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One More Post! Happy Birthday Emilie!

We have to wish our good friend Emilie Callender a Happy 5th Birthday today. We hope you had a wonderful party on your big day. Sorry we couldn't be there, but we are thinking of you! Birthday Hugs and Kisses from us all, especially Emma and Ava!

Update on Ava

Okay, I have to confess that I am cutting this info from an email I sent to a couple of folks. I am so tired and thought I could update you all at once on the blog. Ava is doing okay, but still spitting/throwing up quite a bit. She hasn’t had any more spells where she doesn’t respond to me. Talk about FREAKED out! The one episode about drove me over the edge! The doctor said that she wouldn’t rule out a seizure, but since Ava came out of it pretty quickly and didn’t seem lethargic for a long time afterwards, that it is not likely that she had a seizure. I said that she went to bed an hour after the episode and slept all night (unusual for her)! The doc said to let her adjust to the food and drinks here for a few more weeks and we would reevaluate things. She thinks it might be acid reflux or some digestive problem.

The doctor also thinks that Ava will need some physical therapy for her walking. Ava is definitely behind with walking—she’s very unstable on her feet. Her feet are very turned in and she drags her toes on both feet as she walks—it’s like she doesn’t quite know how to pick up her knees.

She had some shots and then the dreaded blood draw. She is black and blue from the blood draw. They had a hard time finding the veins and had to take blood from both arms because the first arm dried up. I am glad to get that over with and hopefully the results will be okay.

Ava is otherwise happy and only cries if she’s tired, hungry, or thirsty. She also cries if I leave the room or she can’t see me—I guess that’s good for attachment progress. Of course she has to attach to me because I’m the only one here :)! That is also hard for me and quite the adjustment for me. I am so used to running around the house doing my work. Now, I have this little person clinging to my leg or crying for me to pick her up. It takes a lot of patience to deal with this every day. She will play with Emma for a few minutes, but as soon as she realizes that I am not in the room, she is looking for me. Eventually this too shall pass and we will move on to another stage of toddler-hood. What's next, I don’t remember?

Ava has also been having night terrors around 0200-0300 most nights. After reading a book about her sleep habits, I have tried not to pick her up or wake during the crying. She is definitely asleep during these episodes, so as long as she’s not hurting herself, the book says to let her work through it on her own and go back to a comfortable sleep. These episodes should get less and less as she gets older. It’s not easy to watch, but I agree with the doctor and his philosophy on this. We have worked through the crying when being put in her crib and she goes to bed without much crying now. I usually sit by the crib until she’s asleep and then I leave the room. Bedtime and naps are much easier now that we’ve shown her that she can trust us and that her bed is a peaceful, restful, nice place to be for sleep. Each nap and night has been different, but I feel like she trusts us now and that sleep will continue to get better the majority of the time. The road to getting her to sleep in the crib at home came much harder than getting her to sleep in the crib in China. It was quite the adjustment for her and we had to let her go into the ugly cry for several nights. Eventually the crying got less and less and she only fusses for a minute now. We keep the routine pretty precise each night and I know that helps with her expectations and her comfort level.

No pictures with this post. I will try to post some later in the week. Mama needs sleep now. Good night.

This Week's Happenings

Well, since Scott left I have not had time to post! This being a single mom of 2 princesses, one being a very inquisitive toddler, is taking 200% of my time. Sorry it has taken me so long for a post! Things are going well in my opinion. Ava is getting the hang of things now that we are on a schedule of sorts. She enjoys going to take Emma to school every morning and getting all of the attention from the kids and teachers. We haven't been able to go to the gym because I am still fighting this crud and breathing, even without a spin class is hard :(. I am soooooo ready for my workouts--next week it has got to happen, right?

Ava really scared me last night because she came running in the kitchen appearing to be choking or gagging on something. Of course, I flip her over my knee and bang her on the back and she eventually threw up, several times. The scary thing was the fact that she became very lethargic and would not open her eyes or respond to me throughout this 5 minute episode. I had the phone in my hand to call 911, but then she started to come around and seemed fine the rest of the night. She has been her normal, happy, I don't want to take a nap, self today. She has a doctor's appointment in the morning for her physical, so I plan on having a long talk with the pediatrician. My first freaky thoughts are that she might have had a seizure??? I just don't know. Maybe she was choked on her own spit or mucus??? I am praying that it's nothing serious. She has been eating, pooping, playing, and breathing fine for a couple of weeks. She did throw up for a few days after we got back from China and the doctor said it was just a virus. She didn't have the same non-responsive reaction during those days like she did last night. I am nervous, but thinking positive thoughts for little Ava.

I took her to the commissary to buy groceries for the first time today. She LOVED riding in the shopping carts with the truck on the front. She drove that thing around for 40 minutes and didn't run into any retirees! She was such a good girl.

BIG NEWS, Emma lost her first tooth and the tooth fairy came last night!!! Luckily, we left a note for the tooth fairy to please leave Emma's tooth because she wants to keep it. Her friend Ella did the same thing and the tooth fairy didn't have a problem with that. Emma said we needed to do the same thing. She also left a picture of Ava and her together for the tooth fairy to add to her collection--we are sure she has a collection of photos from all of her clients. Emma also informed me that Scott never paid her the $100 he owed her for eating a soy bean. Yep, she ate a soy bean last weekend and Dad said "if you eat it I will give you $100". Emma ate it, but never collected. She has not forgotten Daddy!!!

Her are some photos from the week. Enjoy, it might be a few days before I post again!

Scott's Last Few Days in Albuquerque

We are all so sad because Daddy is leaving us tomorrow to go to training in Altus, Oklahoma until August. The girls and I will stay here in Albuquerque so Emma can finish school and then we will move to Wichita, Kansas to eventually meet up with daddy. Wichita is Scott's next duty assignment, but he's got to go to KC-135 training before he gets there. He will drive up to Wichita on the weekends to find us a house and then the girls and I will move there sometime mid to late June. Altus, Oklahoma is only a 4 1/2 hour drive from Wichita, so he can come and see us on the weekends once we get moved into the house there. Unfortunately, Albuquerque is almost 8 hours away, so we will not get to see him unless he gets a long weekend off.

We had a great weekend, minus me being sick with sore throat and congestion and now Emma is getting it :(. Scott got his things together to leave, Emma and I entertained Ava so she would stay out of the way, and on Sunday we took Emma to a classmates birthday party. It was a great party at a hair salon--all the girls got up-do's and nails done--too cute!

I must tell you all how awesome Scott has been with Ava and getting her acclimated here at home. He has made it his quest to get her sleeping in her own crib, minding her manners, and learning to play a little on her own so she will not drive mommy nuts when he leaves :). Scott has more patience than I will ever have, so I am going to strive to be more like him for Ava's sake! Those of you who know Scott, know how "ate up" he is about his Air Force work, geocaching, sleep, "masters of the obvious" who drive him crazy, and his gadgets. That being said, he is so relaxed with Ava and I am amazed how he has made it his mission to get this little girl adjusted in just a week here at home. He has been so stressed about leaving us here for his training and has not rested since we've been home from China. I am so proud of him for being such a great person, husband, and most of all father. Emma and Ava are so lucky to have him for their dad. I know he will always be there for them no matter what. The last photo is Ava thinking that "rats" I don't want daddy to leave!

Having Fun with Emma

The two girls are getting along better and better each day. Emma gets frustrated at times because Ava doesn't really know how to play with things yet. We are learning to be patient and trying to teach her how to play. Everything is new to Ava, the wind, grass, toys, the bath tub, shoes, a soft mattress, someone touching her, sounds, language, smells, sights, EVERYTHING! She is on sensory overload right now and she is trying to soak everything in as fast as she can. Her favorite food is a banana. She walks over to the counter and points to them and says, "Nana". She would eat 10 a day if I let her. We have her first appointment with our pediatrician tomorrow morning. I am not looking forward to all the blood work and shots, but it must be done. Scott's lucky he gets to miss all that!

