Ooops, has it really been 3 months plus since we have returned??? Shame on me. Let me attempt to recap. The first few days of returning to the States with Arisson were a little on the chaotic side as I had to relearn how to do things one handed. Arisson must have picked up a little bug from the plane, because she really wasn't feeling well and only wanted to be held. She was running a fever and again, vomiting her bottles. As difficult as things were when Jason immediately returned to work and the kids went to school on that first Monday and I relearned how to do everything one handed. I was thinking that I was so thankful that I could hold Arisson all day. As loving as the caregivers were in her SWI, there is no way that they would be able to devote a whole day of holding to one child. And Arisson totally deserves to be held all day if she needs it!
The first week or so had to be overwhelming for Arisson. She went from being one of many in an Institute, to being the focus of two parents for nearly 2 weeks, to being the focus of 2 parents and 4 excited bouncing-off-the-wall-always-in-her-face siblings. I was surprised that she didn't return to her rocking coping mechanism that we saw when we first met her. Her siblings wanted her to love them immediately, and they didn't understand that we all need a little time and space. Looking back, I don't exactly remember the time frame of when she just accepted her circumstances, but it definitely wasn't long before she would squeal with delight at seeing her brothers and sister faces everyday when they got off that school bus. She loves her siblings. And her siblings absolutely love her. She does things and all of us will laugh, and she just loves that she can get a reaction like that from us, so she will do something else and wait for our giggles. She is definitely a ham.
When she first returned home, she was still just drinking the rice cereal/formula bottles. I didn't want to make too many drastic changes all at once. I think it was after her birthday that I started first with the oatmeal or rice cereal mixtures, a little thicker than the bottles, and then daily started adding some fruit, veggies, and then finally some meat. Today she is pretty much just eating the 3rd Foods and continues to have her bottles. She also is starting to feed herself cheerios and veggie and fruit puffs. This is a huge step, since she wasn't able to use her pincher grasp or put anything to her mouth at all. I was also wondering if she would even try to feed herself, since she had 4 siblings who were very entertained with sticking cereal in her mouth. She still isn't holding a bottle on her own, but I think that it really hasn't occurred to her to try it. And I haven't pushed it. I love bottle time with her.
Her 1st Birthday came about 2 weeks after coming home. We had a little party for her. Part of me wanted to just skip over the party. It came at a time when we were still adjusting to the time change, to having to fend for ourselves, to each other, etc. But the other part kept saying things like: she only turns "1" once. So we had the party. We kept it small and simple. And the cake, as always, was awesome - Thank you Sue!! She will not remember that day (I really don't remember that day) but she will be happy to know that we celebrated the day of her birth and we have pictures to prove it!
Arisson her first American Dr. appt. when she turned one. It was pretty involved as far as blood work, lab work, and gathering of samples of the diaper kind (which is no easy task), and immunizations because of the lack of medical history on her. It was not fun for anybody, but thankfully everything came back normal, and again, she isn't going to remember this stuff. One thing that was kind of funny was that we had her weight and height charted on the American charts. Arisson, my little petite peanut, is not anywhere near the charts. She weighed in at only 15 pounds 2 oz. Our cat weighs 15 pounds 6 oz.
Two events that I have been looking forward to for awhile was the addition of Arisson and my brother's wedding. With the uncertainty of when Arisson was going to join us, I started fearing that both longed for events were going to happen simultaneously. God's timing, once again, was perfect. I was thankful that we were home nearly 2 months with Arisson to better get to know her and get her adjusted before loading her up in the van with all seven of us and travel to Georgia for the wedding. I was a little worried about a 13 hour drive with Arisson, but all was well, and actually a lot more peaceful than a 14 hour flight. On the way down Arisson slept nearly the entire time. On the way home she was usually awake, but was very content to sit next to her big brother Austin and play and talk and sing. I am actually looking forward to future road trips with the kids. The wedding was beautiful, and Arisson seemed to enjoy the attention from the family and friends that attended.
Arisson, today, is such a happy girl. To see how much she has changed in the little time that we have had her in our home is truly an amazing sight to see. She is still a little apprehensive around people other than her family, but I know in time she will feel more comfortable knowing that these people aren't there to take her away from us. Arisson has truly been a blessing. She has taught us all to love in a much bigger way. She fits into our family perfectly, like a missing puzzle piece, and now our family is complete! |
