As I mentioned in the last post, our day started off at 5am on Thursday morning (4pm Weds night here); we finally arrived at Cincinnati airport on Thursday night around 10:30. I must say, Lucy did remarkably well considering she was traveling for over 28 hours with 20 of them being in a plane. It could have been much worse (and it was for some of the parents on the plane). She did wonderfully the first 3 hour leg (from Guangzhou to Beijing) with hardly a peep out of her.
The second 14 hour leg (from Beijing to Newark) was a bit more challenging. Remember when I asked how do you possibly change a diaper in those small airplane bathrooms? Well, I found out very quickly. Within the first hour of the trip, our girl had what I will just call a “blow out.” Since she has not had any problems like this yet, I was ill prepared. I thought that she was just going to have to travel without any pants or socks for the next 16 hours (yes, it was this messy…and dealing with all of this in the airplane bathroom!) …but one of the mom’s that we were traveling with came to the rescue and let me borrow an extra pair of pants that she had for her little girl. (On a side note, I am not sure what the cause of this problem was---change in formula?---as we are still having it. I will talk to the Dr. about it on Monday.) Other than the explosion, Lucy did great. We got a 3rd seat for her, which was well worth the money (yes, even Brian agrees) so she was able to sleep for a good part of the trip. I have to say that being in a confined space like this for so long is very difficult for me, and at times I thought I may go crazy. But we all made it to the third and final leg…
When we arrived in NJ it was so nice to be greeted by my brother and sister-in-law, Ray and Jessica (they live just 15 minutes from the airport.) How refreshing to see family after being so far from home for so long. They were the first family to meet Lucy and the first to see her after she became a US citizen! We had just a quick visit before having to board for the last leg home. Lucy had a little trouble the last hour of this flight, as she was very fussy and inconsolable. Who can blame her, right? I was fussy too, and ready to be done with planes. We were all tired, hungry and ready to sleep (in our own beds)!
When we arrived at Cincinnati airport it was so wonderful to see more family and friends. My parents and niece Lindsay traveled from Indianapolis. Lindsay said she couldn’t have missed it! Then my friends from Cincinnati, Shelley and Tim and Julia, were also there to surprise us. Lucy took it all in; she was a bit pensive and shy. Plus she was tired, hungry and in need of a bath…so not a surprise that she wasn’t her normal happy self. We visited for a bit and everyone got to know Lucy a little. Then we headed home…. But not before spending 15 minutes trying to figure out how to adjust the straps on the car seat! Lots of learning curves with this new parenting thing… Mom, Dad and Lindsay came over the next morning for a bit more of a visit with our girl. She showed them a smile a few times and we all laughed.
Since we have been home Lucy has adjusted fantastically. She was a bit unsure and scared at first. But now that she has acclimated to our house, I really think she is very happy. She smiles and laughs all the time. She has started to get a bit fussy when one of us leaves the room, which is probably a good sign that she is attaching. She still hates baths and screams and screams. We have tried everything. (If anyone has any tips, we are open to suggestions!) She loves her high chair and has started trying all kinds of new foods. (So far sweet potatoes and carrots win for favorites!) All of our sleep schedules are still way off. Poor little Lucy doesn’t know when to sleep and when to be awake. Last night she slept until 12:30 and then woke up at 3:30 and 5:30. (As I am typing this, you will see the one picture of Brian and Lucy…both conked out!) I am confident that once she adjusts to our time zone she will go back to sleeping 9+ hours a night.
Tonight we took Lucy out for the first time since home. We went to church… she slept the entire time. We then went to Target, which just like in China, she loved looking around and watching all the people. She is just such a delight.
On Monday Brian goes back to work. I think we are all a bit sad about this pending change. It has been so nice to spend all this time together as a family. I think Lucy will miss her da da. And I know that a new learning curve is in store for me, since I won’t have the extra help. We will all soon adjust and I am happy about this. Being a very routine oriented person, I am anxious to get into my new routine with our little girl.
Many of you have inquired about if I will continue to post now that we are back from China. The answer is yes, but not daily as I was doing. I know that many of you have developed a place in your heart for Lucy, and we are happy to continue to share her with all of you. Thank you again for all your love, prayer and support. We look forward to all of you being able to meet Lucy soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment