Busy first week home!

Nothing like jumping right back into the business of life! We came home to the boys having football or soccer practices every week night and school starting in less than a month. Great timing, huh? I would have loved to have gotten a week under my belt of adjusting to being a family of six before the sports craziness began but that was not to be!

Mia had her first cardiologist appointment on Tuesday. Surgery is tentatively scheduled for September 8. We were at the hospital most of the day for various tests and we also met with a nutritionist. The cardiologist suggested that we try and boost Mia's nutrition as much as possible before she undergoes surgery. She is tiny at 15.8lbs so I think that this is the best course of action for Mia. She is a great eater and hopefully it is just a matter of continuing to make sure she is getting extra calories and putting on a little bit of weight. I may not have mentioned this, but in China, her nannies told us that they spoon fed Mia all of her liquids. She has no idea how to drink from a bottle or sippy cup so this has posed another challenge but we are slowly working on it. Another challenge we are facing is that Mia is behind developmentally and we may need to look into physical therapy. She is unsteady sitting up and is nowhere near walking. I am trying to hold off on the physical therapy for awhile because I would like to see what she is able to accomplish on her own here with us. I also am concerned about her emotional state and too many changes being thrown at her at once. Right now she seems to be interacting and bonding really well with us and I don't want to disrupt that.

Mia was at the pediatrician yesterday not for a physical checkup but for a sinus infection. The poor baby has had a cold since we left China and was miserable yesterday. Her first appointment with the pediatrician is not scheduled until August 25. I am going to talk to the pediatrician today because she really needs to be seen sooner with surgery scheduled for September.

We are having a great time getting to know our little girl. I know I continue to mention it but it is amazing to me that with all the life changes she has been through that she still laughs, giggles, and smiles at us. She thinks the boys are hilarious! She is a great little sleeper and she is already on US time! Yeah! She loves to be held but does not like her snugli so my arms are really getting a good workout! She is becoming more familar with toys and is even starting to find a few favorites though she will play with anything she can get in her hands on. I love to try and see things through her eyes knowing that this is probably the first time she is experiencing it.

Our lives have definitely changed and we are all adjusting to our new way of life with a toddler. Life is busy, busy, busy but we are all loving our little Mia!

There's no place like home!

After nearly 20 hours of travel time we are finally home! We arrived home around 10:30pm on Friday night to a wonderful but emotional homecoming! We were greeted by my parents, the boys, my sister, and my good friend Bev. It was a perfect homecoming after such a long flight. Mia did great on the long journey home and slept between Dan and I on the big flight from Beijing to Newark, NJ from 9:00pm to 4:30am. Everyone was so excited to meet her and she did so well with all of the attention.

We are slowly recovering from jet lag and Saturday was pretty much a blur. Mia and I both returned home with colds. Each day we are feeling a little better and are so glad to be back on US soil! There is no place like home!

Last post until China!

We are all packed and ready to go. We will leave in the the early morning tommorow. This will be my last post on this blog until we return home. To continue to follow our journey in China you can visit us at

www.youbelong.net/thepetersons

Please pray for safe travels and peace as we leave the boys. Also pray that we make it through the temperature check when we arrive in China without incident. Next post will be from China!

Our travel itinerary

7/8 Leave US for Beijing

7/9 Arrive in Beijing (we arrive in Beijing at 1:50 pm China time)

7/10-7/11 Tour Beijing

7/12 Depart Beijing for Zhengzhou

7/13 Mia Day!!!!

7/14 Adoption Registration

7/15 Free day or optional tours

7/16 Receive notary documents/free day/optional tours

7/17 Receive Mia's passport/leave Zhengzhou and fly to Guangzhou

7/18 Mia's visa photo and physical

7/19 Free time. Rest/Shop(oh yeah)/tour

7/20 Tuberculosis test though I think Mia will be free from this test because she is under 2

7/21 Free day with an option to shop(oh yeah again!) or tour unless we need to visit the clinic for a chest x-ray

7/22 Consulate appointment (getting closer to home)

7/23 Go to US Consulate to take our oath (closer to being homeward bound)

7/24 Leave Guangzhou for Beijing and then onto the good ole USA! Mia will officially become a US citizen as soon as we land on American soil!

I will miss you most of all.....

Remember the Wizard of Oz and the tearful goodbye at the end when Dorothy prepares to leave in the hot air balloon? She says goodbye to the scarecrow last and with tears running down her face says "I will miss you most of all." It goes without saying that I will miss my boys most of all. It will be a hard 16 days without them. Honestly this is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Each day since we began this journey I have prayed for the strength to be able leave them and board that plane to China. In my heart I know that I have a child that needs me to bring her home but it is still hard to leave three big pieces of my heart behind.

To Ethan, Logan, and Christian as we prepare to leave for China to bring Mia home I have a couple thoughts to share with you. First, I am so very proud of you for being willing to unselfishly share your parents with a little girl you have yet to meet. Not once have you complained about the football tryouts we will miss or the soccer practices we will not be here for. You have made the anxiety of leaving a little less difficult. You may feel a little sad from time to time and you may even miss us, right? Be a comfort to each other. I know that grandma and grandpa will take good care of you but each of you are a piece of "home" and are able to bring comfort to one another. A kind word or gesture could make a big difference! Of course the house rules still apply whether we are in China or not. Behave, speak kindly, do not aggravate, help out, eat your dinner. Remember we have eyes and ears everywhere, even on the other side of the world! Most importantly have fun and enjoy making wonderful memories with grandma and grandpa!

We love you and will miss you most of all! When we are reunited as a family, just as in the movie, I am sure we will all agree "there's no place like home."

One week to travel and the enormity of it all

In one week we will be boarding a plane headed to China. "I can't believe it" are words we have said countless times over the past couple of weeks but fail to do justice to the enormity of it all. Leaving the boys behind for 16 days, traveling to the other side of the world, and adopting a child we know very little about(but have fallen in love with) is enormous! Our lives are about to change in a big way!

In less than two weeks, on July 13, I will meet the little girl that once only lived in my dreams. I will hold the little girl that I have prayed for. In an instant she will become our daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, and a niece. As much as I have imagined many times what that moment will be like for us, I find myself lately wondering what that moment will be like for her. Frightening, scary, uncomfortable, unaware, these are just some of the feelings that come to mind. With these thoughts my heart breaks for all that she is losing and being taken away from.

She doesn't know how much she is loved and wanted. She doesn't know that we will never leave her and that we are her last "stop". She is unaware of the countless prayers that have been said for her. Prayers that she was being well cared and loved until we could be united. Soon she is going to be part of a world and family that she knows nothing about. We look different, we smell different, and we speak differently. She has no idea how her life is going to change. Our joy could be one of her greatest sorrows.

My thoughts also turn to her birthmother as we prepare to meet Mia. In my heart and because of information in her initial paperwork I believe that her birthmother loved her but due to circumstances could not care for her. I believe through her unselfish sacrifice we have the honor of calling her "our daughter." She will always hold a special place in my heart for the incredible gift she has given us.

Mia has also grown very close to her foster mother as mentioned in her paperwork. I can never thank her enough for the love and care she has provided Mia. I hope through her love for Mia that she is more able to accept our love.

I pray that on July 13, our little girl's heart will be prepared to meet us and accept us. I believe this can only happen through the power of prayer. Only God , in His goodness, can take her fear and give her a sense of peace. We are prepared for whatever may come but with God anything is possible!