This will likely be the last post before we take the blog down. We really intended it to be just for people following our trip to China. 

We have been home 8 months and could not be happier with our little girl. She is a sweet, smart, funny little girl and has transitioned into our family beautifully. Her "special need" turned out to not exist at all, which we were pretty certain would be the case, although we prepared for it.

Thanks to those who provided their input and support during our journey.

Home 6 weeks

We can't believe it has been 6 weeks since we got home. We have a sweet, charming little girl who is just adorable. Her tantrums have almost stopped as she has gotten comfortable with the changes in her life. She speaks 40+ English words now and understands many, many more.

She has had all her blood work completed and has been to the dentist. She was great at the appointments, too. No crying, no screaming, and did whatever needed to be done. Her teeth are in great shape with the exception of some small decay between her front two teeth.

She started school today, too. We were going to wait until Spring, but we found a Chinese academy that teaches in Chinese and English so this should make her transition much easier and also give her the opportunity to socialize with other kids.

She can not wait until this evening to go trick-or-treating! She has a Cinderella costume that she has looked at about a 1000 times and this morning when she woke up, her first words were, "Mommy, Halloween!". I'll post a pic of her in her costume tonight.

Cute Pic - just had to share!

1 week home

Sleeping - After 2 nights of tantrums at bed time, she now puts herself to bed with no fuss whatsoever. No stories, no delaying tactics, just a smile and then sleep. Now if we could just get her to sleep past 6:20 am, it would be perfect.

Eating - Can't believe how much this kid eats and is fixated on food. Definitely some deep issues here from 2 years in an orphanage. As long as it is healthy food, we let her eat as much as she wants right now.

Playing - Barrel of Monkeys and Slinky were a big hit. She has also been enjoying puzzles. She has finally figured out corner pieces and matching colors, but not quite the edge pieces yet. She had never done one before and has not had the benefit of anyone explaining it to her. We have tried using a translating tool and hand motioning, but no luck there yet.

Tantrums - She hits, whines, and tantrums when she doesn't get her way. We are working on this. It is exasperating, but she will learn. She has 2 parents absolutely determined to put an end to that.

Language - She can count to 5 in English and knows "hello", "puppies", and "kitty". We need to work more on English with her and find the right motivation for her. She understands more than she used to, just need to get her speaking the words.

We have someone coming over on Thursday who speaks Mandarin to explain some safety issues/rules of the house.

Home at last.........

25 of traveling....but we made it home. And no major issues, either. There were some close calls where we thought she might melt down, but she made it through like a little trooper. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to get immigration clearance due to only one officer being on duty to handle visas, and our car service reservation expired and they left, but they came back and we made it home.

She likes her room and all her toys, but now never wants to go to bed. So we have had meltdowns each night at bed time, but we figure that's probably pretty normal for a 5 year old.

And she doesn't like her potty training seat. She is trained, but her tiny hiney is too small for regular seats so we got a training seat she won't fall through. But she doesn't want to use it. She wants us to hold her on instead which is surprising given how she likes to be able to do everything herself.

She is not afraid of our little dogs, even when they bark at her, so that is a relief but we have to watch 2 of them closely as they are upset with her addition to the household. She loves the kitties and one of them is being very tolerant.

The countdown begins...

In less than 24 hours, we'll finally begin the trek home.  We leave the hotel in a van bound for the airport in Hong Kong at 8:00 a.m. local time, 5:00 p.m. Vegas time.  And then, ONLY 23 hours later, we'll be home. Wish us luck, we'll need it...

Wednesday 9/14

We had our consulate appointment yesterday and today we will get her visa in the afternoon. The last 2 days went well, lots of playing and she started to cuddle with us yesterday as well. This morning was a tantrum because we came back to the room after breakfast. She only cries now when she doesn't get her way. It is very clear she was thoroughly spoiled and given into by the nannies.

We leave Friday morning and are dreading traveling 20+ hours with a 5 year old with whom it is difficult to communicate, but will be so glad to be home.