Catching up back in Pennsylvania!!!

At the doctor's and in Mommy's office at one of the girls' desks!

Sitting eating in his new house and excited at Mom-Mom's!

Hello everyone - the Roslevege's are back! Everyone has been wondering where our posts were, but unfortunately, we haven't had internet access since we left China, isn't that crazy? Our computer here at home was not working when we got home, but we are back and running as of a few hours ago, so sorry for the delay everyone.....I will try to fill in the blanks since our last post....

Our consulate appointment went really well! We dressed Matthew in his navy blue overalls and red and blue striped top and he looked so handsome. Haha to me for trying to use snap pants on him that were overalls and too long, they came unsnapped every 2 minutes!!! There was someone high up at the consulate and he spoke to us all(about 30 sets of parents and their children) and there were a lot of people attending a conference who were observing. We got Matthew's official visa for him to enter the United States, and the brown envelope that we weren't allowed to open! Matthew was so well behaved, and thankfully we had some snacks to tide him over on the bus ride back to the hotel! At the hotel, we met up with our new friends after getting Matthew changed back into comfy clothes and we went for one last dinner at Lucy's. We figured we wanted to be as safe as possible with eating before our big day of travel! The kids all played great together, and we really think Matthew is going to miss them! They played hard at the hotel then until almost 9pm, and then it was back to the room for packing and playing! Matthew stayed up until 1130pm, but we were OK with that thinking it would exhaust him for the long trip home.

In the morning, we had a good breakfast before leaving the hotel at 9am for the airport. We boarded our first 3 hour flight to Beijing at 11:45am, and it was a good flight. They gave us bulkhead seating and Matthew played the whole time on the floor. He did fall asleep for about the first 45 minutes in my arms, which was nice. We then had to pick up our bags in Beijing, go through security, recheck our bags and check into our United flight, then go through security again before getting to our gate. We thought a 3 hour layover was going to be so long, but it really wasn't. By the time we got to our gate, it was almost time to board the plane. We were so hungry by this point and there was NO WHERE to buy food near our gate. And, we bought some bottled water and a soda, but we weren't allowed to take them on the plane - strange rules, but whatever...we won't go into how rude people were at this point! We just kept saying to ourselves we are almost there! The almost 14 hour flight actually turned into a 12 1/2 hour flight because we picked up a tailwind which was awesome! Matthew did incredible, and we were so impressed. United was also wonderful and put us in a row of 4 seats, and we had them all to ourselves in the last row of Economy plus...very nice to have all that room for him to move around and rest. Rest??? The little guy might have slept 4 hours on the plane...otherwise, he watched Elmo twice and just kind of hung out. Chris and I spent almost an hour each just holding him by the bathrooms, but he only fussed for about 30 minutes and we think it was because he couldnt' get comfortable. He ate a great dinner on the plane, and seemed just wonderful. We got into Chicago early, and Matthew became a U.S. Citizen once we touched down there. It was very exciting for Chris and I, and we were both teary eyed to be finally back in the U.S. We went through immigration and customs and a security area there, and then get our bags, headed through security and found our gate....yikes, talk about exhausting!!! By then, we were feeling spent, but the excitement of ONE more flight was in the air. Poor little Matthew just looked so tired, but he was still walking in the airport giggling and smiling, then he konked out in Mommy's arms for about 45 minutes waiting to board the plane and then for a little while before we took off. He then woke up and played the entire flight to Philadelphia. When we were landing, he fell asleep again and we didn't think he would be awake for his welcoming party at the airport, but once again he was so resilient and woke up walking off the plane. Mommy did cry when we landed in Philly because everything became SO REAL....I don't know even how to describe the emotions I felt and I think it kind of was like a huge shock phase....the realization that Matthew was really ours, we were really finally parents, and we were about to welcome him to our families....yikes!!!

