Dad's perspective

Allison asked that I contribute to the blog as this is my last night in China.  I am far too tired to write anything that may in some way make sense, but that won't stop me.  I definitely have mixed feelings about heading home so soon.  I feel like I just got here, which in some ways I did.

I'm shocked at how well Lyla is bonding to her Mama.  After only one half hour of crying, we have not seen one more tear or sign of sadness.  That alone is not enough to ensure that we are where we want to be with Lyla.  We know that we have a long road ahead of us.

I will start by describing the little girl I have got to know over the last few days.  She is all girl who loves pink and jewelry, but she is far from refined.  She is silly, stubborn and a little grumpy at times (not half as grumpy as Xander though).  She loves to play with me and wants me around at all times, but she will not hold my hand or let me pick her up.  What she doesn't realize is that at night when she sleeps between us in our one king sized bed she is touching me almost the entire night.  Sometimes the touching is kicking, sometimes just cuddling.  The trust is not there yet with me, but that is OK, since I don't necessarily want her to trust any strange man.  I have learned that with adoption, trust must be earned.  Because of this, I believe that adoption is not for the weak at heart.  Adopted kids take a lot of work and more patience that I have to offer, but the payoff is worth the work.

I guess the good thing is that I won't be losing much progress by being separated from Lyla for the next week and a half.  I'm sure I will have to start from scratch when she gets home.  The greatest thing for me during the past few days is knowing that I am providing for her basic needs including providing her meals, protecting her and knowing that she is safe.   The bottom line is that I see her fitting in perfectly with our family.