We've got this morning routine that I'm not sure I like. Caleb wakes me up by coming into bed at about 6:30. Where, oh where did that come from?!? I try to get him to go back to sleep, which occassionally happens. When I checked on Hannah, surprise, surprise, she was still asleep in her bed, facing the wall. You have to understand that she spends every night and every nap with her head hanging over the side of the mattress so she can look out the door and see what's happening. We never close the door all the way, and only pull it to touching after she's asleep. Always leave a light on in the bathroom, so she can see some light coming down the hall if she awakens. So that was big.
We went to the farmers' market and got some sweet surprises there. First, we saw some CC friends. They won't be joining us this year, so it was nice to visit. Then, when talking to the chicken guy, somehow we started talking about me being out of the country. Of course, that is such a nice story to share with people. He asked if he could pray for Hannah. Sure. It was really sweet to hear him pray blessings on her and our family.
We left his tent area and moved on to buy some green beans, saw our friend again, chatted a bit, then another man came up to Hannah and gave her a bracelet. He proceeded to give each of the kids one, and me, too! So nice of them.
I didn't share it before, but when we were walking around in Tbilisi, in the airport in Tbilisi, and even Amsterdam, people would move out of their way to stare at Hannah's feet. It really irritated me that they would do that, but you know that's to be expected. I must say there were sweet people, too. So, to come home, not have the staring, and such kindness shown, it really makes me feel good.
We went to the library to get some books, and stopped at a garage sale on the way home. There was a cute little doll sized table and 2 chairs. How fun for the girls! I was short on the cash they asked for, but I live around the corner and told them I'd be back. I sent the big kids over with money, which they said we didn't have to pay. What nice things happening to us!
In the middle of it all, I must say, the adjustments are not so easy at times. I'm so thankful mom came over yesterday to give me a break so I could run errands by myself. C and H are learning to be nice to each other, mostly C. Big C and S are learning to be nice to each other. I'm learning to be a constant ref. which is a little wearning. Believing God for His grace to continue. We did have a family meeting tonight to lay down the law about some of the behavior going on. We understand adjustments aren't always easy, but we know God can help us if we allow Him to work in us. Behavior and character are big issues that can't be swept under the rug.
Now, when is my massage scheduled?
Looking forward to tomorrow! Church, Catherine auditioning for a new dance school, and having a relaxing afternoon with friends.

Found:

Well, sort of found. I went to the airport this morning to get my stroller. However, I was the first person this guy had ever had come back for one. So, when he couldn't find mine, he gave me another one. I didn't even ask about the passports, because I was sure I had misplaced them somewhere at home.
We ran several errands, came home, had lunch, put the little kids down for naps, started spelling, and got a phone call. The nice lady had been on medical leave and had had 2 passports on her desk for over a week and was just now getting to call me. Thank you, Jesus! So, after naps were done, we went back to the airport for the passports.
(Now for that library book and walkie-talkie.)
Yesterday I noticed it a few times, but much more today- Hannah is singing! I really think she's relaxing and feeling at home more. I don't have any idea what the song is, but she's quite content when she's doing it. More at home, too, in that she still brings me things to take care of, but she feels free to leave the toys she's played with all over the floor!
Also found, a solution to our space issues. Buddy had a friend come over last night to see about enclosing our porch to make a school/play room! Been needing that for a while, and so hated asking for it. Don't know when it'll happen, but it's sometime in the near future.

What an interesting day we had today. First of all, both H and C woke up dry! Then, Hannah spent a great deal of the day crying over little things- not a serious cry, but an "are you paying attention to me" cry. Of course, I was and she brightened when I paid attention to her.
She got to try out the trampoline. At first, she was really concerned about the movement, but her 3rd time on she was having a good time.
I finally heard a real laugh from her today when I tickled her! Music to my ears.
I've been doing PT with her almost every day. She hasn't been able to bend her fingers at the joint closest to her palm. Today, I was able to bend her index finger. Not all the way, but significantly more. So thankful for these improvements.
Tonight when we had dinner, Caleb ate broccoli. He never eats broccoli, so this is very exciting. I remember when Samuel started eating broccoli and couldn't get enough of it. May this be a trend that continues. Not sure if it was hunger or Hannah eating everything, but I don't care.
Now, it's 10 and I have 2 girls not asleep yet, and Caleb was up 2 hours after I put him to bed. 2 nights without melatonin. Maybe tomorrow night EVERYONE will get some .

