I know most of you are wondering what happened to the Lodwig trio. Our final morning in China started super early. We had to have our packed luggage out in the hallway by 5:00am. Jason and I got a wake up call around 4:15am. We quietly showered, packed up the remaining items, prayed we were under weight, and got everything out into the hallway. We were departing the hotel at 6:00am. We had some time to kill, so I read a book. I can't for the life of me remember what Jason did at that time. We had a huge pile of things that weren't coming home with us, something tells me that he was making sure our piles didn't get mixed up. We got Arisson up around 5:45 to get her pants changed, and ready to go. We left her in her pajamas. I only had a couple clean outfits, so I didn't want to change her unless I had to. All of us were also down to the last diapers, so again, if it wasn't smokin'...
On our way to the airport, it didn't feel like we were in China anymore. Apparently rush hour in the morning doesn't start early like it does in Chicagoland. There was hardly any cars. And then when we got to the airport, again hardly anyone around. We got to the airport and immediately had to say goodbye to 2 families. We needed to get moving to catch our flight, so we didn't have time for a long, drawn out goodbye. The rest of us headed to get checked in. Jason, Arisson, and I were the last ones to get checked in and we ran into a little snag. Apparently they had checked Arisson in instead of another girl when that family checked in. I don't know why it took so long to fix, but we stood there for awhile wondering what was happening. We knew it wasn't about our luggage...we still had about 5-7lbs to work with. If I would have know that, I would have gotten a few more pairs of squeaky shoes :)
After finally getting checked in we were through security and boarding and flying on to Hong Kong in no time. The flight was short and kind of a test to see how Arisson was going to do on a flight. She was sleeping before take off and didn't wake up until we landed. Is it really that easy? We had to wait a few hours for the flight from Hong Kong to Chicago. We just hung around with the other families, letting the girls play with toys and work off a little energy. Arisson, God Bless her, pooped prior to boarding, so I didn't have to worry about changing at least one diaper on the plane.
A few minutes before everyone was to board, a man came over and said that the babies were to be boarded first. Sweeet! We got through security and boarded. Again Arisson fell asleep as soon as we sat down. Jason and I were thrilled to find that nobody was going to be sitting in the window seat in our row. We had 3 seats to ourselves. Awesome! Just moments prior to take off, Arisson is awake. She ended up crying off and on for about 2 hours. Once we were able to roam around the plane, it was much better. She was very content to be looking around. In our row, we had Anika and her parents, and Billy and his parents. It was nice to have those we knew in view. The movie selection on the plane was lousy, so I needed to watch something.
The kids did wonderful on the plane. I heard people coughing more than I heard babies crying. The pilot had mentioned prior to take off that this particular flight is the 2nd longest non-stop flight that they have. It will be awhile before I am ready for any international flight again, but it would make any intracountry flight feel like nothing. It is hard to entertain a child for 14 hours from an airplane seat, let me tell you! We were able to walk around with her for a slight change of scenery. I only changed her diaper a couple of times, and I must say that changing a diaper 32,000 feet in the air in a room that is about the size of a linen closet is no easy feat. There was only one linen closet set up for diaper changing so I had to wait a very long time to get one. Someone was in there for 30 minutes. I don't know if they fell asleep in there or what, but I was very leary about going in after that length of time!
We had darkness from about the Bering Sea through Alaska. I kept peaking since I got the window seat. I had the window open when Chicago finally came into view. It was exciting. At some point we lived DeJaVu'. Our flight left Hong Kong at 12:35 on April 11, and we landed a little before 2:00pm on April 11, but it took 14 hours. Crazy. It took us a little over an hour to get our luggage, and to get through customs. We really weren't able to say goodbye to the other families, but we know we will be in touch soon. My brother Mike was a phone call away. It was great to hear a familiar voice. I was worried about Arisson in a car seat, since she had never been in one before, but she did great. I think it helped that I was sitting next to her. On the way home, I called home to let them know we were on the way. We haven't talked since we walked out of the house 17 days ago, except through emails. I cried when Aislinn answered the phone.
We came home to signs that the kids had made, balloons, and more importantly a clean home! Thanks Mom. The kids looked huge! We missed them so much, and we could tell that they missed us, too. Arisson was a little overwhelmed with all these new faces in her space. She pulled Jason and I aside and said "Hey! We had a good thing going here, what are you trying to pull here?"
Okay, she didn't actually say that, but she would have if she could!
So this leg of the race is over, and ready to start the next leg of the journey. This one is all about becoming a family of seven. The journey thus far has opened our eyes to how awesome our Heavenly Father truly is. He has brought this special little girl half way around the world to us over a period of nearly three years. The steps in the process, the little girl He chose for us, and the people He has put in our path has not been an accident, but merely His hands doing His mighty works. And to think, He had this all figured out long before we were even born. We serve a Glorious and Loving God! We are excited to how God's plan continues to unfold. God has a plan for Arisson's life, and somehow The Lodwigs are a part of it! We are so thankful!
Three things we are going to miss:
1. Three delicious meals a day, prepared for us and sometimes served on a lazy susan
2. Coming back from breakfast to find your room has been cleaned, towels replaced, and bed made
3. Seeing 7 (8 counting Lainey) perfect children and their awesome parents, too, everyday
Three things we are glad to come home to:
1. Family and friends
2. Being able to brush teeth, and drink from the faucet
3. More than 4 options in our wardrobe |
