Finally, an Update...

Yesterday I went back to work full time and it was so hard to leave my little girl. It seems like I haven’t had much time with her; I guess if you stop and think about it I haven’t. We didn’t get to meet her until one week after we left for China so that was one week into my 6-week leave. Then, she really only wanted Jerry for the first five days or so that we had her. It took a lot of holding time and patience to get her to trust and bond with me. I feel like her personality was really coming out in the last 10 days or so, but I guess I’ve been seeing a little more of it each and every day. I truly enjoyed being home with her and would have loved to have more time, but unfortunately, bills have to be paid:)

Jadyn has become so mobile and is so much fun to watch as she explores every nook and cranny in the house and outdoors. She has an eye for detail; she will find any little piece of dirt, fuzz, grass, or who-knows-what that is lying around and will pick it up to view it close up and after a minute or so she tries to put it in her mouth to get a deeper sense of what it is – too funny! We have to be watching her so closely all the time, but what else is there to do, right?

Last night she had a taste of blueberries for the first time and my gosh did she like them! She kept grabbing at the dish wanting more. She has no problem with table food even though she has no teeth and she has thoroughly enjoyed each item she has tasted!

We continue to work on naps in the crib which are getting better and she isn’t screaming at the top of her lungs when she wakes up, but she doesn’t nap for very long. She sleeps a good stretch at night, but is still sleeping with us; however, we want to try to transition her to either the pack-and-play in our room or her crib very soon since she is so mobile. Some nights she can be very restless and I just worry too much about her, but when she does roll over she looks to see if we are there with her and she also likes to feel our skin. She will squeeze our arms or a part of our body as she falls asleep so I am just not sure how long the transition will take. We’ll see how it goes.

One Wonderful Month...

It has been one month today since we met our amazing little girl and each day has been met with more love and incredible joy than we could have ever imagined! Jadyn has truly fit in with our family as if she was planned to be joining us from the time we made the decision to adopt 5 and 1/2 years ago. She has attached to Jerry, myself and the boys so well and really seems to know that we are a family.

Yesterday, Jadyn turned 10 months old and had her first spaghetti dinner - she really enjoyed it! We also made a trip to visit the ladies that I work with and she was in all her glory soaking up every bit of attention from them! She loves to turn on the charm:)

Today, she crawled a few paces for the first time; this is a day after she turned 10 months old. A few days ago she figured out how to get into a sitting position from laying down which has made her a very happy little girl. She is getting more mobile every day. Last night we tried to put her to bed in her crib, but that did not last too long. She was up within an hour and needed to be consoled. She really looks to make sure that one of us are with her at night and she also longs for our touch. I do not think the transition to the crib will come as easily as the carseat, bath and highchair did. We really just want to make sure that we maintain her trust in us and give her the time she needs for this adjustment. We may try to place her pack-n-play in our bedroom and see if that will work for her. I've been taking in all of the information from the RQ site regarding sleeping and she has been posting specifically on this topic the last two days...timing couldn't be better. Although, we really can't complain considering that Jadyn sleeps for 10-12 hours at night and naps for 1-2 hours during the day. All in all, not too bad...

Play Time and Milestones...

Well, we can safely say that the carseat has been conquered! We have had multiple trips in the past few days without any crying/screaming spells - she has actually begun babbling and smiling and even snoozing during the rides!

Jadyn has also taken two naps in her crib; both times she awoke disoriented, but I've been trying to reassure her by showing her that she is in her bedroom before I remove her from the crib and she seems so be understanding a little better each time. She really seems comfortable and likes playing with us and the toys in her room. Baby steps, right???

Today has been filled with a lot of play time - she has been in a very playful mood and has enjoyed rolling all over the place! She really likes to stand and often thinks she can do so without holding on to anything, but then soon realizes that isn't the case:) She is really enjoying the discovery of new sounds, toys, and her own abilities! She also experienced her first feel of grass today - it was so cute to watch her touch and experience the blades of grass and to touch and feel the different items outdoors! She really enjoyed just sitting in the grass and feeling everything around her.

It is hard to believe that she is almost 10 months old already - she has grown so much in the time we've had her - mostly just in her personality, but also in her abilities...it is truly amazing and we often stop and watch her in awe. What a blessing we have been given...

Colin's Birthday...

Colin celebrated his 8th birthday on May 12th and he was so very happy to finally turn 8! He said that he had a wonderful day:) We made froggy cupcakes for his birthday treat and Jerry, Jadyn and I brought them to his school so we could also let him show off his new sister. His classmates thought that she was so cute! So did the school secretary and teachers that we passed in the hall. Then, we also stopped in to see Ryan in his class and his teacher and classmates also adored Jadyn. She was all smiles for everyone and sure did love the attention!

