Home At Last!

Hi Everyone,

We are home at last. I have never been so happy to land at the Portland airport or get into my own bed. What was supposed to be a 10 hour trip lasted 21 due to the LAX customs and airport folks. They "lost" Riley's passport and took 45 minutes to find it. (Seriously, how do you lose a passport you've only had for 5 minutes???) They then have a very inefficient, understaffed international baggage rechecking system. One line and only two screeners to look at everyone continuing on. (Again, seriously. I thought it was an international airport?????) All of this caused us to miss our connecting flight to Portland and resulted in an 8.5 hour layover in LAX.

Now the good news is that Rowan and Riley sensed mom was very upset about the problems and impendng layover. They remained completely cooperative and calm during the customs and baggage challenges. The additional good news is that I can officially answer any questions you might have about LAX. Which restaurants are the most croweded, which ones seem to be the favorites, where to best find quiet space, best people watching areas, which window sills are of need of regular dusting (none right now because my girls cleaned them all yesterday with their shirts/skirts/hands, and the game they play with delaying flights and moving your gate to keep you moving around. The bad news is ..... OK, there is no bad news. I'm really over it now that I'm home. It just adds to the experience I guess. Rowan and Riley really did well though we had a few "moments" at the airport and on the various planes.

My heart really goes out to the foster mom. She was incredibly sweet and even wrote the girls letters to read when they're older. She welcomed photos and continued contact as well. We also receive a sweet letter from the foster mother's daughter, son-in-law and grandson to share with the girls when they're older. The foster mother was crying from the moment she arrived at the hotel. I felt so bad for her. The girls came to Devin and I immediately and haven't "looked back" or asked for her since they were handed over. This only means she prepared them well and they expected and understood they were coming with us. Jayden didn't and she has told us recently she kept thinking we would take her back to her foster mother.

While in Guatemala we met some wonderful families who were bringing home their children. It was great to see that most were pick up versus vist trips. When we visited in June, only one family was picking up and the rest were visiting. We only met two visiting families this time. We did see many toddlers and older children come home this time. These older kids have a place in my heart so it was good to see. Magaly, Maya and Gracie - I am so happy you're on your way home.

The girls are adjusting well as near as I can tell. They clearly have not been told "no" too often but are used to saying it a lot. They do have regular, predictable tantrums, especially if napping or bedtime is involved. They are not fond of baths as well.

The tantrums are getting shorter and with fewer tears. They involve more noise than anything else. I established a clear pattern or method of dealing with issues (time out with one warning only) plus the ability to get out fairly quickly by telling me they are done and immediately demonstrating the correct behavior. Rowan is more obstinant than Riley and even managed to put herself in time out at the airport yesterday when I gave her the choice of behaving or sitting. She's had five time outs today but each lasted less than 3 minutes and Riley only had one and she was done in less than a minute. This compares to tantrums that lasted for an hour the first day. (Imagine that in a hotel room....imagine it happening in tandem - one child after another.....imagine it in a room full of other parents and wondering if they think you're insane or cruel because you're ignoring your child's scream.....and wondering if hotel security might call the police!) Adopting toddlers and older children is NOT for the faint of heart...or those who get bothered by what other people think. :)

Tonight Jayden is happily playing the role of big sister. My family room looks like a toy box exploded and the girls are giggling, running around and rolling on the floor at various times. She really is enjoying them and was happy to have them at her soccer game tonight, even when Rowan ran on to the field and tried to chase down the ball during the game itself. I distracted them both with a ball laying on the sidelines. Seems I'll have 3 soccer players in the family. That being said, Jayden got to two goals tonight and even had a great steal that she ran down the side line and then cross kicked it into the goal.

I had bought 3T clothing but it's clearly too big. They can't even keep 2T pants and skirts on. Riley was jumping up and down on the soccer field and kept losing her skirt and showing the world her panties. She found it incredibly funny. I think I'm going to need to do some more shopping.

We also visited KinderCare today when we picked up Jayden after school. Rowan and Riley charged right in and seemed to enjoy the various play areas. They are truly ready for preschool. They like writing, drawing, puzzles and can play at table areas for long periods of time. They were not even remotely put off by meeting new teachers, the assistant director or director. In fact, they all received a big "hola" and "adios" before they left. This is good news because I do need to work. :)

I'll post pictures of the girls soon. Right now my eyes can barely stay open.