Traveling Home

We are back on US time, and are amazed at how quickly we were able to adjust. Hannah is actually slept until 8 AM yesterday morning, so we are very pleased. I'm slowly getting around to posting about our trip home. For some reason we've been a little busy the past few days. :)

Thursday morning was our last time on the island, so we did some last minute shopping and finished packing. We left around 2 to return to the US Consulate to pick up Hannah's visa. We had to wait there about an hour, then left for the train station, where we waited another 2 hours, and then took a two hour train ride to Hong Kong. We arrived at the hotel around 9, and Hannah fought falling asleep until 10:30, and we were up at 6 to catch our 9 AM flight. Thankfully the hotel was attached to the airport, so we had a few minute walk to get to the airport. We actually brought Hannah to the airport in her PJs, so we didn't have to wake her up any earlier. At the check-in gate, she started to have a meltdown. We were both really worried what the day ahead would be like at that point because we knew we had 20 hours of traveling ahead of us. But she actually did great after that. The flight went amazingly well. She slept for about 3 hours (and we slept a little too), and then she played for a long time. We were blessed to have the bulkhead seats, so we had extra leg room and there was a hallway right in front of our seats where Hannah had fun running and playing peekaboo with us. She probably spent 45 minutes peeling the backing off of foam stickers and putting them on paper. Her fine motor skills are amazing! When we started to descend, her ears really bothered her, and so she had a really hard time for about 45 minutes. We finally touched down in Detroit, at which time Hannah became a US citizen! We had a 2 hour layover and then boarded the next plane to take us to Bloomington. Hannah started to cry almost immediately when they turned on the engines (flashback to the previous plane), but I was able to calm her and she hardly cried at all going up or down, so we were really pleased. As soon as we touched down in Bloomington, where our family and friends were waiting, her eyes went shut. I guess we forgot to tell her to stay awake for the welcoming party! Thankfully she woke up a few minutes later happily, where her brothers and lots of family and friends were waiting to welcome her home. The boys actually got to see our plane land and watched us walk to the airport. Jason told me he could see them in the glass, and I wanted to run to them so badly. It was a wonderful reunion, as we had so many family members and some good friends waiting for us. Hannah seemed to recognize the boys immediately, and wanted to touch them and play with them right away. The boys were playing tag with their friends who were there, and Hannah was running along, chasing after them, having a great time. She was also playing peekaboo with her brothers under the chairs at the airport. She loves her brothers! When it was time for her to get in her car seat, she watched big brother Isaiah get in his, and then smiled when we put her in hers! We couldn't believe this was the same child who couldn't stand wearing a seat belt in China! She fell asleep around 6:30 while we were eating dinner and woke up briefly when we got home, but then slept until 5 AM the next morning! So the first night went really smoothly. It is so good to be home!

One last picture on the island

Train ride to Hong Kong

Jet that took us to the US

Ready for takeoff in Hong Kong

Playing with stickers on the plane

Enjoying some ice on the plane!

Big brothers watching our plane land

Together at last!

Boys giving Hannah the bear they made for her

So happy to meet her brothers

Hugging Isaiah

Big brothers with the sign that our friends made

Peekaboo with big brother Isaiah

Playing peekaboo with ElijahHappy girl at the airport

Playing with Grandpa

First time in car seat (they don't have car seats in China)

The moment Gamma has been waiting for!