After the boys got home from school we took Colin out for his birthday dinner - he chose Culver's - and we all enjoyed some good food and fun. Then, it was off to Colin's first baseball game of the season. It was an awefully chilly night so Jadyn and I stayed in the truck to watch the game while Jerry and the boys walked back and forth to check in on Colin and his team. I was able to see him bat and take the field from where I was parked, but couldn't see the inning or score. It turns out that Colin's team won their first game 6-4. He was so excited that they won their game on his birthday and he brought a treat to share with the team so they all made it special for him:)

A Wonderful Mother's Day...

Jadyn and the boys (Jerry too) made my Mother's Day so special - I have to admit that having my little girl home at last made it all the more special! They made me a wonderful breakfast and allowed me to relax until my sister and her family arrived to visit. We had a great time introducing Jadyn to her cousins, Cody and Kyle, and her Uncle Brent. We enjoyed a great dinner while watching the Brewer game (they won!). Jadyn continues to adjust to her family so well - it is almost as if she has been with us from day one! I gave thought to Jadyn's birthmother yesterday and pray that she is at peace with her decision - I also pray that she feels in her heart that her daughter has been placed in a loving family; one that will care and provide for her every day of her life. We can not thank her enough for the gift she gave us!

Today, we ran to Target for a few items and then to the grocery store and Jadyn was such a good girl! She only cried a bit on the way to Target (we are getting better at the carseat), but didn't cry at all on the other trips. She sat in the cart at both stores and just babbled while we shopped. She was very happy and patient; we had a couple people ask us our "story" so we shared - their inquiries were with the kindest words and accompanied by congratulations so it was really nice. I'm sure at some point we will be faced with a not-so-nice comment or inquiry, but hopefully I will feel prepared to approach that statement with the right frame of mind when the time comes. Until then, we will just continue to love our little sweetie!

We're Home!!!

So sorry to be MIA for a while, but with the long travel and time change, not to mention a little sweetie that needs our attention:), we have been really tired. We made it home on Friday, April 30th, at about 9 p.m. and Jadyn travelled so well over all of the flights! Everyone kept telling us how she was such a good baby! She was sharing smiles with everyone along the way and had plenty to share with her brothers, Grandma, and Auntie Kathy when she finally met them! We were all up late on Friday since we couldn't adjust to the time change, but we were up at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday and then it was on and off with naps during the day (for Jadyn), Mom and Dad tried to stay awake so we could start adjusting back, but that really hit us on Sunday - I was EXHAUSTED and felt a little under the weather, so did Jerry, but Jadyn was a trooper and the boys helped a lot.

Jadyn has been such a blessing and at times it is hard to believe she is actually home and a part of our family - it feels so good! She is a perfect fit with our family and we see a little more of her personality come out everyday! The boys are really enjoying their sister - they give her kisses before they leave for school and they are so anxious when they get home, they run up the hill to come and see her:) Justin has started a new job so he sometimes gets to see her before he leaves for work and has a great time with her when he gets home - he has always been so good with kids; he really will make a great father some day...SOME DAY IN THE FUTURE that is!!!

Jadyn had a visit with the pediatrician yesterday and she is healthy by all acounts. The only thing to look further into is her vaccination record. The list from China is quite extensive and our doctor isn't sure what recommendation he wants to put forth. He gave us a couple options of titers, starting over with all of the vaccinations, and doing some additional screenings, but he also doesn't feel it is something we have to do at this time since we don't want to do any unnecessary procedures during her transition. He will do some research and call us within the week. Otherwise, he said to enjoy our little sweetie!

The only issues we have encountered are the carseat - they do not use them in China - so that was one LONG ride home from the airport! However, she has made some progress; yesterday we ran some errands after the doctor appointment and I think she realized that we will not leave her in the seat permanently so the screaming diminished a little bit:)

The crib is also another item that we need to work on. She must have slept with her foster parents and we have been doing the same; not that we mind, but naps and such would be good to have in the crib. We also think that daycare may find this helpful. We will work on this next week - I can't believe I have to go back to work in a couple of weeks. We have many things to get on schedule and I just don't know that she will be ready by then. Please keep her in your prayers for a continued transition into her new life.

Thank you all for your comments, prayers, and well wishes while we travelled - we certainly felt your support along the way and it helped make our travels so much easier!