Day 7

It's day 7 and all is going well. Aside from a few sleepless nights and the most adorable little girl attached to my hip, we are steadily getting back into the groove of things. Having a new little person in our family has definitely been a life changing event, but we are trying to make things as normal as possible, especially for Austin.

Here's a recap of our first few days together:

Day 3, Friday
With the entire family in tow, we took Bethany to her first pediatrician appointment. She received a clean bill of health from the doctor as well as two shots. Since we were in L.A., we decided to visit my parents and possibly eat dinner together. We were a bit hesitant to eat out, not knowing how Bethany would fare in a restaurant setting, but we decided to give it a try anyway. We had an early dinner at one of our favorite Korean restaurants, Gil Mok, where fortunately for us, Bethany did great. She sat content in the highchair most of the time as I wolfed down my dinner. I wolfed down my dinner not because I was so hungry and not because the food was so delicious (although it was), but because I wanted to finish my dinner before she started to fuss. She did get a little cranky toward the end of my meal so I just held her until we left the restaurant.

One day Bethany will learn to use those chopsticks.

Day 4, Saturday

We decided to take Austin to one of his favorite places, Travel Town. Most of you already know that Austin has had a special love for trains ever since he was about two years old and it was actually quite an obsession for several years. Although he has developed other "obsessions", he has never and will probably never outgrow his love for trains.

Day 5, Sunday

We played it by ear on Sunday morning and were blessed to be able to attend church. When we drove into the parking lot we saw some of the kids playing in the playground. As soon as they saw us, they all came running toward us to meet Bethany. Then I guess word got out because within seconds, people came out of the sanctuary to greet us. Bethany was quite the celebrity all day and it warmed my heart to have our church family welcome her with open arms. Thank you HBC!

 "You forgot to eat the rest of your chocolate cake Daddy."

Perhaps it is antics like this that delay Bethany's bonding with Daddy.... ;)

Day 6, Monday

Our church family is so dear and special to us for many reasons. They have been a huge source of encouragement and support on our journey to adopting Bethany and have showered her with so much love upon her arrival. One of the many ways they continue to show their love and support is by bringing meals to our family. As soon as they heard Bethany was coming, meal sign ups began and last night was the first night with Eugene and Esther.

Thank you for dinner Uncle Eugene and Auntie Esther!

Apparently Bethany didn't find our dinner conversation very interesting.

Going....

going.....

gone.

Sleep

Not only is Bethany's sleep affected by jet lag but also by her new surroundings. After having been used to sleeping on the floor beside her foster mother, I imagine the crib seems more like a lonely jail than a place of rest. With her unique circumstances in mind, our plan these first few nights has been to wait until Bethany gets sleepy or falls asleep in our arms and then carefully transfer her to the crib.
 

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night she woke up several times crying (this girl can cry!) and did not want anything to do with the crib. We tried to soothe her back to sleep while in the crib but when that didn't work we held her again or we slept with her on the floor. Sometimes we even came downstairs to feed her or have a short time of play.
 

Saturday and Sunday night were the same except that she seemed to be a bit more comfortable in her crib so we didn't have to sleep on the floor. Sunday night was a particularly rough and sleepless night but it was also the night that Sam and Bethany became a bit more bonded. Hooray! It happened in the wee hours of the morning, somewhere in the midst of all the crying and delirium from lack of sleep. Prior to that night she was not too fond of Sam and would frequently cry at the mere sight of him. She would track him with the corner of her eye and if he got too close, she would lose it. After that night, she now lets him come close, gives him a smile or two and even gives him kisses. I know it makes Sam very happy as he's been so patient with Bethany and eagerly waiting for her to bond with him.

Last night (Monday) was also a huge night for us as she fell asleep at 8pm (soon after the highchair incident above). Sam and I kept checking the video monitor thinking she would wake up any second but all she did was fuss a little and then fall right back asleep (whew!). It's nearing 10am right now and she is still fast asleep. We are wondering when and if we should wake her, but with all the trouble she's had with sleeping lately, we're thinking we should let her sleep as long as she needs. Or at least until Auntie EJ gets here. :)

Here's hoping Day 7 goes just as well!