Clean Bill of Health and Two Nighs of Sleep

Sorry for no pictures... thanks to Sonny (THANKS, SONNY!), I got my laptop working before we left for China, and it lasted one day back, then our cat chewed on the power cable, and broke the inside power connection again. So, we're using two of our older computers, using old clunkers that don't have CD capability. But, enough of that... just letting you know why we've been text-only. We saw the pediatrician on Tuesday, and she said Rachael is doing really well, and doesn't see any major issues. She is pleased with Rachael's development, and we're going to monitor her progress carefully over the next few months. We are getting a full blood workup, and stool check, and redoing all the vaccinations we can't confirm from the blood test, which is standard procedure for Chinese adoptees. Oh the heady joys of harvesting stool samples at home. Then again, perhaps it's better that this doesn't have pictures. :-) We had a nice picnic after the doctor visit and Kaylas' (victorious!) volleyball game, where they beat Columbus School for Girls 2-0. Afterwards, we hit the KFC for a bucket of chicken, and enjoyed the sun and warm weather in the park by Children's Hospital, and Rachael had her first taste of the Colonel's chicken and biscuits. She only liked the chicken and mashed potatoes, (I'm a Hoosier, potatoe has an "e") and thought the macaroni and cheese was disgusting.

Frankly, I was so out of it yesterday, I can't remember a single thing about it. Fortunately, Becca reminded me that Rachael "helped" Momma deliver papers while I rested, and then we took her to church to meet the church staff and friends. I think we're finally over the hump now with the jet-lag, as I only took 3 naps today for a total of about 4 hours during the day, which was the shortest amount so far. (The record was Tuesday, when I slept about 10 hours during the day). Mornings are the worst, as we are utterly exhausted, even with a full night's rest. After getting up at 5:45 to get our teenagers off to school by 6:45, we did tag-team baby care until 10am, and had to pry our eyelids open with toothpicks (ok, not really) to watch Rachael while the other slept. We don't get energy until almost 4pm. Fortunately, everyone has basically slept through the night for the past 2 nights, which is a real blessing.

Rachael adores her sisters, and they adore her too. Last night, it was really cute to see Emily hold Rachael on her lap for 10 minutes while she sat at the table doing homework. Both girls have been a big help with their little sister, and Rachael took to Kayla immediately (perhaps because she looks a lot like Julia, or her mom?). Rachael is also very interested in the two cats, and has never really been afraid yet, and has even petted Sammy twice. Alas, the dog died last Friday, passing away in her sleep on the farm of a friend that had been watching Candy while we were in China, so Rachael never got to meet our loving dog. Tonight, she crawled 20 feet in her sleeper on polished hardwood floor and tile, which is quite an accomplishment for a kid that couldn't even crawl 18 days ago. Perhaps she wanted a little more ice cream from Momma?