View from The Cross, looking at the old capital of Georgia. Miss those views. Found this picture of our first morning together.

Things we did today

- sat in the dealership for almost 1.5 hours so the rear gate latch could be fixed and I can get the double stroller out. Had a great conversation with a mom whose husband was adopted and watched 2 children trying to beat each other to different play stations.

- went to our upper cervical Dr, and we all feel much better now.

- realized I don't have any idea where my passport and Hannah's are. The holder also has a CC and my driver's license in it.

- got whipped with Hannah's hair one more time, which encouraged my previous decision to cut her hair. It is in her face, even when I pull it back, because it's so thick and heavy, and she wasn't able to push it out of her face. It just won't stay pulled back. It ends up in her food if she turns her head while she's eating. It's too hot in OK to have long thick hair. So, I sat her in the chair (after Caleb hopped up first and had an adjustment on his previous cut) and cut about 5 inches off. She did not sit still, but all in all, I think it turned out great. It's so much lighter now!

- decided to have a Welcome Home get together on Sunday. Feel free to drop by between 3 and 5. No gifts necessary, we'd just like to see our friends.

I know this is going to sound far fetched to some, but I'll share it in the hopes that someone will find help from it. Hannah will be mortified one day that her bowel habits were broadcast over the internet, but oh well. 4 days the first time she went for me in the US, then 2, then 2. Prune juice, cleansing tea. Nothing resulted that you would imagine for that length of time. However, she saw Dr Ray today and, I kid you not, we were maybe 10 miles down the road and she said she had to go. Another thing is that her hands were always cool. Not after the adjustment. She wasn't able to raise her arms much above shoulder lenth without great effort, but it appears much easier. She couldn't give you high fives because she couldn't manipulate her arms and wrists to do that. She did it tonight before we put her to bed. I'm thrilled. Knowing the limits she's had all her life, any new freedom in ability is a huge thing for her. Looking forward to getting our therapy appointments started and continued freedoms for our sweet girl.

Homecoming pictures

A week later, I finally take the time to post them. Thanks Charissa for being our photographer!

Some of the welcome committee.Catherine's first glimpses of Hannah and I.Yay! I missed this great guy.So pleased to see each other again.Almost the whole crew.

Still no camera battery charger. :(

One week home

This post has nothing to do with that, but here it is, a week later. To think, I was somewhere close to Memphis this time last Monday, sooo looking forward to being done with travel for a while.
We did have a Pediatrician visit this morning with some great referrals. Mom came to watch the other 3 while I took her. The latch on my rear gate is broken, and I shouldn't be opening it and that's where the double stroller is, the single stroller is still at the airport, and so I carried her. I really like my Ped. He's such a sweet man, and very gentle with our children. We got a referral to a developmental specialist for chronic conditions, an orthopedic surgeon, and a therapy center. Thankfully, the therapy place is just 3 miles away from our house. I have to call the ortho guy, but the others will call me. I'm so excited to see what therapy will do for her! She is a pound for every inch, and is just a few inches taller than Caleb.

We need to figure out birth certificate and social security for her, which I'm working on today. All things that must be done, but I would rather be just relaxing with the family.
Last night we were having pizza and Caleb wanted another piece. I told him I'd give him a little piece, and he said, "Hello, little piece!" He's having some challenges being sweet today, but I've noticed he and H both have runny noses. Too many kisses, shared sippy cups, and not enough sleep. Which is another reason to be home with the fam.

However, H is showing that she remembers signs, because she signed cry when Caleb was recovering from not nice behavior. She also knows please, eat, and sleep. She called me mommy today. I know it's really cute to hear Dae dah, but it'll make it a little easier for Caleb to understand. An interesting thing to note is that baby toys (12-18 months) are fascinating to her, and she really works to figure them out. She gets really excited when she does. Also, she doesn't understand imaginative play. Caleb and I took some of Catherine's Webkinz and were going to play with them. She had no idea what to do while we played. I'm sure she'll get the hang of it quickly.

One thing I didn't talk to the Dr about is how every time H eats or drinks, not matter how much or little, she burps. It makes me think of the book "Borya and the Burps," but I'm not sure if it's cultural (which I didn't certainly didn't experience while there) or something with not being able to eat/drink right. It doesn't look like she knows how to drink out of anything but a bottle. Even a sippy cup is a challenge. Speech may be in the future for us as well.

