT . . . I'm not giving up. Some days I've been tempted to, but God (with the help of Heath and others) keeps bringing me through to the next good day.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair. . . . We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (From 2 Corinthians 4; And if Paul could call his troubles "light and momentary", mine certainly are.)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back . . .
. . . Well, at least I hope it's not the opposite! I do think overall things are improving. We've had quite the week though. Once again Heath was home from work this week. Not by choice, but it is definitely a blessing that I've had him here! This week in Tabitha's life consisted of surgery, general anesthesia, 2 days of vomiting, serious constipation, learning intermittent catheritization, doctor-directed relief of the constipation (you can imagine what that's like), and a few amazing temper tantrums. BUT . . . I do still feel like we're moving forward. Here are more details of the week (don't read the rest of this if you're squeamish or just feel no need to know such things). =)
I posted last week that things were getting better, but then Monday came. We took Tabitha to JH for a scope surgery. The doctors are trying to figure out exactly what was completed in her surgeries in China and what they still need to do. Our agency's working on getting the surgery notes, but I guess it's a difficult process. Dr. Gearhart said she was born with common cloaca (you can look it up if you want details). They partially repaired it in China, but she'll still need more surgeries. To do the scope she was put under general anesthesia. I have no experience with this at all--I've never been hospitalized, never had a child go through anything major, I'm totally naive in this department. Everything went well with the surgery, and next they want to do an MRI and ultrasound to get a better idea of what's going on in there. The x-ray also showed that the bowels were not functioning properly and she was extremely constipated. All was fine until she woke up . . . she was just miserable, and she remained that way for the next 48 hours. She couldn't eat or drink without throwing up. She was up most of the next two nights, throwing up on us and just being all around miserable. She kept doubling over in pain, and we didn't know if it was from the surgery, the bladder being full, or the constipation. So many problems, so little experience. Tuesday I had another breakdown, throwing myself a pity party about how we're in way over our heads, and we can't handle all this. Once again, Heath remained calm and collected and handled everything very well--especially the nighttime stuff. He knows how pathetic I am in the middle of the night. =)
Oh, yes, I forgot the most important part. When we were at the hospital Monday, while she was under anesthesia, they taught us how to catherterize her. Up until this point, she'd been wearing a permanent catheter, which is not safe and can lead to lots of infections. So we have to do intermittent catheritization every 2-4 hours. It went fine while she was asleep, but once she was awake it was quite a different story. It took 2 of us to hold her down every time, and she would scream like she was being tortured. Great for bonding with her new parents I'm sure. So, for the first few days I was seriously thinking, "there's no way I can handle this. What will I do when Heath goes back to work? How will we ever go out in public again? Will we never be able to get a babysitter?" Oh yes, and while Tabitha was sick and miserable all our energy was going to her. The worst part was when Ethan said, "Mommy, I don't get to spend any time with you." Great. So now I have one child with medical problems too big for me, and two children whom I'm totally neglecting. I'm sure my outlook would've been better if I'd spent more (well--any) time with the Lord. But I didn't prioritize well, and my stress level proved that.
I share all this, not for pity, but in case someone reading it might be in a similar situation, and also to show that God is still good and will never abandon me, even when I'm not doing a very good job of seeking after Him. Later in the week, things started to improve, and God is showing me (once again) there's no need to feel hopeless--He will carry me through anything He brings into my life. I need to quit doubting, quit complaining, and just trust and walk forward.
Heath had been doing most of the catheritization, and Thursday he said for the first time she didn't fight him! She still cried, but no fighting. Then we had the brilliant idea of bribing her with skittles! So with candy in her mouth, she started to relax, and toned her screaming down to a half-hearted whine. Our plan may have backfired because after a few times with the candy, she started ASKING to be cathed, just to have candy! I can't even explain what a relief this was for me. The doctors had told us that this didn't hurt her, but that she'd complain for the first few days until she got used to it. I totally didn't believe them that it wasn't hurting her--I mean, she was SCREAMING! But when she decided it was worth it just so she could have candy, I realized the doctors were right, and we're really not torturing her. The past 2 days she doesn't fight or cry anymore, and it really is becoming no big deal. Praise the Lord for that!
Yesterday we gave her the medicine for the constipation. The timing was great--we gave it to her, and then the boys and I left for a field trip and were gone for the next eventful few hours. Poor Heath. You're building up those crowns in heaven, Darling. =)
She is no longer having stomach pain, and she lies down to be cathed whenever she feels full. She has totally done a 180 since earlier in the week. By the way, we've had some DELICIOUS meals brought to us this week from people at church. What a blessing that has been!
Besides the medical stuff, we've also had some progress in other areas. She's saying a couple more words and has been much more happy and smiley. However, she's also had two temper tantrums that were completely unfathomable to me. They came out of nowhere, and I have never seen a child so angry. I guess the frustrations of a toddler not being able to express herself and wanting autonomy are mulitiplied 10-fold for her. With virtually no words to communicate with, and all she's been through in her little life I'm trying to be understanding. But at the same time we can't give in and encourage her behavior. This morning Heath is working, so I'm on my own. I don't know if I poured the wrong cereal in Tabitha's bowl or what, but she started throwing a fit in her high chair. I removed her from the table to the couch, and this began AN ENTIRE HOUR of the worst tantrum I have ever been privy to. At this point, I didn't know what she wanted, but even if I did I certainly couldn't give it to her and reward this tantrum! She did FINALLY calm down and allow me to hold and comfort her. Then I sat her back at the table, and she ate her original cereal, drank her juice, and all was well. It's a total mystery to me what set her off or how she could possibly go on so long, but at least she did calm down eventually. So, it's now after 10 am, and I'm still in my pajamas. Great start to the day.
