We left Hong Kong on November 8th, once again on the nonstop to Minneapolis. After we boarded the plane, we apologized in advance to all our neighbors if our daughter misbehaved. I’m glad we did. We had bulkhead business class seats and a bassinet. At 17 pounds, Bailee was almost too big for the bassinet. It was a typical fabric sling on the wall, but the corners were open slits, so they put a cardboard box with pillows inside the fabric. Her head and feet touched either end of the box. She didn’t care for it for sleeping.
Bailee had missed her morning nap since we were enroute to the airport. Of the 12 hours of flying time, she slept about three hours, but only for 30-45 minutes at a time. Part of the time, she sat contentedly and played in the bassinet. But we had three or four screaming fits where nothing would placate her. When we landed in Minneapolis, it was close to midnight China time, and she was definitely sleep deprived.
There were several families with new children on our flight. As we deplaned, you could see all the people waiting to meet the newly formed families. Every year returning from China, it was always so special to see these homecomings. But this year, as I carried Bailee off the plane, I was much more emotional than in years past. With tears coming to my eyes, I hugged Bailee a little closer.
It was very easy going through Immigration. Once we cleared, we had to take Bailee’s papers over to another area and turn them in. It was here that her passport was stamped that she was now a permanent resident of the USA!
While we waited for our flight to Lincoln, I took Bailee to the bathroom to change her clothes. I put a little pair of boots on her and she screamed bloody murder!! She’d never worn shoes and wasn’t going to start now. But mommy won this battle, and
she settled down as soon as I picked her up. Pat said he could hear her clear out in the waiting area. Our plane was delayed for a couple of hours, and Bailee finally fell asleep. Soon after, our flight was called, so she only slept about another 30
minutes.
As our plane started to descend for landing in Lincoln, all the emotion of the past weeks hit me. I sat there holding my daughter, with tears streaming down my face. We were nearly home. My dream of a daughter was fulfilled. Our family was waiting on the other side of the door to greet our new child. Life just doesn’t get any better than this.
While our family was waiting for the plane to arrive, a gentleman remarked that the plane must be really full, or there must be somebody pretty important on board. My mom informed him that there was one very special person arriving on that plane! As we came through the door, we were greeted with balloons, posters made by Bailee’s cousins and lots of family. Everyone then came to our house where they had pizza, cake, opened presents, etc... Bailee was so good, she let everyone hold her. I think some of her acceptance of this was the fact she was in such a haze from lack of sleep.
By the time Bailee got to bed it was 11AM China time, so she had gone almost 27 hours with only five hours of sleep. It was hard to get her settled down to sleep, but when she did, she slept soundly through the night. (I was so glad my mom spent the night. She was fresh and rested and gladly sat rocking Bailee to sleep for over an hour so that I could go to bed.) Since we’ve been home, Bailee’s been a great sleeper. We never had problems with her being on China time--it was the only benefit of her not sleeping on the plane. About two weeks after coming home, she had a few days of waking around midnight for an hour or so. But this quickly ended once she became used to her bedroom. She now sleeps 10-11 hours a night and takes two naps a day, about two hours each.
We visited the pediatrician a couple of days after our return. He gave her a clean bill of health. Her special need was listed as calcium deficiency and bowed legs. She has neither. He felt that she was not developmentally delayed in any way. I think that this is do in part to living in southern China. It is warm enough that the children are not bundled into several layers of clothes, so they are better able to explore and learn to use their bodies. Also, the Yangchun orphanage staff do a terrific job with the children in their care.
We’ve been home now just over three months, and Bailee has blossomed. Each day is a new adventure! She has four top teeth and two bottom. She had gained almost three pounds and grown two inches. Just after her first birthday, (mid-December) she was walking unaided. She loves music of any kind and likes to dance. We think she’ll be a gymnast--she likes to do backward flips off our laps, and is already trying to do somersaults. We did not teach her either of these things. Her motor skills are all at or past her age level. Her language skills are somewhat behind, but we know she will catch up fast, especially once she starts daycare in March.
In China, Bailee did not like any soft toys, preferring hard ones she could bang or chew. Now she loves stuffed animals and dolls. Two of her animals are her comfort objects in her crib. I have to wash them weekly, they get so dirty from her chewing and sucking on them. She kisses and hugs everything in sight. She even kisses the animals in her books.
Bailee eats almost anything we feed her, but her favorites are bananas, green beans, crackers and hot dogs. She likes to try to feed herself, but once she can’t get enough in her mouth, she gives up and accepts help. Our dogs sit in wait under her high chair, hoping for droppings. She still uses a bottle to drink her milk, we’ve tried to wean her off this, but then she doesn’t get enough milk. We’ve decided to give her some time, it's not a major problem, but more a comfort thing. She uses sippy cups for everything but her milk.
Our dogs (a sheltie and an australian shepherd) are two of her favorite toys. She loves to kiss them and pet them. She laughs with delight when our sheltie's tail brushes her face as he wags it. We do have to keep the dog food up when she is in the kitchen. She likes to pick up the pieces and move them from one bowl to another. Not a problem until a piece makes it’s way to her mouth! She loves to open cabinets and explore. Finding new rubbermaid containers and lids is so exciting.
Bailee is still a reserved child. She studies everything with great intensity before reacting. She is very animated and outgoing with us, but is still extremely shy in public. She loves outings to the grocery store, post office, Target, etc.. Often she drags her coat to us and wants to go for a ride.
When we imagine what the perfect child would be like, we picture Bailee. We couldn’t be happier. She’s been a wonderful addition to our life. I could never have imagined how much she would add to my life. As the old saying goes, “a child fills a special place in your heart...a place you never knew was empty.”
If anyone would like information about Yangchun, adopting a one year old, packing, etc.. please feel free to contact me.
All the best,
Betsy, Pat and Bailee Egan
Written February 1998
Our first family photo at the orphanage, October 30, 1997
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