We're Home
November 20, 2010

September 5, 2010 HOME We are home! Alleluia! It has been two weeks since we have been home and are just trying to go with the flow of things. She definitely takes up a lot of our time and attention. She literally needs to be carried all the time. I remember hearing people that had kids say, “Oh, you won’t remember what your life was like before you had them.”Uhm, yes I do! I remember because I was able to take a shower, get dressed, do my hair and make-up without a child pulling at me and screaming! It certainly is life changing to have a toddler pulling on you every second but it is all worth it! Harper is the joy of our world and she fits in with our personalities and our lives so well. Everyone that has met her so far cannot believe how quickly Harper has taken to us and it seems like we have been a family forever. We laugh because we are now those googley parents taking pictures of her every second we get and all our "firsts" are probably unconventional. Instead of getting a picture of the baby's first smile or bath we are taking pictures of her first time in a grocery shopping cart or her first time at a post office. She still loves being in front of the camera. I take pictures of everything to help fill in the gap of where she won't have any pictures. On a daily basis I wake up and think to myself how can my days get any better? It is like having your best friend with you at all times. Todd is also very content right now since he is off for another four weeks. Harper loves being with her daddy and I think we will need every bit of that that time to get a little more of a routine in place. After an adoption there is still a lot of paperwork that has to be done like post placement meetings the next 18 months, filing for her social security card and then finalization of her adoption in our state. The flights home were very long and the last five hours were extremely turbulent. I mean you feel like you are falling out of the sky turbulence! This time our flight home was a lot different in that we had to occupy a toddler the whole time. Harper had to be buckled in for the last final hours of the flight and that part was tough. She didn't sleep and neither did we! In some ways this was great because we were ready to get back on Eastern US time pretty quick. In other ways it was horrible when she would start to drift off and then be woken up by the loud noises of the plane. She was crying and screaming at some points and we did the best we could in trying to comfort her. This whole new world has to be strange to her and I am sure she is sick and tired of going from place to place. Of course we kept apologizing to all the passengers on the plane. Luckily, we had some very nice people sit next to us on all the flights. It was definitely odd to be at the JFK airport and see signs in English. Once our plane landed we stood in a very long immigration line with people from all over the world that were entering the United States. We then headed to gather our luggage for the next flight. I stood back with Harper in the carrier as Todd waited for our luggage on the conveyor belt. Harper was crying and looked so puzzled. She seemed frightened by all the new sights, smells, faces and sounds and we were only in an airport terminal. I guess it was a very overwhelming experience and a complete culture shock for her. She was screaming out for Todd so we moved closer. All of a sudden she started to smile and laugh. I thought it was because we were getting closer to her daddy and then I realized two Asian women were standing behind me smiling at her. Her eyes were locked in on them as they chatted. I felt so bad for her in that moment knowing the confusion she must be experiencing. She is so young but yet she understands that everything is radically different now. We made it through customs with no problems and handed over the sacred brown envelope which we had clear instructions from the Chinese officials not to open up. We carried this brown envelope across a country and we had no clue what was inside. The officer took the envelope and brought us to a separate room. He said we would receive Harper's certificate of US citizenship in a month and that was it. Harper was now in our country safe and sound and so were we. We just had to bear a 5 hour layover and one more flight! We made our way to the check in area for our next flight. The airport was slammed for a Friday afternoon and at least this time we did not have to follow a crowd. We could clearly read the signs to where we were going. Apparently we must have looked like we just came from a 17 hour flight with a new child because one of the security managers pulled us from the very long line and moved us to the front. That little gesture made our day until the security people made me take off my shoes, Harper's shoes, the toys in her hand and the carrier I was wearing through the scanner. Agh! We were so ready to be home. At that point the journey felt never ending. We went to the cafe area, the same place where Todd and I had been 17 days prior as a childless couple. Now here we were jet lagged, incredibly exhausted, dazed, over loaded... you name it we felt it. Harper caught a second wind (or would