Tabitha will probably read this one day as a teenager, and never forgive me for posting all this. But it's quite therapeutic for me, and helps me be a better mom, so I hope she'll understand. =)
In other news, Ethan and Jesse had their annual check-ups this week too. (We've been at doctor's appointments 5 days out of the 14 we've been home.) Jesse got 4 shots--he was very brave. Ethan was very cooperative for once, but he had some trouble with the eye chart, so the doctor wants him to see an opthamologist. So, that makes 5 appointments scheduled for December so far (4 doctors, me to the dentist), and we're still waiting to be scheduled for Tabitha's MRI. Oh yes, and then we need to get all 3 kids to the dentist. So much fun. But like I said in another post, I will not complain . . . we have probably the best healthcare in the world and excellent insurance. We are blessed.
And speaking of blessings, last night I went to a ladies' night with a group of homeschool moms. It was such a refreshing and fun time! And tomorrow Heath and I get to go see the Messiah with Matt & Bekah, and we even have a babysitter. It'll be our first time out by ourselves! =) I am really looking forward to that.
As Thanksgiving approaches I will be remembering how very much I have to be thankful for. Despite all my belly aching, my life is really much easier than most of the world's, and I have Christ carrying me through the hard parts. I have wonderful friends and family, an awesome husband, and 3 amazing kids. I am so richly blessed.
I posted last week that things were getting better, but then Monday came. We took Tabitha to JH for a scope surgery. The doctors are trying to figure out exactly what was completed in her surgeries in China and what they still need to do. Our agency's working on getting the surgery notes, but I guess it's a difficult process. Dr. Gearhart said she was born with common cloaca (you can look it up if you want details). They partially repaired it in China, but she'll still need more surgeries. To do the scope she was put under general anesthesia. I have no experience with this at all--I've never been hospitalized, never had a child go through anything major, I'm totally naive in this department. Everything went well with the surgery, and next they want to do an MRI and ultrasound to get a better idea of what's going on in there. The x-ray also showed that the bowels were not functioning properly and she was extremely constipated. All was fine until she woke up . . . she was just miserable, and she remained that way for the next 48 hours. She couldn't eat or drink without throwing up. She was up most of the next two nights, throwing up on us and just being all around miserable. She kept doubling over in pain, and we didn't know if it was from the surgery, the bladder being full, or the constipation. So many problems, so little experience. Tuesday I had another breakdown, throwing myself a pity party about how we're in way over our heads, and we can't handle all this. Once again, Heath remained calm and collected and handled everything very well--especially the nighttime stuff. He knows how pathetic I am in the middle of the night. =)
Oh, yes, I forgot the most important part. When we were at the hospital Monday, while she was under anesthesia, they taught us how to catherterize her. Up until this point, she'd been wearing a permanent catheter, which is not safe and can lead to lots of infections. So we have to do intermittent catheritization every 2-4 hours. It went fine while she was asleep, but once she was awake it was quite a different story. It took 2 of us to hold her down every time, and she would scream like she was being tortured. Great for bonding with her new parents I'm sure. So, for the first few days I was seriously thinking, "there's no way I can handle this. What will I do when Heath goes back to work? How will we ever go out in public again? Will we never be able to get a babysitter?" Oh yes, and while Tabitha was sick and miserable all our energy was going to her. The worst part was when Ethan said, "Mommy, I don't get to spend any time with you." Great. So now I have one child with medical problems too big for me, and two children whom I'm totally neglecting. I'm sure my outlook would've been better if I'd spent more (well--any) time with the Lord. But I didn't prioritize well, and my stress level proved that.
I share all this, not for pity, but in case someone reading it might be in a similar situation, and also to show that God is still good and will never abandon me, even when I'm not doing a very good job of seeking after Him. Later in the week, things started to improve, and God is showing me (once again) there's no need to feel hopeless--He will carry me through anything He brings into my life. I need to quit doubting, quit complaining, and just trust and walk forward.
Heath had been doing most of the catheritization, and Thursday he said for the first time she didn't fight him! She still cried, but no fighting. Then we had the brilliant idea of bribing her with skittles! So with candy in her mouth, she started to relax, and toned her screaming down to a half-hearted whine. Our plan may have backfired because after a few times with the candy, she started ASKING to be cathed, just to have candy! I can't even explain what a relief this was for me. The doctors had told us that this didn't hurt her, but that she'd complain for the first few days until she got used to it. I totally didn't believe them that it wasn't hurting her--I mean, she was SCREAMING! But when she decided it was worth it just so she could have candy, I realized the doctors were right, and we're really not torturing her. The past 2 days she doesn't fight or cry anymore, and it really is becoming no big deal. Praise the Lord for that!
Yesterday we gave her the medicine for the constipation. The timing was great--we gave it to her, and then the boys and I left for a field trip and were gone for the next eventful few hours. Poor Heath. You're building up those crowns in heaven, Darling. =)
She is no longer having stomach pain, and she lies down to be cathed whenever she feels full. She has totally done a 180 since earlier in the week. By the way, we've had some DELICIOUS meals brought to us this week from people at church. What a blessing that has been!
Besides the medical stuff, we've also had some progress in other areas. She's saying a couple more words and has been much more happy and smiley. However, she's also had two temper tantrums that were completely unfathomable to me. They came out of nowhere, and I have never seen a child so angry. I guess the frustrations of a toddler not being able to express herself and wanting autonomy are mulitiplied 10-fold for her. With virtually no words to communicate with, and all she's been through in her little life I'm trying to be understanding. But at the same time we can't give in and encourage her behavior. This morning Heath is working, so I'm on my own. I don't know if I poured the wrong cereal in Tabitha's bowl or what, but she started throwing a fit in her high chair. I removed her from the table to the couch, and this began AN ENTIRE HOUR of the worst tantrum I have ever been privy to. At this point, I didn't know what she wanted, but even if I did I certainly couldn't give it to her and reward this tantrum! She did FINALLY calm down and allow me to hold and comfort her. Then I sat her back at the table, and she ate her original cereal, drank her juice, and all was well. It's a total mystery to me what set her off or how she could possibly go on so long, but at least she did calm down eventually. So, it's now after 10 am, and I'm still in my pajamas. Great start to the day.
