First Week Home!

It is hard to believe that we have had Hannah Ryan in our arms for 3 weeks now...and that we have been home for over a week!  Most of the past week is a blur due to extreme sleep deprivation.  It took baby girl several days to get adjusted to our time zone.  So, she would go to bed at night and wake up about 3 hours later ready to play...her body thought she had just had nap time.  And, she would stay up anywhere from 3 to 5 hours.  Needless to say, we are glad to say she has slept through the night the past 4 nights.  Praise the Lord!!!  

Other than the sleep issues, she has been adjusting really well!  She is making great eye contact with Mama & Daddy (adoption lingo) and is interacting with us so well.  Her personality is just precious!  We can't wait for all of you to meet her, but we need to take it slow and make sure she understands that we are her Mama & Daddy.  

She LOVES her big brothers!  Her face just lights up when they get home from school every day!  It has been so sweet to watch them interact with each other!  She also loves our dog, Aslan, though this love is almost mixed with a great deal of fear.  She constantly wants to go outside and see him, but if he gets too close she wants to come back inside...then, she immediately wants to go see him again.  It is a vicious cycle!  :)  Right now our days are spent just enjoying our time together (she wants me to hold her A LOT)...playing inside and outside, going for walks, going to the park, etc.  Here are some ways you can be praying for us...

• Although HR is sleeping through the night, it is in our bed.  :(  She wants nothing to do with the crib or pack-n-play and gets hysterical if we try to put her in one (she will wake up if we try to put her in after she is asleep).  Please pray that she can transition to her crib soon.
• Our appointment at the International Adoption Clinic is tomorrow.  Pray that they can give us wisdom in how to handle the bed situation.
• Please be praying for Hudson.  Although he is ELATED about his little sister, the past couple of days have been hard as he has realized he isn't the baby of the house any more.  He is acting out and seeking attention in negative ways.  Please pray that he will feel secure and confident in our love for him.

Here are some pics of our baby girl this first week home...

The night we got home

She has overcome her fear of the bathtub!

She likes to play dress up!

Just 1 more day!

We had our consulate appointment this morning! Tomorrow Simon will pick up Hannah Ryan's Visa from the US consulate, and Saturday we fly out!!!! We are so ready to be home with our boys...we miss them so much!!!! I am so thankful for technology though...we have been able to Skype or FaceTime with them everyday! The other 2 Lifeline families fly out tomorrow. I can't say enough how thankful we are to have shared this experience with them. Not only has this journey given us our precious daughter, but we have gained wonderful new friends as well!



On Saturday morning we will leave our hotel at 5:15 am to ride to Hong Kong. We fly out from there at 11:40 am. Please be praying for our flight home...for no flight cancellations or delays, for Hannah Ryan to do well, and for all of us to be able to sleep!

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Zoo Day

We are still just hanging out, waiting for our consulate appointment on Thursday! Today, our guide, Simon, took us to the Guangzhou Zoo. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to it because we just went to the CQ Zoo last week. But, that zoo trip was before HR's little personality came out. Today, was so much fun!! She loved watching the animals and got pretty animated at times, especially with the monkeys!
























Hannah Ryan talking to the monkeys!




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Firsts

Today was pretty low key again. Basically, we are just killing time while we wait for our consulate appointment on Thursday. We went with the other Lifeline families to a famous park here in Guangzhou and then went to the pearl market. Of course, Mama has plenty of pearls from China already, so no need to spend money there! :)


Tonight, baby girl got to experience a couple of firsts. She had her first pizza and loved it!


After dinner we all walked to Hagan Dazs and HR had her first ice cream. She didn't know what to think at first...she actually spit out her first bite. She has probably never eaten anything that cold before...most all of the food here is warm/hot.





But, pretty soon this happened...





And, that cup stayed on her face for the remainder of our time at Hagan Dazs and most of the walk back to the hotel. :)


Our little girl is such a bundle of joy...we are so blessed!!!