that be a third wind) and was running rampant all over the floor. She was on zero sleep and to her it should have felt like 3:00 am. She was being her usually charismatic self as Todd and I sat around lifeless. She seemed to overcome any confusion she had felt when we first landed. I talked to my parents and they were more than thrilled to know we were on US soil and we worked out our final meeting plans for when we arrived in Charlotte. For Todd and me, we were starting to feel our own culture shock and adjustment as we made our way through the airport. At one point I ordered food and then signaled with my hands for napkins without using any words. The girl behind the counter said, "Do you mean napkins? Here they are!" I did not even realize until I went back to our table that I was using the same hand signals I had used in China. I think it is going to take some time to get use to things again. We are already getting bombarded with media hype. The first thing we saw leaving the airport terminal were stacks of magazines that read: "Bored with Brad" with Angelina Jolie on the cover. It just seemed so frivolous after seeing the world we had just come from and I am typically a frequent buyer of those types of magazines. Then we saw CNN headlines talking about an egg recall. I was thinking to myself how ironic – didn't I just write about how great our safety measures are in the United States in comparison to other places in the world? The layover seemed to go rather quickly and right before we boarded our final flight home, Harper and Todd fell asleep at the gate only to be woken up ten minutes later. Our stomachs were in knots knowing we had to endure another flight. As Todd said the travel was torture! Harper was not too amused either and screamed her head off the majority of the flight home. Unfortunately, the people on this flight were not as nice. I thought my mama bear side was going to have to come out and say a few words to a passenger. Luckily it ended up being a very short flight and before we knew it our plane was coming in for a landing over the gorgeous Carolina sky. As soon as we landed, I began to clap and told Harper we are finally home! We were all beyond elated! We proceeded to gather our things and I could not wait to see my parents’ faces. We went down the escalator Harper clinging to me and Todd in front of us. We could see my parent's rushing over to us. They were in their Harper t-shirt gear! My parents handed their new granddaughter an American flag and she began to wave it. It was such a joyful and precious homecoming! Harper at least knew she was safe with us now but seemed to be a little confused from everything. My parents drover our car as Todd and I sat in the back seat. We were commenting on how everything looked different. After seeing all the hustle and bustle of China's roads everything seemed like it was in slow motion here. It seemed calm and dark and there were definitely less people around. In fact the past two weeks has felt a bit strange. Maybe it is the jet lag but in some ways I really miss China. I never thought I would ever say that but there is just something about it that makes me want to go back and even put up with those flights again! It seems so strange here now even when we are outside. The sky, the trees and the people, everything just seems different and for lack of a better word, “foggy”. Of course it could seem foggy because Todd and I have been moving nonstop since we came home. My parents have done all the cooking, laundry and cleaning so that Todd and I can be with Harper and help her adjust. Thank goodness they were here. We would not have survived this week physically or emotionally without them! Todd and I surprisingly have adjusted very well to the time difference and so has Harper. I guess since we stayed up for over 36 hours our bodies were ready to go to sleep. In fact Harper only woke up early a few days and now seems to be on a schedule. She does go to bed really late but that is what she is used to. It is good for us because I like to sleep in! We are just trying to go with whatever she wants or needs right now. She dictates our schedule and then when things settle we will adjust it if need be. She slept with us the first few nights and now we have moved a blow up mattress next to her crib. By 2:00 am she gets in it with us to sleep the remainder of the night. I have a feeling this is going to be the norm for a while. She was used to sleeping with her foster parents, so to her there is nothing wrong with co-sleeping. Although Harper is not eating a ton she seems to like the food we are giving her. She still does not quite get the hang of a sippy cup and having liquids throughout the day.

Here we go again! This time we are bringing Harper home! One sleepy little girl! Harper's first steps in America took place at the JFK airport! Harper and daddy were sound asleep before our flight to Charlotte! Here comes Nanny and Poppy! A very happy homecoming! Mommy is so happy to be on US soil with her baby! Poppy is already trying to go in for a kiss Nanny trying to win Harper over with a musical toy! Harper waving her new country's flag! Home sweet home Our precious doll baby is very happy to be home with her parents!