I have to give another shout out to all the folks who have reached out to help us during this crazy time in our lives. Folks have given us gifts, meals, sent emails, flowers and balloons, gift cards, words of support. Even folks we've never met have left us comments of support on this blog. We are so humbled by all of your support, those of you we know and those that we've never even met. We are grateful to you all.

Getting on a Schedule

Ava is feeling pretty good today and so far, we think she is going to like her new schedule here at home. She still fusses when we put her down for a nap or bed time, but the crying is getting shorter and we think she is comfortable in her crib now. The crib is still in the guest room next to the bed and Scott and Emma have been sleeping in there just in case she wakes up in the middle of the night. For the past 2 nights, she has slept all night! Emma is keeping Scott up more than Ava! Ava loves to copy everything we do, brushing teeth, combing hair, talking on the phone, getting dressed--she is a sponge! We are so happy she is interested in everything around her--she is going to be a brainiac like her dad and big sister! Here are a few photos from the past few days.

A Good Night's Sleep!!!

Hi everyone. Ava slept all night last night and she is feeling much better today. We dropped Emma off at school and then I took Ava with me over to the gym to meet all my buddies from Spin Class and meet Miss Cesie in the daycare. She was quite the social butterfly with my friends and really took to Miss Cesie in the daycare. She didn't body slam any of the kids or hit them with any toys, so maybe she will not get kicked out and I get my workout in everyday! I stayed with her in the daycare for about 20 minutes and then we went to the shoe store to get her some good shoes for walking. We bought several pairs of shoes in China, but she needs some good arch supports and soles for walking right now. We bought 2 pairs of Striderites and I kept her awake on the ride home with cheerios and toys. She ate a good lunch, we read a couple of books, and then I put her in the crib for a nap. She protested at first, but after about 15 minutes, she fell over and went to sleep. I felt like someone had given me a million dollars when that happened! She has been screaming when we put her down, but today it was only a little whining and head bobbing--hopefully we can keep this up for her daily routine. Consistency has always been the key with Emma and we hope to do the same with Ava.

Scott just got home after his final outprocessing appointment at the base. He is now on leave until Monday, so we can spend a few more days of quality time together as a family before he leaves for good. I am so happy that he is returning to his passion of flying. We will miss him while he's gone to training, but we know he is in his element and is happy! When daddy's happy, we are all happy!

We got more gifts today from our wonderful friends and from someone that Scott worked with on some trips out to California. Again, we are overwhelmed by your support and generosity. I promised some photos, so here they are. There are a few of Emma and Ava at ballet and some of the girls with our friends Sophie and Natalie. Love to you all!

Getting Better Slowly

Rachel, Rachel's Mom, and everyone else who is leaving us comments of support and keeping us in your prayers--thank you so much! The thoughts and prayers are working because Ava did better last night and hopefully she will sleep even better tonight. She only threw up once yesterday morning and none today. Her sinuses seem better today too. We haven't been giving her any formula or milk, just water, juice, or pedialyte. The doc said only clear liquids until the vomiting stops. I think she is on the mend--she just needs rest now!

She is hilarious when she is laughing and playing. She seems pretty happy to be with us, she just doesn’t feel good and hates to miss anything for a bunch of sleep. We let her walk around in the green grass yesterday—her first time playing in green grass! She was a little unsure, but eventually had a good time chasing bubbles and the soccer ball.

Emma started back to school today, so we took Ava in to show her teacher and classmates. She loved the attention from everyone and fell in love with the school and everyone there. I only wish we could stay in Albuquerque for a few more years for her to go there. Emma has been going their for 3 years and has blossomed into quite a nice young girl because of the environment there.

