Christmas with our little girl

Christmas this was was a bit different around our house.  For 14 years, we have woken up with just the 2 of us here for Christmas morning.  This year we had the joy of waking up with our little girl with us.  I was excited about getting to get things ready for her and have Santa the next morning.

The only issue with that was, she decided she wanted to stay awake all night too.  It was a rough night of sleep for her, but she finally
went out.  She had such a hard time sleeping with the arm braces on.  We woke her up around 7:15 to get her fed and then downstairs we came.  I was sitting in the room with the tree and toys and Amy brought her around the corner.  She put her on the floor and it took her a second to notice the first toy sitting there.  She then took off down the hall with a huge grin on her face.  A moment we had been waiting for.  I can't say she really knew what was going on and what Christmas was, but she was excited about her new toys.  She played with each little toy all morning.  She got a kitchen set to play with and she wouldn't stop playing with it and still hasn't.  She also got a little tin tea set and she and Amy will sit in the floor and pour tea and pretend.  She loves it.  As I sat and watched her, I couldn't help but think about what last year was like for her and about all the other little children around the world who long to have a family to be with for Christmas.  They may not know what that means or looks like, but I do and it is a hard thought to process just knowing there are so many out there.  We went to church Christmas morning for communion and to celebrate what Christmas is all about.  As we were standing there, those thoughts continued in my head.  I am so thankful that we have her now and there is one less that is longing that forever home.  She spent the rest of the day playing with her toys and then we had Christmas with Amy's parents and family.  She would at times seem just as content playing with pieces of wrapping paper as she would playing with a new toy.  I am not sure if it didn't overwhelm her just a little.  This was an awesome day and one we will cherish forever.

Now I sit back and
think about next
year.  We will not only have her but will have a 10 month old little boy crawling around and getting into everything as well.  I can't wait.


 I just hope she isn't getting mad at him for getting all in her stuff.  I told Amy that I could see some aggravated fights already with that kitchen set between the 2 of them.

This is a tough little girl

Beautiful!

I'm all ready to go!!

It has been a while since our last post. These last few weeks have been really busy. We have had several doctors appointments as well as all the holidays at the end of the year and that has really kept us going. Sarah Grace has now gone thru her first surgery and has had her palate repaired. She had the surgery on 12/19 and spent a couple of days in the hospital.  It was hard watching them roll her back as she stared at them as if wondering what in the world was going on.  We went up the night before and spent the night in the Ronald McDonald house by the hospital in Winston Salem. 

She was just a happy little girl that night and the next morning even as we went to the hospital and were in the surgery waiting area. She had no idea what was going to transpire that day and the hard part was you couldn't prepare her for it. The time came and the surgery went as planned. They repaired her palate and put tubes in at the same time. It lasted about 2 hours total. Amy and I sat anxiously awaiting our opportunity to get to see her. They finally came out and they were moving her to a step down ICU area due to her oxygen levels not being stable. This scared us for a bit, but they explained that this wasn't uncommon since they had put a breathing tube in and she just needed to come to enough to to get her breathing back in line. When we saw her, it broke our heart. Her little face was swollen and she had an IV in her as well as the other monitoring cables. I will say, the staff at the Wake Forest Baptist Hospital are great. They were so helpful and they didn't want her hurting anymore than we did. Over the next couple of days, it was a hard process watching her get over the anesthesia. I remember talking with Amy and we were just dying how much this little girl had been thru in her short life. You read and see these stories, but it really hits when it is in your hands. She was released from the hospital on Sunday and we made it home. 

Ready to go HOME!!!!!

These braces won't slow me down.
I can still pour tea!!

