There's No Place Like Home- "Black and White Wednesday"

We arrived back in the US on Friday night just before 9pm and could not have been happier to step through the gates and see our family and friends waiting for us!



Just like the rest of this journey, it was an emotional reunion. Not seeing my husband and children for two weeks was so difficult and I know they were feeling the same way. It was torture for Pat to be able to see us via Skype, but not be there to touch and hold sweet baby Reagan and experience everything that I was telling him she was doing first hand.



We spent about an hour in the airport saying hello to everyone and getting Reagan aquainted with her Daddy and Sister. Unfortnately, brother Nick did not make the trip to New York. Friday night was his very first school dance and his heart was set on going, so I did not force the issue. He went and called us on our way home from the airport and said that he was excited to meet his new sister the next morning. He was also excited to report that he one a prize for best costume, so I am glad I let him go.



Sarah and Pat were very taken by Miss Reagan and Pat was itching to take Reagan out of my arms and hold her tight. We had talked a great deal about the bonding issue and attachment and how the first few days/weeks could be rough on her beacuse she was only really aquainted with me and Aunt Marla.



I have to say, Reagan did extremely well. She kept her eyes on me to make sure I was within reach, but she did not cry and let her Daddy hold and love on her. I personally think the fact that we skyped every day and she saw him and heard his voice definitely helped.



Other than the fact that Nick was not there with us, the evening was as perfect as could be. My sister in law, Mary Pat, along with some of my best friends Shelly and Dita and her Darlings were all there to take part in the Welcome Home Celebration. I don't know what we would do without such wonderful friends and family in our lives. A special thank you to Dita for taking all these wonderful photos and becoming the photographer of the event. You captured every moment perfectly and I am so happy that you could be there with us on the special day. Not to mention all that you did for us on our send off two weeks prior. I could not have thought of a better way to kick off this trip than the way we did. Again, many thanks to you and the Darlings for all that you do:)



I also need to send many thanks to Shelly and Mary Pat for everything they did to help Pat last week as Friday approached. They helped get Miss Sarah together for the long trip to the airport. They made sure that she had plenty of toys, movies, and even some Halloween Candy for the 2 and a half hour ride to JFK Airport. They definitely came to the rescue when Sarah decided she did not want to where the outfit I had picked out for her. It seems as though in my absence she has decided to start picking her own wardrobe and her daily selections consist of all things princess. Mary Pat and Shelly had to beg her to remove the princess attire and lost the battle when it came to her pink shoes. So she wore the red, white, and blue outfit with her favorite pink shoes. Of course it was the first thing I noticed as she ran towards me and I figured there had to be a story behind it. Every time I see those shoes I laugh. They don't even fit her anymore, they are a whole size too small so I can't believe she would want to where them. But as mothers we all know when to pick our battles:)



After we made our way out of the airport, we all headed to a diner in New Jersey to get a bite to eat. We were all starving and after 24 hours of travel, the last thing I wanted to do was get in the car for a 2 and a half hour car ride home.



We did not get home until 3am and boy was I happy when I walked through the door.
Pat had the house sparkling clean and the pantry was fully stocked. Mary Pat, Shelly, and my parents had brought over champagne, wine, and flowers for our arrival. Of course we stayed up to enjoy some of the bubbly as I was not the least bit tired. I was still on China time.



Everyone eventually fell asleep, but Reagan and I partied til Dawn and then crashed hard around 7:30am. My husband totally spoiled me. He went to bath and body works and filled our bathroom and bedroom with my favorite Eucalyptus Mint Aermoetherapy Products. He set me up in bed and lit one of the Ecualyptus Mint Candles and turned on the spasounds music channel. He even had chocolates for my pillow, but he forgot to put them out. He got up with Sarah and got Nick from his Dad's and already had the laundry going when Reagan and I finally woke up at 3:30pm.

My parents were waiting downstairs since late morning anxious to finally meet their newest grandbaby.



Reagan again did pretty well and everyone was great about keeping the boundaries and understanding you just can't snatch her up like a newborn. It is very confusing as she is till figuring things out.



The last few days have been extremely hard. I never imagined the jetlag would be this bad. I knew I would be tired, but I guess I somehow forgot that I was going to have a new baby that was going to be just as confused about the time change as I was. Also it has been hard for me to keep up with Pat and the kids because Reagan and I want to sleep all day and stay up all night. Pat has been incredible and has really gone above and beyond to take care of everything that he can so that I can just focus on myself and Reagan.


We are all bonding really well. She is getting to know her Daddy, brother, and sister and they are getting lots of smiles and giggles from her already.



Today we went to the doctor for her first check up and barrage of tests. It was a brutal two hour appt. It was stressful to watch her get poked and proded so many times and the worst was the blood draw. She really didn't mind the needles as much as she hated to be held down. Poor baby!!

In addtion, she is having some tummy issues that we addressed with the doctor today. Hoping to get some test results in a few days that will give us a clearer picture. In the meantime, we are thinking that she could be lactose intolerant, so for now we switched the formula. I'll keep you all posted when we get an update.

Every day is getting a little better. I am going to really try to do nothing but concentrate on my family the next few days or even weeks, until we all get back on schedule. I guess I must have been in a tiny bit of denial about how the jetlag was going to effect me. Even superwoman could not recover from this kind of jolt.




We are missing Aunt Marla something terrible. It is weird not having her with us 24 hours a day. I know that her family is thrilled to have her home as they missed her tons. We were incredibly blessed to have her with us on this faithful journey and I will never be able to thank them enough. One day I hope that Pat and I can return such a favor and really hope that we will be able to make a trip to meet y'all in texas sometime soon. In the meantime we will have to rely on Skype! Love and Miss you girl~

Thank you again for all the well wishes and welcome homes! I feel completely out of touch with all my friends and will be looking forward to catching up with you all when time allows. My inbox is flooded, so I apologize if you have sent a message and you have yet to get a reply. I also hope to get some updated pictures of all my "babies" together sometime this weekend. I will post when I can.

Jetlag aside, life is GOOD!!! We are all completely in love with this beautiful little girl and are anxious for the rest of our family and friends to get to know her. I know I am a little biased, but she truly is a special child who seems to have the abilitly to capture everyone's heart!

~Happy Wednesday~