Thanks so much for visiting us during our journey, Charles, Terri, Dalen and Annalei!
March 25, 2006
We are home!! I did not realize how upset you all would be if I did not do our update for the 25th. After being repeatedly brow beaten by Terri's friends yesterday for not posting the 25th, I thought it might be in my best interest to update you on the events of that day and the two days following our return. So I apologize for leaving you hanging and here you are: We returned home a little early on the 25th, arriving at about 9:30 pm to Indy after traveling nearly 29 hours. We were greeted by a large crowd of friends and family at the airport. We were so glad to see everyone, especially Dalen, and to finally have a chance to introduce Annalei to many of you. And, as she had been all along, Annalei was just beaming with happiness. She seemed excited to have all those people waiting for her arrival. She was smiling and giggling and making noises for everyone. For a nine month old she seemed to soak up the moment. Everyone was a bit surprised that she was in such good spirits, but she was well rested, and it was the middle of the morning as far as her internal clock was concerned. On the plane from Beijing she slept eleven of the thirteen hour flight. This was nice because it allowed mommy and I to rest as well. We all felt pretty good once we arrived. After visiting with everyone for an hour and a half or so, we headed home. I made my brother stop at Steak 'n' Shake on the way home so I could have a double steak burger and a chocolate milk shake - wow, there's nothing like some good ole, greasy American food! After arriving home Terri's brother and his wife, one of Terri's sisters and her youngest daughter and a couple friends stopped by to meet Annalei. Typically we would not have welcomed guests quite so late, but, based on China time, it was the middle of the day for us. And we were glad to share Annalei with them as well. So we all visited for awhile and then tried to go to bed around 2 am or so. Noticed I said tried - Dalen was wound tight. He was so happy to see us, so happy to have his little sister home that he just could not sleep. Finally at about 4 am I was able to get him to lay down. Annalei was ready to get up around 7 am, so we brought her into our bedroom so we wouldn't wake Dalen or Terri's mom (she had decided to stay a couple extra days to help us with our re-adjustment). Dalen soon awoke and could not wait to come in and see Annalei. They seem to have bonded quickly. I do not know if it is because of his excitement and the fact that we showed her pictures of Dalen constantly or what, but they act as if they have been brother and sister all along. Annalei just smiles so big when Dalen is around and Dalen gets so tickled at Annalei's sounds and facial expressions. It kind of gives you goose bumps to watch them together. And it is also very reassuring to us that his has accepted her so quickly. We had great fears that he would not simply due to the fact that he has had us all to himself for so many years. It has been a great homecoming.
Annalei is adapting pretty well. We had a lot of company on Sunday. We were glad to see everyone (by the way, many thanks to Terri's sisters Pam and Sandy for cooking such a great meal for us!). It may have been a little to soon for Annalei though. She did not sleep well on Sunday night. I am sure part of it is due to her "clock" still being off a bit. We were up several times through the night with her crying. I think she cried more on Sunday night than she did all of the time we had her in China. But, I think she was a bit scared of her new surroundings and all of the excitement and of course she is going to struggle a bit with the time change. She did well Monday. She seems happy with her new home and she napped well. Last night she was in bed by 8:30 and did not wake till about 3:30 this morning. After a quick bottle and a little exercise (she likes to stand on your lap and bounce around) she was back asleep by 4:30. I, however, could not sleep any longer and that is why you are getting this update today. Well, and for the previously mentioned reasons also!
We are glad to be home. We are very thankful for all of the warm thoughts and support so many of you have provided us along this journey. We are so blessed to have great families and great friends. Thanks again for everyone's support! We will give you at least one more update in a week or so. Talk to you then.