She had to wear the arm braces for the next 10 days to keep her from getting her hands or anything else to her mouth. She amazed us. She never minded putting these on and she didn't let it slow her down. She just figured out how to make due with what she had. I guess she had spent most of her life figuring this same thing out. The only thing that changed was her sleep. She couldn't get comfortable with these on her arms. She stayed up most of the night and never really had a good nights sleep for the next several nights. We went back to the doctor for her follow up appt on Tuesday 12/30. They were happy with how things looked and she was released to take these arm braces off. During these last several days they have become part of her normal. We would take them off only at bath time. She would stretch her little arms and act almost as if she didn't know what to do with them. We would lay her down and get ready to put her arms back in and she would simply lay her arm right in the brace and wait. She also has been on a soft diet with mostly baby food consistency type stuff such as mashed potatoes, yoghurt and smoothies. We were excited about this day so she could eat again. 

Relaxing on the pillow mommy made with nana!!!

They also released her to eat her normal foods. We went to lunch right after her appt and this little girl ate and ate. We later went to PF Changs and celebrated. Once again, to no surprise, she ate her weight in food. You could tell she had missed her bread. That night she slept better than she had in a long time. Once again she was able to lay in her bed and drink her bottle and roll over to go to sleep instead of being had feed with a syringe. We still have a little recovery to go but she is doing great and the most of it is behind us now. This little girl is one tough little bundle.  Not sure I would have ever found an adult that would have
done as good with this as she has. She has taught me some things and I truly think we are the blessed ones in this situation to be able to be a part of this with her.

I can finally eat what I want again!
One Happy Little Girl!!!!!

After 2 weeks at home....

All Smiles

We have been home now for 2 weeks and starting to get adjusted and get times on schedule.  I have had a lot of people ask if we were going to continue this blog.  The answer is yes.  It will not be a daily blog but we will post every 1-2 weeks.  So for the last 2 weeks, how has it been?  We have been busy.  The first week home was just trying to get Sarah Grace to settle in and adjust to her new forever home and family.  She is doing great.  She has become an explorer.  The first couple of days at home, she would just sit mainly and play with her toys.  Since then we have had to toddler proof everything.  She enjoys walking around with her walking toys or any other toy she can push across the floor.  She became very familiar with the steps and where they are.  We got smart and put up a gate.  After she went to bed one night I put up the gate, the next morning she crawled right over as normal and when she got there she stood up and worked her best to try and figure out how to get thru.  Eventually she gave up and now she has realized there is no need to waste her energy going that way.  She is sleeping pretty good now and when she wakes up, she is so precious.  First thing in the morning is so fun.  She will wake up with smiles and grins.  She is so lazy while drinking her first bottle and that makes it fun to hold her.

On our way to the mountains

After that, she is ready to go.  She is amazingly smart I think.  She watches and remembers things that you wouldn't expect.  Amy was at home with her the other day while I was at work and she had stepped into the kitchen real quick.  When she came back to the living room, Sarah Grace had positioned herself on the changing pad and was laying on her back with the powder in hand acting as if she was putting powder on herself.  Each day is a step forward in this new life for both she and the 2 of us.  Figuring out what our new life looks like for now is what we are working on.  That will all change again in February when Seth arrives.  This little angel changes so much as time goes by.  Her hair is growing like crazy, we are ready for it to get long enough for bows.  She is eating great and is just amazing to watch.  I walked in the first day after work and when I came around the door, she saw me.  She pushed her toys aside and crawled towards me for a hug.  I think she is starting to love her mommy and daddy.  I have seen her lunge from my arms into Amy's.  She is a blessing to us and we are so thankful for her.  All the adjusting can be exhausting at times, but just looking at her smiling face with grins from ear to ear will melt all that away.  She is an amazing little girl.

Already trying to talk on the phone and drive

Giving love to my doll.  When we say give her love this
what she does.

