It has been 5 weeks since Chad arrived in America and came into our home with his new brothers and sisters. The transition was a little tougher than imagined for the first two weeks. Poor Ashlyn had missed her Mommy so much and couldn't wait to hold me. Chad thought after visiting with him for 2 weeks that he was an only child, so the jealousy and melt downs began for both of them. Ashlyn didn't eat for about 10 days, only drinking protein Boost. She was quiet and extremely withdrawn for the exception of the melt downs. My heart was broken. My how life changed so much in a week. The boys did great from day one. Madison became aggravated with him. He is so sweet and full of energy, but he sure did need to learn the boundaries. Precious boy had so many firsts. He had never been in a house before, a bathtub with standing water, a car, a pool... So, if it could be opened, closed, taken apart, banged on, dropped - he did it. As a family, we couldn't make it out of our driveway in the van without Chad trying to talk over anyone for our attention. Once we had 3 trying to yell over each other and the next day we were supposed to head out for 7 hours to make it to Atlanta. It's so easy to look back now and laugh, then I was exhausted and looked forward to the next step when he understood us better and knew the rules of our family. Praise God for my wonderful husband who was quick to pick up where I left off in the emotional side of things.
Chad had his top teeth removed due to the extreme decay and infection June 27th. July 1st we headed off for Stone Mountain GA. Poor guy came down with fever while we were still driving. We started him on his Amoxicillin for fear of infection after surgery. Atlanta was so hot, he is not accustomed to our heat and humidity, so when he broke out in a rash and the pictures online of prickly heat matched - Mama gave him cool baths. By the time we got home - he was covered from head to toe in a rash. That was when friends told us that he must be allergic to the medicine. New experiences him, and for me.
Fast forward to today. We flew out to Salt Lake City on July 11. We are doing the western tour. Park City Utah - Jackson Hole Wyoming (Yellowstone) - Big Sky Montana - Seattle Washington - Vancouver Canada - Portland Oregon. Such a wonderful 3 week adventure for this family of 7. Chad is doing wonderfully! Still testing us, but no more than our others. Ashlyn actually seems to like him now, they play and she laughs and laughs at his goofiness. He is picking up English well. Except that he says "lalo" for water - he's doing great. He is understanding us and that makes all the difference. He is enjoying the sights, sounds and animals of the west right along with the rest of us. We are enjoying each other and growing together. Praise God - Finally - we feel like one family.
