Drumroll Please!!!

Sorry to keep you all waiting for the unveiling of the latest addition to the Humbert household! Here she is!

We still were suffering from sleep deprivation when we hopped on the bus and were driven (raced) to the Civil Affairs Bureau. The wait wasn't long and the nervousness that all three of us claimed we were immune too started to set in. Only a few minutes to go before the official delivery of the youngster...what a time to fill out even more paperwork!

The final once-over of the documentation led Julie to ask me if I wanted to change Storie's middle name. I said, "No, it's fine the way it is" and she replied, "Look, it's now or never. Don't you EVER say that I didn't ask down the road." Hmmm, I pondered the possibility of having a final say-so. My decision was made in about 1.2 milliseconds. Now listen, Alana was a great name because Julie wanted her to be named after me (middle name is Alan), but I pulled the trigger and we went with Storie Alexus Hai Hu Humbert. Don't be haters.

Storie seemed to take to us...for about 15 minutes. We believe the realization that she wasn't just with us for a short visit sent her over the edge. And over the edge she went-for the rest of the day. Thankfully, she screamed herself to sleep at close to 11 p.m. and slept until 7 a.m. without waking too much. Storie slept in bed with Julie and I and Shelby was banished to the couch. The couch that doesn't pull out. The couch that is only half as long as Shelby. We have now started a new savings account to pay for her chiopractic bills down the road. (Seriously, she offered to sleep on the couch, although it kept Julie and I awake most of the night worrying about her).

Shelby goes with the flow and is hanging in there although she misses home and friends which is understandable, of course. This trip is-let's not mince words-LONG, but she doesn't complain much. She has been a huge help with Storie and we are blessed for her to have been a part of this. I am certain that this trip will affect her in positive ways in her future.

Later today we will post more. The torch may be passed to Shelby to update you as she is quite a writer. Until then, sleep long and soundly (Yes, we're jealous). Enjoy the pics!!!

-Kurt

I thought I needed to add a little more to Kurt’s post. Yesterday was positively one of the hardest days of my life. As Kurt mentioned, Storie initially was fine when we received her. She was curious and appeared to be content. After she realized Jenny Smith left (she is the American who runs True Children’s Home and the one who brought Storie to us) she started becoming concerned. When the other Chinese officials left too, she stood up and started looking out of the window. She started crying and yelling “mama, mama”. She would not allow us to comfort her and would push us away. She tried to run to the elevators and was looking around calling “mama, mama” over and over.

As a mother, it was excruciating to watch her go through this. Nothing I did made a difference and it was very obvious she was grieving for her foster parents whom she has been with for the past eight months. We did our best to console her and make the transition easy but we could not take away her pain. After she finally cried herself to sleep lying next to me I just laid there and watched her. I didn’t sleep much at all last night because I couldn’t get her crying and yelling for her foster mom out of my head.

I knew before traveling to China to adopt Storie that she would have a difficult time because she had been in foster care. I knew she would grieve and have a difficult time accepting us. I thought I was prepared for this but I wasn’t. It is such a helpless feeling not to be able to make her hurt go away. I know in time her grief will heal but in the mean time I feel as if my heart is breaking along with hers.

I know her grieving is a healthy response because it means she has learned how to bond and attach to someone. I know she was so lucky to have been placed with foster parents who loved her and cared for her. She will benefit the rest of her life because of the opportunity she received to learn how to love and have her needs met. My brain knows all of these things. It is my heart that is having a hard time….

Julie