Thing 1, 2 and 3.

Things are going remarkably well here. Andrew has completely flipped with the time change in a matter of two days of being home. He is still waking up several times during the night, but the past few nights I have been able to get back to sleep quickly. I don't think he realizes when I come in. I don't believe he is having full blown night terrors, but he does cry. I think his little mind is in over drive. There are times he calls out "Mama" and when that happens I think he knows when I am there. I have established a night time routine with all of them and it is going well. I am gradually feeling better with the jet lag. David is doing ok, but Emmie is having a terrible time. I am hoping by the end of this week to feel normal again. Sophia keeps saying that she is so glad that Baby Andrew is home and how cute he is. Daniel is adjusting and Andrew is taking it all in like a champ.

Daniel is having the hardest time. Everything that use to be "his" is now for another brother to play with as well. I knew that this would be the case. I need to have a bit more patience with him. I'm afraid I have had a short fuse with him the last few days. I blame this on the jet lag. This is going to be a better week. I am praying about this issue and I know that it will get better. The language barrier is a tough one as well, but as I stated in China, I've got one smart little firecracker on my hands. We are working through it together. There are times that Andrew cries when he doesn't get what he wants either. We are having to take turns and share. So really, both boys are adjusting to this fact. Sophia is doing quite well. She is much easier to talk to....after all....she has had Thing 2 to deal with......lol!

Thing 1, 2 and 3's assembly line to brush teeth. I will say I was in my glory last night seeing all 3 Things in the tub and lined up to brush their teeth. I pictured it for so long that when it was right before my eyes, I could hardly believe it. Sophia is like a little teacher to Andrew. Andrew feels more drawn to her at this point I think. They fight less. I still can't believe that I have a Daughter and a Son from China. Each one took their turn getting out of the tub and getting ready. It actually went quite smoothly. OH YES....... Andrew's doctor appointment went very well. You can definitely hear the heart murmur but she feels that if he does have to have surgery that it will be so minor. This should not affect his life span and she feels that he really is a very healthy little boy. Of course I have to bring in that poop sample soon to check for parasites and I have a list a mile long that we need to do a blood draw for to test for several things. I think I am going to wait to do the blood draw until we see the heart specialist so it can just be a one day thing. David, Emmie, Andrew and myself did all get put on the Z-pac to try and kick out the crud that we all seem to have picked up while in China.

Another picture in my mind that I dreamed of for so long. Night time snack before bed. And I will say that Daniel did a good job giving up his "middle seat spot" and moving to the side. lol Andrew still is a great eater. So much better than Thing 1 and Thing 2. Although he is picking up on the snacks quickly! lol I'm sad to see that he doesn't want to eat with his chopsticks much anymore. I believe he wants to be just like Sophia and Daniel. I'll continue to offer them with the hope that he doesn't forget how to use them so well. I am picking up on the phrases that he tells me when he is hungry and thirsty. He really is a remarkable little boy. I believe having Sophia and Daniel here is a big relief to him.

Sophia is in love with hearing Andrew speak in Chinese. Both kids are picking up on little words and saying them now as well. It is darling. I am hoping to get Sophia into a Chinese language school in the Fall. I think she will love it. Perhaps she and Andrew will go together. After snack time tonight, I also gave all the kids their silk blankets that I had made while we were in China. They loved them. Especially Sophia who is the satin blanket queen. Daniel liked his but still likes his knit ones the best. Although he did want it in his bed. Andrew was happy, but he doesn't seem to be attaching to a blanket. I do give him this little bear in his bed and he does curl it under his arm, but I'm not sure how that will go yet. I also put his new blanket in his bed with him last night and I will continue to do so. He still cries at the initial crawling into bed, but last night it was a little less.

All 3 monitors lined up in my kitchen. What a site that is. lol Today I am planning on hitting Toys R Us to pick up a few things to make the fighting a little less intense outside. It is the riding toys on the tennis court that is causing a stir. And...... a few boy toys Daniel got for his birthday. I know that they need to learn to share, but while we are dealing with the language issue I am giving into this a little bit to make things easier for outside play.

My two sweet boys.....learning to play together and love each other. We've seen 3 way hugs and 3 way hand holding. They are adjusting......we are all adjusting but....and I believe that this was all God's plan. There are several changes going on in our home right now. I am once again soul searching for what the Lord wants me to do with my life. I am constantly reminded how blessed we are, especially after being in China and I can feel that pull in my heart that I need to do more. I will try to keep the blog updated as best as I can. And I feel totally lost on what many of you have been doing. Once things settle down I know I'll have some time to visit many of you again. Feel free to check in when you would like and once again thank you for all the encouraging comments and emails during our journey to Andrew! Hope you all have a great week!