I can help do coupons with mommy

First Day waking up at home

First trip to the doctor at home

Today was Sarah Grace's first day waking up at home.  She woke up around 4:30am and was ready to play.  She has a cold, so she didn't sleep that well due to the breathing and coughing.  She went back to sleep around 6 when she got a bottle and slept for another hour or so.  Her sleeping is off a little.  Time change is hard on anybody, but especially on a child.  She did pretty good overall though.  Today we went to the doctor to get her checked out.  She has had a bad tummy and we wanted to make sure everything is alright.  We took off to Raleigh and she did great at the doctor.  They did a check up and now have to do some lab work results to make sure all is ok.  Probably just the transition and all that has her tummy upset.  When we left the doctor, we went to the mall to get her some shoes that fit.  We had lunch and got fitted for some new shoes then we were back to Rocky Mount.  She took a nap in the car for a while and when we got home, she fell asleep for 2 hours on the floor.  I was off to Walmart for some supplies.

Mommy is good at this

She and mommy were tired little girls.  We had to wake her up after 2 hours of sleeping to make sure she would sleep tonight.  She was so hard to wake up.  Took us about 20 minutes of playing with her and moving her to get her going.  She played, but was extremely tired all afternoon.  We had to keep her going.  At one point she started to fall asleep and we had to go get a bath to wake her up.  She has explored the house today and been all over the place.  She is off to sleep and hopefully for a good night.

I like my new chair

Ready for dinner.
Fourth child for this highchair
made by Granddaddy.

My new walking practice toy

We are Finally Home

Mommy's Gotcha Day

After 17 days, we have finally made it home.  I know many are wondering how she did on the long plane ride.  She was pretty good for the most part.  She played and ate.  The hard part for her is sleeping in your arms.  She doesn't do well with that.  She likes to roll during her sleeping and be free.  When she can't, she gets upset.  She slept probably a total of 2 hours on the 14 hour plane ride home.  She was a little fussy during the end of the plane ride as she was exhausted.  It is hard because you can't do anything for her to make her feel better and you know it is because she want's to sleep, but can't.  Anyway, we made it back on our first leg to Chicago and had to get thru customs and make it to our gate within 2 hours.  We made it thru.  Customs was very easy.  We got to the customs area and there were 3 families with adopted kids.  All of us had little girls of which came from the same orphanage.  If you remember earlier from one of my post, there were 3 of them that came from the same home.  It was pretty cool that they were all on the same flight to America and became US Citizens at the same time.  We all entered customs and then had to turn in paperwork for them.  They took us to a holding room while they processed the paperwork and then said welcome home.  Best words ever.  We then ventured to get our bags and recheck them.  Once all was complete, we made it to the gate with about 15 or 20 minutes to spare.  We loaded up on the flight to RDU.  She had a bottle on the plane and feel fast asleep.  She slept most of this flight home and woke up as we landed. We got off the plane and of course, we wanted to change her clothes.  She had food all over them and we didn't want mommy to think we didn't take care of her.  We finally made it to the waiting area where mommy was anxiously awaiting.  I had already text her when we landed so she knew we were there.  When we got to mommy, she just gazed at her for a short time and then I handed her off.  She kind of had that same look as when I got her on "Gotcha Day".  This was mommy's Gotcha Day.

So happy to see this little angel

She just sat in Amy's arms as if she was trying to figure out everything.  We went downstairs and Amy played with her while I got luggage together and then we headed to the car.  This was going to be the first time she had been in a car seat.  China doesn't require this and she had never been confined in a car before.  We got her in and mommy sat in the back with her.  She had a few snacks and before we got out of the parking lot, she was asleep.  She slept all the way to Rocky Mount.  Mommy just sat in the back and looked at her.  She even made the comment, "I just can't stop looking at her".  We made it home and she came in for the first time.  We took her thru the house and then upstairs to her room.  She just took it all in.  It seemed as if she really liked all there was to see and then we sat in the floor and played for a while.  Some of the family came by to see her for a minute and she played.  She had a blast.  We gave her a bath and it was off to sleep.  She was exhausted and we were too.  First night with mommy.  Let's see how this goes.

