Well, we're finally home, and settling in. Our flight got in late on Wednesday April 1, 2009, around 9pm. Neither girl slept much on the 13 1/2 hour flight from Beijing to Newark, NJ, so we were hoping that would actually help with their jet lag . . . but it didn't! They were alert and perky when we were met by "Nai Nai and YeYe" at the airport. A million "thank yous" to Nai Nai and Ye Ye for filling our refrigerator with homemade food, mowing our lawn and meeting us at the airport, and to Philip, Judy, Charlotte and Ruby for fresh fruit and balloons waiting for us at home. We got home safely with our considerable luggage and have proceeded to not sleep through the night since then. Well, Lydia has slept through the entire night for the last two nights, lucky girl. Talia, on the other hand, likes to crash early, 6:30 pm or so, sleep a few hours, and is then ready for playtime! Yes, anytime between 10 pm and 2 am, she's up for fun and games, while mom and dad are miserable with lack of a whole night of sleep since Tuesday March 31, 2009 in China. Lydia was back at preschool on Monday April 6th, and actually napped an hour in school, again, lucky girl. Talia likes to eat during her middle of the night awakenings--yogurt, a bowl of oatmeal, and is finally beginning to drink milk from her bottle, after mama was scolded by the pediatrician about even diluted apple juice--but she had to drink something and was refusing milk until home. Oh yeah, about the pediatrician, we were there on Friday April 3rd, as Talia's cold seemed worse, not better. So she's on an antibiotic for some URI and seems better now. Art is also on his 2nd antibiotic for a probable sinus infection. Gotta love that recirculated air on the planes for the three flights and 29 hours total it took us to get home. Lydia mostly loved the "movies on demand" feature offered by Continental, and watched hours and hours of her favorite shows--Dora, Diego, Backyardigans, etc. on the flights. She sat there with her headphones on just cracking up. Talia has her next medical appointment on Thursday April 16th, when she meets the surgeon at UNC-CH who will do her palate surgery. Then her pediatrician appointment on Friday April 17th to get her caught up on immunizations and a good physical. She weighed in at 17 pounds, 12 ounces on April 3rd, the 3rd percentile for her age, and at the 10th percentile for height. We're still rolling up the sleeves and pant legs of 12 month clothes, but hope she catches up some with a good diet here at home. She seemingly loves everything--Nai Nai's bread pudding and Italian Wedding Soup, yogurt, oatmeal, jar food, bananas, you name it. She's also developed much more in motor skills--she is crawling around with much more confidence, pulling up regularly, and will walk while holding onto furniture or our hands. We wish bath time had progressed as much, it's still the one thing that brings on the tears. Art has taught her to "give me five," which she thinks is quite funny, and she signs "more" when eating. She gives kisses to mama and baba, Lydia, and now Nai Nai, Ye Ye and Aunt Laura. She's going in to visit at mama's work, HRC, on Thursday, and baba is looking forward to a Raleigh excursion as well. We've just begun thinking of daycare, for when the day comes that mama and baba can't be home with her full-time :(. Luckily, that's not for awhile, as mama and baba are both going to work part-time and alternate childcare, until we know when her surgery date is and can plan accordingly. This post's pictures are of Lydia kissing her new baby sister, Talia's room at home, the quilt mama made for her room, and our sweet new girl at sleep. We're looking forward to spring here in North Carolina, and Easter in less than a week. The dogwoods and redbuds are in bloom, and our family is in a stage of new beginnings as well.
