Our last post was on the day of our consulate appointment and it was drama-filled as the system went down and we were nervous that we wouldn't get our visas on time. Obviously our visas did come on time and we and another family on our trip loaded a private van for Hong Kong. We were quite nervous for the 3 hour van ride as Charlie hasn't loved his other van rides but he really did great. While many families take the train to Hong Kong from Guangzhou, we opted for the van because navigating a metro system with thousands of people and nothing in English sounds pretty intimidating. Plus, we got to stay in our van to go through the China/Hong Kong border which was nice.
The 17 hour flight home was no fun, especially because we spent an additional hour sitting on the plane before it ever took off due to "electrical issues" but we made it and I couldn't have been more thrilled to get off that plane. We went through the immigration line and then had to go into a room filled with people so they could file Charlie's paperwork, officially making him a U.S. citizen. I must have looked pretty exhausted and pathetic because one of the guys took pity on us and sent our file through quickly so we could be on our way within 15 minutes!
When we got to baggage claim we had the warmest homecoming with many of our closest family and friends there to greet us. I couldn't wait to hug them and especially see our Brooklyn who we had missed so very much. We couldn't ask for better friends!
So, now real life begins. I'd love to say things are just rolling right along but, to be honest, it's been pretty tough. All change is hard, even good change. It took about a week of sleepless nights before Charlie got over his jet lag and began sleeping longer stints at night. Sometimes you forget how very important sleep is until you aren't getting it. It was like having a newborn except they don't sleep during the day either. I'm happy to report that he has had several great nights since then and I'm so pleased with that progress.
We are also getting used to managing two toddlers. Brooklyn is my sweet but quite "spirited" child and would prefer to keep all her toys as well as her mommy and daddy all to herself. Sometimes Charlie can breathe wrong and she's in a huddled mess on the floor about it. I know this type of adjustment is fairly normal for kids, we're just trying to manage it well. It's a work in progress...
Throw in the stomach flu and a family funeral and you've got an action packed first two weeks home! Charlie did great on his first road trip to Odessa for Brian's dear grandmother's funeral and actually slept through the night the second night we were there. I'm excited to see him with his cousins at Christmas. I know they will have a blast together.
So what's Charlie like? He's actually fairly easy going as long as he's kept fed and well rested. This kid can EAT! Considering that Brooklyn eats barely enough to keep a bird alive, this is quite a change for us. He can polish off an entire kid's meal in no time at all. He's a pretty tiny thing, but I have a feeling that will change quickly! He's curious and loves noise. He likes to bounce things off of the tile just to hear the sound it makes. He's a little partial to his momma right now but will go to either of us. He loves being tickled and playing in our play kitchen. Did I mention he loves making noise? He likes music and likes to dance. He can say "mama" "ball" "Uh oh" "baba" (Daddy in Chinese) and "Jie Jie" (sister in Chinese). He has already learned how to climb the stairs to the slide and go up the stairs of our home which is vast improvement from even a week ago!
I can't wait to see him continue to progress. In the meantime, please forgive me if I'm a little slow to return your emails or messages. In my few minutes of peace at the end of the day, I usually opt to do absolutely nothing but enjoy time with my hubby and sit. I will get better at this, I promise, and will rejoin society again.
Much love
