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Over the next several weeks, we spent much time forming our new family, trying to make Ryan feel at home and tending to his needs. Tom had three weeks off of work after we returned, so that helped with the process of family bonding. Ryan and Joe had horrible jet lag for over a week, so none of us got much sleep at first. Ryan was also teething vigorously and was very uncomfortable much of the time. It took him quite a bit longer to bond with us than it had taken Joe three years earlier; it wasn't until a month after we got home that we finally began to feel that Ryan had accepted us as his family, whereas the feeling only took a matter of days when we brought Joe home. Interestingly enough, Ryan seemed to bond with his big brother before he bonded with his parents! As we write this seven weeks after getting home, Ryan still hasn't cut his teeth, but the symptoms of his teething have eased a great deal and he is much less fussy. In the last couple of weeks he has begun laughing and babbling and making cooing sounds frequently, and we are all pleased that he is so much happier. Getting him to sleep is still an issue, but we're working on it.
The photos on this page and the following pages depict our bonding period. Many show Ryan at home with his big brother Joe or his mother Carla, and others show him with friends [Image 164], his pediatrician [Image 165], or at our favorite diner [Image 163] or Joe's Gymboree class [Image 166].
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