Thursday, February 24, 2011

1 week ago today

Exactly 1 week ago (it is 12:30 a.m. here in TN and Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Seoul Korea) we were handed our daughter and we became a forever family. Our lives changed in the blink of an eye! We made the journey across the ocean home and we have been adjusting ever since. The first few nights she was up from 11:00p.m.-4:00 a.m. screaming constantly. Not just crying, screaming. I could not put her down during the day, she had little interest in John, she did not like to sit in my lap and play with toys, she didn't like the carrier, and she was terrified! The first 48hours we had her she wouldn't eat much of anything. We got her to take a bottle and the yogurt that her foster mom had sent with her. Her foster mom told us she loved baths, was a picky eater, doesn't smile easily, gets car sick easily, and does not nap. This may be the case for her in Korea, but here she is very different for us.

First night home and first bath--not good.

In the last week, she has tried spaghetti, roast, carrots, keylime pie, pudding, yogurt, bananas, bbq, lima beans, sweet potato, oatmeal, blueberry muffin,cheetos, lucky charms, baked beans juice, and is off formula and drinking whole milk. I am not saying we are all smiles here (still very rare), but we have made some very encouraging gains. She is easily going between us now. She is getting up and walking around the house on her own free will, I can take a shower without her screaming the whole time I am in there, and she obviously loves to eat! She flew over 7,000 miles and has been in the car and only got sick because she was so upset and scared coming home from the airport. We have seen a few smiles, but she freezes the minute she sees the camera. We got what we think may have been a kiss yesterday from her and possibly a giggle tonight. I am sure she still has quite a bit of grieving left to go. Obviously, our days are MUCH better than our nights. We are taking it slow and one day at a time. We have left the house a total of 10 min. on Tuesday and 20 min. today. We only did this so she could see that we come back to the same place we left and to adjust to the carseat. We have not allowed anyone to come visit unless it is very short. We are all currently sleeping (when we get to sleep) on the floor in Olivia's room and she sleeps on top of me when she sleeps. I am thinking it will be this way for several months. I am currently typing with her asleep in my lap. She will wake up around 11:30 or 12 and be up probably until 4 or 5 a.m. We think that she is still on Seoul time! We had one "good" night of sleeping, but that is it for now. I cannot believe just a week ago we were handed a terrified baby who had no clue who we were. We were also in Korea. It still all seems so unbelievable! She is still unsure, as she should be, but we are slowly making progress one day at a time. She gives daddy smiles the last two nights at dinner. I am trying to teach her the sign for more and she looks at him and just gives a big grin!



8 comments:

  1. I'm so glad to see that things are getting better!! It makes my heart happy to see such a positive post! :) Keep up the good work MOM and DAD! We love you!

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  2. Oh Laura, I know it's been tough but you guys are gettin' through it. I love the picture of your hubby and Olivia together. Olivia's so lucky to have parents who have it figured out and are patient during this process. It won't be long and you'll be in a routine and you'll be seeing lots of smiles.

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  3. I am so happy for you, Laura! She is just so pretty. Isn't it just awesome that just a month ago you were waiting for your home to be blessed by a child... and NOW you have little feet pitter pattering around!! God is so Great!!

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  4. Laura I want you and John to know how much I am blessed by your family. I get such joy coming home each afternoon to check your blog and see how things are coming together for each of you. Thank you for taking the time to share this journey with us. It seems that sweet Olivia is adjusting beautifully!

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  5. Laura, it sounds like you guys are doing everything right, which is no surprise to me!! It appears that the baby is adjusting beautifully. You and John are so wise to not set the bar too high as far as expectations. The fact that she is starting to roam the house on her own a little makes you think that she is beginning to safe and secure and trust you will be there when she's finished "roaming". Hang in there. I know you are encouraged that you are making progress with each new day. Even if it's small steps forward, they're steps FORWARD. Praise God for that.

    Lots of love to each of you, Cindy and Carter Brown

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  6. Laura and John - it was great to meet you in Korea and I'm glad you got home safely! We've been doing ok with our Olivia, but it's been really hard some times. Hope everything continues to move forward for you all!
    Chrisa West
    daveandchrisa.blogspot.com

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  7. You're making such wonderful progress! It sounds like Olivia is getting used to her new life & new family little bits at a time. And it sounds like you're doing a *great* job!

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  8. Hi!
    My name is Melissa and I found your blog through the CHSFS forum (I'm new and rarely post there). But, I was looking at your blog and got so excited when I saw pictures of Olivia's foster mother, because my daughter Amelia, had the same foster mother! We'll celebrate our 2nd Gotcha Day on April 2 this year. I have a blog, www.princessolson.blogspot.com and on the 2/5/09 entry you can see pictures of my Amelia with our shared foster mother. What a small world! Best of luck with your transition, it really is one of the most difficult things we've been through. But, before you know it, these long days (and nights!) will just be a thing of the past. My email address is melissasuzannegreer@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
    -Melissa Olson :)

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