A Cold Day at the Zoo

We were all itching to get outside for the day this weekend and decided to head to the zoo.  It was still a little cold for the zoo but we did fine running from exhibit to exhibit :)  

She loved the penguins the most!!

 

One happy girl!!

One Month with Ava

It's hard to believe we've been together for a month already!  What a month it's been; touring China together, learning about each other, flying home, and settling in.  That combined with lots of laughs and smiles.  Sometimes it still seems surreal that Ava is home with us.  I feel like we are living a dream.

Ava's One Month with Us List

1. You are walking all over the house.  Sometimes you still want help, but when mama or baba is holding your hand you walk silly :)  This is huge progress as you weren't even walking or crawling when we met you. 

2. Favorite Food: Strawberry/Banana Yogurt but there's not much you won't eat.  You've tried lots of food and really like strawberries, popcorn, bananas, bread, and eggs.

3. You love music and are often clapping and singing along in your own words.  Your favorite is "Old McDonald had a Farm".  You have the "e-i-e-i-o" part down :).

4.  Favorite TV Show: You don't really have a favorite now.  But you are quite intrigued by the TV.  Usually you are too busy with other things to pay much attention; however a song on TV will normally grab your attention for a short time.
5. You and Jack are learning to be friends.  You'd love to get ahold of him, but he is a little hesitant still.  However whenever he hears you cry he is at your side immediately.  He cares a great deal about you already.  You are enjoying throwing his ball for him in the back yard when you can get it away from him.  You also enjoy taking long walks with Jack (and mama and baba).
6. New Skills:  Walking and drinking out of a regular cup.  You have conquered the sippy cup and we are working with a regular cup at meals.  You can do a good job with the regular cup when you want to with help from mama or baba.
7.  New Words:  You babble and sing all day long.  You can say "mama", "baba", and "Ja" (Jack).  However we think that the only word that you know who you are talking about is Ja.  You are becoming more confident in your speech and we think you will be saying many more words soon.
8. You love to be outside!!  Every time we walk out the garage or front door you laugh because you know we are headed out of the house.  You can spend hours outside in the stroller, playing in the backyard, and walking around the neighborhood.  It brings us great joy to watch you explore your world by seeing and touching new things.  You enjoyed your first snow last weekend and every time we went outside you'd reach your hands up and laugh.  We love this about you and can't wait to take you on your first hiking/camping trip.
9. You love bath time!!  You have a bath every night before bed.  Right now you are in a blow up bath tub just a little bigger than you and you have tons of toys to play with.  You laugh when water runs down your face and you love to put your face into the water, sometimes drinking your bath water (something baba and mama are trying to stop).  
10. You have surprised us by being a very social little girl.  You are loving all the company and visiting neighbors.  You are freely giving away hugs and blowing kisses.  You even gave some random teenager a hug in the doctor's office waiting room this week.  (We may need to start talking about stranger danger soon ;))  You are a lover with a big heart and we love to see it.   

Aww, sleep :)

March 10th

We have all been sleeping so much better this week.  Thank the Lord!!  My parents came in over the weekend and took the morning shift with Ava both days so that Matt and I could sleep in.  We took full advantage and slept til almost 11am both days.  We feel like we're ready to take on the world again!

Ava got in some great one on one time with Lau Lau and Grandpappy Angell.  It sounds like Pappy made her scrambled eggs both mornings and then the serious business of playing ensued.  They all had a great time.

Today turned into a big snow storm.  Ava's first snow :)  We all went out for lunch and when she would feel the snow hit her hand, she'd just laugh!!  It was awesome.  I think our girl likes the snow as much as mama and baba.

We're Home!!

March 8th-First week Home

On our way home from the airport

We made it home safe and sound around 9pm on March 1^st, local time. Ava did amazing!! We ended up purchasing her own seat on all the legs home and that made a huge difference. She had room to stretch out and she could play on the floor with her toys. She slept a little~maybe 5 hours during the whole trip, but for the most part was still our happy baby girl. On our 14 hour flight from Shanghai to Detroit, she had her own TV right in front of her. She was so funny to watch her check out this “new” toy. I bet we watched African Cats 3 times and Chimpanzee a couple of times. We fed her lots of snacks to keep her happy and walked the isles a few times.

Matt's parents were waiting for us at the airport when we landed with a sign reading “Welcome Home Ava”! It was so cool to see them. What a welcome sight they were :)  Matt's parents stayed with us until Monday afternoon.  What a blessing they were to us.  They helped us get Ava settled as well as cooked for us, cleaned for us, did laundry.  We appreciated the extra help so much!  

Ava playing with Nai Nai

Playing with Grandpa Fuller

My brother and dad also made the trip to Omaha to meet Ava on Saturday.  Ava was quiet around all the new people for a short time, but quickly warmed up to them.  She is such a lover and gives lots of hugs.  She's been blowing lots of kisses to us as well.  She loves to play and has started walking on her own.  

