Sunday, September 10, 2006

Well, we’ve been home from China 2 weeks now and are finally feeling like we are settling in. Our long flight home felt even longer as Ellen cried for 2 ½ hours straight! Jason and I couldn’t console her, distract her or feed her. As we looked at her little face, we could tell that it all seemed to hit her at once and we felt so bad to see her so upset. Finally, she tired herself out, took a bottle and that was the end of that. She did great the rest of the flight home and we were all glad that the plane landed when it did as Ellen was wearing the last diaper we packed!

Considering that Ellen never sat in a car seat before, she did pretty well on the drive home. We had to make one stop before we got home at my sister Becky’s house to meet our newest little nephew, Owen Arthur! Ellen looked so big next to 7 pound Owen-and all the cousins and aunts and uncles were happy to meet our sweet girl!

I had no idea the jet lag would hit us so hard-but it did! As much as we tried to get back to California time, our kids popped out of bed at 1am every night WIDE awake! There’s only so much we could do, so we ate popcorn and watched movies, hoping the next night would be better…it wasn’t. Ellen was the best sleeper in the family, by far, but even she would occasionally wake up for a party at 3am! After a week we were all back on track and the kids finally made it back to school. Ellen definitely misses her playmates while they are at school, but it has been nice to have some quieter times together. She is adjusting so well, we are so proud of her! She is eating well, sleeping well, loves going for walks in the stroller and has even gotten used to the carseat.

Ellen decided that she preferred sleeping in a crib while we were in China, but when we came home she decided that she HATED her crib here. Even when we stepped foot in her room she would start whimpering. So for a week and a half Jason and I would have to put her completely to sleep in our arms before we very carefully transferred her to her crib. This could have gone on forever, so we bought some crib toys and started having “play time” in the crib. During the day, either Spencer or Tara would climb in her crib with her while mommy played from the sidelines. The first couple of times she was hesitant, but soon began giggling and having fun. Now she doesn’t even cry when we put her down….ahhh, success!

Since we’ve been home she is a lot more attached to me. Most of the time she will arch her back and cry when the children pick her up. Thankfully, they are pretty understanding and Ellen is warming up to them every day. She has made so much progress in the short time we’ve had her. She stands on her own, crawls everywhere, and waves “bye-bye.”

Although I am usually on-the-go, I have enjoyed spending time at home helping Ellen adjust to our family. She has gone through so much and is so sweet-we just can’t believe how lucky we are! We are so happy to have her home! It is hard to believe that This Tuesday will mark 4 weeks since Ellen was placed in our arms. She just fits right in our family-it feels like she’s always been with us. We will post another update next month and let you know how Ellen is settling in. Thank you for your prayers and support-this has truly been the experience of a lifetime!