Tabitha will probably read this one day as a teenager, and never forgive me for posting all this. But it's quite therapeutic for me, and helps me be a better mom, so I hope she'll understand. =)
In other news, Ethan and Jesse had their annual check-ups this week too. (We've been at doctor's appointments 5 days out of the 14 we've been home.) Jesse got 4 shots--he was very brave. Ethan was very cooperative for once, but he had some trouble with the eye chart, so the doctor wants him to see an opthamologist. So, that makes 5 appointments scheduled for December so far (4 doctors, me to the dentist), and we're still waiting to be scheduled for Tabitha's MRI. Oh yes, and then we need to get all 3 kids to the dentist. So much fun. But like I said in another post, I will not complain . . . we have probably the best healthcare in the world and excellent insurance. We are blessed.
And speaking of blessings, last night I went to a ladies' night with a group of homeschool moms. It was such a refreshing and fun time! And tomorrow Heath and I get to go see the Messiah with Matt & Bekah, and we even have a babysitter. It'll be our first time out by ourselves! =) I am really looking forward to that.
As Thanksgiving approaches I will be remembering how very much I have to be thankful for. Despite all my belly aching, my life is really much easier than most of the world's, and I have Christ carrying me through the hard parts. I have wonderful friends and family, an awesome husband, and 3 amazing kids. I am so richly blessed.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Our First Week
Well, we've been home for a full week now. Hard to believe! A lot has gone on this week, and it's been tiring, but I think we're going to make it. Yesterday was the first day I really thought "I can do this!" We're all sleeping well now, everyone's healthy, and things are settling into a somewhat normal routine. We even got in 3 days of school for Ethan. Heath was home all week, which was probably the deciding factor between sanity and my going off the deep end. He's working today, and I think I'm finally to the point where I can survive a day on my own.
Tabitha's come a long way already. Here are some of the areas she's already made huge progress:
The Dog--When Tabitha first saw Shadow her face was more terrified than anything I'd ever seen! For the first couple days she would scream "Mei you! Mei you!" (no, no) whenever she saw Shadow. But soon the fear lessened, and it became more of a game. She'd still scream "mei you", but then she'd laugh. Yesterday she even pet Shadow and gave her a kiss! She still glares at her and says "mei you" if the dog dares come near her while she's eating though. Tabitha's also no longer afraid of dolls! In fact, she now carries her baby doll around the house with her, feeds her a bottle, and tucks her into bed. She did the same thing with a Curious George animal that has huge eyes--so I guess she's over that fear!
Sleep--When we were in China Tabitha slept beautifully. Went right to sleep, slept through anything for a good 11 hours or so. So we thought we had it made. But when we got home that all changed. She was up every couple of hours the first couple nights, and sometimes wouldn't go back to sleep for a long time. But the last two nights she's only woken up twice, and went right back to sleep. And one of those times was because she fell out of her bed, so we can't blame her for that. :) It's amazing how much better I feel when I get a good night's sleep too!
Language--Tabitha seems to understand most of what we tell her, based on context. And she definitely understands the words for eat, change your diaper, go night-night, and some others, and knows her name. She's learning fast! She's starting to mimic us too. So far, we've heard her say: no, uh-oh, mama, ow, Mommy, and yeah. Not bad for a week!
Medical--She's been to the doctor three days in a row, which she was none too happy about. But Heath and I are SO happy with the doctors helping her. Dr. Gearhart and Dr. Trinity at Johns Hopkins are awesome! They saw her Tuesday, were so good with her and made us feel completely comfortable too. They scheduled her to come back on Monday to do a scope surgery (I forget the technical name) to find out exactly what has been done during her surgeries in China, and what needs to be done next. And they'll also teach us how to catheterize her every few hours so she doesn't have to wear the tube all the time. They totally put us at ease about everything, and I am SO thankful to have such great doctors, and so thankful for the friends who referred us there!
Emotional--Well, I think things are going quite well for everyone. I did have a breakdown last Sunday. I was sick again, and overwhelmed by everything, still jetlagged, and not feeling any connection with Tabitha. Thank the Lord for my wonderful husband who took care of the kids and me! The rest of the week has been better, and I feel hopeful now. The kids are all adjusting well to each other, and the boys really enjoy Tabitha and take good care of her. I'm starting to feel like I'm really her mom, and Tabitha's behavior has been improving too. She's quite the drama queen when she doesn't get her way, but I think she's starting to realize that tantrums/hitting/biting don't work, and she's learning to accept "no" a little better--well, as much as can be expected at the age of 2. She's got quite the strong personality, which is challenging, but she also keeps us all entertained with her adorable little expressions and the funny things she does.
So that's how things are going at the Runkles' house. We have so much to be thankful for and are looking forward to what God has in store for our lives as a family of 5.
Tabitha's come a long way already. Here are some of the areas she's already made huge progress:
The Dog--When Tabitha first saw Shadow her face was more terrified than anything I'd ever seen! For the first couple days she would scream "Mei you! Mei you!" (no, no) whenever she saw Shadow. But soon the fear lessened, and it became more of a game. She'd still scream "mei you", but then she'd laugh. Yesterday she even pet Shadow and gave her a kiss! She still glares at her and says "mei you" if the dog dares come near her while she's eating though. Tabitha's also no longer afraid of dolls! In fact, she now carries her baby doll around the house with her, feeds her a bottle, and tucks her into bed. She did the same thing with a Curious George animal that has huge eyes--so I guess she's over that fear!
Sleep--When we were in China Tabitha slept beautifully. Went right to sleep, slept through anything for a good 11 hours or so. So we thought we had it made. But when we got home that all changed. She was up every couple of hours the first couple nights, and sometimes wouldn't go back to sleep for a long time. But the last two nights she's only woken up twice, and went right back to sleep. And one of those times was because she fell out of her bed, so we can't blame her for that. :) It's amazing how much better I feel when I get a good night's sleep too!
