Monday, July 26, 2010

So happy to be home…and will be even happier when miss Ava decides to sleep when we sleep!! We are getting there…slowly.

Our trip home went better than expected. Ava slept 9 hours with 1 break or 2, but was quiet for most of the first leg of trip during the flight from Guangzhou to Los Angeles. Once we arrived in LA, we had 2 hours to get through customs with our newest little immigrant and get our luggage, re-check the luggage for our domestic flight to Seattle…for some reason we thought that 2 hours would be enough time. Whoops. Well, we made our connecting flight only because Daryl and I literally sprinted through LAX with 4 suitcases, 4 carry-ons, and the little Empress. Thank God for wheeled luggage carts! We were quite the sight to see dodging other travelers, excusing ourselves, nervously keeping an eye on the clock while Ava giggled with delight from the luggage cart rack where you are supposed to store your briefcase (yes, desperate times called for this when you are running and have less than 30 minutes to catch your flight home!) After pleading with a forgiving United Airlines agent, we found ourselves with bags checked, cutting through security and sprinting at top speed to get to our gate which had called our names for last boarding and was about to close the gate until we crossed that finish line. I cried with relief once we were in our seats. So what if our luggage doesn’t make it, or we didn’t get those Laker souvenirs for the boys or most importantly, new snacks/dinner for Ava! We were on the plane home and would have to manage with what we had. She did great on last leg until we hit the ground in Seattle and the engine was turned off…she wanted OFF that plane!

We were greeted by our boys, Lex and Jack, Grandma, Uncle Jerry, Opa, friends Matt and Holly, all of whom, sacrificed some precious sleep to welcome Ava Marie home. Lucky for us, 2 bags made it, the other 2 would catch up with us 2 days later. We were relieved to be home, and the boys were thrilled to be able to stay up so late, Jack even announced that he wanted to see the sun come up, but soon we retired.

Ava Marie is still adjusting to the new sleep schedule, and I’m sure this will take sometime, I still cannot imagine what is going through that little mind of hers…from her orphanage, to 3 different air conditioned hotels to this strange place where she has a room to herself. Our boys have really taken to her and love helping mommy take care of her (let’s hope this lasts!), as she is growing quite fond of them as well. Ava has even warmed up to our Yorkipoo, Orca, and he enjoys giving her kisses.

Yesterday Jerry, Daryl and I took the boys on a bus ride downtown to catch a Mariners game against the Red Sox. The boys really enjoyed having some 1 on 1 time with us, and we really needed this time with them. Ava enjoyed the day at home with Grandma who she has immediately bonded with, in fact I think she will have some major withdrawals once Grandma leaves this Wednesday! Last night Grandma baked a cake and we celebrated a belated 2nd birthday to Ava Marie, her brothers helped her blow out the candles. She didn’t care for the cake itself, but was pleased with the attention she received and loved watching her brothers buzz their horn blowers in her face.

Today we had our first play-date at a friend’s house and Ava enjoyed wearing a tutu and dancing around to princess music with her new friend, Victoria.

We have waited so long for this little one to join our family, and now that she is here and experiencing all these new things it just seems like I’m living in a dream. Well, maybe that is due to the fact I’m not getting that much sleep too…J. Now I can say I finally understand what other adoptive families meant when they stated “it’s as if she’s always been with us, we couldn’t imagine our family without our daughter.”

Enjoy the photos and we will post again soon! Ava has her 1st post-adoption Dr. appointment this Friday and we will begin the process to close her cleft palate. Again thanks for following us on our amazing journey to Ava. We appreciate and cherish your guestbook entries and will be able to share this with Ava when she gets a little older. We will continue to post, so check back soon!

Love,

Michelle, Daryl, Lex, Jack and our little empress, Ava Marie