First Weeks Home..........(part one)

As I sit here typing, Lucy Kim is napping peacefully.  We've been H.O.M.E. for a week and a half now.  (three weeks from when we officially adopted our littlest love).

sleeping beauty with "Kimmy"

TRANSITIONING  would be a good describing word for all of us.  We're learning a "new normal" for the Zimmerman family.  Having adequate sleep and NOT having jet lag this week has really helped make this phase easier that's for sure.

We're transitioning slowly in changing our sweet little one's name.  Qu Yan (again pronounced phonetically chew yen) to Qu Yan Lucy and occasionally simply calling her Lucy.  In the past three weeks, she's already lost all that's familiar to her, we're in no rush to drop her Chinese name.  Some people have asked if we're keeping her Chinese name as her middle name or a derivative of it.  The short answer is no. But there's a much longer explanation that I won't try and explain in this particular post.

Puzzle made by a fellow adoptive Mama

Qu Yan Lucy is also transitioning from being comfortable in only the living room to any room in the house to include the back deck and our yard!  The first two days home, she did not want to go into the dining room or on the back deck.  She needed to keep her world small because that felt secure and comfortable!  I "get that", don't you? 

Try for a second to imagine being three years old (shoot even an adult!) and getting into a large aircraft flying 15.5 hours to the other side of the world where suddenly the smells, sights, buildings, landscape, language and people are vastly different then you've ever known!!  That's scary stuff, I'd want to contain my world too if I could!!

The whole gang - September 2013

Lucy Kim is also graciously transitioning to being ok and even enjoying being held or picked up by all of our immediate family.  (at least most of the time).  And there are a lot of us!!  She seems to be very bonded to her Mommy (which is an answer to many, many prayers) and that is such a sweet blessing in and of itself.

Big brother sneakin'  kisses!

The few times we've gone out to run a short errand, when we come home, I say loudly, slowly and with a lot of enunciation -  HOME, Qu Yan, we're HOME!  She gets a huge grin and you can see her whole body relax.  She's already feeling secure at home!  Unfortunately baby girl struggles with being car sick.  We noticed it while in China.  I'm certain is was rare for our little girl to go outside of the orphanage walls in her three and a half years.  Her body is just not use to the motion of a car.

front plate of Mom's taxi :)

Rear bumper sticker of Mom's taxi!

I too am transitioning!  I feel physically so much better this week now that jet lag is behind me.  I can also tell that Qu Yan Lucy is ok with me leaving the room she's in for a short period of time. (prior to this I've always been in her sight so that she feels secure).  I have been able to get some of the household chores done this week.

typical view from our driveway

Praising our Father God for a very good first week home!  More pictures and updates to follow......

Many thanks to those of you who have sent notes or encouraged me with kind comments about this blog, it is encouraging to know that you're "enjoying the journey" with us!    

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.     James 1:27