Well it's hard to believe that we have been home for three months. We are well adjusted and Alexandra is doing wonderfully. She has made so many strides and is developing and growing everyday.
Let's start when we arrived home she did have two days that she was clingy and a little off base. She was still on China time. She did sleep 9 out of the 12 and 1/2 hours from Beijing to Newark so it took her about 2 days to get readjusted. She acclimated to USA pretty quickly. When we got home she just kind of checked the place out and I think she was wondering how long we were going to set up shop here before we moved on. I think she's glad this is her final destination.
We celebrated her 1st birthday on May 11th and had her baptism on May 18th. It was a wonderful celebration and it was so nice to see so many friends and family that have supported us and prayed for this little girl.
She has bonded very well and still just wants the three of us to hold her. She is getting better and especially at day care. I returned back to work on July 7th and it was a little hard leaving her and getting back in to the swing of things. We started her at day care and at Ms. Virginia's the week prior to me starting work to get her transitioned. The good new is that she is now waving bye and blowing kisses. It breaks my heart however I know it's a good thing.
She transitioned to baby food very quickly however it didn't last long and quickly she was chowing down on table food which she loves. This girl for as small as she is can eat. The ladies at day care cannot believe how much this little girl eats. From May until July she grew an inch and gained over a pound. She went from formula to milk, started to crawl and went from a sleeper to a princess night gown all in one week. This all happened the first week in July. Like I said she is making great strides.
She brings so much joy to our hearts everyday. Her smile is so precious and I can't remember what life was like without her. She fits into our family so well and believe it or not 2 people have told us that she resembles me. I LOVE IT!!
Since she started crawling her new thing is that she really wants to walk so she wants you to hold her hands and she will walk everywhere with assistance. She has four new teeth and I think she is working on her 1 year molars. She is saying: mama, dada, ni (nick), bye-bye and hi. She babbles in what I think is Chinese and is very vocal. She has learned some sign language and loves to mimic everything and everyone.
She has really bonded with me and it was great to be home, however when her daddy and Nick come home she is a daddy's girl and wants her brother. Nicholas continues to be a great helper and loves his sister. The best thing is that he still continues to tell me how thankful he is that we have her. It makes me cry every time he says it.
She has been very health which I thank God for everyday. Other than one mild cold which didn't require a doctor visit or antibiotic she has not been sick. Now that she is in daycare I know she will be catching things however I am grateful for her health during the past several months.
We have actually visited with the Beach family twice since we have been home. They are from Ohio and their daughter Chloe was in the same orphanage. It's great to see these two little ones interact and it's amazing how they have the same voices. Chloe is just about two and a half months younger than Alexandra. Alexandra is a great traveler. We have made two trips to New Jersey this summer and she did a great job!
Well this post being the last for this website is certainly a long one, however a lot has happened in such a short time. Once again thank you to all of you for following our job we can't thank you enough for your love, support and prayers. Oh, and one last thing to all the people reading this ,if you feel God is knocking on your door or tugging on your heart strings about adoption please consider it. It has been a most wonderful experience.