Had a nice visit with a smaller version of the Urbans. So looking forward to seeing the whole gang. Late and short naps with the little ones, so we'll see how tonight goes. Got some cream from my friend, Denise, that I'm going to try tonight. Magnesium. Very interesting.

Here's to another great week and even more good things coming our way.

Amazing to think how little time has gone by, but how "normal" our life is now. We've gotten into a little routine that seems to be working so far. Catherine is in charge of dressing Hannah and doing her hair. I am in charge of breakfast and getting everyone fed. H likes to brush her teeth, but C is ready to help her as much as possible (I finish up). We've spent the mornings playing around and doing some little cleaning projects. Hannah is all over the house, bringing us things to help our cleaning, and just tasting her freedom. We got some knee pads that seem to work well for her- a titch big, but really workable. Lunch is pretty simple (she's still fast friends with her fork and spoon, but is fine if I take her plate away while there's still some food on it), followed by Caleb going down for a nap with a little snuggle time, then I get H for her nap with a little song, a "chu mad" (be quiet) and signing sleep. "Ho," she'll say and sign sleep back to me, followed by a bit of silence, some calling, a reminder from me to be quiet, then shortly after that she'll go to sleep.
An hour later, after I've had a little time with S and C, I wake C and H up for the rest of the day. Yesterday, we went swimming at the Y, which was a lot of fun. Sadly, I'd been wearing the maternity suit I'd worn when I was pregnant with Caleb and it felt apart. A quick run to Walmart to get one, which I never tried on, and back to the Y. Just in case it wouldn't work, I stayed on the side to cheer on C and H's bravery in the water and knit. They liked their life jackets, and each found the things they like to do. Buddy took H down a little slide, which was a lot of fun. I wasn't sure if she would enjoy it, but it went well. They had fun watching S and C go down the big slide, and going around the lazy river. 2 hours later, it was time for home and dinner. Dinner and baths, then C down for bed with some snuggle time. It's been a little different now that I'm home. He doesn't really want to go to bed without plenty of snuggle time with Daddy. Then Hannah gets melatonin, some snuggles, a song, "chu mad" and signing sleep, and she's out quickly. Some time with the big kids, them down to bed, then Buddy and I are asleep shortly after. Seriously, we are pretty wiped after all that.
Today, we braved church as a family of 6. 2 vehicles, since there's room for 5 max in either Buddy's or mine. We weren't any later than we have been with just 5 people, so good for us! Hannah stayed with us in big service, and did really well considering we forgot to bring toys for her. It's not that she isn't used to sitting for long periods of time, it's no books to look at or crayons and paper to color with. I took C and sent the biggest and littlest home with Buddy. Funny story on their way home- H started to say "peeshi, peeshi" and Buddy had to find somewhere to stop. She kept saying it and C started saying, "don't say that word" with the most disgusted look on his face! Pit stop taken care of, and all was well.
I must say it was nice to have little girl time with little Miss today. Only an hour, but I enjoyed it. I think that is going to be essential to keep the transition going smoothly- finding time to keep things somewhat as they used to be, and making sure everyone has their special time with us. It also helps us to focus our attention and keep our connection.
Whole Foods had a southwestern vegetable pie, and I was so excited! Until I tasted it. Nothing can compare to #12, I'm sure.
H is responding to her name almost all the time, and we never call her Natia anymore. We only have the slight grasp of Georgian I had when I came home, but we seem to get our point across, get her points, and if not, she doesn't seem frustrated with us. She gets very excited with anyone who comes to our door. She wanted to get kisses on the lips from some new, sweet friends. It's such a delicate balance for me not to offend my friends and to help H learn her boundaries and proper attachment. Plus the whole germ thing...
I'm thinking about a welcome home party next weekend, with very little prep work on my part, lol. At this point, Sam's veggie and fruit trays sound perfect. We'll have a good time getting to see friends again.
I put one of Evan's diapers on Caleb last night and cried again. If you want to pass on words of encouragement to the Hauflers, leave a comment, and I'll share with them.
One last silly note. When flushing in Georgia, the amount of time you hold down equals the amount of water that flows. I haven't stopped holding the handle down when I flush here. I catch myself everytime and STILL haven't stopped.