We're home!!!

I sit here watching all three kids playing together with Legos (thank you Brenda and Jack). In fact, I forsee them spending most of the day here. I suppose that I need to have them change out of their pajamas eventually, but for now I will let them just enjoy their time together.

I sure wasn't prepared for this change in weather. Well, I knew it would be cooler now that we are nearing the end of September, but I don't know that I was mentally prepared for it. We went from tropical temperatures in China, where you are sweating in shorts and tank tops, to a 40-degree morning here in Olympia where I could actually see my breath when I went running this morning. I must admit though, that I did find it refreshing to feel the cool breeze and sunshine on my face when I got off the plane (I don't remember seeing any blue sky for the last 12 days... just fog/smog). I'm wondering what Xian Hua thinks about this Pacific NW climate since he grew up in the tropical climate of China. I'm certain it won't take him long to get acclimated.

Our trip home was, for the most part, uneventful. The Portland leg, or more specifically airport customs, proved to be the most frustrating portion of the trip. We found out when we arrived in Tokyo, that our flight to Portland was delayed by 2 hours. Bummer... that meant that we wouldn't make our connection to Seattle. The consulate office in Guangzhou China provided us with a packet of documents in a sealed envelope. We were told to take this sealed packet and give it to the customs office at the airport when we arrive in country. Little did we know, it wouldn't be quite that easy at the Portland airport. First of all, we had to wait in line with all the other non-US citizens (the consulate office told us we couldn't go through the US citizen line)... it must have taken at least 30 minutes to get through this line. An adoption express line sure would have been nice. Then, after making it through that line, we find out that we have to take this sealed package to another office for processing. So again... we waited. This time, we waited for over an hour as we watched the customs officer ask other visiting non-US citizens a long list of personal questions. Luckily, another adoptive family we met in Guangzhou was there, so we passed the time by visiting with them and watching our kids play. Finally, we get through customs and race to the other end of the airport to make a 1:30 connection to Seattle.

"Ladies and gentlemen... welcome to Seattle", we hear the pilot announce. We made it!! Hal and I give each other a high-five and race, with Xian Hua in tow, to baggage claim where we see Kayley and Sam and the Arend clan waiting for us. It meant so much to have them there to greet us.

Kayley, Sam and Xian Hua have been having a great time playing together today. They've been helping him explore things both inside and outside the house. It's fun to think about what things must seem like from his point of view... to him, everything is new. He's done such a great job assimilating to our home and family over the past 24 hours. He doesn't seem to think we are too weird. We introduced him to our dog Lucy today as well. We were going to wait a day or two, but we all really missed her and Xian Hua seemed to be excited about meeting her too. He has been playing catch with her several times today.

It's so nice to be home with everyone, including Lucy, altogether again.

One more wake-up...

...and then we're off on our journey back home. We leave Guangzhou at 8am Wednesday and arrive in SeaTac airport ~ 12pm that same day. We are so looking forward to getting back home; to some semblance of normal. Time has gone by pretty fast for the most part because we've been kept pretty busy. Between official appointments, sightseeing, and getting to know our son better, the time has passed fairly fast. Tomorrow we have our final consulate appointment.

There are so many sights, sounds, and smells of China that will be forever embedded in my memory. Yesterday we walked to the jade and pearl market here in Guangzhou. To get there we had to pass through several open-air markets. The markets seemed to vary in theme. There was the herb/spice market. You could find just about any spice to fulfill your culinary need. The air smelled very heavily of curry here. Then there was the medicinal market. Here you could find anything to solve what ails you- scorpions, deer nerves, claws/horns, beetles, etc. It was pretty amazing. And the final market was the pet market. It was full of puppies, kittens, rabbits, birds, and fish. I felt sorry for all the animals with fur because it was such an exceptionally hot day. There are so many tiny shops throughout the city; it's amazing that anyone can make any kind of a living to support a family. Between the people, the heat, and the walk, we were all exhausted by the end of the day.

I went for a short run around the island today. It's nice in the morning- quiet, a little cooler, and very little, if any, traffic. It was amazing to see so many locals (young and old) out exercising. Some people were out jogging, some out walking, and some playing badminton. There were also those doing their morning stretching and Tai Chi. There is a little park here with a variety of play/climbing structures. I thought they were only for the kids to play on, but the park was full of adults of all ages doing exercises on the equipment.

Tonight, we went out for a sort of farewell dinner with the other three families adopting through WACAP. In some ways, it's hard to believe this time in China is almost over. I think we're all ready. I know Xian Hua is excited to get to the United States. Although, I'm not sure which he's more excited about- getting the the US or the flying part. Either way, I'm glad he's looking forward to it.