Home Sweet Home!!

What a LONG day of flights!!  We left our hotel at 6:15am (6:15 pm Wed here), a little early as we were checking out and traveling to the airport with no guide.  As we got closer to the airport, our driver called our guide, she was delayed with the other couple flying out, so she asked us to check ourselves in.  Now, we really started getting nervous.  We are hardly veteran flyers.  I flew once in college and our only other flights have been to China and back (with guides to help)!  We did pretty well though and after we were all set, our guide showed up.  We got to say goodbye and went through security to find our flight.  This was Kristyn's very first flight.  We only had to wait a short time until they were ready to board.  However, flights in China RARELY take off without delay.  We were delayed for an hour, on the plane.  They did a smaller (not the warm portion) breakfast service.  Since we had to leave early, we missed the big buffet in the morning.  The boys had a peanut butter sandwich and the girls, Greyson, and I had some loaves of bread I bought the day before.  Airline food is not my cup of tea.  None of us were really impressed, so it didn't exactly fill us up.  Once we took off, they ended up coming around with the warm part.  We passed, as we knew we would catch a bite to eat for lunch at the Burger King in Shanghai airport.  That was a huge part of the reason we went with that airport.  There are no places to eat once you are through international security in the Beijing airport.

Checking in by ourselves

Finally got a picture with the Five Goats Statue :)

Waiting for Kristyn's first flight

Kaitlyn waiting (the boys had headed to the bathroom)

Getting ready to wait for an hour

Dad gets to keep Greyson quiet

We took longer than expected at the Shanghai airport.  I kept glancing at my watch and was a little nervous about the timing.  Finally we made it to the gate to wait and could think about lunch.  Wait... they had changed everything around.  They were remodeling and took us to a different part of the terminal...  You guessed it... NO BURGER KING!!  Brayden walked with me up and down the terminal for ANY hopes of food.  They had $10 plates of Chinese food (but none of us felt like that at the moment).  So, for $30 US we bought 3 cans of pringle/chips, M&Ms, and waters.  Yup, that's the kind of mom I am. Ugghh, this did not bode well for kids not getting sick on the long flight.  We had already opened up the suitcases (before we re-checked them) and gave ALL of the kiddos Advil, just in case.  The bright spot, I completed my mug collection!!!  I was went to check the airport Starbucks to see if I could get a Shanghai mug and they had... a NANJING mug!!!  This was Kaitlyn's capital city that we visited for her adoption and the only one I didn't have a mug for (before I had discovered them)!!  I was sure I would have to find some traveling family and try and talk them into getting a mug, but the airport had one!!  This totally made my day!!

We ate our pringles and boarded the plane.  We settled in for a long flight.  We took up 2 whole middle rows.  The airbus had 3 seats together on each side and 4 in the middle.  The girls sat in the first row and the boys in the second.  We were near the very back of the plane, but that was nice since there were 4 bathrooms back there!  We waited for take off and started our second flight at 4:30pm (4:30 am Thurs here) 8 hours after we had begun our journey.  The airline food continued to disappoint.  I am not sure that any of us ate anything but a few pieces of bread and Pringles for the entire 24 hours that we traveled.  Poor Meilynn apparently gets airsick and she was throwing up when she wasn't catching a little nap for the entire 12 hours.  I was glad we had the foresight to bring ziploc bags.  I felt so bad for her. :(  Kristyn was sitting next to her, and it was nice to see some empathy.  She was stroking her arm and asking me if JieJie (big sister) was okay.  At least, the kiddos got some sleep (2.5 to 4 hours, depending on the child) and no one else got sick or had a headache.  We were SO thankful to step foot on US soil!!  

The boy row

Meilynn trying to smile (with her bag) :(

ALL the seats ahead of us (just in this section and on this floor)

My seat partner. :)

Greyson had to try the sleeping mask

 They have made checking through customs MUCH easier.  However, since we had adoption paperwork, they didn't really have a "line" for us.  They put us in with non-citizens and said they would come get us later.  We just wanted to get home.  Thankfully, another adoptive family came through not too far behind us and they decided to take us both over to the special processing window.  After the 6 of us that had US passports were scanned in, the officer took us over to the "Special Waiting Room".  We sighed relief when we found it MUCH emptier than it had been for Addi and Ry!!  We waited maybe 5 minutes and a sweet officer looked up at us and she said, "okay you are all set".  Really??  Done??  Already??  Prayer works!!  

