Yes, we are still alive ;-)

Yes, we are still alive, but barely lol ! This past week has been brutal and I wish I were exagerrating. It has not been brutal due to the jet lag although that wasn't fun either. I am here to tell you that we have all had a very healthy dose this week of sibling rivalry and major adjustment issues. I think there is light at the end of the tunnel though so I hope the end of it is close ;-) Our main clashes have been between Lei and Rachel because I think their personalities are both very strong, not to mention Rachel has just had a really hard time since we came home. If I would have known how tough our absence was on her, I think I would have taken her with us to China. Lei is doing wonderfully and adjusting just fine. He hasn't openly grieved again since we came home, but I'm sure in time he will grieve more. He is speaking some english now, but it is taking time. Tonight when it was bedtime, I said to him, "Come on Sweetie" and he promptly repeated the same thing back to me lol. He has a great sense of humor too. He is calling me Mommy and calls Audrey and Rachel by their names now, albeit yelling their names alot because they are taking his toy, etc lol. He is very comfortable with his daddy and openly says "I love you" to him all the time. He already seems to be attaching to us and tonight he kept wanting me to pick him up and hold him, all 45 lbs of him lol ;-) which of course I loved ! Our biggest hurdle right now is giving everyone enough attention so that nobody feels left out. Due to Lei's age, him and Audrey interact and play better together which I think evokes alot of jealousy in poor Rachel so we are trying to really make an effort to include Rachel in their activities as well as do some special things with her. Honestly, adopting out of birth order is probably a bigger deal than we had anticipated. We know everything will be fine eventually but getting to that point is going to be challenging. Ok, well I've said more than enough so I'll post some pictures of the crazy crew ;-)