We are home

New pictures posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/troyernet/ChinaTrip13

We have now been home 2 days and everyone seems to be settling in. Michael is sleeping much better. Last night he got up only 2 times and was easily settled. That is right -- 2 TIMES! It is so nice for everyone to have their own rooms and not to be cramped in a hotel room especially during the night with a crying baby. I am so thankful that God provided us the energy that we needed during this trip. He has definitely been present with us and for that we are also thankful.

Today it has been two weeks since we first met Michael face to face. He is becoming more and more relaxed and I have reminded myself several times in the last days that this is the third transition for him in only 2 weeks. It will be exciting seeing him come alive as he realizes that this is his new home.

We look forward to introducing Michael to each of you. For you to get to know him and to enjoy his laughter as we have. God is an amazing creator and we are looking forward to continuing to learn who this little guy will grow into.

This afternoon we decided to give Michael a new look. If John can cut Simon's hair, it can't be much more difficult to cut a baby's hair can it? Well, I think we will be calling Karmen up when she returns from FL for a touch up :) It looks okay but definitely needs some fine tuning. I think John will just stick to grooming the dog from now on.

We set this blog up for two reasons. The first was for us to have a way to document our trip. The second was so that our friends and family could share this journey with us. So now that both of those reasons have been fulfilled we will no longer be posting updates on a regular basis. It has been encouraging to receive your responses, prayers and encouragement as we were away and we will be forever grateful for them.

Blessings to all of you,

Sheila

Tips for a long flight with a ten-month old

We had a great flight and both Mandy and Michael did well. Here are some things we learned about keeping Michael happy during the flight. Some we did, some we wish we would have done.

If you do a lap ticket:

1. Rather than booking three seats in a row, book in a row that has one more seat than you need. Take the aisle and/or window seats and leave one middle seat empty. This makes it less likely that someone else will fill it and more likely that the flight attendants will move them to another open seat. If the plane is completely full, they will be happy to switch with you to put your family together in a row anyway. We didn't do this and it made it more difficult to move the person who filled that seat.

2. Be persistent in asking multiple flight attendants to move the person who ends up sitting near you. The third attendant took action and found an open aisle seat for the person who sat next to us.

Other ideas:

3. Take an airline blanket and cover the seat the baby will sit in and tuck it into the magazine rack in the seat in front of you. Stretch the blanket onto parents' laps on both sides and into those magazine racks. You end up with a nice play area for the baby and toys don't keep falling onto the floor. (Sheila's genius idea)

4. Ask for the individual entree covers for your food and use the napkins to dry out your drink cups after you're done with them. They make wonderful toys. The airline magazines are also nice for mutilating and looking through them.

5. Pack at least two extra sets of every clothing item the baby will need. The inevitable diaper blowouts and cleaning them up in a tiny bathroom are dangerous. I actually managed to get some on his sock! Which brings me to another tip: take the socks off before changing the diaper.

6. Stack a few carryon items in front of the baby's seat, add a few airline pillows, and you have a small crib. Tuck another blanket behind the headrest wings and the tray table in front and you have a nice cover for the crib that protects some from other lights in the plane.

7. Bring some post-it note pads for the baby to tear off and stick in places. (An idea we got from another adoptive parent but we ended up not finding any.)

It's great to be home again and have some space to spread out as a family. We really enjoy our friends, family and community and have missed all of you.

John

answer to prayer!!!!

Michael slept from 7:30 last night until 2:00 am.   Drank a bottle and is still sleeping at 5:30 am.  This is definitely exciting news.  Not sure what made the difference -

- he is in a separate room away from our snoring and coughing

-this is a softer crib, the one in Guangzhou was very hard

-he finally wore himself out

-he is now more comfortable with us

-or the best option of all ---- an answer to prayer!

I just got up to check on him so now I am going back to bed!   Everyone will be happy people today when we wake up

Sheila

Arrived in Hong Kong

new pictures posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/troyernet/ChinaTrip12

We arrived safely in Hong Kong and Michael did exceptionally well.  He was great when we took off and during the flight.   He did cry some when we landed but not for long.

We told Mandy that we wanted to surprise her with a day at Disneyland today.   At first she was really excited but then seriously said, "I think I just want to stay at the hotel and rest up for our flight home.   I want to be rested up for meeting all of my friends at the airport."    We told her that she didn't need to make her final decision until we got to the hotel and that we would be excited about whatever she decided.  During the flight she changed her mind several times but when we arrived at the hotel she said "I would really rather go to Disneyland when I am not so tired."     Wow!   That tells you how tired she is!  I would never have guessed she would pass up this opportunity.    After making her final decision, she has not brought it up again.   We had lunch, went swimming and played in the play room.   She is now ready for bed and it is only 7:30.

Michael has definitely identified me as his Mama!   I just left the room and he started crying :)  He has showed his concern when I leave the room and his excitement when I come in.    It is great to know that he is identifying us as  his caregivers and his family.  I love seeing all of these little steps on bonding.

We hope to sleep well tonight.   All of us are very tired and we have a suite at this hotel so Michael will be in the other room.  I think we will all sleep better when it is not our shift for getting up with Michael. Last night he got up every hour until 2:00 am and then every 30 minutes after that until 5:00 when we finally just gave up. Being in our own home and adjusting him to his own room will be a welcomed site but also I am sure it will come with some stress on both of our parts.  

We are excited about tomorrow. Sheila

Good bye Guangzhou!

only a few pictures today athttp://picasaweb.google.com/troyernet/ChinaTrip11

Good bye Guangzhou, the next stop is Hong Kong!

Today was a low key day of Mandy and Michael playing together in our room and the play room. Michael sat on the floor in our room and Mandy was able to play with him for about an hour.  This was a big step.  He didn't have as long of a attention span in the play room but he still laid on his tummy playing and also sat on the floor to play.  

We are all packed and ready to fly to Hong Kong tomorrow at 7:15 am (7:15 pm IN time).  There is a possibility of rain but I am still hoping we will be able to go to Disney when we arrive. 

When we were here for Mandy we were quite content and not ready to go home until the day arrived. However, traveling with Mandy and a baby that is not always content has really changed the trip for us.  We have loved every minute we have had here but we are really ready to come home.   

If you think about it, pray for our safety in traveling tomorrow. Both kids have some congestion so I am praying that the plane ride does not bother them. It will only be a 45 minute flight to Hong Kong.

Blessings to you and have a great day.

Sheila