What a sight it was to see my family at the airport and an incredible feeling to huge them with Matthew in my arms! His Uncle Dave handed him a balloon(his first one) and I think they will be forever friends! My Mom "Mom-Mom" was completely in awe, and my sister Megan just kept snapping pictures and smiling...we also had the surprise of my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Dave come too, and Matthew won everyone over within 2 seconds with his giggling and having fun! He was putting stickers on Aunt Brenda's nose, playing with his balloon, and just loving all of the attention - it was great. He also got to open his first present which was an adorable outfit from Aunt Brenda, and he quickly showed her how to put the clothes on the hangers that were in the bag!!!!We hadn't really expected anyone other than my Mom, sister, and brother at the airport because it was so late at night on a Friday night, so we were thrilled to see people even in our exhausted phase! When we picked up our bags for the last time in 26 hours of travel, we were out the door to find the car - yeah!!! At the car, we were a little nervous about how Matthew would adjust to a car seat since they aren't used in China, but he loved it! We had his Panda stuffed animal tucked into the seat, and he loved it! We strapped him in, and he did great!!! Why should we have been surprised at that??? We then got a call from Heather and her Mom who were lost in the airport looking for us!!! Poor thing was so upset that she missed us coming off the plane, and I was just so happy to hear her voice and it meant the world to me that she had tried so hard to find us. She has been going through so much lately and her Dad had just had major surgery in Philadelphia on Wednesday, so for her to just TRY to be there was so special. So, we decided to just wait where we were parked and have her find us there! There was no way she wasn't going to see Matthew after all the effort she put into coming to see us! In the meantime, my brother had gotten into my Mom's car ready to go, and someone backed right into my Mom's car!!! Oh man, thank goodness no one was hurt. They exchanged information, and thankfully the damage wasn't too bad and most important no one was hurt.

Once we got back to Mom's house, we were welcomed with wonderful banners, balloons, and pictures printed out from our trip - it was great!!! My brother David had made some special banners and posters, and they meant the world to us! Matthew was greeted with loads of toys and Mommy and Daddy were so excited with all of the food that was waiting for us!!! Mom-Mom and Aunt Megs also did some shopping and Matthew had an Elmo doll, a camera, Elmo socks, a new outfit, new PJs, lots of diapers and soaps, a new hooded towel, as well as other things - WOW! The first thing in order for us though were showers which we got while Mom-Mom, Aunt Megs, and Uncle Dave entertained Matthew. When we came down from our showers, it looked like a bomb went off in my Mom's house, but she was giggling and happy and everyone was having a blast. It was an amazing feeling, being there with my child....I shed some tears, but they were tears of absolute delight.

We didn't head to bed until 1:45am(including Matthew), but he was up at 5:45am, only 3 hours of sleep! He was full of energy, and we were dragging big time. When he came downstairs, he shrieked with excitement to see all of his toys again in the morning! It was better than Christmas morning! We then spent the day talking, playing, laughing and just enjoying being together. Chris's Dad and his brother came in the afternoon and we had a lovely visit with them. Uncle Nick brought Matthew a stuffed puppy which he LOVED and carries around with him now. We all had lunch together and it was a great feeling to have both of our families around us!!! After they left, Matthew had gone down for a nap around 1pm and was still sleeping and we weren't sure how long to let him sleep, so Chris went and laid down and I quickly followed. I told my sister to wake me up in 30 minutes, but I couldn't get up for an hour and a half. I then got Matthew up around 5pm, and he was so tired. He woke up though and played some more before crashing around 10pm for the night. Poor Chris was so sick with his sinuses and flu like symptoms, so he slept pretty much the rest of the day/night, and most of Sunday until we left.

It didn't take my sister and I long to figure out that my Mom aka "Mom-Mom" got a quick case of Mom-Mom ADD!!!! She was engrossed in her first and new grandchild and loved spending every moment with him - it was precious! We had a great Sunday dinner, and then were on our way back to Harrisburg! Oh, I forgot to mention Matthew's experience meeting the cats - CHarlie and Smokey. THe first thing he did was grab at Charlie's tail - oh man, they have no idea what is coming for them. The cats were great though, and there were no hissing incidents and swatting at him when he chased them around the house, so that was good!

Matthew did wonderful in the car and napped the entire hour and half drive! Daddy rested too since he felt so crappy, but we were soon pulling into our driveway! The last time we left the house it was so empty and quiet, but now it will never be the same and will be so new and wonderful with Matthew in it! Our neighbor Peggy ran across the street to meet us when he pulled in and wanted to meet Matthew, and she and her family had given Matthew a car track which was put together and ready for him to play in the house!!! When we came in, the house was immaculate and the fridge and counters were full of groceries....thanks to Heather. Her, Dan, and Ryan met us at the house shortly after we got home and were met with a bouquet of flowers, a big bee balloon for Matthew, and a 6 pack of Miller Lite for Chris! Matthew also had a new Elmo hooded towel, sippy cups, silverware, plate and bowl! I couldn't believe that she did all she did with all she has going on her life...amazing! We spent the evening with them and just caught up on life. Matthew loves them too, and seemed to love his new house!!!!

