Home...Sweet...Home!

On April 10th two of us left our home and last night 3 of us returned! How incredible! Tony and I still cannot believe we are so blessed to be the parents to our beautiful Lily!

Yesterday we spent the morning outside at a park near our hotel. Lily played on the swings with her friends in our travel group and enjoyed being outdoors. We saw blue skies for the first time during our entire trip. I read a newspaper article while we were in Beijing that stated that Beijing had fewer than 100 days of blue skies in 2006....yeah, probably more like 5 days! The air pollution is very bad and I wonder how the poor Olympic athletes are going to be able to breathe when they are competing!

We left for the airport at 3:00 pm and went through the most thorough airport security we have ever experienced. There were two lanes set up solely for passengers travelling to the US. We had extremely detailed searches at security and then again at the gate before we boarded. Lily was sleeping in the baby carrier at the time. They did not make me remove Lily from the baby carrier but the poor guard that searched us got more than she bargained for. Miss Lily is quite the sweaty spaghetti when she sleeps (even when she's not in the baby carrier) and I'm sure the guard wished she had had gloves on before she stuck her hand between me and Lily!

There was some intense discussion between the guards about whether to permit us to go on board with the bottles we has prepared in advance for Lily. The final determination was that we could take Lily's bottles (thank God!) but we were not able to bring on board the sealed water bottles we had with us.

As we walked down the jetway to the plane there were two armed guards stationed on either side about every 3 or 4 feet down the jetway. It was rather intimidating and left Tony and I wondering if this was normal procedure or if there was some type of heightened security for flights to the US.

Resting up before I meet my extended family!

Lily had a great flight to her new home and slept most of the way. However, not everyone had the same good fortune. About 3 hours after we took off the flight crew came over the intercom system asking if there were any medical personnel on board. A short time later they paged again with the same request adding that there was a very sick baby on board. There was a lot of activity in the plane with flight attendants walking back and forth and a kind of strange hush among the passengers. The flight attendants actually woke up sleeping passengers near us to ask if any of them were doctors, nurses, or EMTs.

I honestly thought (and was hoping) that our flight would be diverted so this sick little one could receive medical attention immediately. It was not. However, an ambulance was waiting on the runway and the paramedics boarded the plane as soon as we landed. It is interesting how life works. Tony and I are sitting on board that plane barely able to contain our excitement and joy about coming home and starting our new life and the parents of this poor baby had what I imagine was the most frightening night of their lives.

After we landed and went through Customs, Immigration, and baggage claim we were greeted by such a welcome site...our families! There sure are a lot of people who love our sweet Lily and couldn't wait to welcome her to her new home. Nai Nai (Tony's Mom), Dad Dad, Aunt Mary Beth, Uncle Ed, Katie, Aunt Patti, and Christina were there waiting for us with balloons (including a big American flag balloon), Welcome Home banners, and roses. Jamie and his friend Maria arrived a short time later to meet Miss Lily. Lily's cousin, Ryan, called from college to welcome home his new little cousin while we were at the airport. Jamie and Ryan were both duly warned that there's a new little girl in the family who loves to rough house and be tossed in the air so they better get ready.

It was so great to see everyone! I didn't realize the extent to which I had missed my family until I saw their smiling faces! Lily was quite excited to meet everybody and shared with everyone her beautiful smile and sweet giggle!!

We were not permitted to take pictures in the Customs/Immigration area so we waited until we were in the main Arrival Hall before we put Lily's feet on the ground and she officially became a US Citizen in front of her extended family! Uncle Ed caught the big moment on video!

The drive home from the airport was quite an adventure. As it turns out Lily was not a big fan of the carseat! No surprise there... since she's never been in one!! She literally screamed her head off the entire ride home. I thought at some point she would wear herself out and fall asleep but I think she wanted to show us what healthy lungs she has!! I did my best to comfort her while sitting beside her but all she wanted was for me to hold her. Honestly, it took everything in me not to take her out of the carseat and hold her in my lap. Once we got home I picked her up and instantly she stopped crying. For a minute I thought I had suddenly gone deaf!

Everyone joined us at the house for just a few minutes. The house looked beautiful with balloons in the front, new pots of flowers on the porch, and flowers inside. There were also gallons of Chik-Fil-A sweet tea and unsweetened tea waiting for us (along with a bunch of yummy food) in the refrigerator. I have a serious iced tea addiction and practically started to shake when I saw my drug of choice!

Sadie was also able to stop by after her play practice and met her new cousin in the midst of a poopy diaper change. I'm hoping their next meeting is a bit more dignified ;-).

The 3 of us headed off to bed around 1:00 am and slept until about 4:00 am. We spent the early morning hours playing and then went back to sleep around 7:00 am. I'm sure it will take us a few days or maybe a week or two to readjust to the new time zone but we'll manage.

Lily had her first pediatrician appointment this afternoon. I hated to schedule this appointment so soon after we got home. I really wanted Lily to have some time to settle in before her first visit to the doctor. However, Lily's pediatrician was available this afternoon or not until late next week. Since I didn't know at the time I scheduled the appointment that Lily was going to be such a healthy little pumpkin I thought I had better take the first available appointment.

Lily passed her first checkup with flying colors! Lily is 30 1/4 inches long and weighs 21.5 lbs. This puts Lily in the 90th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight! Dr. Lane was thrilled with her evaluation of Lily and is not at all concerned that Lily is not crawling, yet. Dr. Lane thinks a few more weeks of tummy time and Lily will be motoring all over the place.

Lily needs to have a whole bunch of lab work done. Tony and I think we'll wait a few days before we subject Lily to that. By the way, Lily rode in her carseat to the doctor's appointment and back without making a peep! Go figure. This little sweetie just loves to keep her mommy and daddy guessing!