New Horizons

We've been home in Colorado now only 5 days and Maya is showing signs that she's going to fit right in her new home. Its incredible to absorb where our little girl was just a short 3 weeks ago, before we held her in our arms for the first time in Changsha.


Ahhh, my own crib!

Maya's horizons and experiences have suddenly changed and expanded in countless ways. After shuttling between hotel rooms in Changsha, Guangzhou and Los Angeles with our adoption group she must have thought we some sort of weird world traveling baby show. The bus rides and plane rides were beginning to become old hat to her, so having a home and consistent things she can count on will be a refreshing change.


First time on US soil (LAX)

We all suffered from the time change from China. Crossing the International Date Line going eastbound really screws up the circadian (sp?) rythms, and I'm sure Maya is suffering the most. The first few days/nights were challenging as we only got a couple hours sleep, but we're slowly adjusting to mountain time.

Now home new experiences are everywhere. For one, the climate is extremely different here than in Hunan. It is very rare for humidity to go above 30% along the Front Range, where Hunan is sub-tropical. We'll try not to allow Maya to dry up like a prune here - it might even help with a head cold she's carried across the ocean.

The other obvious difference is the lack of Chinese faces. It might take a little time for Maya to overcome seeing mostly white 'big nose' faces everywhere. We'll have to arrange some play dates with Maya's Hunan sisters and other adoptive families.

First time in her new house, with all the different rooms gives Maya lots of area for exploration. She seems to go right for the few things that we will be trying to steer her away from (ie: dog dish, closets, remote control, etc.).

First time meeting our dog, Skeeter, was interesting. Maya was terrified at first of this big white furry monster. Once she saw Skeet lumbering around harmlessly bumping into furniture and peoples' legs (for the uninitiated, our dog is blind and somewhat deaf), I'm sure she felt a bit more at ease. Now she crawls after him yelling something that sounds like "dah" (dog?) and is totally fearless of him.


I suppose we can work this out

A sad side note on Skeeter. We only just discovered that he has a tumor in his bladder that will most likely have to be removed. We don't know yet if it's benign or malignant so we're hoping for the best. Thankfully, his caregivers while we were in China, Jenna and Jamie, adeptly noticed that there was some blood in his urine and were able to shuttle him to the vet for some tests.

First time on the lawn (I assume judging from the orphanage visit) was an interesting time. Maya didn't quite know what to think of this new surface. Is grass something to eat? Is it OK to crawl on? It kind of feels scratchy...hmmm, not sure yet.


Do I eat it or crawl on it mommy?

First time in the stroller was good. Maya seemed to enjoy rolling along checking out the neighborhood sights. The first two times in the stroller resulted in her falling completely to sleep so we will probably be using that to our advantage in our evolving daily routine.

First time to the neighborhood park and swings was a total blast! Maya loved the swings and the slide and will get plenty of chances to hone those skills.


I can get used to this!

We are both elated that Maya seems to bravely accept any new experiences with a strong sense of curiousity and abandon. I hope that is in some way the result of her feeling a stronger sense of bond with both of us. I've noticed that every day she seems to trust us a little bit more. The first few days she would scream bloody murder if both of us left sight of her for just an instant. Now if she's in one room playing and we leave for an instant she at least gives us a whimper warning before getting the all-out 'you've abandoned me again' wail.

Meeting new family or friends has been somewhat of a crap shoot. Sometimes she lets others hold her, and sometimes she screams and cries. I don't think there is any consistent reason for this, but every day she seems to show some signs that Lori and I are not just nannies on the day shift and we are not abandoning her.

Our friends Shawn and Jennifer and others have generously recycled several of the items from their childrens lives now that they are older (crib, changing table top, clothing, toys) and Maya already uses many of them! One of the more interesting items she has taken a particular interest in is this little walk along contraption that is either designed to improve toddlers' balance and walking skills or to terrorize small animals. Maya was almost running with this crazy thing last night and we were all laughing at how fearless she is. Skeeter almost got run over a few times as she barreled down the hall. She hasn't taken the inevitable first header yet though, so we're trying to 'throttle her back' a bit to give her time to strengthen those little leg muscles.


How do I steer this thing?

Ahh crap!