Language--Tabitha seems to understand most of what we tell her, based on context. And she definitely understands the words for eat, change your diaper, go night-night, and some others, and knows her name. She's learning fast! She's starting to mimic us too. So far, we've heard her say: no, uh-oh, mama, ow, Mommy, and yeah. Not bad for a week!
Medical--She's been to the doctor three days in a row, which she was none too happy about. But Heath and I are SO happy with the doctors helping her. Dr. Gearhart and Dr. Trinity at Johns Hopkins are awesome! They saw her Tuesday, were so good with her and made us feel completely comfortable too. They scheduled her to come back on Monday to do a scope surgery (I forget the technical name) to find out exactly what has been done during her surgeries in China, and what needs to be done next. And they'll also teach us how to catheterize her every few hours so she doesn't have to wear the tube all the time. They totally put us at ease about everything, and I am SO thankful to have such great doctors, and so thankful for the friends who referred us there!
Emotional--Well, I think things are going quite well for everyone. I did have a breakdown last Sunday. I was sick again, and overwhelmed by everything, still jetlagged, and not feeling any connection with Tabitha. Thank the Lord for my wonderful husband who took care of the kids and me! The rest of the week has been better, and I feel hopeful now. The kids are all adjusting well to each other, and the boys really enjoy Tabitha and take good care of her. I'm starting to feel like I'm really her mom, and Tabitha's behavior has been improving too. She's quite the drama queen when she doesn't get her way, but I think she's starting to realize that tantrums/hitting/biting don't work, and she's learning to accept "no" a little better--well, as much as can be expected at the age of 2. She's got quite the strong personality, which is challenging, but she also keeps us all entertained with her adorable little expressions and the funny things she does.
So that's how things are going at the Runkles' house. We have so much to be thankful for and are looking forward to what God has in store for our lives as a family of 5.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The rest of the story . . .
The two things I didn't post from China were about Jesse being sick and our hospital experience. Probably just being paranoid, but I didn't want to risk them tracking us down for quarrantine or offending anyone with my description of the hospital. So here are the stories.
The Jesse Story
10/20/09 Email to my family:
Well, 24 hours from now we'll be arriving at the airport, ready to fly to
China! I wanted to ask you all for even more prayer . . . last night
Jesse woke up with a horrible cough/wheezing, so bad we had to use the
nebulizer. He's better today, but still coughing. He has allergies, and
this happens to him a lot, so I'm not worried about his health. But we
ARE very worried about the flight. Not only do we not want people to
think that he'll make them sick, but even worse, China is
quarrantining--for 7 days--people with fevers or flu symptoms (because of
the swineflu). The quarrantine has been my biggest fear about the trip,
and now to have Jesse get this cough the day before we leave is horrible.
He has an appointment with the allergist this afternoon. I'm hoping to
get a letter from her saying that it's allergies, so no one will think we
need to be quarrantined. I'm also planning to get a cough suppressant
for him, but all the ones I've found so far for kids are large bottles
which can't be carried on. Please pray that we can get this figured out,
that God would heal him totally TODAY, and that we would not be
quarrantined for any reason. (Even if we're healthy there are rumors
that they quarrantine people who are NEAR sick people too; we just have
no way to know what to expect.) And pray for Heath and me to have peace;
we were both feeling pretty anxious last night.
Thanks so much. I probably won't have an update until after we're there,
but thanks for your continued prayers. We need and appreciate it so
much.
10/21/09 Email to my family:
Well, the bad news is I'm writing this email from Maryland. The good news is we're avoiding quarrantine. This morning we made the decision when Jesse threw up in the van on the way to the airport. Turns out it wasn't allergies, but the good ol' flu. Since I've been to Beijing 3 times, I told Heath he and the others should go and Jesse and I would catch up when he's better. So now we're scheduled to fly out Friday, exactly 48 hours later than planned. That'll get us to Beijing in time to spend one night there, and then we'll all fly onto Xian to get Tabitha. It won't affect the adoption schedule, but it may affect my ability to get my Peking Duck dinner!!
All last night I kept waking up in a panic, thinking about all the "what if's." And this morning was all the "why's". I don't understand why God would say no to our prayer for good health. I mean, Jesse hasn't been sick in several months--why this week? Why this day? Even a day earlier, and we'd probably have been fine to travel. I don't understand at all. But the amazing thing, and the thing that proves to me that prayer does make a difference, is that I'm not a total basket case. Normally I would be ballistic, angry and very upset. I don't handle it well when things don't go according to my plan. I'd been praying for good attitudes whatever challenges we ran into--I just didn't think we'd run into them before we even left! But I guess the prayer has worked. No, God didn't heal Jesse in time for the flight, but He has definitely been working in my heart, and I'm actually at peace with this decision. I guess I'm learning, ever so slowly, that I am NOT in control--no matter how well-planned I may be. God is in control, and I need to surrender that need for control to Him. If nothing else, I guess learning this lesson may be why He allowed this to happen.
Please do continue to pray that Jesse and I get/stay healthy, as well as the other 4 who are on the plane right now. Thanks again.
