Cats and toys and boys.... Oh my!

We're home!

I'm sorry that it has taken me a few days to post, but between jet lag and getting settled in as a family of five, we've been a little busy.

The flights home went very well. The first flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong was probably the bumpiest and had the most upset babies. It arrived late to Hong Kong because of really bad weather there. The 5 other familes on the flight from our group had a much tighter connection to their United flight to San Francisco, so followed them as they sped across the airport to connect to their plane. Our flight to Chicago left an hour or so later, so we had enough time.

The Hong Kong to Chicago leg was about 13-14 hours long, but Elena did really well. She slept, albeit restlessly, for a good chunk of the time. The staff on the flight were all very helpful, getting us hot water for bottles when we needed it as well as telling us how beautiful our little girl is. We landed in Chicago about 2pm, and upon touchdown the pilot announced that seven new US citizens had just arrived in the US. The entire plane applauded for us. It was very sweet.

Going through immigration was no problem at all, and Elena's passport stamp on her U.S. visa did make her a United States citizen. We collected our bags, were waved through customs, and rechecked our bags for the final flight.

The flight to St Louis was very smooth and arrived early, so we ended up surprising Grandma, Grandpa, and the boys as we passed the security checkpoint. Elena and the boys had a very sweet greeting, and they have been in a mutual admiration society ever since. Both Nathan and Alex really love their new little sister, and she follows them around the house all day long.

We were also met at the airport by our friends Alexis, Brooke, and Blake, who dropped us off at the airport when we left and watched our van during our stay in China. Blake and the boys have been friends since they were babies, and it is always great when the boys can see one another. All of us had a nice dinner together, and we slept as much as we could at the airport hotel that night. (By far the worst hotel we stayed at during our entire trip)

We drove the next morning, and when we arrived there we found that our friends Chris, Jody, Sophie and Ben (who had been watching Bijou and Summer for the entire trip) had decorated our house in the flags of China and the United States, left the boys new t-shirts (which Nathan is wearing in the picture below), and left us dinner for the next few days! Thanks so much!!!!

Elena really seems to love the new house, all of the toys, and especially the cats and boys. She spends most of her day crawling after them with a smile on her face. We are all slowly readjusting to Central Daylight time and getting back into the rythym of our lives.

It has been a great, unforgetable jouney. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and kind words.

It is good to have the entire family home.

Love,
Paul