We also attended Scott's farewell luncheon for his work today. He received several nice momentos and folks said alot of nice things about his work. I also got some nice flowers for my work as the key spouse. Of course, Ava stole the show as she was passed about from person to person. She ate up the attention. She is not afraid of anyone! She felt especially comfortable around these folks today because they were all in camoflauge. The nannies from her orphanage wore camo from head to toe--why? Who knows, but that was their daily uniform.

We had more food and presents delivered today. Once again, I can't say enough about the generosity of people--it is so amazing. Thank you all--it has helped so much in this crazy time. I know, I need to post photos--I will soon, I promise!

Tough Times at the Thatcher Household

Ava is giving us a run for our money around here. Bless her heart, she has been so congested, throwing up quite a bit, and not sleeping at all. We took her to the urgent care clinic yesterday afternoon and the doctor said to put her on antibiotics for her sinuses, tylenol and motrin for pain, and benedryl for helping her sleep and to dry up her nose a little. We were both trying to stay up and help each other clean up puke and play with Ava while she was wide awake at all hours. She screams and screams if we put her in her crib to go to sleep. She will not take a nap either. She was so mad yesterday that she climbed out of her crib! What do we do now? She is so strong in her upper body, that she just pulled herself up and over--unbelievable how strong she is. I think she will definitely be a gymnast or swimmer! Right now we feel like she is practicing to be one of the women of the WWE! We don't know if her illness is causing her insomnia or if the jet lag is still affecting her. We don't know how this little 21 lb. kid can operate on no sleep. I suppose her adrenaline from being in a new place with strange people just keeps her going. What a survivor she is--she has had to be. She had no one to get her through the tough times until now and she is fighting hard to survive, but doesn't realize yet that she can trust us to never let her down.

Scott has been pulling the "night shift" so I can get some sleep before he leaves for training a week from tomorrow. Last night, she went to bed at 9:00 and woke up at 11:30--I think she must of taken a nap. Breaking news, okay, Scott just came in to tell me that she actually fell back asleep at 11:30 and is still asleep!!! This is huge, the benedryl must have worked or she is just too exhausted to put up a fight any more. Maybe she can get on a schedule soon! I will not get too excited until I see a trend, but we will definitely celebrate more than 2 hours of sleep at a time!

We have received so many welcome home calls and emails from you all--THANK YOU! Sorry we haven't been responding much--I will try and do better when the sickness is over and sleep is abundant!!! Thanks also again for all the food and support from everyone!!!

Just one comment about Emma--she is the best and I mean the best ever! I can't tell you how much I love this little girl for being who she is. I am so proud of her character and heart. I know Ava will grow up to look up to her and I am so excited about their relationship with each other. They are doing great and Ava is warming up to Emma more and more each day.

We Made it Home Safely

We got home Wednesday, April 9th in the late afternoon. The trip was long, but we all survived with only a little spit up along the way. We were worried that Ava was sick because she threw up the night before we left, but she was fine on the trip. Emma slept most of the way home, but Ava only slept about 4 hours. Of course Scott and I didn't sleep at all and we are still trying to recover from the jet lag. Emma is still exhausted and will start back to school on Monday. Her school is closed tomorrow for parent-teacher conferences. Ava is exhausted and refuses to sleep. She is kicking all of our butts right now, that's for sure.

She is having fun exploring her new house and getting into everything that she is not supposed to. We have some "toddler-proofing to do. The nannies were telling the truth when they said she is a naughty baby. She doesn't care for getting in her car seat at first, but quiets down once the van is rolling. We hope that she likes going to the gym daycare so Gene can continue her work out schedule every day. I miss all my gym rat buddies--thanks for all your comments and emails!!!