Tears of joy and anticipation of this day. FINALLY

Day 16 Last Day in China

All the little ones adopted during our journey (14 Total)

Today is our last day in China.  We are all packed up and ready to go to Hong Kong.  This is our last night away from home.  I have made several ventures on long plane rides going to Japan and I have never looked forward to a 13 or 14 hour plane ride.  I can say that I am really looking forward to this one.  I can't wait to set foot on the plane.  That said, I will be ready to get off just as much, but at least getting on is a good feeling.  We are going to Hong Kong today so we can get close to the airport.  The other alternative was to leave here at 5AM tomorrow morning and head to the airport in Hong Kong.  I thought a good night sleep would do her and us good for the long journey home.  I will say that even though we are extremely excited about going home, I feel a little sorry for her at this time.  I know she has to be feeling that she is getting better care at this point than she was, but she will be leaving every smell and familiar look she has ever known.  The good thing is that she has taken really well to us and you can tell she knows she is loved.  This morning after I got out of the shower, she was laying on the bed finishing her bottle.  I went over to lay with her and play so nana could get a shower.  I would tickle her and she would loose her breath laughing.  I would stop and she would play for a minute laying on her back and I would watch TV for a minute.  She would then get close to me and start hitting my leg with her leg.  I would look at her and she would start to grin.  It was all over her face that she wanted to be tickled and play.  The way she will come to you now and reach up wanting you to pick her up and when you do, she will wrap her arms around me and just hug me.  That gives me a peace in knowing that she has felt the love from us and is comfortable with being with us.  This little girl is so full of life and smiles.  I can't wait to get her to Raleigh and introduce her to mommy face to face.  I would love for her to jump in Amy's arms and just know who she is without blinking an eye, but I think Amy and I both would almost like the sight of her being a little shy right at the start.  This is a sign that she has formed a bond and then know that her bond with Amy will be formed as quick as her bond with me.  As much as I love this little girl, she will feel double when we get home to mommy.  I know she is excited and can't wait to get Sarah Grace in her arms.

Day 15 US Consulate for Visa

Today was a pretty relaxed day.  We started off the morning pretty early to go to the US Consulate for an appointment to apply for the visa.  This was a very short trip and very well organized.  We were only gone for about 2 hours and then we were back.  We had to do group pictures today as well. This was interesting.  We did these about 11:30 which was right in the middle of lunch and nap time for a lot of these kids.  All the kids were dressed up in some sort of an outfit, either casual or traditional Chinese wear.  Sarah Grace had on one of her new dresses that I got her while we were here.  She did pretty good for the pictures, but it was tough.  She was so tired.  She laid her head on my shoulder and went asleep within minutes while we were waiting to do the group pictures.  I was moving her and playing with her to try and keep her awake until we got back to the room and could give her a bottle.  This would not be good if she had slept enough to get her a cat nap and then no nap after her bottle.  The good news is that she did end up waking up and she slept for over 2 hours today for her nap.  We then walked across the parking lot to a little shop trying to find some sort of bag or suit case for her.  The cool thing about shopping in China is that you get to bargain with them.  The CCAI rep on the bus was talking today to everyone about going shopping.  Her comment was if you want to get a good deal, take Chris.  Everyone knows I like a good deal.  It is pretty easy here.  Just name your price and walk away.  They will get there.  The saying in China is "No Bargain, No Fun".  Anyway, after an interesting dinner at a shop across from the hotel, we were back.  Ready to play and have fun for a bit and then bath time followed by sleep!  Can't wait.  She fought it for a bit tonight, but finally gave up the battle.  Tonight is the final night here and tomorrow afternoon we are heading to Hong Kong.  That will be exciting as that is the last night before we fly out.  Not sure how she will do on a 13 hour flight, but I can say I have never looked forward to a flight as much as I have this one.  I am so ready.  We should get her visa tomorrow afternoon and then we off.  Some may wonder why she needs a visa.  For now, she has gotten a Chinese passport as part of this 2 weeks worth of waiting and work.  Anyone entering or leaving China has to have a visa.  This goes in her Chinese passport.  Although officially our little Sarah Grace Hyman, she doesn't become a US Citizen until she lands on US soil.  We will get the passport when we get back.  So looking forward to home and my wife!!!!!!