Friday, March 07, 2014

{Coming Home!}

I can't believe this trip to bring our daughter home has already come and gone!  We are so blessed to have had the time here that we did but we are ready to get started on Phase 2 of this thing by bringing our girl home for good and really starting to bond as a family!!!

We fly out at 9:30 China time tonight and head to LA.  {Your time we'll be leaving at 8:30am on Friday morning.}

We are to arrive in LA at 6:30 Pacific Coast time {or 9:30pm on Friday night for y'all at home}.

Once in LA, we'll have about a 5 hour layover but we'll need a good portion of that time to go through Immigration and Customs.  Please pray that immigration goes smoothly!!!  I've heard some horror stories about adoptive folks getting taken into a separate room and being grilled about international adoption.  Hopefully that's not the case for us!

We leave LA around midnight their time {3am EST} and are supposed to fly into Charlotte.  Now, I will say that we had to go another route to get to LA {via Philly} but I'm really really hoping we head to Charlotte on the way back.  We were not a fan of the Philly airport at all.  And we're all going to be needing some good Southern hospitality after being in the air for nearly 20 hours at this point!

If all goes according to plan {please!!!}, we'll land in Columbia just after noon on Saturday!

We are so excited for everyone to meet our sweet girl and welcome anyone that would like to come to the airport to see us arrive! 

Just a few things to consider if you come:

~We will have just traveled over 30 hours.  Ugh.  That alone makes my head want to spin...with three kids.  When y'all welcome us at 12 noon, our schedules will think that it's the middle of the night.  So, please forgive the bloodshot eyes, bad hair and smelly clothes! ;) 

~As we've seen a good bit here in China, AG shuts down in crowds sometimes.  She's not done it the past two days but who knows what she's going to do with all the change about to happen in the next 48 hours.  I'd love to say that she'll be full of smiles and wide awake but there is a chance she'll sleep through the whole thing.  Just know that it's a way she copes and it's what works for her right now so we just go with it. 

~Since she's still learning to trust Scott and I to meet all her needs as her parents {which she didn't even know existed until last week}, we will be the only ones holding her, feeding her, etc.  If you've brought a gift or something for her, you are welcome to give it to one of us to give to her...or, better yet, give it to her brothers.  They know the boundaries with caring for her and would love the additional attention!

Well, the bell boys will be here any minute!!!  Here we come USA!!!!




3 comments:

Unknown said...

Yay! Yay! Yay! Can't wait to hear you are home sweet home in SC with baby sister! Prayers for smooth travels as well as an easy-as-it-can be transition for Andi Grace! Love from Florida! :)

Nancy @ Ordinary Miracles & The Crazy 10 said...

Bon Voyage and safe travels to you. I'm praying for LOTS of sleep for you both on the way home!

Auntie Mip said...

It's 1032 on the West Coast. I am in Seattle so we are in the same time zone. You are hopefully through customs and immigration by now of if not all is going well. God bless you on the remainder of your journey.

I have a wonderful blush pink/cream colored candle. It's scent is watermelon lemonade. I just lit it now for AG and your new family. I prayed to the Blessed Virgin for her sweet life. That she know peace. That she know joy. That she feel safe. And that she finds it all in the loving embrace of the One who carried her home.

Welcome home darling girl Welcome home.