We're Home!!!

Whew! We are home! China was great, but getting home was not so fun. A 3 hour light to Shanghai, a 5 hour layover there. Then a 13 hour VERY rocky flight to Chicago, and a 2 hour wait in immigration. Then a 3 1/2 hour drive home! BUT.....we made it! MengYan was a trooper, and handled it all SO well, it was unbelievable! She is a doll!
It was SO wonderful to see the kids....I missed them so much! Meng was a little afraid of them at first, as they are probably the first African American children she has ever seen! But snacks and playdough soon won her over!
Thursday morning, Dale took her to Peoria, to have her first visit with our hematologist. Dr. Kay is amazing, and is one of the best docs I have ever met! St. Jude is THE place to be if your child has a blood disorder or cancer. They are AMAZING. Support them! We were all pretty surprised when Meng's Hg level was 4.5. We just had her transfused a week ago! So, even though we were so homesick, Meng had to be admitted for transfusions. Dale stayed with her through the day Thursday, and I switched him in the evening. She had a total of 4 transfusions within a 36 hour period, and unfortunately it only brought her up to a little over 5! Dr. Kay thinks her enlarged spleen is just sucking up the Hg as soon as it can. Good news is that her Hep B & C, HIV and all of her stools came back negative! This is a huge praise, as we all heavily suspected Hep B. We will have to continue to check her for Hep B for the next 6 months, but after that she will be officially cleared of that risk. Anyway, Monday, we start over again, after Dr. Kay has had the weekend to think over our limited options. Meng is NOT sick at this point, her color is much better and her energy level has increased. But, with a hemaglobin that low, we are still stressing her already damaged heart, liver, spleen and kidneys. Our goal is to get her up to an 8.
So, other news about Meng. As you probably figured out, we have decided to call her MengYan. It was her choice. It is a beautiful name. In China they pronounce it MungYin, but we are modifying it slightly and calling it as it sounds, MengYan.
Or just Meng. She is adjusting SO well, it is awesome, and I know it is because of the love she has been shown at SF. They are such an amazing ministry! Loved it there, loved all the staff and loved all those precious kids! ADOPT THESE PRECIOUS ONES! They are so beautiful, and it broke my heart to leave them! Little Tristen totally won my heart.......that's another story!
Ok, I will quit rambling now, and get to posting some pics! Blessings to you all, and I thank God for your support and prayers!
Ann