Thanks for Rockin' and Rollin' with Us

It's been four days since we have been home and Baby G has settled in much better than anticipated. The trip home was tough. She cried for the first 9 hrs. of the 18 hr. (all business class) flight. Needless to say, we weren't favored by the other passengers but I also hope they know most people in their right mind would not voluntarily take an 18 hr. flight with a 13 mo. old baby. We realized that our flight path home went across the Pacific and our flight path to Manila went across the Atlantic, so we literally flew around the world to get her.

Finally at home, she's enjoying her freedom to roam throughout the house. Once we set her down, she bee-lined it for the outlets, bathroom and anything on the table in the family room. It's only right to let her explore as much as she can and we'll just buy some stock in the Safety First brand. Her first two nights she woke up often but the past two nights she has been sleeping through the night. Our days have mostly been spent at home where we are trying to learn as much as we can about each other.

We came across some challenges when we got home including Bob the Dog. She's never been around dogs before so it took a few days for her to warm up to him. Now she gives him a kiss by leaning her head against his body. We're working on her saying Bob's name, one of the first words both our boys were able to say early on. Another challenge has been food. She doesn't like jarred baby food and we've tried a variety. Tonight, however, I placed chicken picatta, garlic noodles and peas all in the food processor and she ate it like candy! Ah, the magic of the Cuisinart blades. I can't wait to mix up some special sauce for my G love tomorrow.

The boys have enjoyed having her at home. Our older son has been incredibly helpful, always willing to take part in feeding, bathing or changing the baby. Senor Silly always is looking for ways to make her laugh. He thinks it's funny when she squeals with excitement after watching him do something funny. They both have stepped up to the plate as loving big brothers.

Tonight, as part of the bedtime routine, each of our kids gets a hug, kiss and they're told "I love you." Tonight was the first night I told Baby G I loved her. It just came out, without any premonition but it definitely felt good to say it and it was so true. It didn't take long for her to seep into our hearts and it's comforting knowing that she's staying there forever.

So I close this journey by saying a heartfelt "thank you" for taking time out of your day to read our story. Many friends have said they have cried while reading my previous blogs. While my intent was not to get you sad and sappy, the goal was to be honest and open with my feelings about adoption. This experience has been a blessing on so many fronts for our family and for myself. We are grateful you took this journey with us. Thank you.