HOME...AT LAST

Wow, it feels so good to be at home! I won’t go as far as to say that the trip was enjoyable, but it was 100 times better than the last trip home from China. The girls were great. They slept for a large portion of the trip and watched the portable DVD player for quite awhile. Doodlebug really enjoyed a Chinese musical DVD. She was glued to the screen for about 30 minutes! I couldn’t have asked them to be any better. By the time we landed at our airport, we had been in the traveling mode for over 24 hours…either in flight or at an airport waiting to board, going through customs, immigration, etc. When we landed we were greeted by some personal friends, family, and friends from our play group. It was wonderful to see their familiar faces. They were so good to us. They had gifts for Desheng Darling and Doodlebug, delivered our car to the airport for us, and provided a wonderful meal for the weekend!!! Thank you! Thank you!!!!!

It was around 3:00 am when we finally got to bed. DD was still on China time and had difficulty falling asleep. When we got home she pulled out practically every toy that she owned. I guess she just missed having them in China. When we drove into our driveway, Doodlebug started clapping!!! It was so funny.

Doodlebug had a GREAT DAY! She was happy practically all day. She was such a joy!!!

Unfortunately, she had a very difficult time when we tried to put her in the car seat. Evidently, it triggered some sort of memory or fear in her. She screamed and cried until she was exhausted and fell asleep. When she awoke, she continued to be in the same fearful mood. I was afraid that we had undone all of the progress that we had made thus far. Later, she snapped out of it and began to laugh and play again, but it was a very serious time for her. I can’t help but think that it might have had something to do with her time in the orphanage. We received a few pictures of her that were taken before we got her. She appears to have white rags tied around her ankles. I’m not sure what they were for, but I think they may have been used to tie her to a chair. Has anyone else experienced similar problems with a car seat? Any suggestions? We sure don’t want to go through these meltdowns every time we decide to go somewhere! Help!