We're home!!!

Our plane to Beijing!

Emily being silly!

Still being silly!

Mom and Emily

A happy girl on her first plane ride!

Playing with her cow, Aunt Chimene gave her!

Sleeping on the long flight from Beijing to U.S.

Emily with a cute panda hat on!!!

Aunt Chimene and Em settling in!

Emily after she fell on the floor on the plane!

Emily with her new baby doll that Grandma got her!

The gang waiting for us, yes it's blurry..sorry!

Mommy and Emily!

A tearful Grandma with Emily!

Grandpa and his first granddaughter!

Brian and Emily, so sweet!

Uncle Michael and his new niece!

Austin and his new cousin!

Jacob and Emily!

Susanelou and Em!

We're finally home! Sorry it has taken me a couple days to post this, but I am sure you all understand, a new little and jet lag! Our journey home was not that bad. I anticipated it to be long and expected Emily to be tired and crying for some of the trip. We started our journey home at 5:30am on Thursday leaving the White Swan Hotel (bye bye home away from home) and headed to the airport. We waited a couple hours and then boarded a plane to Beijing. The first flight was 2 hours and 15 minutes so not too bad. Emily did really well but she wasn't too fond of the seat belt. We arrived at Beijing and had to collect our luggage and transfer it to International and get our new tickets. I have to say a big THANK YOU to my sister, otherwise known as "The baggage handler" for the day. She was awesome! It would have been so nice to only check the bags in Guangzhou and have them transfer all the way to TC, but it's China! So my sister, bless her heart was amazing. She lugged the bags and the carry on's through each airport like a trooper. It was a long day and I know she just really wanted to get home to her family as we both did. Amazingly, it was not that difficult to get our bags checked and new tickets for the rest of the journey home. We had a 3 or 4 hour layover in Beijing and then we boarded the plane for Chicago. I dreaded this flight the most. It was 12 hours and some minutes long with a little one, many little ones were on our flight actually. So again, Emily still didn't like the seat belt, but sat in between my sis and I on the long flight home. She did really well too. We fed her dinner and then she fell asleep for almost the whole rest of the flight. Can you say, Woo Hoo!!!! And NO Benadryl was needed for the sleep. My baby girl tossed and turned the whole way. My sister and I watched our 4 or 5 movies again too. We had finally both fell asleep when I felt a thump on my leg and my poor little peanut had fallen off the seat and onto the floor below. I couldn't help but laugh and nudge my sister to laugh some more as we just let her sleep on the floor. Yes, I know the germ-a-phobes are cringing, but hey, you do what you gotta do and she was quite content there. Finally, Em woke up and climbed back on the seat and fell back asleep until I woke her an hour before we were to land. She had some fruit and was a happy girl the rest of the way. I felt sorry for the priest sitting in front of her, she shook the seat a couple times and almost grabbed his hair, lol! I thought I was going to be the person most other passengers on the flight look at and shake their heads about the crying and screaming child the whole time, but Emily did super all the way. She had a few little cranks here and there, but for the most part she was awesome. When we landed in Chicago we knew that it might take a while and our next flight was leaving at 5:44pm and it was 3:45pm when we landed. So the hustle began! We had to go through Customs, grab our luggage, shuffle to another place where Ms. Emily become a U.S. citizen and another security check, recheck the bags and the dude told us to go to Terminal 1 for gate F-12. WRONG!!!!!! We go through security again and find out we have to go to Terminal 2! So we are rushing through O'Hare, me pushing Em and carrying her bag and my backpack and my poor sis, "The baggage handler" was following behind with our carry on's and her bag. Love ya sis, that was not fun for you at all, but you were a trooper!!!!! We finally find our gate and they are boarding the plane, so not time to even go to the bathroom. Last flight, YEAH!!!! Emily did great again and some people commented on how good she was, which was a relief and very nice for a new mom to hear. We landed in TC, at last!!!!! I headed to the much needed restroom and changed Em as "The baggage handler" waited for the carry on's! We changed Emily into a traditional Chinese outfit for her arrival. I could see the crowd at the end of security anxiously awaiting as I dashed into the restroom with her. I couldn't believe I was nervous. Why? I was nervous for everyone to meet her and I guess what her reaction might be to them. We headed toward the excited group with video cam in hand. My mom was crying before we could even see her new granddaughter. There were balloons and flowers, presents and a sign for Emily and us! I was over joyed to see my mom, dad, Susanelou (their neighbor and friend), Michael, Austin, Jacob and Brian with huge smiles and hugs for us all. Emily was passed around the crowd and she didn't mind it at all. She took really well to my dad too! He is so proud and loves her so much already I can tell. I am a daddy's girl, so it just makes me happy to see that Em will be too. It was so nice to see the tears and smiles. There was a lady who was watching us and crying and asked if she could take our picture on her camera phone. Wow, I am glad that we gladdened her heart that day, because that gladdened mine. Brian, is amazing with her. He carried her to the car and put her in her car seat, which I thought would bring crying and screams being strapped in, but she did good. She sat there without a peep. We drove home and she fell asleep, Brian carried her in and mom, dad and Susanelou came by with the rest of the luggage, we forgot to take the stroller out of the trunk, oops! They only stayed for a short while and Brian and I got her changed for bed, showed her her new room and then put her to bed. She went to sleep fast after that long exhausting day. That was at 10pm and I knew she would probably not make it the whole night and at 3am she was ready to get up and start her day. So at 3 am, which I was wide awake too, I made scrambled eggs for her and gave her her yogurt. She ate like a trooper all by herself.

She is starting to explore the house a bit, but not too much because she is afraid of the dogs. I figured she might be because they are bigger than her and she screams every time they get near. Slowly she is warming up to them. I can get her to touch them now, but she really is not fond of Hayley at all. Poor Hayley just wants to give her kisses too! My boxer, Hayley is a licker and loves to give anyone and everyone kisses if they will let her. It was so good to see my babies too! I missed my pooches so much! They don't know what to make of the little bundle I brought with me, but they will love her too very soon. I am predicting that she will take to one of them quickly and they will be inseparable. I thought it might be Hayley, but she really likes Tucker so far. Tucker is just more laid back so that is probably why. One day at a time with the pooches!

The cats! Well now the cats she doesn't mind. She likes to chase after them and wants to pet them. At first she wouldn't touch them either, but Chase is so laid back I brought him up and let her look at him and she eventually petted him. Now she grabs his tail and pulls, lol! Poor kitty! Jasmine came up stairs and she chased after her and I haven't seen Jas since. Jasmine is my skittish girl, she only likes to come out when she wants to and only likes to be held and petted when she wants you to. So, hopefully I will see her again someday, lol! I did pick her up and give her some loving, since I am sure either cat got much attention from Brian while I was gone, he doesn't like them very much! Slowly, things will calm down and she will hopefully learn to like the dogs and the cats will learn to tolerate her!

It is just so good to be home! I am battling a little jet lag, but not as bad as the last time I was in China, thankfully! I am guessing it is because I know I have her and have to take care of her now. Sleep deprivation isn't new for me, so I am not going to be worried about that, I am lucky if I sleep 6 hours in a night, so these first few days won't be too bad. She is actually still sleeping and it is 6am. I put her to bed at 8pm and she has slept the whole night through so far. I am hoping that her China schedule will continue her, sleeping 10 hours a night and taking 3 hour naps! Wouldn't that be a dream, I can only hope! And look who's up? Me, since 4am! Gotta love it! Hope you're sleeping better than me sis! Well, I am going to get up and start my day...please continue to check the blog as I will be still posting. I might not post daily, but I still will continue to post frequently as possible. It is true what they say...There's no place like home!