Thursday, April 24, 2008

A Free Moment!

I'm finally getting this last picture from Thailand posted. This is the second time I've been able to write in a few short days, so things must be getting better! Actually, Olivia is asleep so I just wanted to get this on here right quick. Soon, I'll add some pictures taken since we've been home.

Leah

Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Return Trip Nightmare Remembered!

Wow, the days fly by and I just can't seem to catch up! Things are going really well though. Olivia slept through the night in her queen size bed, in her room, and by herself for the first time the night before last. It was wonderful! Now, if we can just get Ian back on a good sleeping schedule!

I'm just going to pick up on the story of our return home. Tomorrow will be 5 weeks that we've been home. So, five weeks ago today at this exact time I was having a melt down on the plane in Dallas. I hate to even think about it! Anyway, our return trip had been going great until the lack of diapers and Brian's food poisoning. When we arrived in Dallas, we claimed our bags as quickly as we could and got Olivia out of her wet clothes and into a sundress, sweater, and white sandals. We didn't realize at that time how cold it was outside, but it didn't take us to long to realize it- seeing the majority of people in coats, hats, and scarves was a pretty good clue! We didn't have too long a layover there, so we got some coffee and settled in at the gate while we waited to board. It had also started to rain a little bit. Not too long before boarding time, the airlines informed us that they were doing some maintenance on the plane and it would be a little bit late. Then after a while, we received another update that it would be a little later. I'm not sure how long we were delayed at that time, but we were calling my parents in Shreveport to let them know we would not be on time. Also during this time the weather was starting to get worse. We might have been delayed an hour or so by now, but weren't too concerned about it. My parents would have to make some adjustments with picking us up and being home when the bus dropped Ian off, but that wasn't that big a deal. I'm not sure at what point the rain started turning to ice, but it did. We went ahead and boarded our plane, and when we weren't leaving the gate, the pilot came on and said we were going to be delayed because of the weather. Anyway, this goes on and on and on and. . . . He comes on every 30-45 minutes and gives us an update. The problem was that the storm came in quicker than they expected and they couldn't get the planes de-iced quickly enough. We were waiting in line for de-icing. I'm not keeping track of time too much for some reason, but after a few hours of sitting on the plane with no water or fresh air, I started to get a little nervous- panicky claustrophobic feelings. Thankfully, Olivia is doing great; she's asleep. Without telling Brian how I was feeling, I try to read my book, but I was getting so nervous, I couldn't concentrate. These feelings of panic seemed to come on pretty quickly. Somewhere in there, Brian suggested we do a Sudoku puzzle he had seen in the back of the flight magazine, so that helped quite a bit, but I still started getting very upset- crying, shaking, etc. We called the flight attendant back, and I asked for some water. She didn't act too thrilled to give me any, but came back with about a cup (measuring cup amount!). We also asked about the possibility of returning to the gate, but she said we could only do that if we declared a medical emergency. I will tell you though, I was very, very close to telling her that was what we needed to do, because I wasn't sure I could take it anymore. Anyway, the pilot continued coming on saying we're number such and such in line for de-icing, and then a little later he would come on again and say it might be another 45 minutes or so. This went on for 6 HOURS. The attendant did finally bring everyone some water after several hours, but that was it. Also, the gates were all jammed by other planes in the same situation as us, except that they had never left their gate. Anyway, it was a mess. Finally, we were told that all flights had been canceled, and the plan was to bring a bus out to the tarmac and drive us back up to the building. I felt a little better at that point because I knew we were finally going to get off that plane- a fully loaded prop plane I might add! I'm not going to give anymore details about that situation and how I felt, but I had never had a reaction like that before, and I hope to goodness I never do again! So, now everyone on the plane is trying to figure out what to do- rent a car and drive through the weather or try to find a hotel. We knew both cars and hotels would start getting booked as quickly as we could make a decision. We decided to get a hotel and try to rest, so Brian booked the hotel while we waited on the plane, and after the 6 hours, we finally made it back inside the airport. It was a madhouse and tensions were high. We claimed our bags again, and started trying to figure out how we were going to get to our hotel. We couldn't get through to the hotel by phone, so we started trying to figure out where to get a taxi. Of course it's late by now, and Brian is running around outside the airport in shorts looking for a taxi while it's icy and snowing. Olivia is in a sundress and sandals and the wind is blowing like crazy! We are exhausted, stressed, and very irritable! Plus, we're lugging all this luggage from a two week trip from the other side of the world! Eventually, we get a taxi and get to our hotel, where our room is the furthest away from the lobby and we have to walk (outside, if that tells you anything about our hotel!). Anyway, we are starving so we order a pizza, take showers, and try to sleep. I haven't mentioned Olivia much during this whole ordeal because she has pretty much slept through the whole thing! This means while we are miserably tired, she is ready to play- all night. We ended up getting very little to no sleep, and around 5:00 or 6:00 am Brian gave up and started to try to arrange a rental car. He got a taxi to pick him up an hour or so later, and not too much later came back to the hotel with the car and a huge breakfast from Denny's. By that time, we did feel better and definitely were seeing an end to this ordeal. We didn't know exactly what the weather and roads were going to be like, but it had to be better than going back to that airport and dealing with all the problems we were afraid would be waiting for us. The roads ended up being fine until we got a an hour or so out of Shreveport, and there the snow was falling hard and fast. It was beautiful, and everything was white. There were a few cars on the side of the road, but all of that was nothing compared to what we had experienced the previous 48 hours- or whatever it was! When we arrived in Shreveport, I had never been so happy to be home than I was then! My parents were anxiously awaiting our arrival with Olivia, and we were excited to introduce them to her and start our new lives as a family of four!