Love, Erin
The Hospital Story
(the original version that I wrote but didn't post)
By 4:00 we decided we needed to get help. We left the kids with Mom again. They worked on their AWANA verses, "wrote" in their journals, and watched a movie. We took Tabitha down, and exchanged more money to be prepared for a doctor. The assistant manager here speaks English amazingly well, and he was a big help. He sent us to the hotel clinic first, but there was nothing they could do for her there. They said to take her to the hospital. By this time, she was crying, and she wanted to walk because holding her seemed to hurt more, no matter what positions we tried. But soon, she couldn't even walk without pain, so we had to carry her. We were planning to take her to a Western hospital that Kelly R had recommended, but our guide said to meet her at the Children's Hospital, which is very close to here. Not knowing any better, we took her advice. The asst manager got us a taxi, and we headed off. (By the way, once you're off the island, the traffic and insane driving habits are about the same as the other places we've been in China.) When the driver stopped the car, and said "here it is," we were thinking . . . "Where?" He had dropped us off in front of a building that had no doors. It was a courtyard with a skylight roof. There were rows of colorful chairs and various parents and children sitting around. We knew Helen wouldn't be there for awhile because she lives an hour away. Tabitha was crying terribly by this point. Heath was holding her in a standing position, trying to take her weight without putting any pressure on anything. I was trying to communicate with the check-in people. She had us fill out a card, and then said go to the 3rd floor. So we went to the third floor (took awhile because the first stair case was locked half way up), and no one was there. Just a big empty, dirty room, with benches. So we went down to the 2nd floor, thinking maybe we had misunderstood. Here someone saw us looking lost and pointed to a counter. We stood there, waiting for help, but lines don't really exist in China, so there were about 8 other ladies shoving papers to the worker, and we didn't know what to do. I was about to give up and say, let's just go to the Western Hospital with or without our guide (no cell phone to get ahold of her with). But just then someone said, Hello, I'm Kelly--Helen's friend. Praise the Lord. I've never been so relieved. She at least figured out where we needed to be. There was a different section of the 3rd floor, where there was indeed a doctor. There were not different rooms or anything, just cubicles, made of ugly green plastic, and everything was dirty. Kelly explained the problem to the doctor, and he looked confused. They talked for awhile, but didn't seem to make any progress. The doctor scribbled something on what looked like a prescription pad, and sent us out. We went back to where we started to deal with the cashier. OK, our daughter is screaming in pain, and you're making us deal with money first! Unbelieveable. Kelly had a big argument with the cashier, and then went off somewhere else. She came back saying that we needed a deposit of 3,000 yuan (roughly $400+ dollars). We didn't have that much money with us, and they wouldn't accept our credit card--only AmEx. By this time, Helen arrived. She put the deposit on her own credit card. Then they took us to a different section of the hospital. This part was at least fully indoors, but so old, dirty, scary looking. We went into a room, where the doctor looked at the catheter and tried to figure out what to do. Not having her full medical history, he wasn't sure if he should just remove the catheter and put in a new one or not. Helen and Kelly were yelling at the doctors about their lack of urgency. She came back in the room and told us, "Now they're working!" Even if we could speak Chinese, having her help advocating for us was invaluable! Helen called Janet, who called her orphanage worker, who got the doctor's #, and finally the two doctors talked and determined it was OK to put a new catheter in. I don't know why this took an hour. Fortunately, Tabitha had fallen asleep and was calm. Heath had his hand on her back, and he said that when the doctor came in, her heart just started pounding. The poor little girl knows that pain is coming when she sees a doctor. Finally he said it was OK to do the catheter. We all had to hold her down, but as soon as it was done, the urine came right out, and she was immediately out of pain. She calmed down, and wanted to eat and drink. We had to wait awhile longer while Helen got her deposit money back. The total bill was 110 yuan, less than $20. Cheap, but I'll take America's expensive healthcare anytime.
If we ever need medical help again, we will definitely take Kelly's advice and go to the Western clinic. And yet I'm glad for this experience. I am SO thankful for the healthcare we have in the States. I mean, looking around at these poor children and their parents, whose only hope is this dingy, dirty hospital. . . it breaks my heart. We can walk into a doctor's office at home, hand over an insurance card, and have a peaceful, private, safe procedure done, and go home. These children have only this hospital, and their parents don't get to go home in a week to get good care. This is all they have. I will never complain again about sitting in a waiting room too long, or having a crabby nurse check my kids' weights. I dont' know why God allowed this to happen to our little girl, but I think learning firsthand what life could've been for Tabitha is enough. I am SO thankful that we will be taking her home in less than a week, and that she will never have to deal with this kind of situation again.
So, there's the rest of the story. Now, I'm done blogging for awhile! Also, I'll be posting our pictures on snapfish. If you'd like the link, please send me an email and let me know. Thanks again for journeying with us!
The Jesse Story
10/20/09 Email to my family:
Well, 24 hours from now we'll be arriving at the airport, ready to fly to
China! I wanted to ask you all for even more prayer . . . last night
Jesse woke up with a horrible cough/wheezing, so bad we had to use the
nebulizer. He's better today, but still coughing. He has allergies, and
this happens to him a lot, so I'm not worried about his health. But we
ARE very worried about the flight. Not only do we not want people to
think that he'll make them sick, but even worse, China is
quarrantining--for 7 days--people with fevers or flu symptoms (because of
the swineflu). The quarrantine has been my biggest fear about the trip,
and now to have Jesse get this cough the day before we leave is horrible.
He has an appointment with the allergist this afternoon. I'm hoping to
get a letter from her saying that it's allergies, so no one will think we
need to be quarrantined. I'm also planning to get a cough suppressant
for him, but all the ones I've found so far for kids are large bottles
which can't be carried on. Please pray that we can get this figured out,
that God would heal him totally TODAY, and that we would not be
quarrantined for any reason. (Even if we're healthy there are rumors
that they quarrantine people who are NEAR sick people too; we just have
no way to know what to expect.) And pray for Heath and me to have peace;
we were both feeling pretty anxious last night.
Thanks so much. I probably won't have an update until after we're there,
but thanks for your continued prayers. We need and appreciate it so
much.
10/21/09 Email to my family:
Well, the bad news is I'm writing this email from Maryland. The good news is we're avoiding quarrantine. This morning we made the decision when Jesse threw up in the van on the way to the airport. Turns out it wasn't allergies, but the good ol' flu. Since I've been to Beijing 3 times, I told Heath he and the others should go and Jesse and I would catch up when he's better. So now we're scheduled to fly out Friday, exactly 48 hours later than planned. That'll get us to Beijing in time to spend one night there, and then we'll all fly onto Xian to get Tabitha. It won't affect the adoption schedule, but it may affect my ability to get my Peking Duck dinner!!