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Sunday Fun Day!!!

Today was a much needed break! It was so great to have the whole day free just to enjoy our little cutie! She woke up smiling this morning! We started the day at the hotel breakfast buffet. Hannah Ryan has gotten more fickle...she will like something one day and not eat it the next. But, there are 5 things we can always count on her gobbling up: puffs, baby mum mum's, yogurt, bananas, and watermelon.












Then, we explored the hotel gardens. She loved looking at the fish with Daddy.












Next, we played on the hotel playground. She loved it! It was very similar to the playground at Love Manor, so it wasn't frightening to her.












After that, we had some play time in the room. Our baby girl is so much fun! :)

Where's Hannah Ryan?

We took a trip to Trust Mart (like Walmart) to get a few things and got lunch at Subway. Then, baby girl went down for her over 3 hour nap. She is a very good napper! We ended our day by joining the other families on a dinner cruise down the Pearl River. We had so much fun! The food was great, the sights were beautiful, and there was an after-dinner show featuring a very interesting clown. :)
























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Guangzhou

Sorry for the blog silence! It has been a crazy 24 hours as we traveled to Guangzhou to complete the American side of the adoption process. Hannah Ryan handled the airport like a champ! I think mom and dad were more stressed than she was! She did great all through ticketing, security, and boarding. When the plane started down the runway, she sat up straight and looked out the window. As soon as it took off, she sunk back in to me and fell asleep immediately...literally. She didn't wake up until the landing gear hit the runway. The only justifiable reason...your prayers!!! So, we need all of you to pray like that again for the return flight home! :)

We got to the Garden Hotel around 9:45. When we pulled up in front, Hannah Ryan said "wow" is the sweetest little voice you have ever heard! Wow is right...this place is SO nice!!! When we walked into the lobby, I could literally feel the stress leaving my body. Our room is so great...much more room for her to run around and play. And, the hotel had a little backpack waiting for her with toys, etc. inside! So, you can imagine after that late nap on the plane and our new hotel room, baby girl hit her second wind. She had to explore every nook and cranny and touch every button and gadget in the room. When did she finally fall asleep!?! Oh...midnight. But, she woke up this morning as sweet as ever!
We met up with the other two Lifeline families who are in China to go get the US medical exam this morning. I can't say enough how comforting it is to be with these two families for the rest of the trip!!! The medical exam was pretty traumatic, but because HR is under 2, she was able to avoid the scariest part of the exam...the TB test. So, no needles for baby girl today, just basic check-up stuff!
We are so enjoying our baby girl! Every day we see new parts of her personality come out. She is so much fun!!! I absolutely can't wait for her brothers to meet her in person...they are going to be as smitten as we are! The next 3 days are a holiday here in China, so our schedule is going to be very laid back while we wait for our consulate appointment on May 2. We are so looking forward to slowing down! We have not been able to stick to the schedule she has been used to because we have had to be at appointments during her regular meal or nap times. So, most days her schedule has been thrown off. Because of this, many days she has been exhausted. We are hoping to get back to her normal schedule the next 3 days.
Enjoy more pics of our cutie-pie!!!




























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Sightseeing Day!

We spent the morning today sightseeing in CQ! We went to the CQ Zoo and to Eling Park, which is the highest point in the city. Hannah Ryan did great! We were all worm out when we got back...CQ is very hilly! We got back and HR took a long nap, then we went out to eat.

Bath time is something we are working through. She had never had a tub bath, only sponge baths. So, bath time scares her...we learned this the first night. So, we are taking baby steps...we are now ok with putting our feet in the sink and splashing the water. We are making progress! :)

It is so crazy that our tome in Chongqing is almost over. Tomorrow, we pick up Hannah Ryan's passport and fly to Guangzhou. All the China side of the adoption is done while we are here in CQ. We travel to Guangzhou, where the US consulate is located, to handle the US side of things...getting her US medical exam and her visa. Our short flight leaves at 6:15 pm.



















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