Saturday, July 2, 2011
WE ARE HOME!

We survived our few weeks home! Let's just say we were happy to make it back to the United States on Thursday, June 16th. Our trip home was quite the adventure!

We left the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou at 8:30 AM on June 16th. Piper did get sick in the van on the way to the airport, but we were ready this time! When we arrived at the airport we found out our flight was delayed an hour and ten minutes. We were a little concerned that we might miss our flight to Chicago that was scheduled to leave at 4:10 PM. I e-mailed my Dad to let him know we might miss our flight and have to catch the flight to Dulles. The other funny thing that happened was the Air China worker asking our guide if I had a letter from my doctor allowing me to fly since I was pregnant. I checked with all the airlines before we left and since I was under 28 weeks pregnant I didn't need a doctor's note. Our guide had to fill our some paper that said I was under 28 weeks pregnant and I was allowed to be issued my ticket. Once we boarded the plane we sat another forty five minutes until our plane finally took off for Beijing. We made it to Beijing after our connecting flight to Chicago had already taken off. We waited for what seemed like forever to get our luggage before we ran up to the United counter. We told them we missed our flight to Chicago because we were delayed in Guangzhou. The United worker said there were seats left on the last flight to the United States that would land in Dulles. We were so relieved, but she said we had to get a letter from Air China that said the plane in Guangzhou was delayed which caused us to miss our flight so we wouldn't be charged the fee to switch flights. Erik ran over to the Air China counter and had to explain to the worker that we needed this letter about our plane being delayed. Erik came running back with the letter to give to the United worker and we ran off to get through customs and security. We got to the gate at 5:40 PM just as the plane started to board. We had to call my Dad to tell him to pick us up at Dulles and not at Philadelphia. I was frantic! My Dad could tell I was about to lose it when I was talking to him on the phone. We boarded the plane and I could finally relax! We were finally on the last plane that would take us home! Piper did very well on the flight home. She only got sick one time! Of course it was the first time Erik got up to go to the bathroom! He came back to Piper and me being covered in throw up. I had packed two additional outfits for Piper and two extra shirts for me, but I didn't pack an extra pair of shorts. So, I had 11 hours left on the flight home and I smelled like throw up! We arrived in Dulles around 7:25 PM. I was so happy to finally be home! My Dad met us at the airport and we drove the two hours home!

Our first week home was tough! Piper didn't sleep for five days and we were totally exhausted! She was so scared and it was so hard to see her so upset at night. I called the doctor the next day to schedule her first appointment with our pediatrician. We told them all of our concerns about Piper and they got us in to see Dr. Schied right away! We were so thrilled to be seeing a doctor. Piper had her appointment on Monday, June 20th. I spent three hours at the doctor's office with Piper. We found out her oxygen level is really in the low to mid 80's, even though the paperwork from China said her oxygen levels were in the mid to upper 90's. She was given an antibiotic for a sinus infection. We were given the paperwork to get blood work done on Piper. We also will be having an uppper GI study done on July 1st. We also go for our first appointment with the cardiologist on June 30th. We ended up going to the ER on June 24th. Piper started to cough and the doctor's wanted us to take her to the hospital to see if she was developing pneumonia. I spend six hours with her at the hospital. They checked her oxygen levels and heart rate. She had a chest x-ray done too! The x-ray showed her enlarged heart and what they were presuming was pneumonia. It was hard to read the x-ray because they were not sure if her air sacs were just not opened when the x-ray was taken. They did not do anything since she was already on an antibiotic for her sinus infections. Piper returned to the doctor's office on Monday, June 27th for a follow up from our visit to the ER!

Piper is doing much better now! She is sleeping through the night in the crib next to my side of the bed. Now that we are all getting a good night of sleep things are going well! Piper continues to bond with us each day! She is still not a great eater, but is at least she is trying new foods each day. We are still very concerned about her coughing after drinking and still getting car sick! Piper adores her big sister and two big brothers and they adore her too! She loves to copy everything they do! It is so wonderful to see them so loving toward their new sister! The adjustment for Sophia, Graham, and Parker has been pretty easy. I think Parker is a little sad about not being the baby in the family now! Piper is able to say Daddy Momma, and Uh Oh! Her voice is so cute! She has learned so much in the short time she has been home with us! She loves to color with crayons or chalk, ride on Sophia's little battery powered car and play with bubbles.