We weren't sure what to do with Matthew sleeping tonight, so we tried the crib after he fell asleep and he did sleep in it for 4 hours. We put a mattress on the floor and slept by him and then he slept on it with us after he woke up. It was an early wake up call for us Monday morning, but it was OK. At least he slept a little. When he fell asleep for a nap, we learned Matthew can get himself over the side of the crib, so it looks like we will be transitioning to a toddler bed already and getting a gate for his room! We went for a family trip to Babies R Us to get a gate and a few other things for "safety proofing", had Matthew's first trip to Target, and then had lunch at Red Robin! It was so fun to be out with him, and he seemed to love being out and about! Back at home, our friends Jake and Erin stopped over for a visit and Erin had made a wonderful dinner of Baked Ziti with fresh italian bread -and we were so thankful for that. We had no idea how much worse the jet lag was coming home, and felt like the world was spinning every time we got up. Exhausted is putting it mildly! We then had a wonderful visit with our dear neighbors Sis and Jack who brought Matthew a big, soft stuffed animal and he loved it!!! He also enjoyed playing with all of his visitors and new friends on Monday! When Matthew didn't nap, we knew he would crash early, so when he went to bed at 745pm, so did we! He was awake very early again on Tuesday morning, but did take a nap from 0830-0930 in his room! He seems to really like it there, and seems very trusting of everything so far which we are thankful for!

After his nap, we headed to my workplace to see everyone and he won everyone's hearts right away! The girls had him sitting in their desks, playing ball, playing with puppets from doctor's offices, and much more! I am so glad he was happy and playful for his visit! They all told me I am going to have my hands full - no kidding!!! Chris and I enjoyed visiting everyone very much, and missed some important people so we will have to go back soon! We then headed to the pediatrician appointment, and were there for 3 hours!!! Our pediatrician is wonderful and very thorough. The only concern right now is his language because he isn't talking yet, but she isn't too worried at this point. We will have an audiology exam in the next few weeks to be sure he can hear OK and that isn't affecting anything. She also reviewed his immunization record and none of it seemed to make sense, so she felt it was best to reimmunize him starting all over again. So, poor little guy got 5 shots in his legs, a PPD placed on his arm, and then we had to go get bloodwork done! So, 7 sticks total! Thank goodness Daddy was with me today, because I had such a hard time with all of this. I know I have been a pediatric nurse for 11 years, but this was much harder as a parent...I cried a lot for him!

After the torture of the sticks, he was exhausted and fell asleep in the car on the way home....he did eat a little pasta before bedtime, and I gave him some Tylenol before he went to sleep and he did sleep pretty well with only one wake up in the middle of the night. We were up early yesterday, and then he did take a little nap from 1000-1045, so that was good too. We had to run his stool sample down to the hospital lab, and then we stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things like shaving cream, etc we were out of, and then headed home. It was so nice outside and we let Matthew be out for a while. He loved it! He has won the hearts of his neighbors already and he met his new friend Jonathan next door who will be 3 in August. He got tired after about an hour, so we headed in and he did fall asleep for about a half hour before we went back over the Jonathan's house to meet his Daddy! Matthew got a big dump truck from Jonathan and they played great together in their playroom! I think that will be so good for the two of them - and Matthew loves to play!

Back at home, it was a late dinner, bath time, then bedtime! Our friend Justin was in Hershey for a meeting last night, so he called to see if it was too late to stop by around 8pm, and since Matthew was still up, he came over to meet him and say hello! We have been so excited to share Matthew with everyone - and are just so overwhelmed and thankful for all of our visitors!!! It has been so fun showing our son to all of you!!!!

I am sure I forgot important things since I haven't posted in so long, but we are back now and have internet, so we hope to try to post more regularly. I need to get some of the welcome home pictures from my sister and aunt to post, but for now, I will put a few shots on of the past few days! We are so thankful to be home and to be enjoying our family of three!!! We still can't believe that this is all real, and our dream has come true! Now, we fasten our seatbelt because THIS is going to be the adventure of a lifetime!!!!