First Football Game

Over the weekend, Harper enjoyed her first Mizzou football game.  We were hesitant taking her but decided that she should be exposed to our lifestyle sooner than later. 

 We met our friends around 10:45am which happened to be right around naptime.  I figured she'd sleep in the stroller, I was wrong.  She entertained herself with beads & people watched.

Do you like my cheerleading outfit?  Aunt La (Mindy) got it for me....it's a little big but I'll grow into it.
I've already gained 2 lbs since I've been home.

 We were at another tailgate that had a blow up Truman.   She was very amused with Truman.

The game started at 1pm & she seemed to like it.  She wasn't frightened by the large crowds & noise.  She clapped when we scored along with the crowd.  When we scored a touch down, the canon goes off, I thought it might scare her, but Harper thought it was funny.

She lasted until half time & finally passed out.  There was no whining or crying, she just fell asleep in daddy's arms.

First game = A+

Second game....we'll see how it goes

After nap time, we met up with some friends at Shakespeare's Pizza.  We were there about 2 1/2 hours visiting & waiting for our food.  Harper was a perfect angel.  She sat nice in her high chair for a while & enjoyed watching & playing with all of the kids. 

First restaurant outing = A+

I realize these outings will probably be short lived, but we need to enjoy it while we can.

Cranio-facial appt

Harper had her Cranio-facial appt on Monday.  Our appt was at 3:30 & we didn't get out of there until 5:10pm.  They were running behind as usual, but Harper was a very good girl considering 3 different docs stuck their fingers in her mouth. By the third time, she started crying, understandable.

We're still waiting to hear when her palate surgery will be but are hoping for sometime in November.  They won't operate until the child has been in the country for at least 6 weeks.  Kids adopted internationally tend to get sick because of the change in their diets & environment.

The palate repair is less invasive than I thought.  They will basically stretch the tissue from the roof of her mouth & sew it together, covering the "hole" in her palate.  She'll spend the night in the hospital only 1 night.

The skin will regenerate, grow back & become hard over time.  She'll need to be out of daycare for 2 weeks. She'll  wear arm restraints so she doesn't stick any foreign objects in her mouth that could puncture the roof & eat very soft foods for that time frame. 

They also addressed her burn scars.  They gave us silicone sheating to tape on it to reduce the scarring & roughness.  That's been an ordeal.  The scars are  under the butt cheek so it's difficult to keep it taped on.  Not sure how much this will help but it's worth a try.

We're still working on the sleeping arrangements.   Currently, we lay her down in our bed & move her to the packnplay (which is right next to our bed) when she's asleep.  She sleeps all night which is good. I'd really like to get her sleeping in her room before I go back to work. She has a crib in her room which she will not even get in it, even with her favorite toys.   I'm open to any suggestions because this isn't working very well.

Harper loves playing with the hose. 

Harper was "supposed" to be napping. I kept hearing alot of chit chat with her baby doll.  Looks like she passed out while trying to escape our bed.

First visit to the pediatrician

Harper met Kolton for the first time. Don't let her fool you, she was trying to push him off the stool. Have you ever tried to take a picture of 2 2yr olds?

Harper had her first pediatrician appointment today. No shots!!! I think 7 was enough in China. Not much to report, just the basic height, weight etc.

Basically she's teeny tiny with a big head!

22lbs= 3rd %

34 inches tall= 65%

49cm head= 87%

There were no concerns about her health or developmental skills. She will see the craniofacial team on Monday to address her cleft lip & palate. She'll also be referred to the pediatric plastic surgeon to address her burn scars.

Our first week of being home with Harper has been a whirlwind. We are finally getting our days & nights straightened out. We've been working hard at getting Harper on a schedule & we're sticking with it. It's been very difficult, but hopefully by the time I go back to work, it'll be our routine. Aunt Manda getting to hold her newest niece for the the first time.
Harper, where are you? You're awfully quiet.

Busted! No, she's not eating the dog food, just playing.
She's doing great with the dogs, loves feeding them multiple times a day.

We made it home!

Finally, home sweet home! We didn't realize how much we would miss the United States.

In 2 weeks we trekked 6 airports, numerous cabs/vans, 1 train, 3 different hotels, & an overnight visit at grandma's.

We left Guangzhou Friday afternoon & took a 2hr train ride to Hong Kong. If only we could take a train to the states. We spent the night in Hong Kong & flew out at 10am the next morning.

The plane ride was a grueling 15 hrs! Neil & I didn't get a wink of sleep. Harper did as expected, barely slept, maybe 3 hours, bored, overtired, irritable etc.

It was hard on all of us. We got to Newark & had a 3hr layover which was nice to walk around. The next flight to St Louis was better, all of us fell asleep. By this time, it had been 24 hours of traveling. We were wiped out!

Our family warmly welcomed us at the St Louis airport. They had welcome home signs & balloons. When Harper gets older, she'll recognize how much she was already a part of our family & very much loved.

Harper's first train ride to Hong Kong
Finally asleep on the airplane

United States citizen!

Welcome Home Harper!

Harper was a bit overwhelmed at first but it didn't take long for her to fit right in with our family.

Life in the United States with Harper is an adjustment. We stayed over at my parents house & she was very comfortable there.

She went to bed @ 10pm & slept until 11pm. Neil & I tag teamed & stayed up w/ her. She went back to bed from 3-5:30am. Not much rest for a toddler. Her days & nights are flipped but we're slowly adjusting it.

Her first carseat ride back to Columbia went well, no crying & she slept the entire 2 hours.

