July 3, 2011 - First Day Home

Cocoa Puff's first day home was filled with lots of smiles.  Monkey loved having mom and dad home, but he wasn't too sure if this new sister was going to bring joy to our home or not.  He could see that we were happy, and in turn that made him happy.  But he also quickly noticed that our time was very divided and became extra clingy.  All things we completely expected and prepared for.  I'm so thankful that he never got to a point that he absolutely didn't like his sister.  He was never mean to her, by any means.  He would just pretend she wasn't there...his way to cope with the change.  He didn't want to touch her or hug her or take a picture with her (which is evident in the photos =) but he was always gentle.

Our Lil Lady's world was rocked (obviously).  Although she really took things in stride, we put a lot of effort into keeping her world small and familiar.  Since her surroundings were brand new, we kept mostly to the toys we had taken to Ethiopia with us.  We dressed her in clothes she had already seen and she slept in the same blanket she did in Ethiopia.  As long as we were in eye shot, she did very well.  We made sure one of us stayed right with her and never walked out of the room.  This may sound extreme to some of you...but if you remember that we are now her 5th caregivers in 6 short months you'll realize that this was completely necessary for her to develop a bond and trust with us as her parents.

See the dark circles?  ;)

Keeping a close eye on that sister...

Can't even believe I am posting this horrendous picture of me....
but nothing can wipe that smile off my face =)

Peek-a-boo gets lots of attention from mom and dad =)

So happy to be home....see that stroller/bassinet?  Cocoa Puff's bed for two weeks!

Did you think mom and dad's bed was best when you were little too?

Playing near but not with...baby steps

Regardless of what Monkey thinks of her....she thinks he's the best thing since bottled milk!

What are these crazy plugs?  (Again, playing near, not with!)

I was playing with Miss and Monks wanted to make sure he could still dive on me whenever
he wanted =)

And WHAT my dear daddy is THIS contraption?

First bath at home

And....it's a winner!

So how were mom and dad doing?  Well, we are jet-lagged, sleep-deprived, climbed on, poked at, and laughed at.  We haven't taken a shower or brushed our teeth.  Our meals are consisting of anything my mom left in the fridge, cookies, and frozen meals that I thankfully prepared ahead of time.  Coffee has become a necessity instead of a luxury.  We have four suitcases to empty, launder, and clean (one of which has applesauce covering every diaper, article of clothing, and piece of paper).  So in one word??  GREAT!  =)

God has abundantly blessed us and we are SO thrilled to be home and well and to have our family in tact!  Thank you for all the continued prayers!!!