Home!

I am thrilled to report that Kellin and I, along with my dad, arrived home from China yesterday morning!  It was a very long trip home, including an expected night stuck in Detroit, but we finally made it.  Kellin did very well on the trip, actually - he was content to sit or lay in his seat for most of the plane rides.  The toughest part was all the lines and security checks, but the advantage of having a crying child is that you tend to get ushered to the front of those lines.

I know that Eric has been providing updates all during my time in China, but I thought I'd recap the trip from my perspective too, for those who may be interested.  We left the U.S. on January 8th and arrived in Beijing the next day.  We spent two days exploring that city before getting on the train to Jinan.  When we arrived in Jinan, we were informed by the guide that Kellin was already there and waiting for us.  Upon arriving at the hotel, I had just enough time to set down my things in the room and take off my coat before there was a knock on the door.  I opened it - and there he was!  The whole "transaction" (because that's really what it was - no chitchat, just quick paperwork and then the adults left) took less than half an hour, and then I was alone with my son.

Let me say that at this point, I was feeling so many different things - excited, nervous, scared.  Kellin's behavior and skills matched his file, pictures, and videos in nearly every way, so I "knew" what to expect - but knowing and then actually seeing are two very different things.  It was clear almost immediately that Kellin has been terribly neglected over the past two years (before that he was in foster care and did well there).  Although he was very clean when he arrived and had no evidence of rashes or lice or anything like that, he was super-skinny and so weak.  He had no muscle tone and could not sit on his own (although he could stand, surprisingly).  Remember he is almost 3 1/2 years old.  He was quickly overstimulated by touching and talking, and he preferred to spend all his time in his bed curled up in a fetal position, doing things like playing with his lips and hitting/pushing at his eyes.  He had never been given solid food, only a bottle of formula a few times a day.  He did not respond to sound, except for singing, sometimes.  He would not hold anything and had no interest in toys.  It broke my heart to watch him laying there, completely in his own world.

Over the past two weeks, it has been amazing watching Kellin come alive.  Don't get me wrong - we still have many, many things to work on, but we seen so many changes already.  He can sit up on his own and sometimes even gets himself into a sitting position.  He responds to several different songs and has started to do a few actions (like clapping and rocking).  He is able to be held and played with for long periods of time and then needs only a short time to "recharge" before we can play with him again.  He smiles and giggles (and is SO CUTE when he does).  He babbles.  He seems to sing the tune to "Twinkle Twinkle."  He will let us add baby food and rice cereal to his bottle, although no luck getting him to eat anything else yet.  He is starting to hold toys and even reach for them when he drops them.

We've seen him grow already - and we know that the journey has just begun!