YES, WE ARE HOME!!!

Sorry I haven't had time to post since we returned home! You can imagine how tired and busy we have been getting settled in over the past few days. We have 24 hours and 4 flights home. Katie Grace "Hua Hua" ("Hua Hua" is what she calls herself, but it almost sounds like "Qua Qua" or phonetically "Qwa Qwa", obviously her nickname for her Chinese name "Xi Hua", isn't that cute?!) did a great job traveling - she was awesome on the international flight, but did throw 1 dinger of a tantrum one of our domestic flights, but oh well, we made it anyway!

She was jet lagged and a bit in shock at the new changes again upon arrival. New home, new siblings who were happy to see her, new grandparents happy to see her, new everything. She slept for almost 18 hours. I was getting worried and then she woke up a happy little girl and has been doing quite well since.

On top of that, Monday was first day of school for our other 3 kids which we went to dazed and confused due to jet lag and China bodyclocks, LOL ! Thank goodness, Jacob's parents stayed just a couple extra days to help us get our brains going again! They are so wonderful, cooking and helping us with the kids and in the house, I miss them already!!!!!

We (she!) were sleeping on China time for the first couple of days, ( I was getting NO sleep and was starting to get really out of it. I slept only 1 hour on all flights combined too) then on day 3 she stayed up all day until 6:30 PM and went to bed so we were able to get onto US time. I am still waking up early, (it's 4:30 AM right now) but happy to get on schedule!

Her adjustment, I would say, is going well. Some of the behaviors that were really trying earlier like yelling at us to get things, being really demanding, tantrums for not getting things, have decreased day by day and it is only the first week. She likes to play with her animals and dollies. She likes to play with her little kitchen and "food". She is learning to share a little. She is still stuck to mama and needs mom to do all of her care at this point. She is a very happy little girl for the most part as we go through the day. She still is very nervous about others helping her with things or if someone wants to show her how a toy works, she thinks they are taking it and she grabs it and hides it! She is getting a little more relaxed though.

Tomorrow I will post some pics of the first day of school and try to write more! Also, I have 5 million videos from China that I need to upload to youtube (unpublished) so that I can post them here and also send to the moms and dads who are waiting to see their kids from our orphanage visit. Here are some pics of her first few days.

What a wonderful welcome this was and what a joy to see my kids, I can't tell you! Thanks to Jacob's parents, Lolli and Pops for making this happen! Why don't I have them in some of these pictures?? That really stinks!!

Jet lag baby and on China time sleeping all day wherever she would walk to and just lay down! Then I would just grab a pillow and put it under her head!

Jet lag Jacob fell asleep playing with Katie with a lamb on his head, HA!!!!

So guess what, she loves pancakes! But honestly, who doesn't????? Thanks Lolli for making pancakes!

She loves to play with her Minnie Mouse. She actually thinks it is funny to squeeze Minnie's nose and make her cry and then hug her and make her feel better. Umm, not sure if that is nicest game, lol, but at least she makes her feel better! Of course it doesn't help when we say (in a Minnie voice, "owwww my noooose, give me a kisssss")

Daddy picked me up out of the car yesterday for the 1st time!!!!! This was a milestone that I let daddy pick me up!! I let him pick me up once more later in the day, but only once. That is progress though!!!!!!!!!

She saw her tutu and just loved it and wore it around the house! She also loves buttons. Remotes, phones, computers.....

Playing on the computer, taking funny pictures with Christina, Joshua and our neighbor girl Amber who plays here a lot. They were laughing a lot at the pics!

Playing on the school board with Joshua. I love those sweet faces!!!!!!