Theodore (it looks we have decided after originally thinking we’d call him Theo, to give it a go with his full name of Theodore 😉) was asleep before we hit the front steps of our country home.

I gingerly laid him down and before long we were both asleep- I barely even remember walking into the house. 🙂

He awoke about 9pm and I could tell that he was scared. Another move, another change, in just 12 days of his life with us.

The whole house was quiet with sleeping souls. I was glad Blake had fallen asleep- our friends, the Campbells, fed the kids for us and our neighbor and friend, Kelsey, brought a huge meal over along with breakfast!

The house was clean and the mounds of children’s laundry was done thanks to Papa and She-She. And we even had peach cobbler from our sweet next door neighbors.  On the drive home,  my mom thought to pack sandwiches for us to have.

This is when I realized how much we need each other….. Thankful for others seeing a need when we didn’t even really know what we did need.

Next, I decided to show Theodore around the house. We started in the kitchen- this look says it all:

He was taking it all in and eating a snack when suddenly he saw pictures of himself and pictures from his orphanage that are on our refrigerator. We got them several weeks before we left to get him.

He started speaking Cantonese and telling me who they were. I could hardly take it, but kept my composure best I could.

Speaking of composure, I meant to add to the post on “traveling home” that I did NOT keep my composure when we were at the China airport preparing to leave.

I think it was several things that brought this on:

• Mainly, I was really sad to leave the country for Theodore’s sake. A chapter in his life was officially closing. The place where people speak his language and eat the food he loves and look the way he does.
• I was sad to leave a group of people that I had grown to love.
• Plus I was anxious about the long trip ahead, yet excited to see our children.

The China airport security was relieved to have the sobbing American exiting their country. I wasn’t sure he was going to let me pass since my passport has me smiling and my crying face didn’t resemble it to say the least.

Sorry for the rabbit trail…..

Back to our first night at home. 😊

He took a warm and cozy bath.

And then after getting on some cuddly Jammie’s, I showed him the front porch.

Our puppies (they are over a year now so time to move on to calling them dogs) greeted us on the porch and this is when Theodore let out a scream. Of course he did, he ‘s probably never seen a dog before-much less big ones!

We walked over to a rocking chair and he melted into my chest as he took in the sounds of the country. It was good to be “home.”

My mind went back to the first baby I rocked in that chair on the porch of our first home at Pepper Ridge. It is hard to believe it has been 12 years. We have since rocked 4 other darlings and NOW this new life God has entrusted us with!

The  sky was darker tonight with clouds covering above.  I couldn’t see the stars glistening like I love when Blake and I sit our here most nights.  There were a few fire flies still dancing in the yard. I could barely see the pond, but Theodore and I heard the sound of ducks that had graduated from ducklings in the barn since we had left.

Theodore fell asleep with one eye open on the dogs at our feet. 😉Around 1am, I tiptoed back to bed to put him down but he started crying. So back to the den we went where our oldest, Alexandra, met me in the hall (I think the crying woke her up.) She joined us for playing in the den.

Then Blake was awake and he decided to start unpacking- what else is there to do at 2am when your body thinks it’s 3pm? 🙂

Around 4am we all tried to go back to sleep and that completes our first night home!
The next morning, Blake snapped a pic of our first morning where Caleb, second born, was prepping breakfast with all of our plates lined up…… Hello family of 8!

It was good to all be together again.