We found ALL of our suitcases and loaded them up and headed for the White Whale.  All of the kiddos filed in and found seats.  Kristyn and Greyson didn't even put up a fight with the boosters and seatbelts (which they don't have/use in China).  We went through FOUR fast food restaurant drive thrus, ordering burgers, tacos, mozzarella sticks, pop with ice, and chocolate milk.  Meilynn was even feeling up to a chicken burrito!

Still space for Addi and Ry!!  Meilynn is looking MUCH better!

We were so happy when we finally made it to our house and found Addi and Ry ready for hugs!

Greyson had a rough night, so I am praying he sleeps better tonight!!  We didn't get to see much of his orphanage (other than the lobby), so we are not sure about his sleeping arrangement.  This may all be strange and much quieter, I am sure.  We did try tacos tonight and overall Kristyn and Greyson loved hanging out here and playing with all of the toys.  They were so excited!

No more huge Garden Hotel buffet!!

Loving the soft carpeting!!  I actually found him "swimming" he thought it was so soft!

First Day in America and they are loving each other!

First day tired her out completely!

Twelfth Day in Guangzhou - Last Day

This is our last day in Guangzhou.  I am at that stage where I am so excited to come home, but so sad to leave China.  I know it is such a privilege to be able to visit this amazing country and it will most likely be a long time until I return.  However, I am more than ready to see those four year olds I am missing like crazy!!  We spent the day packing, swimming, and eating.

We will miss this awesome pool!!  It is spectacular and the kiddos have had so much fun having at least an hour each day.

Kristyn is a water bug!!

Greyson prefers the side (he says it's too cold!)  He needs some meat on his bones!!

We ate one last meal at Pizza Hut.

Burger King - lunch (Students in the background, they go out for lunch)

Waiting outside for all that chicken to be cooked!

Last meal at Pizza Hut!

Mark couldn't wait for a cup (actually, they didn't bring him one)... save some for me!!

We said goodbye to this beautiful lobby and the nice elevator ladies who know our floor by now.

Heading out one last time!

We will travel out your evening (our morning) at 6:30.  We leave Guangzhou airport for Shanghai at 9.  We will have a 5 hour layover in Shanghai and board around 4:30 for our 13.5 hour flight!  Pray for good weather to be able to leave.  Also, we need the kiddos to sleep this time so that we don't have kiddos getting sick on the flight or after!  Lastly, this is Kristyn's first flight and she and Greyson do NOT like to sit still for long...  Looking forward to stepping foot in Detroit!!

Eleventh Day in Guangzhou - Consulate Appointment, Traditional Lunch, Zoo

We had our Consulate Appointment this morning!  Greyson and Kristyn are citizens when they set foot on US soil, but until that point they are still citizens of China.  Since they travel on a Chinese passport, they need a US visa.  So, we ate breakfast, piled in a van with three other returning families and made our way to the medical clinic.  We got out, received our kiddos’ medical reports and added them to the paperwork we had prepared for today.  Our guide walked us to the Consulate and showed us the way in.  Then, we were on our own.  We all needed US passports to get inside, except for the newest two, so no guides.  It was a lot of waiting and two visits to the windows to turn in our paperwork and get fingerprinted.  We aren’t allowed to take cameras, so you will have to take our word for it.

After walking back to the medical clinic, we boarded the van and rode back home.  A quick change out of our “dressy” Consulate clothes and visit to the bathroom and we were back in the lobby.  Our guide took us to a restaurant for a traditional Cantonese meal.  There was a HUGE table with a lazy-susan and food that kept coming and coming!  IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!  Mark and Brayden didn’t eat much, if anything.  Jayson had some noodles, pork, rice, and bread.  The rest of us ate TONS!!  Meilynn and Kaitlyn even braved SQUID!!  :( Not me, thank you very much!  

Back to the hotel for another quick bathroom stop, then we headed to the zoo.  We started this zoo visit with a 20 minute ride on a tram all around the zoo.  It was AWESOME!  Then, we spent 1.5 hours walking to see the animals we wanted to visit.  The pandas were inside and hard to see, but it was still neat.  The lions gave us quite a show when they spent about 2 minutes roaring back and forth to each other!  It was hot, but so worth it.   It started to POUR as soon as we left the zoo.

Now, if the rain would just let up so that we could get dinner!  Brayden accompanied me, possibly for the last time, on a quick run over to McDonald's for 40 nuggets, cheeseburger, spicy chicken sandwich, and 8 fries! :)

Tomorrow is packing day and then we leave the next morning (your Wednesday night)!!