So here's a bit of an update.... Since our last post there have been even more firsts for Elysa and us. It seems like its been sooo much longer than three weeks since we first met her in Nanchang! Whenever I think about how this or that isn't going according to our "plan" or desires, I just try to think about how out of whack I feel, and then try to imagine how much worse it must be for Elysa.
The whole time we were in China, she kept messing with her hair, and when she'd get tired, she'd rub her hair in her eyes until they were red. So, her first haircut was ordered up shortly after getting home. The deed was performed by Tina's longtime hairdresser. Elysa didn't even seem to notice that her hair was being messed with and, now that it's done, she doesn't fuss with her hair as much; until she finds whatever little hairpiece mom has put in for the day. Sometimes she leaves them alone, other times, they come right out.
After being home a few days, we ventured out to the lake in town for a little exercise. Judging Elysa's reaction to having her toes in grass, we're guessing this was a first for her. After a few tentative steps, she really seemed to enjoy it. She also watched her puppy chase frisbees, which she seemed to think was quite funny.
She had her first visit with her U.S. doctor a week ago. While waiting, she was watching all the other babies in the waiting room. She seemed a little bit anxious, but also curious. We wondered if maybe she was recalling the last time she was in a room full of strangers and babies, and if that was making her nervous. This visit was not so much of a fun time for her, especially the shots...but she toughed it out. Now we have to do all the lab tests so we have a good baseline on her overall health. I'm sure that will be a happy time for all of us (NOT)! We found out that she did in fact, still have an ear infection.
Several family members from out of state came into town over this last week to see all of the family that lives in our area, and of course, welcome Elysa to the family. Some of the family even stayed with us. She did pretty well with all the new people and distruptions to a very new and weak routine, EXCEPT for the whole sleep issue. More on that later. We went to the beach this last weekend and she got her feet wet in the Pacific for the first time. She thought it was funny, and enjoyed watching her puppy chase a ball and jump around in the shallow surf (he is a little dog after all).
She is eating very well, and so far we have found very little that she doesn't like. She doesn't however, like to drink much of anything, which is becoming an issue because she is eating more, and drinking less formula. We continue to try new, old, and any old thing we can think of to get her to drink more fluids, short of giving her a bunch of sugary drinks.
Sleep continues to be the challenge for all of us. She had several very good nights in a row, where she was sleeping at night, and napping well during the day. It was just that she wasn't going to sleep until 2200 hours. Then today, she missed a midday nap. So tonight, out of the blue, she melted down and got hyper alert like she did on the plane. Between the two of us we managed to get her to sleep, but we'll see if it lasts all night or not. We suspect that some of her fussiness is teething pain. She is also still having random bouts of greiving.
She now is more active, and is spening more time on her tummy. She can scoot backwards, but can't quite coordinate the forward crawl. She gets quite frustrated when something she wants is just out of reach!
Here's a parting shot of Elysa and her puppy. They seem to be accepting each other pretty well.
...and here's one that Tina snapped without my knowledge or consent, but she thinks is funny...more later!
