Home and a First Day at School!

We finally made it home after a HORRENDOUS journey! We started out with a very good day. We did not have to wake up early and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast at Chef Mickey's. We got to the Hong Kong airport with more than enough time to catch our flight. The trouble began when we boarded the flight. We did not all have seats together and when we tried to get a couple to swap with us they refused....I was angry as none of our kids are quite old enough to fend for themselves on an 11 hour flight! then we were not in our seats 10 minutes when the captain told us that we would be delayed for a "mechanical problem". Turns out the toilets are not working and you know how BIG of a problem that could be on an 11 hour flight! So we waited...and waited....with not air conditioning. Well Matthew could not wait and started to overheat so I was able to take him to the galley to try and cool down. A flight attendant gave Matthew some ice but pulled it back because he didn't say "thank you". I explained that he didn't speak english but she insisted he could say it in Chinese, she would understand. I then told her that he had NO idea why she was giving him the ice. With that she walked away.
Matthew chewed on some ice but you could see it was not cooling him down. When he started to rub the ice on his arms I knew I had to get him cooler.
Thank goodness a decent flight attendant came by and I explained the situation. He took us to the front of the plane (where we were immediately stopped and questioned as to WHY we would intrude on the first class area. Once again the same flight attendant came to our rescue. He even cleared a small spot so we could sit down.
And down we sat for almost 3 hours. Dave had to eventually bring Analiese up to me as she was so hot and crying for me.
The remainder of the flight went well. Analiese kept occupied (for the most part) and got a good bit of sleep. Matthew also did very well keeping himself busy and getting sleep. Sarah, on the other hand, barely slept feeling uncomfortable next to the old battle ax who kept trying to explain to her that she needed the aisle seat.....Sarah wasn't buying it!
Of course, with the 3 hour delay we missed our connection out of San Francisco, we got through customs 10 minutes too late! When we got to the counter to rebook our flight I was frustrated to say the least. When the ticket agent told me she could get us on a 10 PM flight (it was now 11 AM) into Denver where we could have to connect to Atlanta I blew a fuse. I raised my voice, Ok, actually yelled, that that was unacceptable. Dave, thank goodness, took over and had the agent book us on a flight that left at 1 PM on Delta.
Oh, but we were not getting away without the agent getting her "pound of flesh" so to speak. She, in her nastiness, flagged us for extra security. Now we ALREADY had gone through security to clear customs. But to get on the Delta flight we had to go through the extra screening which entailed standing in full body machine that blew air at us to "remove and detect chemicals", remove and wipe our shoes, open our carry on luggage so that EACH item could be inspected.
Well, I was beyond angry at this point and so was Dave. When we complained the agent yelled at us and we had to ask for the supervisor. We were told that it was the airlines who had flagged us and they (TSA) had nothing to do with choosing us. In my frustration, I said something like, "well damnit" and another agent told me to "shut up". I then responded with, this is America and I have freedom of speech and what do we look like anyway a family of terrorists? Well the agent started yelling that I had said my family was terrorist and that we would need to be detained and so there you DON'T have freedom of speech.
Thank goodness the supervisor stepped in because I probably would have had to be arrested if given the time to respond.
So....the flight from San Fran to Atlanta went well and the ride home was uneventful.
Matthew was so excited when we got home. At first I think he thought it was just another place we were visiting but then he saw the girl's photos on the fridge. He then knew that he was "home". He ran around looking at everything. He loved his bedroom!
For the next couple of days we had a TOUGH, TOUGH, time sleeping. Matthew is a GOOD sleeper. He stays in bed and falls almost immediately asleep. Now once he wakes up he is ready to go. There was NO keeping him in bed even when he woke up at 1:30 in the morning.
Matthew has had a few problems but once again we are very strict in handling them. A couple of things we have had to deal with are: "stealing" and hiding one of Analiese's battery operated toothbrushes, being defiant (I put him in his room where he screamed, kicked and banged for about 20 minutes. When he was done I told him to come and eat. When he refused I told him he could stay in his room or he could go and eat....he made the right choice to come and eat with us) and and demanding food. The good thing is that we are able to make corrections with much less of an issue.
Yesterday was Matthew's first day of school. He was overwhelmed at first by all of the attention but was fine when I took him to his class. I went in and checked on him quite often through the day and was there in the cafeteria during lunch. He did GREAT! He copied the math from the board, did some coloring and cutting (with GREAT precision) and even wrote his name in chinese characters. The other kids were very welcoming. I watched Matthew during PE time and boy oh boy is he competitive! He tried to outrun every boy in the class. It was nice to see him be active in the appropriate place!
Now today at school? That's another story...he started out on a good note but once Dave took him to the pediatrician and brought him back he refused to listen, to sit in his seat or do any work. Well, I had to remove him from class and be very stern with him. He eventually went to his seat but I knew a big outburst was brewing. Sure enough, I hadn't left his class 5 minutes and his teacher called to me that Matthew was screaming. I went in, told him "NO" and removed him from the class. I had to eventually take him in the teacher's lounge and have a discussion.
We went back into class but Matthew refused to work. So...I helped him by taking his pencil, putting it in his hand and guiding his hand to write. Lo and behold he did as he was told!!! Success!! At the end of the day, Matthew was happy. I did talk with him and used lots of sign language to tell him that yelling and crying at school is not acceptable. He seemed to understand.
Then driving home he removed his seatbelt after I had told him "NO" several times. That necessitated a stop and an angry Mom. We shall see if he attempts that again.
Now on a positive note.....when Dave came home Matthew ran to me and yelled, "Mommy, Daddy is home!" It was wonderful to hear that. We had a good dinner with no issues. When the girls were doing their homework, Matthew wanted to do some. So, I made cards with the letters of his name on them. We practiced spelling and writing his name. He is doing so well. He says "Matthew" and remembers 3 of the letters (T, E, and W).
He also did something pretty funny. We have had to be firm on him not walking in on the girls when they are showering or dressing. Tonight Analiese was in the shower and I was in the bathroom with her. Matthew called me and then came into the bathroom carrying his pajamas. I was ready to correct him when I saw that he had his hands over his eyes so he couldn't see anything!!! What progress, what a character!
We are making easy baby steps but do know that we have mountains to climb. But, we see glimpses of the sweet boy we heard about and know that we are going to need LOTS of patience.
Oh, the pediatrician said today that Matthew has a heart murmur, possibly due to his poor diet. She said that other than she is reserving judgement until his blood work comes back. He did weigh in at the 40th percentile and at the 20th for height. So, our son seems to be a bruiser!
Tomorrow he has an appointment at the cranio-facial center at Scottish Rite so he can be evaluated there. Hopefully we will have some more information regarding his dentistry needs.
So, tonight I will go to bed hopeful that tomorrow brings another day of successes, no matter how small they may be!