She was dozing off @ 3pm but we managed to keep her up until 6:45. She then slept for over 12 hours, woke up & ate breakfast then right back to bed for another 2 hours.

Again, she was dozing off at 3pm, we kept her up & stimulated & she finally went to bed around 8pm & slept until 6am. This is more like her schedule in China.

In her foster home she slept in bed with her mom. She's been sleeping in bed with me & we're trying to move her to a pack n play. She's not liking that. She definately does not like her crib.

One of our biggest stresses was the dogs. Surprisingly, she actually likes them! Huge relief...

She waves & laughs at them, throws them treats, they love her!

Overall, she is doing much better than we expected. She is a typical 2 yr old, no developmental delays besides her speech (which was expected).

She has a few doctor's appointments in the next week so we'll find out more about the severity of her cleft palate & when she'll have surgery.

We've had her for less than 3 weeks now & it seems like she's been a part of our family for months. We love her to pieces....

Today our guide took us to a chinese market, pearl factory & jade factory. We walked the streets & saw some very interesting things. The streets were filled with traditional chinese herbs.  Older generations rely on these herbs to treat different illnesses. Younger people in China use regular medicines/antibiotics. This is a picture of a lizard, Simon our guide, said it is for gentleman's use, natural viagra! These are scorpions which are used in soups. We also saw dried water roaches which are also used in soups...sounds yummy :) We also bought Bria a pearl necklace to wear when she gets married & she can hand it down to Harper.   It is very hot & humid here, much like Missouri so it's difficult for us to be outside very long. The shopping plaza was enormous with 8 floors! I  could've stayed all day but everyone was worn out.  The babies were hot, tired & hungry...not a good combination.

What day is this???

We are living in a blur right now. Each day we ask ourselves "what day is it". I guess this is what retirement is like, right? I can't remember exactly what I last posted but we made it to Guangzhou late Friday night around  midnight.  There were a ton of flights cancelled due to a typhoon, thankfully, ours was not one of them.  It was one of the worst flights I've ever been on, tons of turbulence, so much that the lady next to Neil barfed! We like Guangzhou so much better than Xi'an.  It's easier for us to get around, a bit more quiet & more adoptive families are around. Sat we met our guide & all of the other families  & headed to the medical appointment.  This was madness.  It was  a very old fashioned clinic, no air conditioning, & full of adoptive parents with screaming children. The last update we got on Harper in July stated she weighed 27 lbs....wrong. She's 23 lbs. I'm pretty sure she hasn't lost 4lbs due to stress, the kid eats constantyl.  All of her 24mo & 2T clothing are hanging on her. She's itty bitty...so petite.   The hearing test was a joke.  The nurse had a play/toddler piano & a squeaky toy, she played a few notes on the piano, then sqeaked the toy in her ear! If she responded, (which she did) she passed!  Pretty funny! Poor Harper had to get 7 shots! Of course she cried, who wouldn't, but overall she did well.   We are learning so much about Harper each day.  She is either hot or cold, meaning she's totally happy or really mad.  She knows exactly what she wants & will let you know by screaming or pullling your hand to show  you. She wants to talk badly, but she can't because of her cleft palate so she gets frustrated & mad. Once we get her palate repaired, watch out, she'll be talking a mile a minute. She still has a bottle @ bedtime, but more for comfort. She hardly drinks the formula. She still wears diapers, semi-potty trained. She wets her diaper about 1-2 per day.   She is a big imitator, will copy anything you tell her do.  It takes 1 time & she knows what we're doing.  We've already taught her some sign language which she's using. Every day, she amazes us with what she knows & understands.  I've heard other adoptive parents say that alot of kids are about 6 months behind developmentally, Harper is right on target except for her speech.  I believe being in a foster home with a family has helped her stay developed & independent. She's a nudist, as I'm typing this she's stripping off her pj's. She is quite a handful at times. Our days of going out to eat are over for a few years.  We'll try to update more later on....

day 4

It's been  4 full days now with Harper & she has came out of her shell showing her true colors. She is a very determined strong willed toddler.  She knows what she wants but can't communicate because of her cleft palate.  She'll start screaming & pull our hand to show us what she wants.  After she gets what she wants, she's happy, typical 2 yr old right?   Overall, she's been a joy & we've been very lucky.  We got our first hug & kiss on day 3, she will cuddle when she's tired but otherwise she is a busy, active child.  She does best if she's doing a "job" so we'll have her help fold clothes or clean the table.  She reminds us alot of Julian only a little bit louder. She LOVES her stroller, so much we have to hide it, & being outside.  I know it's hard for her to be in this hotel room, considering she came from a rural area, maybe a farming area.   We went to the wild goose pagooda on Wed. We prayed to Buddha. Later on that night while  getting ready for bed, she kept making Bria & I to get on our pillow & pray.  It's the cutest thing.   We had a free day yesterday so we took her swimming & she loved it.  She wasn't afraid to het her face wet.   It's now Friday morning here, we'll go to breakfast, take nap, pack our bags,check out of the hotel, do a little bit of site seeing, pick up Harper's passport @ 4 then head to the airport to catch an 8pm flight to Guangzhou.  Our trip is half way over, we're ready to move on to the next leg.  Xi'an is historical, but difficult for us to get around without a guide.  We are the only Westerners around here.  I know, it's China, what do we expect. We're ready to move on....Supposedly Guangzhou is a little more Western & easier to get around on our own. Plus, there will be other adoptive families at our hotel. Thanks to everyone for their prayers & support. Our flight tonight is 2hr 30m, hopefully Harper will sleep, or it will be a long, loud flight!