There's No Place Like Home

Our journey home began at 5:30am in Guangzhou China and ended a mere 29 hours later -- home at last. We flew from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, to Newark, to New Albany, to Cleveland and finally, home to Lexington -- that's a lot of airplanes, a lot of cramped quarters, a lot of bad food, a lot of trips to a bathroom the size of my right thigh, and a lot of flying time. Oakley did remarkably well with only a few meltdowns. Believe me, if I thought it might have helped us get home any quicker, I would have had a few myself. It was an exhausting day for us all, but oh, so worth it. When we finally reached Lexington I was literally shaking with anticipation .... I couldn't wait to see my boys and our family there waiting for us. What a homecoming!!

Out of respect for Oakley, our family waited eagerly at arms length to see how she would react. She was amazing -- smiling -- naming familiar faces from her photo album. I think you could have picked my dear Mom up off the floor when she pointed to her and said "Mamaw." How could one little girl leave the only home she's ever known and in just two weeks time lovingly embrace her new family? This is truly God's hand at work. I prayed throughout this journey that Oakley's heart would be open to us and my prayers have been answered tenfold. She spontaneously give hugs and kisses and already adores all THREE of her brothers, though I think Sawyer will always hold a very special place in her heart. He was, after all, the very first to interact with her China. And I know she holds a special place in his. This child could not be more loved and cherished.

We are all feeling remarkably well, were able to sleep last night and napped again today. I was the last to go to sleep because I decided to check the blog before retiring. Not only could I not view the blog in China, but we probably only received about one-fourth of the comments left. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who followed our journey, kept us in your prayers, and left comments for us. I cried until about 3am, marvelling at our blessings and the loyal following that this sweet little girl has developed. Truly, your comments and emails will be preserved for her in a special album that chronicles her journey to her family. We are so thankful for your support and your ability to love and accept.

We came home to a refrigerator full of food, gifts for Oakley, and a clean and brightly lit dwelling. A special thanks to my family for making sure that our homecoming was warm and welcoming. We very much appreciate everyone's efforts and I will forever be grateful to Marla for taking care of our home and boys in our absence, and to Lori for taking care of Scrabble, our springer spaniel. He'll be coming home on Sunday and he's going to throw Oakley into a tailspin because she's terrified of dogs. I have no doubt, however, that he'll win her over quickly.

Oakley slept in her bed last night from about midnight until 7:30am and napped this afternoon in her bed from 11:30am until 4pm; I guess she has some catching up to do. She had a full day today playing with her brothers and they are completely taken with her. Sullivan adores her smile and Hagan loves the way she sings, dances, talks, squeals ... you name it, he loves it. She had cheerios and bananas for breakfast, watermelon (thank you, Marla), cheese and more cheerios for lunch and fried rice for dinner. She tried peanut butter and jelly for lunch, but wasn't crazy about it (Jennifer, have you been talking to her?). Peanut butter ... it's a staple food in our family. We have discovered that we can't offer watermelon WITH her entree, because then it's the ONLY thing she will eat. From here on, it's going to have to be a dessert for sweet Oakley.

After dinner we took a brief walk in the neighborhood and returned for a bath, which she loves. The first time I bathed her in China I gave her a set of stacking cups to play with and she had no idea what to do with them. She stood up to get out immediately after I washed her and we literally had to teach her how to play in the bath tub. Now it's one of her very favorite things to do and she was thrilled to play with a whole new set of toys! After her bath, she had a quick tea party with Papa'. Notice how daintily she pours the tea, and then tilts her head back and chugs it! Then we got in bed, read a book, turned the lights out, and she was asleep within minutes.

Thank you to everyone for following us halfway around the world. It's been the most amazing journey and it's only just begun! I will continue to update the blog with Oakley's escapades.

p.s. Our luggage is still somewhere out there, trying to find it's way home. We carried on all of her adoption documents and the camera, but would love to have our clothes, toiletries, souvenirs and gifts home soon. I am kicking myself for not carrying on her "finding outfit" and the disposable camera that was given to us by the orphanage staff. Maybe tomorrow we'll hear good news!