All last night I kept waking up in a panic, thinking about all the "what if's." And this morning was all the "why's". I don't understand why God would say no to our prayer for good health. I mean, Jesse hasn't been sick in several months--why this week? Why this day? Even a day earlier, and we'd probably have been fine to travel. I don't understand at all. But the amazing thing, and the thing that proves to me that prayer does make a difference, is that I'm not a total basket case. Normally I would be ballistic, angry and very upset. I don't handle it well when things don't go according to my plan. I'd been praying for good attitudes whatever challenges we ran into--I just didn't think we'd run into them before we even left! But I guess the prayer has worked. No, God didn't heal Jesse in time for the flight, but He has definitely been working in my heart, and I'm actually at peace with this decision. I guess I'm learning, ever so slowly, that I am NOT in control--no matter how well-planned I may be. God is in control, and I need to surrender that need for control to Him. If nothing else, I guess learning this lesson may be why He allowed this to happen.
Please do continue to pray that Jesse and I get/stay healthy, as well as the other 4 who are on the plane right now. Thanks again.
Love, Erin
The Hospital Story
(the original version that I wrote but didn't post)
By 4:00 we decided we needed to get help. We left the kids with Mom again. They worked on their AWANA verses, "wrote" in their journals, and watched a movie. We took Tabitha down, and exchanged more money to be prepared for a doctor. The assistant manager here speaks English amazingly well, and he was a big help. He sent us to the hotel clinic first, but there was nothing they could do for her there. They said to take her to the hospital. By this time, she was crying, and she wanted to walk because holding her seemed to hurt more, no matter what positions we tried. But soon, she couldn't even walk without pain, so we had to carry her. We were planning to take her to a Western hospital that Kelly R had recommended, but our guide said to meet her at the Children's Hospital, which is very close to here. Not knowing any better, we took her advice. The asst manager got us a taxi, and we headed off. (By the way, once you're off the island, the traffic and insane driving habits are about the same as the other places we've been in China.) When the driver stopped the car, and said "here it is," we were thinking . . . "Where?" He had dropped us off in front of a building that had no doors. It was a courtyard with a skylight roof. There were rows of colorful chairs and various parents and children sitting around. We knew Helen wouldn't be there for awhile because she lives an hour away. Tabitha was crying terribly by this point. Heath was holding her in a standing position, trying to take her weight without putting any pressure on anything. I was trying to communicate with the check-in people. She had us fill out a card, and then said go to the 3rd floor. So we went to the third floor (took awhile because the first stair case was locked half way up), and no one was there. Just a big empty, dirty room, with benches. So we went down to the 2nd floor, thinking maybe we had misunderstood. Here someone saw us looking lost and pointed to a counter. We stood there, waiting for help, but lines don't really exist in China, so there were about 8 other ladies shoving papers to the worker, and we didn't know what to do. I was about to give up and say, let's just go to the Western Hospital with or without our guide (no cell phone to get ahold of her with). But just then someone said, Hello, I'm Kelly--Helen's friend. Praise the Lord. I've never been so relieved. She at least figured out where we needed to be. There was a different section of the 3rd floor, where there was indeed a doctor. There were not different rooms or anything, just cubicles, made of ugly green plastic, and everything was dirty. Kelly explained the problem to the doctor, and he looked confused. They talked for awhile, but didn't seem to make any progress. The doctor scribbled something on what looked like a prescription pad, and sent us out. We went back to where we started to deal with the cashier. OK, our daughter is screaming in pain, and you're making us deal with money first! Unbelieveable. Kelly had a big argument with the cashier, and then went off somewhere else. She came back saying that we needed a deposit of 3,000 yuan (roughly $400+ dollars). We didn't have that much money with us, and they wouldn't accept our credit card--only AmEx. By this time, Helen arrived. She put the deposit on her own credit card. Then they took us to a different section of the hospital. This part was at least fully indoors, but so old, dirty, scary looking. We went into a room, where the doctor looked at the catheter and tried to figure out what to do. Not having her full medical history, he wasn't sure if he should just remove the catheter and put in a new one or not. Helen and Kelly were yelling at the doctors about their lack of urgency. She came back in the room and told us, "Now they're working!" Even if we could speak Chinese, having her help advocating for us was invaluable! Helen called Janet, who called her orphanage worker, who got the doctor's #, and finally the two doctors talked and determined it was OK to put a new catheter in. I don't know why this took an hour. Fortunately, Tabitha had fallen asleep and was calm. Heath had his hand on her back, and he said that when the doctor came in, her heart just started pounding. The poor little girl knows that pain is coming when she sees a doctor. Finally he said it was OK to do the catheter. We all had to hold her down, but as soon as it was done, the urine came right out, and she was immediately out of pain. She calmed down, and wanted to eat and drink. We had to wait awhile longer while Helen got her deposit money back. The total bill was 110 yuan, less than $20. Cheap, but I'll take America's expensive healthcare anytime.
If we ever need medical help again, we will definitely take Kelly's advice and go to the Western clinic. And yet I'm glad for this experience. I am SO thankful for the healthcare we have in the States. I mean, looking around at these poor children and their parents, whose only hope is this dingy, dirty hospital. . . it breaks my heart. We can walk into a doctor's office at home, hand over an insurance card, and have a peaceful, private, safe procedure done, and go home. These children have only this hospital, and their parents don't get to go home in a week to get good care. This is all they have. I will never complain again about sitting in a waiting room too long, or having a crabby nurse check my kids' weights. I dont' know why God allowed this to happen to our little girl, but I think learning firsthand what life could've been for Tabitha is enough. I am SO thankful that we will be taking her home in less than a week, and that she will never have to deal with this kind of situation again.
So, there's the rest of the story. Now, I'm done blogging for awhile! Also, I'll be posting our pictures on snapfish. If you'd like the link, please send me an email and let me know. Thanks again for journeying with us!
The Homecoming
Well, I'm functioning a little better now. Jesse and Tabitha are both taking naps, so now's my chance to fill in the couple of stories I didn't post from China.