Little did we know at that time what was coming next- the worsening of Brian's dad's condition. It has been a very hectic, stressful, sad, happy, tiring 5 weeks. I am thankful to say that things are now going great. Olivia is adjusting beautifully- considering, and we are happily excited to be starting our new lives as a family of four!

It's now been 6 weeks and 4 days since we've been back in the US, and the time has flown by. I wrote this about a week ago, and have had it in draft form since then. I apologize for any errors or worse than usual writing, but I'm just happy I'm finally getting it posted. I'm not going back right now to make any changes it may need.

I do want to mention how much we appreciate those who have followed along on our journey to bring Olivia home. It has been quite an experience so far, and we look forward to many fun and happy years ahead! The next group of Holt families traveling to Thailand have been identified, and although I am so excited for them, I am a little sad our time for that has passed. Everyone is moving on. And, although our posts won't be nearly as exciting in the near future, I plan to continue writing as regularly as I can. Of course I'll include news on Olivia and Ian and any major family updates. For now, the adjustment period is still in full swing, things are running a little smoother all the time, and Olivia has her green card. We also have 3 post placement reports to complete with the social worker over the next 6 months and must make a trip to the Thai consulate in Chicago. The next time I write, I'll go into more detail about some of that. I was emailing one of the other families that traveled with us, and we both feel we were much better prepared for the initial challenges but not so much the challenges we have faced since returning home. I don't know what I expected, but it definitely has been a challenge, but fun too! I still have a picture taken as we were leaving the hotel for the last time that I want to add and some pictures we have taken since we've been home. With any luck, maybe I can do that tomorrow. I've got to close for now though. I never know how much sleep I'm going to get from night to night, and last night was a little rough. I'm hoping for more rest tonight. 6:15 will be here before I know it, and the bus isn't going to wait! I will write again soon and hopefully sooner than this last time.

Leah

Sunday, March 30, 2008

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

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Is There A Routine In Sight?!

We made it home last night around 12:30. The kids and I had a nice visit with my family and several friends in Edmond. However, after traveling for so long, we are finally staying home, with no more travel in sight. We will have been in the US 3 weeks tomorrow, with only a handful of days (scattered here and there) actually spent at home. I'm anxious for Olivia to learn where "home" is! Ian and I are also glad to be back, although it was nice to be able to introduce Oliva to our families right away. I know Brian has also missed us these last few days. Ian gave him a big smile, and Olivia even gave him a hug and let him pick her up!

It's a little after 10:00 and Ian is still sacked out. Olivia has been up quite awhile and wants me to hold her constantly. I know she is tired. Once we get both of them down tonight, maybe I can catch up and write about some things I just can't get to when I'm trying to pacify both kids (and the dog) at the same time!

Leah

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Home Again!

Just a quick note to let you know we are home. We're continuing to adjust and recover from the last month. It's been quite an emotional roller coaster for sure, but we're doing well, considering. Thank you for all the congratulatory wishes, condolences, and birthday cards (for me).

We're going to hit the road one more time before hopefully settling down into a routine. Brian is returning to Tahlequah to help his mom take care of some things, and I'm taking the kids to Edmond to see my family. Brian is just staying over the weekend, but we're staying a few days into next week.

I've hardly had time to reflect on our trip to Thailand, but it was wonderful. When we get back from OK, I will write more about it. I've got another picture from Thailand to post too. We've only been back two weeks tomorrow, but with all that has happened, in some ways it feels like longer. I'm already ready to go back! Well, maybe not quite yet!

I've got to run. Hope everyone is doing well. No school tomorrow, so if I don't happen to get back with you before Sunday, Happy Easter!

Leah

For those of you who have asked, Olivia wears 12 months and sometimes those are a little big around the waist!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Funeral Service Confirmed

The service for Brian's dad will be Monday, 2:00 at South College Church of Christ, 410 South College, Tahlequah, OK 74464. Brian's family is doing okay. Olivia has been a nice diversion. She has been very happy and seems comfortable enough with all of the visitors we have had. I think the family has been happy she is here. Thank you for the notes of sympathy we have received. I know Brian appreciates it.

Leah

Friday, March 14, 2008

Sad News

Just wanted to let you know Brian's dad passed away late last night. Brian was with him at the time. Funeral arrangements are being made now, and I will update again when the date and time of the service is confirmed. It will be held at the South College Church of Christ, 410 S. College Ave, Tahlequah, OK.

Please keep Brian and his family in your prayers.

Leah