A weekish in review...

To say that we've been busy since the kids came home would be an understatement :o) But I wanted to take the time to post some pictures...still waiting for homecoming pictures from other people...and to let you know how things have been going so far.

We are so thankful that our children are finally home & that our family is now complete! We thank God for bringing his plan for our family to completion. We thank God for his perfect timing...and for the children coming home the day before Mother's day & 10 days before Caleb's birthday. We thank God for bringing them home when he did so Caleb could get the medical care that he needed. This however, does not ease the difficulty of the transition process. Whether you bring home one child or multiples, it is an adjustment...both for the child(ren) you bring home, the parents, & any children already in the home. When two very different worlds coming colliding together...it will be challenging. It is not something you can "really" prepare for. All the books in the world, advice from others, etc. can not prepare you for the responses everyone will have to their rapidly changing environment.

The first two days & nights went fairly smoothly as the girls were still in the "honeymoon phase" & poor Caleb was sick & didn't do much but sleep, puke, & poopy. After that it got more difficult due to Caleb being admitted to the hospital & the girls trying to figure out how to live life outside of an orphanage. This of course is not an overnight process but all 3 of them are taking baby steps forward each day...as are we in trying to help them with their transition.

After Caleb came home from the hospital we saw a side of him that we had never seen before. We still don't know if it is his reaction to the change in his environment or the fact that he is turning 2 & going through that phase, or if it's a combination of the two. He threw some pretty nasty temper tantrums & was hitting, kicking, throwing, & biting but that is starting to subside as well as his constant "Ma Ma" chant he had going on almost non stop for three days. He still likes to be beside me at all times but he's starting to get more comfortable with me doing something in one room & him being in another. Today we smiled & laughed a lot together & even started singing to me although I have no idea what he was singing. He is picking up English very quickly. Yesterday I was eating a salad & he pointed to the croutons on it & said, "Mama, I want that." So needless to say he got some croutons :o) I love holding him in my arms & rubbing his cute head of hair.

Shakira is amazing. The change in her environment has brought out some things that we had not seen before but I think they will decrease as she gets use to being home & her routine. Her smile melts my heart. Her wandering around the house has decreased & she can sit for longer periods of time. Her potty training is hit & miss right now. Some days she does very well & other days...not so well but I don't think it will be very long before she has it mastered. Her communication skills have really improved over the past week. I am focusing on her either saying an English or Creole word or using sign language for a word. No more grunts or groans to speak & she's doing a pretty good job of it. Shakira is definitely a Daddy's girl & she stands by the window & watches for Randy to pull up in the drive way after a days work. She then starts jumping up & down & saying, "Papa Papa."

Samara is by far having the easiest transiton out of the three but there are times when she's struggling & just needs some extra TLC. It didn't take her & Phoebe long to be come "real" sisters. They play well & argue well with each other :o) She is very eager to start school in the fall. I took her to the preschool she will be attending & she was very excited about it. Yesterday Samara & I went to a Chinese buffet by ourselves. You should have seen her eyes when she saw all of the food! I helped her with her plate & then we went back to our seats. She ate some chicken & said, "This is good. It is good for me." I said, "Yes, it is." Then later on she ate a cookie & said, "This is good. It is good for me" & I said, "Not so much" :o)

Phoebe has done much better with the transition than we had expected. She is stepping up to the plate to help out whenever she can although sometimes we have to remind her that we are the parents...not her :o) She has also been getting some much needed "breaks" from good friends that offer for her to go to their house for awhile.

We are very appreciative to all of our friends & family that have lavished support, encouragement, prayers, food, & etc. on us during this time. Thank you so much!