Unrecognizable

I know so many of you have been waiting for an update since arriving at home. I can just see MaryAnn checking everyday to make sure we arrived safely! And many of you are wondering how Jia did on the flight and is adjusting now that we're home.
Let me go back to last Thursday, July 2nd. We left ShaMian Island on the 10:39 train. Our trip to Hong Kong was 2 hours. Then we ate McDonalds in the train station. The train station was on Kowloon Island and our hotel was next to the airport on Lantau. So we took a taxi to our hotel, about a 35 minute drive. We were literally a block from our hotel, at the last stop light before getting there... I could see the hotel. And Jia starts throwing up all over herself, me and the back of the cab. Gobs. Apparently she gets car sick. I don't know how she made it 8 hours roundtrip in the back of the van to Maoming without getting sick, but the cab drive did her in. So I get us checked in with vomit all down my front, and proceed to our room to clean us up. After I stripped her, she pee'd all over me! UGH. Anyway, we survived that night and made it safely to the airport Friday AM.
We traveled 22 hours on Friday, going through Japan and Minneapolis again. Once Jia's passport was stamped in MN, she became a US citizen! Yeah! We arrived in KCI about 5 PM to the boys, my parents, my Aunt Ake and cousin Amy! We had a few minutes to get aquointed while Jack went after our van in parking. Jia and Jory immediately hit it off at we suspected they would!

Here's Jia and I after 22 hours of traveling. She slept most of the way on our long flight from Tokyo to MN. She was such a trooper and didn't mind the plane ride at all. She cried for about 30 minutes, 2 hours into our long flight, but I think it was mostly fighting sleep. She fell asleep and we had to wake her up to get off the plane in MN.

Jia and Jory meeting for the first time. She instantly loved him and the 2 are virtually inseperable still.

Here's Jia, Jacen, Jory and I after getting off the plane.

We went out to eat before heading home and Jia really showed a bit of her personality. She is so darn cute. Unfortunately, she didn't want to go to bed until 6 AM... Jack and I didn't sleep on the plane and were so darn tired. I don't know how we survived that first night. It was really horrible.

I think we slept until about 2 Saturday and we went to my mom and dad's Saturday night to celebrate independence day! Jia looked adorable in her 4th of July dress! But it prohibited her riding the tricycle very well. She acted like she knew what to do on it, she just couldn't reach the petals.

Jia loves to take care of babies. We gave her a baby doll in China and she just rocked it, cradled it and took such good care of the baby. She took her stroller to Grandma's and played with it all night.

We were all surprised at how well Jia liked the fireworks. I was prepared to spend the evening inside, but she just ooohed adn ahhhed over them.

Saturday night we went to bed at 4, Sunday at 1:30, Monday at 11 and last night we were in bed by 10:30!!!! Yeah! Jia is still sleeping with us. In China, she slept on a palet on the floor, but since coming home she sleeps with us. She startles awake everytime I move with her, so it's easier to put her in bed with me. I think she's still too unsettled to fall into a deep sleep, but she's getting better. I think last night I could've actually put her in her own bed and she would've been fine.

So! We're getting our days/nights in the right order! She is still such a great eater! She is getting over her fear of strangers and is quite a little ham. She just smiles at everyone and plays peek-a-boo and waves by-by. I just can't describe the differences in her in the last 2 weeks. She is so animated and just hollars all the time! She is certainly comfortable in her home and family. I just can't imagine her in the orphanage. She was so shy and introverted and she is nothing like that now. Actually, she's a bit onery! I think in a couple of more weeks, she'll be a wild child! She's a perfect fit!

She still won't let anyone but mom hold her, but she no longer cries when someone else looks at her. She can say Mama, Baba, Jory, Jacen, baby, dog, cat, no-no... she says these on her own and know's what they mean.

I'll try to do better at the blogging in the future, but it's been crazy around here! A steady stream of visitors, us still trying to get over jet-lag, un-packing our stuff and the boys' stuff from being at Grandma and Grandpa's and packing Jadeth to go to Nashville.... I see a more defined routine in the future... just not yet!

God totally knew what He was doing when He chose her for our family! She was totally worth waiting for!