I must tell you all about our wonderful friends, neighbors, and Scott's office. We came home to a great Welcome Home sign and gift card from Scott's work--thank you so much Mitzi and everyone else who thought of us. When we went inside, we found that our great neighbors, the Brown Family, had stocked our fridge with some essentials, left us dinner, and had our mail for us. You guys are so thoughtful--we really appreciate everything. We also received a meal that night from the Ramsey family and the Shannon family has lined up meals for us for next week. Around 5:00 someone knocked on the door and we got some pretty flowers and balloons from the Callender Family--thank you so much for thinking of us. I haven't even gotten a chance to thank you also for the package you sent with the beautiful quilt, clothes, and frame. Anne, you are so talented! We really appreciate the support, emails, post, gifts, meals, etc. from everyone. We are overwhelmed with your friendship and support.

More soon after we recover from this trip!!!

Last Post from China

Well, this is it from China folks. Just when you think that the trip ahead will be so miserable, just add one puking baby and the possibility that your entire party will catch it to the mix! Yes, Ava started throwing up tonight right before bed, so we are hoping its some food issue. If not, this should make for an even more unpleasant flight home. Please pray that she is back to normal when she wakes up for the journey to her new country. Ava will be a US citizen when we process through immigrations in San Francisco. Thanks again for all of the support and comments on the blog. We can't wait to introduce Ava to everyone and to tell you all more about our experience in China. More soon on the blog from the good ol' USA!

Only One More Night

Well, we have one breakfast voucher left--whoooo hoooooo! We are so ready to come home. Our entire trip to China will total 21 days--too long to be away from home. We are so ready to get home and introduce Ava to her new place--at least for a few months anyway. We are moving to Kansas in June. Poor thing will wonder where to breakfast buffet and nightly trip to the 7-Eleven for ice cream went! That has been the usual routine here on the island. We will probably post one more time from China before we head home. Here are a few photos, because I know you want to see some!!! One photo has our guide Veronica--she has been priceless throughout this trip. She is an amazing person and really the most organized person I've ever met. There is another photo of Ava with the Stafeil's little girl, Lily. She and Ava came from the same orphanage and were crib neighbors. We hope they can stay in touch with each other as they grow up with this common bond.

The Red Couch and Group Photo

For those of you who have not adopted from China before, when you stay at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, you must have your baby's picture made on the famous red couch. We have 11 babies in our group and they all got dressed up to have their photos taken on the red couch. We thought Ava would run away as soon as we sat her down, but she just sat still looking around at all the screaming babies beside her. She stayed put until we came and got her off the couch! We all said, "What just happened and whose baby is that?" Yes, she is ready to jump up and explore most of the time. Please enjoy the photos of our most patient Ava and the rest of our group. She is in the top row, middle of the pack, dressed in dark pink.

Medical Exam Day

We had medical exams for the babies in our group and none of them warmed up to those white coats very well! We had to take the babies to 3 spots in the medical exam adoption area. First, the doctor in the white coat and mask measured Ava's head, checked her limbs, muscles, etc. and then signed off on his part of the form--I think that mask really got her going. Next, she was weighed and measured by two nice ladies in white coats--she's almost 22 lbs. and it's all in her shoulders. We think she will be a swimmer. Last, she had to meet another white coat who checked her hearing, ears, eyes, and throat. She hated every minute of it, but at least she didn't get a shot--at least not until we get her home!

Some Sights Around Shamian Island

We are all doing well and Ava continues to show us more sides of her personality. She is non-stop in the play room here in the hotel and has quite the temper when she wants to do something and gets told no. She loves to hop in everyone's lap and give them a big smile. She really doesn't seem to be afraid of anyone. Bath time with her is wild! She splashes around like crazy--I can see her really enjoying the kiddy pool this summer. She is talking like crazy also, but we really don't understand what she is saying. Ava loves to imitate everyone and enjoys exploring every thing she can get her hands on. Who needs the gym when you have Ava to chase around!

The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow so we are going to the zoo here. Here are a few photos of life around the island. Thanks again for all your emails and comments. We miss our friends, family, and home--we can't wait to get back to life at home! Only 4 more days!!!