Back in the U.S.A.

We are thrilled to be home. We arrived home Wed. night around 7:3o. The trip home for the most part went fine...no delays. I however was sick for the last half of the long flight from Hong Kong to Chicago with nausea and then some horrible stomach issues once in Chicago.

We now struggle with the time changes. Megan and Lauran have been up before 4:00 am yesterday and today! This morning Megan woke me up at 3:00 am. The boys followed closely behind her on Thursday. Yesterday Megan and Lauran attempted to take a 5-6 hour nap :( I tried waking them up several times but they just kept falling back to sleep. Needless to say we are all exhausted.

Lauran continues to blend in with our family seamlessly. Her and Megan fight over toys like they have been sisters for years and then the next minute are hugging. She seems comfortable with all of us. She asked Nathan today to pick her up (in Chinese) and when he did she cuddled in to him and gave him a big hug and a kiss.

Feeding her so far has been a bit of a challenge since we have been home. Mostly just figuring out all her little quirks.... likes and dislikes. We found out the hard way in China she does not want to be fed at all...she likes to do it herself !! The did tell us that when they gave us her schedule but I didn't think they meant .....do not ever feed..ever. She absolutely refuses to eat when someone tries to feed her.

On the medical front, we have her first appt on Mon. This is with our pediatrician for just an overall check up. She will then set up an appt for us to see a hematologist. If you have been following my blog I mentioned that we found out she has been receiving blood transfusions every 45 days. That gives us an indication that she probably has an intermediate level of the disorder. Blood transfusions are the only treatment, as far as I know from my reading, for this disorder. Her blood is missing a protein(which protein is one of the unknowns). So I am anxious to get the appts. rolling and to fill in some of the blanks!! Yesterday she was playing with a baby doll and a play doctor kit. She had the play syringe for giving shots. I looked over and she went through every step for inserting a needle. First she pretended to wipe off the babies knee, then she pretended to tie something around the knee, then she gave the baby the shot. Later she went through the routine again but this time added the step where take the syringe away and press on the gauze pad! This little girl soaks up everything...she has obviously gone through the process enough to memorize every step. It made me sad that she has to experience something like that so often but grateful that God put her in our family to help her through it!



The trip was so much harder than I even anticipated. Most of the difficulty was due to traveling to 3 different provinces with 3-4 kids. It was very stressful at times and none of us handled the stress perfectly! With that all said... we continue to feel blessed that God chose Lauran for our family, it's not a perfect family, but a family God chose to bless through adoption! The process has helped me to see my own limitations and helps me to continue to learn to depend on God. Adopting has been a blessing , even with all the difficulties. God cares deeply for those in need and it is only through His Spirit that we have been able to be the hands and feet of Christ to a couple of little girls who needed a home!



I will hopefully post some pictures of our last few days in China in the next day or two.