Tuesday, October 15, 2013

We're home & now what?

I can't believe they're finally home!  It's kind of surreal after waiting so long!  (Plus the fact that we're sleep deprived & in a fog!)

The 17 hour flight was LONG & miserable & that's not an exageration!  We had no doubts that we would have a bassinet for the plane & then we could trade off the girls in it to give us a break from holding them.  We reserved one & thought we were fine.  We were one of the 1st to get to the airport & were told NO we did not get a bassinet!  WHAT?  You have to be kidding!  We have to hold BOTH of these babies the ENTIRE flight!  And we did!  It was awful!  No suger coating it!  The girls weren't happy, we weren't happy!  The flight attendents were awful!  They knew how bad we were doing as we asked 1/3 way there if there was anything they could do to move us seats or something with more room.  They NEVER once asked us if we needed any help, needed them to hold one or
anything!  In fact one time we needed help with something Jeremy hit the button several times & they kept turning it off without coming!!!  Thankfully there was one stranger that came to save the day a few times.  We met her in line at the airport & she kind of followed us around the airport waiting to leave.  She came over a few times to help us out & hold the girls.  I thought "Am I crazy to give our child to a stranger?" but we were so exhausted we welcomed the help!  I know she had the best intentions & was great with the girls.  It's not like she could have ran away with them!  She was fighting for us with the flight attendants to try to get us another seat even though we didn't have any luck.  Everyone thought she was related as she was such a big help!  God knew that we needed help & sent her!  The girls also had major upset stomachs the entire trip & flight which made it even worse. 

We finally landed in DC Saturday morning & it was so amazing to get off that plane!!!!!!  We checked into a hotel for a few hours to get a short nap & get showers.  It was the best $89 I ever spent!  We had a short hour flight from DC to Cincinnati!  That was SO quick (after the 17 hr flight) & we were there in no time!  We got off the plane & got the girls changed. 

We walked down to Baggage Claim to the Welcome Area & saw to the right in the window SO many of our friends & family there to welcome Chelsea & Lina HOME!  We are so blessed to have such supportive family & friends.  My eyes started welling up.  I tried to hold back the tears & the closer we got I started crying & couldn't stop.  We got to Jack & it was so amazing to have our whole family together at last!  Everyone ran over from the window to where we were!  Everyone was so excited to finally meet the girls!  We passed them all over & they got lots of love & kisses!

We're trying to get into a routine since being home but not anywhere near there yet.  It is HARD!  I wouldn't give the girls up for anything but it is HARD!  They seem to be bonding well with us but it is still a huge adjustment for them.  They are unhappy often.  They really fight napping.  They are sleeping well at night which is huge!  They have been getting up twice to eat & change & going back to sleep pretty good.  Their tummies are still not well so we're heading to the doctor today to see what's going on with that.  We're sleep deprived & are lucky to get a shower!  It's going to take a while to get into a good routine & all feel well.  Jeremy heads back to work this afternoon which is going to be a struggle. 

What about you?  We really need to limit visitors as it could become confusing to the girls to see many people.  We need to make sure that they know that WE are their parents & who they need to count on.  We don't want them to think all of these other people are their caretakers.  They're not like a newborn who you can pass around.  They have had many caretaker & now they have 2 primary caretakers, US!  I have heard from many people that they allowed a lot of people around because it seemed like their children were attaching well & then several months down the line they digressed & completely detached from them.  We don't want to take that risk.  However, we DO need HELP!  We originally said no  visitors for a month but we now know we need help.  They are a lot of work.  We ARE allowing people over that are willing to help us for short periods of time.  If you want to bring dinner, do dishes, mow lawn, run errands, watch them for a short nap or shower that is fine but we are still not allowing people over just to visit.  We still need to be the ones to meet all of their needs (feed & change them).  This is how they know to trust us & that we are their primary caretakers.  We are not good at asking for help so if you want to help just let us know.  We will try not to resist it!

Here's some pics for your pleasure!!!