We had to be at the airport at 10pm Friday night. Yet again kudos to our hotel. We used their car service to the airport and they had a chap waiting for us at the curb. He helped us with the luggage and check in. Yet again I was glad to have a local helping out! We were a little intimated by the process of clearing customs so we got there with plenty of time to spare. The Indian customs agent was extremely thorough. He looked through all our papers then went away and came back with another agent. Immediately when the next agent walked up he congratulated us. The first agent wanted to be sure we knew the meaning of her name:) They both seemed genuinely happy for us! They cleared us and the whole process took about 10 minutes. We were thankful for the way they checked and double checked the paperwork. We breathed a sigh of relief as we got to our gate but when the plane took off from New Delhi Todd and I looked at each other with enormous smiles and tears of JOY! It was finally done!!!!
Shanti did great considering the travel time is a total of about 24 hours. We rode the moving sidewalks in the airports, ate snacks, watched movies, painted fingernails, you name it. The first flight she did well but as we were taxing into Frankfurt she gave me "the look" and I knew she was going to hurl and she did. But like our car experiences, she was good as new right when we got off the plane. The second flight to Atlanta was a different story. She got sick no less than five times (had to call for more barf bags). We gave her some dramamine and she slept the first part and the last but if she was awake she was sick. She was such a trooper though. She never argued or complained just did what she had to do and went back to watching the TV! I was so thankful that she stayed asleep as we taxied into the Atlanta airport. Note: bring plenty of ziploc bags when you travel to receive your adopted child. Especially if they have been in an orphanage. Most of them have never been in a vehicle so motion sickness is common!
When we got off you could tell she still wasn't feeling well and was extremely groggy. As we waited at US Customs (for a while) I could see her eyes looking at people in shades of color she's likely never seen. It hit me that not only was she terrified in general she was also seeing more adults than she'd ever seen in her life in more shades then she probably knew existed. They never really went out of the orphanage and if they did they were seeing mostly Indians. I asked her "Darr?" she nodded yes, she was scared. You never know what they hear about America. I held her as we made our way through customs, again everything went smooth. Again the customs agents congratulated us, this time because Shanti had just become a U.S. Citizen!!!
We grabbed the luggage and made our way out of the international baggage area and I spotted Pryce right away! The kids were there along with Jill (sis-in-law) and my nieces and nephews. It was an unforgettable moment! Seeing Pryce with her was so special. She couldn't get over how small Shanti was and Shanti was grinning from ear to ear! Knox wasted no time hugging her and saying hello. In that moment it felt like they had all been together for years. We snapped some pics and Pryce gave Shanti the necklace she bought her. Pryce put it on her and Shanti was so happy. Pryce had also bought me a new necklace, a sweet owl. During the moment Knox asked Todd, "When am I getting a brodher?" ha! Pryce kept asking Shanti, "Can you say this/that?" and Shanti just smiled! Pryce said, "I can't believe I have a sister! I can't believe she's here." Knox was trying to talk to Shanti in spanish:) Later Pryce told us it was one of the happiest days of her life. Ours too!
Pryce and Knox talked and talked to her the whole way home. She would smile and nod and sometime rattle something off in hindi. She only got sick once on the ride home and she was drinking Gatoade and eating popcorn by the time we rolled into the driveway.We turned in the neighborhood and a small group of our friends were aiting to greet us. We hopped out of the car and Shanti smiled and waved and said hello in her sweet accent. The kids were also excited to see everyone. Everyone stayed in the driveway for about 10 minutes then they were off. We walked into the house filled with decorations, signs and food all placed there by incredible friends. The kids were all bouncing off the walls with excitement. Shanti was running around and you could see the amazement as she went around every corner. Pryce and Knox were so excited to show her everything and she was excited to show them. It was the most excited we've seen her to date!
The first night she did well. We have a small toddler bed in our room (thanks to my sweet friend Jennie C who brought it over and set it up for me!). She went to bed and woke around 2am tearful. She slept the remainder of the night with us. Saturday the girls kicked Daddy out of the bed and enjoyed a sleep over. Then last night she slept from 6:30pm-5:15am in her little bed beside our own. I woke up to her sitting up in her little bed staring at me, ha! I get that feeling a lot. I think someone is watching me and sure enough, it's Shanti!
Things are going well here. It's interesting to watch a child who has spent most of their life in an orphanage. The first several days she's displayed what the experts call a post-instutional sensory overload response (I think that's how they say it)! We are fortunate to have experienced friends and one of my best friends Kristin, is a OT specializing in sensory issues, not to mention a mommy to adopted children. If things get too overwhelming Shanti will literally shut down. She will stare, slowly blink, become unresponsive, it's startling if you don't know to expect it. We overloaded her big time on Saturday and she had one of these episodes. Kristin (and other mom's) assure me it's a classic sensory overload response. Now that I know the signs, I try to remove her to a quiet calm place and hold her and engage her with one toy. It's not neccessary to tip toe around her but let's just say we won't be going to Chuckee Cheese this week! We clearly understand the point of the cocooning. I believe Shanti genuinely enjoys being around people, she's extremely friendly and kind. We just have to slowly introduce new things. Like today rather than having her watch the kids on the trampoline and stand on it herself (yeah I know, what was I thinking right?!) we went outside and threw the ball for 5 minutes, held a pine cone and came inside! Way more tolerable!
