It's Nice To Be Home!

This was the first weekend we have all been home together and it was wonderful! The kids and I had a great time last week visiting my family, but after traveling almost non-stop since Feb 21st, home has never been so good!

The adjustment period is going quite well. Olivia is so much fun, and the pictures we received before we went to Bangkok pretty much depict her personality too. She can be the sweetest thing ever, but she also throws more than enough tantrums. She is very much a "girly-girl", so that is fun for me. She has her own "stick"- chap stick- and likes for her daddy to put lotion on her arms and legs at night. She makes sure to point out any places he might miss. Kids in Thailand play by imitating more than with toys, so she is often mimicking the things I do. She is sitting next to me as I type, and she is pretend typing too. Unfortunately, it's almost 10:00, and she doesn't seem to be ready for bed yet. Ian has been down since around 8:30. Hopefully, she is going to give it up soon!

Ian has been doing great with Olivia. He lets her give him hugs and kisses, and he seems to be calmer and more affectionate. It's really interesting to watch, and it's nice that he lets us "love on him". Several times Olivia has picked up his cane and walked with it like Ian does. (If someone isn't aware of it, Ian is completely blind.) It was the sweetest thing. Tonight at church, nothing would do him but that he scoot right up next to her while we were sitting down- almost right on top of her. Sometimes she does the same thing to him.

Today was our first time to be at our home congregation, and we had a very nice welcome. We hadn't been since the 17th of February, so it was wonderful to see everyone and introduce them to Olivia. She did great- not many smiles, but she took it all in and did great at Bible class- except when the teacher didn't dole out the goldfish fast enough!

I know this is long, but I have the time and want to go back and mention our trip. We had a wonderful and most memorable time. I knew we would; there was no doubt about that. Aside from the life changing event that took us to Thailand, Brian and I just love the whole international scene. I know it's not for everyone, but I have always liked to travel, and Brian has the bug too. Bangkok got a little suffocating, but the beach was a wonderful break from the bustle. It also gave Olivia space to relax, run, and play. She really started to open up in the taxi on the way. The other night we watched the video we made, and I got a little nervous just watching the replay of when the social workers brought the kids in. It was just a priceless, priceless moment!

About the return trip: It was pretty much a nightmare. Everything was going along great for awhile. We had to be out of our hotel at 4:00, and our flight didn't leave until almost 11:00 pm, but the wait went surprisingly quickly. We ate dinner, and Chad and Hirally (one of the other two adopting families) soon arrived at the airport. That flight went great- no problems. When we arrived in Narita, our stroller had gotten lost, but after about an hour wait (and we had about a 7 or 8 hour layover) the strollers finally arrived. (They also lost Chad and Hirally's stroller.) That 8 hours again went surprisingly quick. We hung out with Chad and Hirally for quite some time, so that helped immensely. It was fun getting to know them better and watching our kids interact. We stopped for coffee and went to the indoor playground, which we had all to ourselves. Then, it was time to tell them good-bye, which was hard, and they went to their terminal and we started making our way to our gate. When we got on the plane, we were happy to have an extra empty seat on our row. We didn't really end up using it too much, but it was really nice having a little more space to move around. Things were going well through the first half of the flight, which I think was around 10-12 hours long. Then Brian started feeling sick. I will just say that it was a good thing we were as close to the restroom as we were, because he was in it many many times. When one person would get out, he would dart in. The other bad thing is that we had run out of diapers. I did not follow the recommendation to pack an extra set of clothing for Olivia, and at that point it really wouldn't have mattered because she would have just soaked through those too. Anyway, she was soaked. I was soaked, our seat, etc. It was miserable! Of course this was going on while Brian was running back and forth to the restroom due to food poisioning! This went on for several hours, so my nerves were starting to get a little frayed, to say the least. Luckily, I did pack a change of clothes for me, so close to the end of the flight I changed, and the flight attendant had brought napkins, tape, and a couple of plastic bags for Olivia. I actually thought airlines carried some for emergencies- apparently not. For those families waiting to travel: take more diapers than you think you will need, and definitely pack a change of clothes for your child! I spent quite a bit of time shopping for what Olivia was going to wear home, and I just thought, "Oh, we'll be on top of the diaper changing. She'll be fine." Plus, it takes up space to pack another change of clothes. Anyway, it was a bad decision is all I can say!

Okay, I'm going to stop here and will finish the story- maybe tomorrow. It's almost 11:00 and Olivia has fallen asleep here next to me in the chair.

Leah