My girls

It's the sweetest thing watching these two become the best of friends....makes my heart melt!



Look Who's......

Walking!!!

She's taking more steps on her own as she becomes more comfortable. 

She's most secure on carpet & on the driveway.

She's still unsure & scared to walk on our &wood floors.

She'll get there...

We solved our daycare problem.

We found another home daycare/preschool near our home.

Let's hope it works out.

Dilemma

We're in a pickle.

I go back to work at the end of May.

Melaina's day care provider (home preschool) called me a few weeks ago to tell me she's closing her doors in July.

Harper's school ( Montessori School ) doesn't have any openings until Melaina turns 2 (July).

It doesn't make sense to start her at A & then transition her to B in a short amount of time.

I'd either like to find another home preschool or hire a "nanny" to come to our home for 6 weeks.

So, what have I been up to?

I've been interviewing college girls & visiting home daycares.

Melaina has such a quiet, laid back personality that I'm afraid she'd get lost in the shuffle at a bigger daycare environment.

In a smaller home environment, I feel she'd do well.

But, we  take the risk of it not working out, or closing & being stuck with out child care.

I'm so stressed out about this....

M at the park

Four Weeks Home

It's been four weeks since Melaina has been home.

She's come a long way in that short amount of time.

When we met her in China, she could not crawl.

She's not only crawling, she's on all fours!

And quite proud of herself

She had no idea how to use a spoon or fork.

We showed her in China & now she's a rock star feeding herself!

She loves popcicles

She has mastered getting on & off the kid chair.

This has been a big deal. Two weeks ago, if we set her on the chair, she would be so scared, she'd shake & cry.

 Loves tea parties with her big sis!

Her smile is infectious! 

Melaina's walking has improved significantly. 

We had the Early Intervention program come to our home & evaluate her a few weeks ago. She will qualify for services, but we haven't heard back if it's PT, OT or both.

Since they've been here, she's standing up on her own & taking a few steps. Of course, no photos because we're making a HUGE deal about it when she takes these steps.

It's amazing to see her progress in such a short amount of time.

She's definately coming out of her shell & we're seeing that China personality shine.

Although she's taken a while to warm up to us, it's been worth the wait.

She's such a calm, peaceful, sweet baby girl.

She loves her big sisters & I think she loves us!

Homecoming Photos

Words can not express the emotions  I felt on this very special day, March 17, 2012.

We made the 8,000 mile journey from China with our newest baby girl.

Our family waited patiently at the airport for our arrival.

This journey could not have happened with out my mom.

No Mimi=No Melaina

Mom~THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

I also want to extend my thanks to our family for supporting us through out this journey.

I couldn't get off that plane fast enough to see my family.

Bria was the first one to bolt our way followed by Harper.

Harper ran straight to Melaina with plenty of hugs & kisses.

She then was in my arms & I couldn't let her go. 

Melaina immediately went to Bria & daddy with ease.

Our Family of Five

The End.....

These photos are compliments of www.rebeccamorfeldphotograpy.com

per http://www.redthreadsessions.com/

One Week Home

It's been a week  since Melaina's been in our home.

She's still having a difficult time transitioning into our family.

I haven't seen her "China" personality yet.

We haven't seen this face.

But she's definately smitten with daddy!

Her eating has improved dramatically, eating 2-3 servings of food.

She's regressed emotionally since our time in China.

I know the little girl in China will warm up soon.

What I do see in Melaina is the love she has for her sisters.

Teething & getting a cold doesn't help.

She's wiped out. Notice the drool on her chin, poor baby.

Melaina is sleeping well for the most part. She naps for 1 1/2- 2 hrs & goes to bed around 8.  A few times she's woke up at 10ish & wants to play.  She'll sleep until 7-8am.
Harper has been the best big sister. She's been so patient with Melaina even when Melaina hits her.
Transition isn't easy for this little one.

 

It was a tough week.
I'm hoping this week will get better with our little girl

We're home

We made it home safe & sound Saturday night.

The 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago was fairly uneventful.

Suprisingly, Melaina did awesome. She took a few cat naps & slept for 4 1/2 hours straight! The time she was awake, she played & laughed.

We then flew from Chicago to St Louis & she slept the entire flight.

There was severe weather in St Louis so our plane had to stay on the runway for about 45 minutes. Luckily we were able to get off the plane but it took 2 hours to get our bags. It could have been worse, waiting on the runway for that long.

We were happily welcomed by our family. Harper made a mad dash & went straight to Melaina & gave her a giant hug first.

She then hugged me so tightly telling me she loved me & missed me! My heart was melting.

Melaina quickly, or should I say immediately, warmed up to Daddy & Bria.

She's been Daddy's sidekick since then!

We've been in our home since Sunday afternoon & are still adjusting. Jet lag is kicking our butts!

Sleeping has been our biggest issue. Melaina is still on China time & loves the hours of midnight to 4am.  We're working on establishing a routine with naps & bedtime. I know it will get better but it's so hard trying to function on a few hours of sleep. I'm the person that truely gets at least 8 hours of sleep a night, so this has been exhausting for me.

Melaina was very timid & uncomfortable the first day at our house.  Each day she feels more comfortable & is acting more like the Melaina that I saw in China.

Harper & Melaina really seem to like each other. Harper is being such a great big sister & showing Melaina how to eat different foods, how to use a spoon & how to play. It's pretty cute to watch.

Their age difference is enough for Harper to be the "helper" & Melaina to be the "baby". Harper loves to help make the bottle & change diapers.

I've even seen Melaina making the first move on Harper for a kiss... pretty sweet.

Melaina is picking up & understanding English well.

The words she can say so far are: Mama, Baba (daddy in Chinese), bye bye, puppy, apple, shoe & tickle.

She's a sharp kid, much like Harper & will mimic things quickly.

Her strength is improving & even took a few steps on her own tonight.

With more nutrition & confidence, I believe she'll be walking by herself soon.

I haven't taken hardly any pictures since we've been home but we caught this one in the car tonight from our phone:

Car seat - Car seat

This is the beginning of a budding friendship.