Meeting Grandpa Angell

Playing with Uncle Bobby

Our toughest adjustment since coming home is getting some sleep...this jet lag stuff is no joke!!  The first couple of nights we were all up for hours (usually 12am-6am), wide awake in the middle of the night.  The most frustrating is when Ava is sound asleep and Matt and I are wide awake thinking "we were so tired a couple hours ago, why can't we sleep?".  We are making progress as the week goes on though.  We have tried a couple different things, but are trying to stick to a solid routine.  She is sleeping in our room in a bassinet near our bed.  This seems to be helping as she can hear us during the night and if/when she wakes up we are able to get to her and soothe her before she is crying.  When we can catch her before she's crying we have much more success getting her back to sleep quickly, often without taking her out of her bed.  We have also moved a portable heater into our room.  Our baby girl will not keep a blanket on and so she was waking up a little chilly at night.  Some of the best advice we received was to make sure we were all getting outside during the day to help our bodies know that it's daytime in hopes of resetting our circadian clocks.  This has proven to be both great for our internal clocks as well as our emotional well-being.  Ava LOVES being outside and you all know that about Matt and I.  Our schedule this week has been to run errands in the morning around 10:30 for an hour and then go for a long walk after her nap.  Luckily the weather has cooperated to allow us to do this.

We had one night this week where Ava slept from 8:30pm until 5:30am solid, but most of our nights recently she has been up for at least an hour overnight.  Matt and I are trading off "on-call" nights.   This also seems to be working better for us.  The trouble is that we are both all of the sudden light sleepers and have a hard time sleeping when the other is trying to soothe our crying baby girl.  We are at the point though where we have to get some sleep in order for us to be good parents during the day.

Ava has been happy through it all, even with very little sleep.  Thank goodness!!  This has been a God-send for all of us.  Thank God for our happy baby girl!  We've had a great week settling in, playing the days away, and just getting to know each other better.  I still think that there is no better sound in the world than Ava's laugh.  Melts my heart every time.    My parents are coming in to help us out for the weekend and to allow Matt and I to get more sleep.  We should be energized and ready to go next week.  

Up All Night

February 28~No Sleep

We are all running on no sleep today. Ava is normally a great sleeper, once we get her to sleep she's out for about 10 hours usually. Last night, Ava went to bed easily at 8:30 but awoke at 12:30am, screaming. We had numerous adoptive families tell us that their little ones had occasionally suffered night terrors. I'm not positive this is what happened with Ave last night, but it sure seems plausible. Normally if she does wake up in the night it just takes Matt or myself going to her crib and rubbing her belly just to reassure her we're still there. Soon she's right back to sleep. Last night there was very little we could do to soothe her. It was such a helpless feeling not being able to help her through this. All we could do was make sure she knew we were there for her and hug and kiss on her...all night. We were up until 6am. At that time she finally felt relaxed enough to go back to sleep. She fell asleep in our bed and so there she stayed and at least got a couple more hours of sleep.

Today we are taking it easy. We went to a giant park across from the hotel and explored all morning. Doing the last bit of packing so that we are ready to go home tomorrow. Tonight we are going back to the Japanese Steakhouse for some grilled fish and more homemade fried rice.

Finally asleep 

Working on our "Good for a KState Touchdown!!"

Hoping for a good nights sleep for all of us and then we're ready for the big trip home. Total travel time is estimated to be about 30 hours. Seriously praying for smooth travel and patience for all of us. I have no idea how well Ava is going to handle this trip. Soon we will know :)   

Ava has a US Visa!!

February 27~ Ava has a Visa!!

This afternoon we received Ava's visa!! We are now ready to bring our baby girl home!!!!

We spent most of the day relaxing around the hotel. For supper we headed back to Shamian Island for a little more shopping and to celebrate a birthday of one of the little girls we met in Beijing. We went shopping at a store called A Gift From China. We had found out about the store from the other families who have been there before. All of the profits the store makes goes to benefit orphans in China. Pretty cool, huh?! ;) For Elle's birthday we went to a Thai Restaurant. It was delicious food and great company. We are truly going to miss the families we've met over the last few weeks.    

Tickle Monster with Baba

Exploring around our hotel.  More "fresh" fish and...turtle.

Ava has a Visa, but is far more interested in the balloons for the party ;)

Group Photo!!  What a great group of people!

Final US Visa Appointment

February 26~Visa Appointment and Oath taking Day

This morning we went to the US Consulate to finalize Ava's visa paperwork. This included an oath taking ceremony. On our way over to the Consulate, one of the families warned us that this is not a grand ceremony and they were right. The ceremony consisted of a US Consulate employee talking to a waiting room full of adoptive families from behind a glassed counter. She asked all the adoptive parents to stand and raise their right hands. As we did so, she told us what to say. “I promise to treat my adoptive child as my own. I will not abuse or abandon them...” Something to that notion. And that quickly it was over and the workers began calling up the parents one by one to verify paperwork and passports. Even though the ceremony was not a grand affair it is a HUGE, important step for our family in that it was the last step needed to get her visa so that we can all fly home!! So whatever it takes to get her home we are willing to do.

