A full day with Naomi

We got to Ohard airport at 11am on December 10th. Naomi's flight was to come in at 1pm. Americ an Airlines flight #89. We waited and got some Mcdonalds since that was all that they had in there, well besides hotdogs and nachos. At noon the gift shop opened and we got a "Welcome Home", balloon and a small gift for Tama. We waited fo what seemed like forever. We checked the incoming flight board over and over fully knowing it was not time for the flight to come in. We did not know if we should wait by gate A or B. So finally the board states the flight has landed. I have butterflys in my stomach and feel dizzy....all I can do is pace. Everything felt sureal.......I could not believe in a matter of moments my daughter...my daughter from Africa was going to join our family.

Well it turned out to be a short while. Tama, Mary Ann, Tama's girls and Naomi spent a while in Customs. My 3 year old had to go number 2 so her daddy took her. A minute or so after he got her into the bathroom, I spotted Mary Ann wheeling Mercy out in a wheel chair. She was followed by two little girls dress the same Charletta and MY NAOMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My heart jumped as I stood behind a gate, 10 feet behind the security doors. Tama then looked over and I waved. Right away she came through the doors with the girls. She brought Naomi right over to me and said "Naomi this is your New Mama", I started to cry and held my new daughter and told her I loved her. I then introduced her to her 2 year old sister and gave her the two dolls we brought for her. As I was doing this my hubby was walked back saw Naomi and I could here him call "She's here, Naomi is here". He came up and I introduced her to her new "Papa". Alan hugged her. The fight...the long battle..the insane last week of intense fear was over our daughter was here.

We all moved over to a seating area so we could talk and I could learn how to tube feed Naomi. Tama showed me how and it was not hard, somthing I would have to completely master on my own with practice, but not hard. I then got to talk with Tama while my baby platted my hair. Soon her 3 year old sister joined in and then my 2 year old.....it was so cute. Tama and I talked some more and cried. This has been such a struggle this past week...just so much. God sure works things out though doesn't he?? :) After about an hour or so, we said good bye Tama, Mary Ann, Mercy Charletta. I was very worried at this point Naomi would break down and scream and cry because her best friend Charletta was leaving and also because she had probably gotten pretty attached to Tama and Mary Ann as well. I was suprised that she did fine. She said good bye and came along with us, holding my hand. She got to wear her new winter coat. She loved the fake fur on the inside of the hood!

I was also nervous about the car seat, she had never been in once since they are not sued in Liberia. But she did fine in that as well. She was very smiley but did not talk. All three girls fell asleep about a half our into our 4.5 hour drive back home (We recently moved to Michigan with Hubby's job, so this is why it is 4.5 hours from Chicago) and stayed asleep until we had to stop to feed Naomi again. We stopped at a Panera bread and I fed Naomi in a booth where we had some privicy. She again did fine. She smiled at me and held my hand. As my 2 other girls ate a muffin she laid in my lap and fell asleep. She slept all throughout the rest of the drive. We got home at around 10:45pm(EST).

We showed Naomi her room and her bed, which she loved. We got her a twin cottage bed, It has a white picket fenced around it and a roof with pillar and a little window with shutters that you can open and you will find a little shelf, you store thing on the shelf and open and close the shutters. Naomi decided to hide a frog on the shelf and closed the shutters. She rolled around on the bed and was very excited about all the babies and dolls waiting for her. Her favorite was a "Holly Hobby" African American doll with hair very similar to her own. She began to Platt her hair right away. She smiled and said in her little thick Liberian accent "I platta may bebi hair...she wont mey to platt tat"....she did the dolls whole head!

We then got Naomi into bed. She fell right asleep and was happy to be in her own bed, I was suprised by this as well. She woke up a few times and came into our room and tapped on us to wake us up. She wanted us to help her potty. At 5am she came into our bed. She slept fine. She had some issues with coughing during the night, she cannot swallow at all and the spit and mucas pools in her throat as she sleeps. If she is not on her side where it can run out of her mouth, she coughs. I go in and roll her on her side. During the day she uses a spit cup. I purchased her a Dora explorer canteen with a strap, this way she will not loose it and it is cute a hides what it really used for. I slept pretty well..this week has been rough I was so tired even after two decent restful nights at a hotel.

This morning Naomi woke up at 8:30am. She was happy and cuddly. She looked into her sisters room and found them still asleep. She looked at me and said "Daye Pla?". They have gotten along really well. Naomi is a little caregiver. She asked my two year old several times if she needed a bottle. She also covered my three year old with a blanket and told me she was She LOVES to do hair and my hair was platted and put in multiple pony tails and looked crazy all day. She would say "Mama you wanna me platt yo hair yo ook bootfool?". Of course my answer was yes!! :) She hung on me and hugged and kissed me tons. I could not even think of cleaning house today and I need too!

Naomi is very well behaved and independant to. She goes potty just fine on her own, though she was throwing toilet paper in the trash. She brushes her teeth and washes her hands without being told and tells me when her guaze needs changing. At first I had a heck of a time understanding her.....by the end of the day it got some what better. She is a chatter box thats for sure. When she wants something she says it over and over and will show you what she wants. She does a very cute thing where she takes the door explorer sink out of the kitchen, puts it on her head and says she is going to get water. She has me tie all her babies to her back Liberian style. She is a joy. I cannot believe she is real and home. Blink....blink yep still here :)