I don't know if I have ever been so grateful to be home before. But I am so happy to be home!! Don't get me wrong, we had a great time and soaked up all China has to offer. Three weeks is a long time to be gone from home! And 4 walls of a hotel room can seem very confining after a while.
Since being home, we are doing our best to readjust to Omaha time. It seems somewhat easier this time. We're able to fall asleep at night and stay asleep til normally 4 or 5am. At that point we've been up for the day. We all seem to do fine until the afternoon and then fatigue greatly sets in. Ava and Ella have been taking naps but Matt and I have been trying not to in order to sleep at night. But some days we just haven't been able to make it without a nap. Tired parents are not a good combination with tired kiddos :) Ava has also not been feeling well. No fever but lots of diarrhea and upset stomach. Poor girl! That doesn't help with her patience level :)
Last night though I think we made a lot of progress. Ava fell asleep around 6pm because she wasn't feeling well but the rest of us made it til at least 9pm. Ava woke at 1am but then got back to sleep after a few hours and slept til 8:30am and says that she feels much better today! Yay! Ella slept all night, in her own bed!! She actually slept til 9:30 this morning. She's an awesome sleeper!!
We've been trying to keep busy during the day and keep our naps to a minimum to help our bodies adjust more quickly. My mom is amazing and is hanging out with us for the week. She remembers how difficult readjusting to the time change was last time and experienced it for herself as well. She's been here to help with the kiddos, cook, learn, do laundry, and took Ava for a day to the zoo. What a blessing she has been this week!! We've made lots of trips to the playground and splash park. We've been playing in the back yard with the water table, in the sandbox, drawing with sidewalk chalk, and discovering bubbles. While inside we've played with play dough, magnets, toys, read books, and watched movies.
The girls are doing better and better each day. I know they will never get along perfectly but am praying that they continue to grow to love each other and want to spend time together (preferably without hitting or taking toys from each other :)) They both benefit from time away from each other too. But we all need our space, especially if we've been used to having all the space we want. Thankfully we have the room to allow for some space now that we're home. It's so interesting because they'll be playing great together and then all the sudden one of them snaps; either Ella hits or pinches or Ava gets mad that Ella's not sharing and then it's all over. Ava has been having more frequent and more intense tantrums since Ella joined our family. Matt and I are doing our best to balance time with each daughter and give them what they need but also establish some lines and rules of what will not be tolerated. It's a fine line. Being a parent is a tough job!! More than anything it's most important for our girls to know how much we love each of them and value their individual traits. So yes we're getting things situated and settled but are also trying to spend lots of time just being a family and playing with our girls.
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