It's hard to imagine that she literally lived out of approximately 3 rooms and went outside to the same spot daily: a small patch of grass the size of the patio. I saw almost no toys and their teachers come to the orphanage for classes, so even school takes place inside those walls. It's fascinating to watch her on uneven ground (like in our sloped backyard) trying to get her footing. If you give her a container of blocks she begins to sort them but if you give her 10 blocks she will build with them. She will set the dollhouse up perfectly but then thinks it's time to put it all away, the concept of pretending with the dolls is completely foreign. The same is true of food. She does much better with the rice and beans all mixed together in one bowl rather than 5 options together on a plate. All of these things are temporary and already within in a few days time I'm seeing growth (plus Todd and I are being more aware). The wonderful thing is she finds joy in such simple things: she giggles when you throw her a ball, she drags Pryce by the hand to show her a toy. She's extremely smart. She knows all her letters, numbers, and can remember words in English very quickly-impressive!
Pryce and Knox are doing well overall. Pryce is extremely nurturing and Knox genuinely enjoys her. I think the first day was a little overwhelming to them. They are working to understand how at age 5 she's experiencing so many firsts. Knox wants to be sure she doesn't mess up his toys while Pryce has been liberal with her things, more so than I expected. All things considered, they are both adjusting well. They (P and K) just left for a playdate and were reassuring Shanti they would be back. I'm not sure she understood because as she went down for her nap she was tearful. It's hard to know what's behind those tears but each time I hold her and lay beside her praying God will heal her wounds and meet her in those moments.
We are beyond thankful for the love and support. Words will never fully express our thanks to our family, friends and church family. We are receiving meals, Pryce and Knox are enjoying playdates, you name it! Todd's mom came in for a few days since Todd started his new job today. It's been nice to have her here to help out as we recover from the trip and adjust. I'm so thankful our community here. Instead of waiting to be asked everyone is going above and beyond as we settle in as a family of 5! THANK YOU!
Love to all!
G
The first night she did well. We have a small toddler bed in our room (thanks to my sweet friend Jennie C who brought it over and set it up for me!). She went to bed and woke around 2am tearful. She slept the remainder of the night with us. Saturday the girls kicked Daddy out of the bed and enjoyed a sleep over. Then last night she slept from 6:30pm-5:15am in her little bed beside our own. I woke up to her sitting up in her little bed staring at me, ha! I get that feeling a lot. I think someone is watching me and sure enough, it's Shanti!
Things are going well here. It's interesting to watch a child who has spent most of their life in an orphanage. The first several days she's displayed what the experts call a post-instutional sensory overload response (I think that's how they say it)! We are fortunate to have experienced friends and one of my best friends Kristin, is a OT specializing in sensory issues, not to mention a mommy to adopted children. If things get too overwhelming Shanti will literally shut down. She will stare, slowly blink, become unresponsive, it's startling if you don't know to expect it. We overloaded her big time on Saturday and she had one of these episodes. Kristin (and other mom's) assure me it's a classic sensory overload response. Now that I know the signs, I try to remove her to a quiet calm place and hold her and engage her with one toy. It's not neccessary to tip toe around her but let's just say we won't be going to Chuckee Cheese this week! We clearly understand the point of the cocooning. I believe Shanti genuinely enjoys being around people, she's extremely friendly and kind. We just have to slowly introduce new things. Like today rather than having her watch the kids on the trampoline and stand on it herself (yeah I know, what was I thinking right?!) we went outside and threw the ball for 5 minutes, held a pine cone and came inside! Way more tolerable!
It's hard to imagine that she literally lived out of approximately 3 rooms and went outside to the same spot daily: a small patch of grass the size of the patio. I saw almost no toys and their teachers come to the orphanage for classes, so even school takes place inside those walls. It's fascinating to watch her on uneven ground (like in our sloped backyard) trying to get her footing. If you give her a container of blocks she begins to sort them but if you give her 10 blocks she will build with them. She will set the dollhouse up perfectly but then thinks it's time to put it all away, the concept of pretending with the dolls is completely foreign. The same is true of food. She does much better with the rice and beans all mixed together in one bowl rather than 5 options together on a plate. All of these things are temporary and already within in a few days time I'm seeing growth (plus Todd and I are being more aware). The wonderful thing is she finds joy in such simple things: she giggles when you throw her a ball, she drags Pryce by the hand to show her a toy. She's extremely smart. She knows all her letters, numbers, and can remember words in English very quickly-impressive!
Pryce and Knox are doing well overall. Pryce is extremely nurturing and Knox genuinely enjoys her. I think the first day was a little overwhelming to them. They are working to understand how at age 5 she's experiencing so many firsts. Knox wants to be sure she doesn't mess up his toys while Pryce has been liberal with her things, more so than I expected. All things considered, they are both adjusting well. They (P and K) just left for a playdate and were reassuring Shanti they would be back. I'm not sure she understood because as she went down for her nap she was tearful. It's hard to know what's behind those tears but each time I hold her and lay beside her praying God will heal her wounds and meet her in those moments.
We are beyond thankful for the love and support. Words will never fully express our thanks to our family, friends and church family. We are receiving meals, Pryce and Knox are enjoying playdates, you name it! Todd's mom came in for a few days since Todd started his new job today. It's been nice to have her here to help out as we recover from the trip and adjust. I'm so thankful our community here. Instead of waiting to be asked everyone is going above and beyond as we settle in as a family of 5! THANK YOU!
Love to all!
G
Thanks so much for sharing! I check eagerly for your updates! Praying for ya'll!
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