But first, I wanted to record the grand total on our "baby tickers". If you've noticed them on the left side of the blog, they've counted the days we've been waiting. Now that we're on our first day home as a family, I'll turn those off and record the totals. Since we first saw little Wang Xin Fang's referral picture and said "Yes, we want her," it's been 7 months 3 weeks and 1 day. Since we first started the adoption process it's been 1 year 10 months 2 weeks and 2 days. The wait is over, and our new life is beginning!
The end of our trip was fine, though I was tired and eager to be home. I did get better before we had to travel--thank the Lord I wasn't sick on the airplanes! We flew out of Guangzhou on Thursday night, back to Beijing. A shuttle bus took us to the airport hotel. This wasn't a nice one like the others, but it was OK for sleeping. They didn't have cribs there, so Tabitha slept in the bed for the first time. She did fine with that, and she's in a toddler bed here which she likes. Oh, but when we got to the hotel they couldn't find our reservation! Here it is 11 at night, with 7 tired cranky people, and we have no reservation?! But they did find it eventually; not sure what the problem was, but we were then able to go to sleep. We had breakfast there, and then headed back to the airport.
We got there 2 hours early and used every minute of it! The United staff was very helpful in getting us seats together, and even leaving an empty one in the middle of our row so we'd have extra room. Then we went through all the various stations. (By the way, we didn't know this ahead of time, but they were scanning body temperatures on the way out of the country too--glad no one was sick!) We got to our gate when boarding had just started. I wish this next part wasn't my final experience in China, but it is what it is. You can't drink the tap water in China, so you have to buy bottled water everywhere you go. That's fine, except at the airport because you can't bring liquids through security. So we finally made it through the hour and a half process and arrived at the gate. Heath ran to a store really quickly to buy some drinks, so we could have something right away instead of waiting until they served drinks on the plane. He bought 4 cans of pop and a bottle of water. (Remember, our water bottles had been empty and Tabitha's supposed to be drinking 2 liters a day.) So the boys start drinking one can of pop, and a lady comes over to rush us to board (even though the flight doesn't leave for another 20 minutes at least.) Then she says they can't bring the drink with them, so they take another chug and then have to throw it away. I assumed that was because they didn't want it to spill while we were finding our seats and all. Fine. I put the other drinks on top of everything else in one of the bags, and we start down the jetway. For the first time ever in my whole life, anywhere I've ever travelled, they were doing a bag check on the jetway! So we start walking onto the plane, and they have some tables set up and are going through everyone's carry-ons. (Well, they never looked through Mom's wheeled suitcase, but all our other bags, they did.) And what was on top of mine? The drinks. The water for my dehydrated self and my medically-instructed-to-drink-lots-of-water 2 year old. And the guy tells me I can't bring them on the plane. I was like "What do you mean? These are our drinks that we bought 2 minutes ago on THIS side of security specifically to drink on this plane." I pointed to Tabitha, and said "The baby needs water!" He didn't speak English, but he just kept saying "No, no, no" in a calm, polite, make-me-want-to-kill-you way. Now, granted, this was not his fault--I'm sure he was just doing as he had been told. But unforunately, even though he didn't understand English, he definitely understood my feelings about the matter. I was quite the "obnoxious American" I'm sure. And not a great example of kindness or self control. Finally, I gave up and stormed onto the plane in a huff. I am still very irritated about it, though I have repented of my poor response. I mean, what do they think we did--bought drinks down the hall and quickly built a bomb to hide inside them? Or were they afraid we might save the airline money by not drinking as much of the beverages they'd be serving? And if they're going to invent random ludicrous rules, a little warning would be nice. All the signs were in English, and I am sure there was nothing saying you couldn't bring drinks on the plane. I have to stop writing about it now, or I'll go ballistic again.
Anyway, after I finished my adult tantrum the flight to Tokyo was fine. When we landed, our connecting flight was only 40 minutes from departure, and for some reason Tokyo made everyone go through security before getting on the next flight! I guess they too must think we're building bombs to hide in our airplane beverage containers. We did make it onto the flight, just barely. We were in the very back of the plane, and had one extra seat, which was very helpful. The kids all slept about 5 hours or so, and the flight went fine. Tabitha woke up very happy and stayed that way, which was great! Ethan and Jesse weren't quite so happy about waking up, but they did OK.
We went through immigration with no problem, so Tabitha is now officially a US citizen!
Heath's Dad and Aunt Carolyn (Amy's mom) met us at the airport, with roses for the ladies, a balloon for Tabitha, and chocolates for the guys. When we stopped at Heath's parents' to drop them off and pick up Shadow, Tabitha was quite afraid of all the dogs (4 total). In the van, Shadow (our 70-pound lab/boxer mix) sat in the back with Ethan, Tabitha and Jesse in the middle row. All was well until I looked back and saw Shadow licking Tabitha's knee. She had snuck up to the middle row somehow. Tabitha was laughing, so I thought she'd decided Shadow was OK. But all of a sudden, she looked down and realized what was tickling her knee and let out the most terrified scream ever! She was SO upset! Other than that, she stayed very happy and kept practicing her new favorite English word. "Uh-oh." She's learned that and the word "no" already. =)
It was SO nice to get home, even if it was only 50 degrees in here. Thank the Lord for protecing our house while we were gone. No problems, and soon the heat was on, and we were enjoying our own home and our endless supply of tap water! =)
Today, Tabitha's gotten a little better with Shadow. She still panics when she comes around, but as long as we are touching or holding her, she calms down. I think within a few more days she might even like her! Ethan and Tabitha and I played outside while Heath and Jesse bought groceries. Tabitha loved raking up leaves with Ethan and copying everything he did! It was so cute!
Now I just need to continue plowing through the laundry, and then read the mail and email that have piled up, which will probably take the rest of the week. Then we'll be ready for life to resume. :)
Well, I didn't mean for this post to be so long. I'll go ahead and post the missing stories I promised now.
