Our Family, Our Joy: Our Arrival and the Next Few Day

We arrived at Atalanta right on time, but not realizing that American has their own baggage claim, we took the long way around. And what did we find when we came upon them??? (from behind since we came down the wrong way) My good friend Dawn and her family, and, the big surprise.........Grandma and Grandpa!! My parents don't live anywhere around us and had to drive quite a distance to be here to meet their new granddaughter. We were all thrilled with the surprise! Dawn's kids Nicholas and Olivia made a welcome home sign for Lily and they brought balloons for our kids. Dawn also brought a bag full of snack and an ice cold Diet Coke for me!

We visited for a little while and then headed home. Lily did excellent in her car seat. It didn't seem to bother her at all. The boys were excited to be home and see all their toys. I have wonderful friends and they had stocked our kitchen with food, and even left a cookie cake! Grandma jumped right in and started doing laundry. That was wonderful as I wasn't sure when I would get it all done. She said she had never seen so much laundry! :) (she had also already stocked my freezer with frozen meals!) Lily took it all in. She's very timid, so she stayed close to me. After lunch, the 6 of us went down for naps. Grandma continued with the laundry, and Grandpa started washing windows. We slept for a few hours, and then started to wake the kids. That was a tough job........especially with Tyler and Michael. We all went outside to play and show Lily the play set. I don't think she's ever been on one, as she was a little unsure of the slide and swing. Then it was dinner and bed for our exhausted crew.

Monday was a quiet day of playing inside and outside, and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. On Tuesday, the 3 boys went back to school. I know Lily must have been confused when her brothers disappeared. When Grandma and Grandpa came over, she came to me to be picked up and stuck very close to me the rest of the morning. This all changed after we picked up Tyler and Michael. When we got home, Michael ran into the family room and Lily ran after him laughing! She's much more animated and less clingy when her brothers are around. After lunch we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa as they headed home. We are so thankful for all they did for us

She's still a little slow to play, and it takes her awhile to begin interacting with a toy. She seems to like the cash register and Alex's marble run game. I also saw her lining up cars like her big brother! Although the orphanage said she likes dolls, she hasn't shown much interest yet. I'm still working on that as I loved dolls when I was little.

Our Jet Lag.............
The first night home was fair. Alex did the best. He fell asleep around 9pm and didn't wake until 8am..........he rocks!!!! Michael and Tyler both woke up crying a few times. Tyler ended up going back to sleep until after 9am, but Michael stayed awake in the wee hours of the morning and played on his bed. Lily just whimpered a few times during the night, and cried a little in the morning. Not bad........but that changed the second night!

The second night was awful!!!! Alex and Tyler both did well and slept through the night. Not so for our two 3-yr olds! Michael was up every 1/2 hours starting at 2am crying and saying he had to go to the bathroom. Lily woke up about the same time and just cried. For the first time in over a week, she cried for her nanny. She did this a couple of times throughout the night. I know it's a combination of the jet lag and all the changes she's been faced with, but it's just so heartbreaking to hear her cry in such a sad way for her nanny. The interesting thing was, she was so happy in the morning. She was playful and smiley. At one point, I held out my arms and she came running towards me and threw herself in my arms laughing! It was such a sweet moment!

The third night was much better. Michael did wake up a few times, but not as often, and did end up sleeping until about 6:30am. Lily also did a lot better. She whimpered a few times, but was easily quieted with just a pat on the back. She woke up quietly and happily.

This morning (Wednesday) she was again, very playful. She played a game with me where she would run towards me, stop, and then run the other way laughing. Very cute!

We are very happy to be home and are so grateful for all of our friends and family that have welcomed us back. We ask that you continue to pray for Lily as she continues to adjust to her new surroundings. Thank you for following along in our journey!

I'll try to post again in a few days, and let everyone know how we're doing.

Our airport greeters