Our First Month Home

February 8th-March 8th, 2007

Arriving Home

We arrived home from Beijing on February 8th, after 11 hours on Air Canada.  Overall, the flight went quite well, except Addison was not happy to be confined on the airplane... and we both think that she was over tired.  Things were fine for the first little few minutes of the flight, she drank her bottle during take-off and then cried... and cried.  We tried another bottle with warm water, but she cried... and cried.  We managed to get through dinner and Addison ate fairly well.  But when we tried to settle her to sleep, once again it was reminiscent of our nights in the hotel rooms with Addison crying and crying.  We were flying Business Class and the people around us were trying to sleep, so we were very un-popular.  About four hours into the flight she finally settled to sleep... using up half of the seat.  So, we were very thankful that we were flying with more room.  Once she fell asleep, she slept until 10 minutes before landing.  We were very thankful, but not feeling rested.

When we arrived at Canada Customs, we were pulled out of line by an immigration officer.  Being fast-tracked through the return was a wonderful experience.  All of us were very tired and anxious to get home.  Once we completed our customs clearance, we proceeded to immigration to get Addison's paperwork sorted out.  Again, this process was very quick and we were soon on our way home.  We met up with Mom and Dad... a short limousine ride later and we were home.

Pandora and Cristal were excited to see all of us and to examine the baby.  She was showered with poodle kisses!!  We were all really happy to be home.  Despite our wishes about getting Addison washed up and settled for a nap, we were out of luck.  She wouldn't lie down... new places, new smells, and finally her own puppies!!!  We went for a quick run to Safeway... and finally, she sleeps (while still in the grocery cart).

Our First Month

Our first couple of days home were very hectic... we were both very sick (Dale with Pneumonia and I had Bronchitis).  Luckily, Addison stayed very healthy and happy. 

The first couple of weeks were quite stressful as Addison wouldn't sleep.  We tried having her sleep in the room with us... but she fussed for hours.  We tried having her sleep in her own room and crib... again, she fussed and cried for hours.  She didn't sleep longer than 2 hours at a time.  Then we tried sleeping with her in her room... again, no luck.  Finally, she stayed up for over 24 hours... despite music, rocking, and very bad singing from both of us.  The lack of sleep was taking it toll on us as we were both still struggling with our colds... and Dale returned to work.  Throughout all of the stress of not sleeping, Addison was her usual busy, happy self.  She continued to explore the house and be fascinated by both dogs. 

Photos from February 22, 2007

Shortly after arriving home, we celebrated our Four Week Adoption Day Party... we had dinner with my parents.   We made a trip to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cake.  This was Addison's first experience with ice cream  At first she seemed unsure of the cold temperature and the new texture... but she of course she loves it!!!!

When everyone was starting to feel better, we started to venture out and introduce Addison to Vancouver and some of the important people in our lives.  Addison was finally able to meet her cousin Rebecca, her Auntie Jillian, and her Uncle Dave.  It was an exciting morning for us all.  Although, Addison was unsure of who these new people were in her house.  Pandora greeted everyone with lots of jumping and licks.  While the two girls are still a little bit unsure of each other, we are sure that they will become fast friends.

  My first photo with my cousin Rebecca

My first photo with Auntie Jillian 

Daddy's Girls

Before we knew it... February turned into March.  We have managed to settle into some sort of routine that is working for us.  For Dale and I, we are both surprised at how fast time is going and how much Addison is changing.  There are moments when we wish she would stay just as she is... which can't happen.  Now, she is more confident with pulling herself up to stand and she crawls with lightening speed.  She moves from a standing position to a sitting position, to crawling, and then back to standing.  She is starting to let go when standing and can take steps with minimal support.  Before we know it, she will be walking.  Now that she is more comfortable with herself, her environment, and her family she is becoming quite vocal.  Addison loves to talk... all the time.  It is so fun to watch her and listen when she finds a new sound... which she does frequently.  She is very busy with all of her toys, which seem to multiply on a daily basis.  We thought that we had lots of toys for her when we arrived home... however, Grandma and Grandpa think that she can always use more.

My new Exersaucer 

We have learned that Addison likes music and toys that make noise.  We have also come to realize that toys with a volume control are even better.  Thanks to our friends John and Karen who have taught us how to silence those toys that do not have volume control... there really are a million uses for waterproof tape.  So, it is possible to silence the new fire-truck if needed... although, John assures us that it will only be a matter of time before she figures out how to pull off the tape.

  Visiting with John and Karen

Not sure how to ride this yet 

Addison also loves books... however, she is not interested in reading them right now, she is more interested in how they taste.  With some creative movements, it is possible to read to her... we have also become great fans of audio books on CD.   Overall, things have been going very well during our first month home.  It is hard to believe how quickly the time is going.  We are enjoying every minute and look forward to the next stages as they come.