One Month Home

This has been the best month. The time has flown by. Julia is feeling more and more at home. She loves riding in the car now. She says, "dada, mama, book, up, dog, go, bye, bed." She loves eating, and enjoys all sorts of food. She loves being outdoors. Julia is starting to get more and more affectionate and now likes the carrier. I have enjoyed every minute since she has come home. She has the best personality and to listen to her giggle and laugh is the best feeling.

Nico's First Day of Kindergarten

Nico's started school today. We all went to celebrate this big day. He has been in preschool, but I still got emotional. My baby is getting so big.

My mom hosted a party in honor of Julia's birthday. It was so fun to show her off to so many friends. She got so many beautiful things. Everyone loved seeing her.

Happy Birthday Nico!

My baby is turning 6! We had friends and family over, but kept the party small.  We don't want to overwhelm Julia.

Calling all friends..

Wow, today was a busy day.  Everyone wanted to see Julia. It was a day full of swimming and friends.  She finally doesn't cry when you change her diaper, but still doesn't like the car seat.

Bonding

Bill had a dentist appointment on Thursday, so we went to Stacy's for a play date. It was an amazing afternoon. She had to rely on me, and we shared some hugs, kisses, and laughs. I was so happy when we got home, and she let both of us hold her. If Bill walks out of the room she starts to get upset and looks for me. She still only wants daddy to feed her the bottle, but we definitely turned a corner. She also slept through the night! Hurray!

Second Day

Poor little girl grieved for her foster mom last night. Only daddy could help her through it. She is very clingy with daddy, and he can hardly get anything done.  Now he knows what I went through when Nico was little. Julia doesn't want anything to do with me. Well, she does like to play with me. I will take what I can get. I'm sure she is mad thinking I'm taking her foster mom's place. She loves the water, to climb, to play, and especially loves eating! Oh, and did I mention that she adores her big brother.  She doesn't like her nose wiped, to be dressed, or her diaper changed.  She doesn't like the carrier, which surprises me. Her cute personality is already shining through.

First Day Home

Well, we definitely have a daddy's girl on our hands. She wants him to be in the room with her at all times. If I am feeding her a bottle, and Bill walks in it is over!  I don't know how this will work when he has to go back to work. She went to the Dr. for a quick check up and ended up having to get one shot. This evening she is a bit sad. It could be due to the fact she hasn't slept much, she hasn't pooped, or she is just missing her foster mommy.

Family Day

• On Monday, we swam and relaxed by the pool. So much to talk about! We all had butterflies, and couldn't believe the time had finally come to pick up Julia. We got to the airport and met our "greeter".  She told us that Immigration could take a long time or it could be quick. So we all stood at the gates and waited and waited. At about 4:13 the plane arrived and at 5:15 we saw her coming! I was shaking so hard I could barely take a picture. We ran over to see her, and there are no words to describe the way I was feeling. I was overcome with love and couldn't believe I was actually looking at my daughter. Then they handed her to me. Her escort explained to her that we were her mom, dad, and brother. Then she disappeared. Julia was screaming and crying, and it broke my heart. I felt so bad for everything that she had just gone through. I also was so worried about the days ahead. Everyone in the airport was staring, or at least it felt that way! As soon as Bill held her she finally calmed down. Nico made her smile and there was already a connection. She fell asleep on the car ride home. When we got home she explored the toys and the house. She was up most of the night. She had a difficult time going to sleep. She went through so much in the past few days and misses her foster family. 

So we decided to leave on Sunday so we wouldn't have to drive to LA and back in one day. Before heading out of town, we went to lunch at Rico's Tacos. We were all so anxious about the day ahead. Unfortunately, I was feeling terrible and came down with a cold. We stayed at the Marriott and had dinner to celebrate the day ahead.