She is not a fan of the bath right now but we are hoping at some point it gets easier. She continues to amaze us everyday. She is into everything and Todd is busy baby proofing the house. We are coming to realize that she is a bit of an actress and showgirl! She loves attention and if no one is giving it to her she will cry up a storm! As soon as we came into the house she pretended to get her hand stuck in the couch cushions and said, "ew, ew"! She is such a comedian and we just all sit around and laugh with her. She even cracks herself up over her antics. She goes to tickle people's feet and will say, "di di di"! I am guessing her foster mom use to do this to her. Her smile really does light up a room. We have had so much fun this week being a little family and taking her out and about. We never would have guessed she would have been ready to go places but she just loves people, shopping and eating out! I feel like we adopted a teenager! When she gets mad she waves her hand at you and rants in some chines babble talk for like five minutes! It is the funniest thing I have ever witnessed! The Jianxgi girls are known for being spicy and definitely lives up that word! Every day she is learning something new or showing us what interests her. Her first American word was "apple" and "up"! She is starting to say "da da" and "addy"! She seems to be really picking up on the English language rather quickly. She still does not seem to know what to do with toys. We have been introducing things slowly and sure enough by the end of showing her how to do something she starts to imitate us. She is like our little precious doll. She is so sweet and very loving. It is so fun to teach her things and to really pay attention to the things she already knows. For instance we realized that she never crawled. She must have just started walking one day. We have her crawling up the stairs daily to teach her how to crawl and improve her leg strength. Surprisingly Harper loves her car seat. I guess since the scenery is new she doesn't mind being in it. I have been sitting with her in the back seat to keep her entertained. The other thing Harper loves is music. She can dance to any tune even a little commercial jingle will encourage her head to start bopping side to side. It is adorable and I think we have quite the dancer on our hands. Todd and I spent have spent the majority of the past two weeks visiting doctors and hospitals with Harper. I had lined up appointments before we left so that Harper would be able to have a thorough international adoption exam. All the doctors concurred that she was developmentally functioning above her age group in many areas which was great news and not something most adoptive parents hear. I credit her foster mom for that! Medically, Harper does have a lot going on but we were prepared for her heart being more severe than what was reported and other undisclosed medical needs. It is just part of what you sign up for regardless of how you come into parenthood. You never know what is in store health wise for anybody! So you just need to have faith that everything happens for a reason and that God will be there to help guide your family in the right direction and provide the doctors with the wisdom they need to treat your child. We feel we are in great hands with all of the doctors we picked out for Harper. Still I am not lessening the fact that when you hear your child has to have open heart surgery or other possible surgeries it does make your heart sink. My heart breaks for Harper knowing what she will have to endure at some point. However, believing and knowing that it will all be okay, maybe not easy, but okay makes the medical issues more manageable. Currently Harper has no restrictions and will most likely have surgery when she is three or four. We do have some second and third opinions lined up but feel that all of the doctors will pretty much be on the same page. As for the hives Harper has been tested and she is severely allergic to milk and all milk proteins which makes food shopping tough. Finally Harper seems to have a curve of the spine, or scoliosis. Apparently this condition is quite common in China and can be genetic or due to lack of nutrition. We have to keep a close eye on it and at some point she might have to wear a night brace or have surgery. As new parents of course the past two weeks have been completely scary and we have felt like we were having out of body experiences dealing with everything. It just seemed there was one thing after another that was a medical surprise. However, we are pretty calm about everything and taking it all in stride. I guess as her mommy and daddy we now have to be the strong ones and being strong means putting our fears aside and focusing in on her and every precious moment we have together. We just thank God for delivering this child into our arms so that we can get her the help she needs in order to live a long, happy and healthy life. Todd and I had an amazing time in China. We still cannot believe we already went to China and are now home with our daughter. It feels very surreal especially after all the planning and last minute stresses. We feel so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to have Harper in our hearts and mind and now forever in our home. I can't phrase our joy any better than Todd's words, "She’s a gift from the heavens." We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time & miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands. ~Kristi Larson

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