We're Home - FINALLY!

We left our hotel room in Guangzhou at 6:20 PM Tuesday evening (Indiana time) and arrived home at 2:30 PM Thursday. Yes, it was a loooonnngg day (or two)!

Maddie handled the flights like a litte trooper. She got fussy at all the usual times - when hungry, wet, tired, etc. Otherwise, she was her usual happy self, just charming people wherever we went.

We flew from Guangzhou to Shanghai to Atlanta. In Atlanta, we were planning to come home Wednesday evening, but the flight to South Bend got overbooked at the last minute so we couldn't get on. We were flying on Doug's employee pass benefits so we were on the standby list. But, we didn't get on so we ended up spending one more night in a hotel... something we were hoping to avoid.

Our checked baggage went on to South Bend so we were without clean clothes, makeup, toiletries, etc. However, after more than 24 hours of travel, a hot shower and the Westin Heavenly Bed felt wonderful. I can't say that we got much sleep however. With the 13 hour time difference, Maddie wasn't interested in sleeping so we all dozed for awhile, but I don't think any of us got any real sleep.













For anyone planning to do much traveling, I highly recommend the Sit-n-Stroll. It was a true back-saver for us while in China and through all of the airports. Plus, having a secure seat for Maddie to travel in made things so much more comfortable for her on the plane. To sleep on our long flight however, we put blankets on the floor. The one seat just did not lie flat enough to be comfortable for napping.

The last thing we really wanted to see when it was time to fly from ATL to South Bend was this sign, but luck was NOT on our side! We finally made it, but our flight was delayed by about 2.5 hours.

Maddie loves to read! The book in this video is her favorite. It is a book of baby faces. We call it her Baby Facebook. After we read it to her she always wants to look through it again and again and she reads it on her own in her own babble language. It's just the cutest thing!

When we got to the South Bend Airport, we had a wonderful welcoming committee there waiting on us. Maddie's cousins have waited so long for her and were so happy to finally get to see her and hold her.

Maddie wasn't too sure about Grandpa. She just checked him out from top to bottom. I'm sure she'll soon be his biggest fan!

Our friend Kim brought dinner for us after we got home. Thanks Kimmy for the wonderful pot roast. Good old American home cooking never tasted so good!

The crib is empty no more!! The very first thing Maddie did when we got home is to pee all over the only crib sheet we had so we had to impovise. Later today I'm making a Wal-Mart run to buy more sheets!







Our journeyhas just begun and we are looking forward with great anticipation to the rest of it. Our daughter is such a delight and brightens every moment of our days and nights. When she is awake, we cannot get enough of her. When she is sleeping, we miss her and can't wait until she wakes up again. I'm sure that will change. :)

Thanks for all of your prayers and support during our trip. I plan to keep blogging as time permits, but it is getting more and more difficult due to my attention being needed elsewhere most of the time. God bless you all, dear family and friends!

Much Love,

Beth, Doug, and Baby Maddie