Ava had another big first today...her first tantrum ;) When we were finished at the Consulate and waiting for the rest of the members of our party to get done. Ava was getting quite impatient about the wait (not that we could really blame her) and wanted to go outside. So I took her out there, but all she wanted to do was climb/play on the wet, slippery, marble stairs. When I took her off of them she had a meltdown!! Stomping feet, swinging her arms, sobbing, the whole ordeal. This was not fun for Ava or mama. But she pretty quickly recovered and then we were able to go back outside and look at the flowers. We are figuring out that parenting a 19 month old is a lot of redirecting their focus. This task is sometimes much easier said than done.

The rest of the day continued to be a tough one. Several more tantrums followed throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately we first of all had to wake Ava up in the morning before she was ready because of the Consulate appointment and her afternoon nap was disrupted as well. I think these two things did not help matters much. I also think that the busy days are catching up with all of us and we are all feeling the exhaustion. We are thankful to have Lau Lau around always, but extra thankful today. She helped us get through a tough day and help us to keep our sanity. It's also helpful to talk it through with someone whose been there and raised some pretty good kids if I do say so myself ;) and to be reassured that it's ok. Every family has days like this and we'll learn to handle them.

I have to say though that we love that Ava is healthy enough, strong enough, and comfortable enough to have a mind of her own...good or bad, we are thankful!

We spent the evening on a Pearl River boat cruise with the rest of the Holt families. We really debated about going with the day we had, but in the end were so glad we went. It was great to spend some more time together with people we have grown so close with over the last few weeks. It's also so nice to not have to feel like we have to hide when it's been a rough day. They all know and have been in the same boat one day or another. They all are adopting their 2^nd or 3^rd child, so they are also full of advice, wisdom, and encouragement. The river boat was decked out as a traditional Chinese Dragon Boat. The lower level was air conditioned and the upper deck was open to the wind. The boat served food but they were wonderful and allowed us crazy Americans to bring Papa John's Pizza on board. Ava got to try her first bites of hamburger pizza and breadstick. Yummy!! We have yet to discover much she won't eat. So far we're learned of just corn and peas.

We got back to our hotel around 8:30pm and Miss Ava headed right to bed. We didn't get much of a fight about bedtime tonight. She was so tired. Tomorrow we don't have any appointments until 4:30pm so we are planning to sleep in as late as possible.         

Lau Lau

2.25.13~Lau Lau

When Matt and I first starting talking about our trip to China, we discussed for awhile about whether or not to ask grandparents to go with us. Deciding to do so was one of the best decisions we made!! I don't know what we'd do without Lau Lau here. Not only is she our resident photographer but she is always willing to help carry stuff and she helps to make sure we have everything we need before we go out. She is also amazing with Ava. It's been really fun to watch her be a Grandma and a great one she is!! Ava and her have a very special bond already. Lau Lau can always make Ava smile and laugh. It has been a blessing to have extra help especially at times when Matt and I are exhausted and may be having a difficult time adjusting to our new roles. Lau Lau knows just when to jump in and help. We are so thankful to have her by our side during this journey. Thank you Lau Lau!!

A Day at the Zoo

February 25~Guangzhou Zoo

We spent the day at the Guangzhou Zoo. It was awesome!! The day started with about a 45 minute bus ride to get us all to the zoo. Ava is going to have a rude awakening when we get back to the states and she has to actually sit in a car seat when in a car. But here, anything goes. We make her stay on our laps but I'm pretty sure my little girl thinks mom and dad are a jungle gym when in the vehicle. She seriously has ants in her pants!! Trying to climb all over us and touch and feel everything close. A monkey, I tell you!!

Our first stop at the zoo was a tram ride through an open safari. I wasn't sure how our monkey was going to do on the tram so I had treats ready just in case. But she was immediately taken by all the animals. She was really checking them all out. She loved the big animals the best but I think mainly because they were easier to see. The zoo keepers were always close by and would throw the animals food when we got close so that we were able to easily see the animals. We saw bears, zebras, lions, white tigers, elephants, hippos, rhinos, lots of birds, and other animals that we had no idea what they were.

After that was the walking tour through the zoo. We started with the dinosaur exhibit which I thought was going to be kind of hokey, but it was really cool. They had lots of replica, robotic dinosaurs that looked really realistic. Some of them were even rather scary. I was a little concerned about how Ava might do. She didn't seem scared but at the same time wasn't too sure about them either. We proceeded to see all kinds of animals: a huge snake exhibit, elephants, monkeys, tigers, bears, koalas, and panda bears. The panda bears were the absolute favorite of the day. Not something you can see everyday and we loved watching Ava's reaction to them. The other different thing about this zoo is that they had little monkeys out of their cages with a trainer. So you could get REALLY close to them...something that would never be allowed in the US :) 

On the Safari Tram

Watching the chimp, who's not in a cage...

Snakes are in the bin under our feet...yuck!!

Feeding the giraffes

Mom ordered a hamburger for lunch and got this: Chicken.  Not exactly what she wanted! LOL

Playing with Kai

Ava loved the baby monkey