But first, I wanted to record the grand total on our "baby tickers". If you've noticed them on the left side of the blog, they've counted the days we've been waiting. Now that we're on our first day home as a family, I'll turn those off and record the totals. Since we first saw little Wang Xin Fang's referral picture and said "Yes, we want her," it's been 7 months 3 weeks and 1 day. Since we first started the adoption process it's been 1 year 10 months 2 weeks and 2 days. The wait is over, and our new life is beginning!
The end of our trip was fine, though I was tired and eager to be home. I did get better before we had to travel--thank the Lord I wasn't sick on the airplanes! We flew out of Guangzhou on Thursday night, back to Beijing. A shuttle bus took us to the airport hotel. This wasn't a nice one like the others, but it was OK for sleeping. They didn't have cribs there, so Tabitha slept in the bed for the first time. She did fine with that, and she's in a toddler bed here which she likes. Oh, but when we got to the hotel they couldn't find our reservation! Here it is 11 at night, with 7 tired cranky people, and we have no reservation?! But they did find it eventually; not sure what the problem was, but we were then able to go to sleep. We had breakfast there, and then headed back to the airport.
We got there 2 hours early and used every minute of it! The United staff was very helpful in getting us seats together, and even leaving an empty one in the middle of our row so we'd have extra room. Then we went through all the various stations. (By the way, we didn't know this ahead of time, but they were scanning body temperatures on the way out of the country too--glad no one was sick!) We got to our gate when boarding had just started. I wish this next part wasn't my final experience in China, but it is what it is. You can't drink the tap water in China, so you have to buy bottled water everywhere you go. That's fine, except at the airport because you can't bring liquids through security. So we finally made it through the hour and a half process and arrived at the gate. Heath ran to a store really quickly to buy some drinks, so we could have something right away instead of waiting until they served drinks on the plane. He bought 4 cans of pop and a bottle of water. (Remember, our water bottles had been empty and Tabitha's supposed to be drinking 2 liters a day.) So the boys start drinking one can of pop, and a lady comes over to rush us to board (even though the flight doesn't leave for another 20 minutes at least.) Then she says they can't bring the drink with them, so they take another chug and then have to throw it away. I assumed that was because they didn't want it to spill while we were finding our seats and all. Fine. I put the other drinks on top of everything else in one of the bags, and we start down the jetway. For the first time ever in my whole life, anywhere I've ever travelled, they were doing a bag check on the jetway! So we start walking onto the plane, and they have some tables set up and are going through everyone's carry-ons. (Well, they never looked through Mom's wheeled suitcase, but all our other bags, they did.) And what was on top of mine? The drinks. The water for my dehydrated self and my medically-instructed-to-drink-lots-of-water 2 year old. And the guy tells me I can't bring them on the plane. I was like "What do you mean? These are our drinks that we bought 2 minutes ago on THIS side of security specifically to drink on this plane." I pointed to Tabitha, and said "The baby needs water!" He didn't speak English, but he just kept saying "No, no, no" in a calm, polite, make-me-want-to-kill-you way. Now, granted, this was not his fault--I'm sure he was just doing as he had been told. But unforunately, even though he didn't understand English, he definitely understood my feelings about the matter. I was quite the "obnoxious American" I'm sure. And not a great example of kindness or self control. Finally, I gave up and stormed onto the plane in a huff. I am still very irritated about it, though I have repented of my poor response. I mean, what do they think we did--bought drinks down the hall and quickly built a bomb to hide inside them? Or were they afraid we might save the airline money by not drinking as much of the beverages they'd be serving? And if they're going to invent random ludicrous rules, a little warning would be nice. All the signs were in English, and I am sure there was nothing saying you couldn't bring drinks on the plane. I have to stop writing about it now, or I'll go ballistic again.
Anyway, after I finished my adult tantrum the flight to Tokyo was fine. When we landed, our connecting flight was only 40 minutes from departure, and for some reason Tokyo made everyone go through security before getting on the next flight! I guess they too must think we're building bombs to hide in our airplane beverage containers. We did make it onto the flight, just barely. We were in the very back of the plane, and had one extra seat, which was very helpful. The kids all slept about 5 hours or so, and the flight went fine. Tabitha woke up very happy and stayed that way, which was great! Ethan and Jesse weren't quite so happy about waking up, but they did OK.
We went through immigration with no problem, so Tabitha is now officially a US citizen!
Heath's Dad and Aunt Carolyn (Amy's mom) met us at the airport, with roses for the ladies, a balloon for Tabitha, and chocolates for the guys. When we stopped at Heath's parents' to drop them off and pick up Shadow, Tabitha was quite afraid of all the dogs (4 total). In the van, Shadow (our 70-pound lab/boxer mix) sat in the back with Ethan, Tabitha and Jesse in the middle row. All was well until I looked back and saw Shadow licking Tabitha's knee. She had snuck up to the middle row somehow. Tabitha was laughing, so I thought she'd decided Shadow was OK. But all of a sudden, she looked down and realized what was tickling her knee and let out the most terrified scream ever! She was SO upset! Other than that, she stayed very happy and kept practicing her new favorite English word. "Uh-oh." She's learned that and the word "no" already. =)
It was SO nice to get home, even if it was only 50 degrees in here. Thank the Lord for protecing our house while we were gone. No problems, and soon the heat was on, and we were enjoying our own home and our endless supply of tap water! =)
Today, Tabitha's gotten a little better with Shadow. She still panics when she comes around, but as long as we are touching or holding her, she calms down. I think within a few more days she might even like her! Ethan and Tabitha and I played outside while Heath and Jesse bought groceries. Tabitha loved raking up leaves with Ethan and copying everything he did! It was so cute!
Now I just need to continue plowing through the laundry, and then read the mail and email that have piled up, which will probably take the rest of the week. Then we'll be ready for life to resume. :)
Well, I didn't mean for this post to be so long. I'll go ahead and post the missing stories I promised now.
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