Home, Sweet Home!

It took us three different flights, four different airports, and 25 hours, but we are finally home. Thankfully, Wendy was awesome on the flights. She was not so awesome during the three security checks we had to go through. 

Flight #1: Hong Kong to Tokyo, Japan: she had blue lips after sucking on the lollypop. Also, feeding her breakfast was a total mess because she was sitting on my lap and I couldn't see her mouth. I had to totally guess where to put the spoon, and she wasn't wearing a Bibster because I couldn't reach it. We will need lots of stain remover when we get home to get the Gerber's sweet potatoes out of our clothes.

Flight #2: Tokyo to Seattle: Thank you to the thoughtful flight attendant who moved a passenger up so we could have an extra seat. Wendy never actually sat in her own seat, but it made meal times much easier to have an extra tray table. This time, I had the Bibsters ready to go. Fortunately, she slept a lot, but I didn't because it was hard to get comfortable.

Hooray! I made it through immigration in Seattle, so I'm an American citizen now.

Bill's mother made this awesome welcome home sign for us! We also discovered a sweet note and "Baby Girl" balloon on our front porch from our neighbors. We barely got out of the car before several of them happily greeted us upon our return. We are so lucky to have such great family, friends and neighbors to support us.

Maddie normally hates pizza, but she was craving it after eating Chinese food for nearly three weeks. Wendy is enjoying her first pizza and first time meeting her grandma, "Baba." The word "Baba" is Chinese for "father," but Czech for "grandmother."

After dinner and beginning to unpack, Wendy had a bath and then went to bed in her own room. She woke up crying several times throughout the night, possibly because she was lonely or because of jet lag and the time difference. Maddie also woke up at 1:30 a.m. complaining of a sore throat and then woke up for good at 4 a.m. and decided to draw pictures of The Great Wall in her journal. We will definitely need naps today. At 6 a.m., I gave up trying to get the girls to stay in bed any longer and we came downstairs for breakfast. Wendy had a banana and some Cheerios, which probably seemed lame after enjoying two weeks of hotel buffets. I am enjoying our strong Starbucks coffee.

Wendy and Lindsey get along great so far. Lindsey loves it when Wendy drops her Cheerios on the floor.

All morning, Wendy has been giggling while playing with Maddie and discovering her new home. She is already being more verbal, making squeals of delight and imitating sounds we make. She was delighted to learn we own more than the three books we brought on the trip. Just wait until she checks out her complete board book library in her room. For now, it is heartwarming to find toys spread all over the floor. The girls have already had a parade around the house... Maddie running, followed by Wendy, followed by Lindsey, our golden retriever. I'm a little worried that fingernail painting may be on the agenda this afternoon. That could be interesting. Despite the sleep deprivation and the mess around the house, I can't even express how great it is to have our girls together at home. Our family of four feels complete, and we look forward to all of our new adventures together.