Always something

Mary Clare had her first US doc visit and seems to be in excellent
health. She weighed in at 17.4 which is exactly what her weight was in
China. She is below the 50 percent mark on the US growth charts for
weight, but still a very respectable size. Also she is very tall. She
is on the 75th percentile on the US height charts, amazing for a
southern China girl! The blood draw was horrific though and we have to
go back on Tuesday for another try. It was a nightmare. I am hoping
the Tuesday nurse is better at this and that MC's veins are in strong
pumping mode.

She is sleeping well and eating well. She eats cereal and we have
started on some veggies and fruit. Last night she had her first bits
of lasagna at my moms house! All in all seems to be your normal 9 mo.
old baby. In the past week the baby babbling has increased and there
is lots of squealing too. She is sitting up unassisted and is army
crawling around. Her fine motor skills are progressing too, but she
isn't quite ready to self feed or pick up cheerios for example, but
she concentrates and tries very hard.

I am keeping my eyes and ears open and trying to be aware of any
underlying issues, but truthfully, she has adjusted so quickly. I look
at how she interacts with our other kids, with me and Lee and how she
handles new situations and I continue to be just shocked that we have
only been together for less than a month!

One of the bonding or attachment problem flags is a baby that is too
good. One who never cries at all or demands any attention could be
having some bonding problems. I was a bit concerned at first. (I can
always find something to fret about) MC is just so, so good. However,
she is crying to be held and even holds out her arms for me. She
fusses if she is bored or no one is paying attention to her, though
with 4 siblings that is pretty rare. She fusses when she is sleepy or
hungry and also when she is getting too much attention or squishy hugs
and just wants everyone out of her face already. At this point I am
fairly assured that bonding and attachment is going as it should.

We're home!

After a travel marathon spanning thousands of miles and hours, we're home.

Lee and I were just dying to see the kids. I missed them so much that at the end I felt nauseated with wanting to see them.

My dad, step-mom, sister and her fiance came to pick us up at the sirport.

Mary Clare is one amazing kid. She slept for a good 7-8 hrs total on the plane and when she was awake she was not fussy and in pretty good spirits. She has already begun to adjust to the time change, in fact she seems to be handling it better than I am.

She is curious, but wary around the kids. She has already grab/scratched them all. They are just so happy to have her here. Jake said, "I can't believe she is finally here with us!" The first time we all rode in the minivan together, they immediately wanted to add her to our Cullom family song. It is really more like a chant or cheer where everyone's name is called.

It feels unreal to me too, for her to finally be physically present here with the rest of our kiddos. She has been with us in our hearts sonce the beginning of our paperwork, bt to be able to hold and kiss her and see her smile at her brothers and sister is just magical.