We are finally back in the good old USA and happy to be home with our baby.
Monday was our last embassy appointment in Almaty and we were issued all the documents necessary to take JJ out of the country and grant him entrance into the US. Once this was finished we were free to leave and we hurried back to our hotel to begin packing. Our flight was leaving for Amsterdam at 7:20 on Tuesday morning and we could not get out of that place fast enough.
We met our adoption facilitator at 3:30 a.m. in the hotel lobby - she would be our escort to the airport and would translate our situation to the immigration police if needed. I began making small talk with her on our way to the car and asked if the other families were on their way home without any hiccups. She surprised me by saying one of the families was gone, but the other decided to cancel their flight when one of them became ill. This must have been a very hard decision to make. They had three children back at home and often talked about how much they missed their kids and couldn't wait to see them. Jerret said he wouldn't have stayed for any illness unless he was in danger of losing a leg or something. I agreed.
The flight to Amsterdam was absolutely lovely. We were on a 330 Airbus, and granted bulkhead seating with an infant bassinet for JJ to lay in. He was a little apprehensive at first, but after a while he adjusted and slept in it for a little over an hour, providing much-needed relief to my arms. The plane looked almost empty and had only about 50 passengers from nose to tail. There was so much room that many people switched rows and could lay across all three seats and sleep during the 7-hour trip if they wanted.
We didn't realize that we had a 5-hour layover in Amsterdam and fought to stay awake with JJ the entire time. In the line for our flight back to Detroit we met three guys who were on their way home from a sprint car race in Johannesburg, South Africa. After a few minutes of conversation we discovered that the men were not only from Toledo, but from the same small town that I am! It truly is a small world.
The last leg of our flight home was the longest. JJ didn't sleep much, maybe for only an hour total, and he wanted to be up doing something the entire time. We tried getting up and walking around with him, which seemed to work when it was possible, but was very hard to do without being in the way of someone. This last leg is also where we learned how important it is to pack the diaper bag with more stuff then you think you will actually need.
An hour before we were to land we discovered we were out of diapers, which we needed in a bad way. We didn't have any choice at this point but to wait until we landed and get a new diaper from our luggage. After a few minutes the smell became so unbearable that other people on the plane began to take notice. The girls in the row behind us even began spraying perfume to overcome the odor. Although we didn't have a new diaper to use, Jerret thought he could salvage the old one by taking JJ into the bathroom and "wiping it out." (I tried to convince him this wouldn't work, but he still thought it was worth a try). After a few minutes Jerret and JJ returned and I laughed out loud when I noticed a baby wipe sticking out of the back of JJ's pants. The whole idea of "wiping it out" didn't work too well and Jerret decided to let the baby enter the US commando, with about 7 wipes shoved down his pants. The wipes reappeared later when in line at the US customs office, only this time they were sticking out from the bottom of his pant leg.
Customs went smoothly and we quickly found our luggage and were met by the limo driver we hired to take us home. It was so nice to be in familiar territory and we were glad to be on our way home. We are both getting used to the time adjustment and are taking turns getting up with baby.
Monday was our last embassy appointment in Almaty and we were issued all the documents necessary to take JJ out of the country and grant him entrance into the US. Once this was finished we were free to leave and we hurried back to our hotel to begin packing. Our flight was leaving for Amsterdam at 7:20 on Tuesday morning and we could not get out of that place fast enough.
We met our adoption facilitator at 3:30 a.m. in the hotel lobby - she would be our escort to the airport and would translate our situation to the immigration police if needed. I began making small talk with her on our way to the car and asked if the other families were on their way home without any hiccups. She surprised me by saying one of the families was gone, but the other decided to cancel their flight when one of them became ill. This must have been a very hard decision to make. They had three children back at home and often talked about how much they missed their kids and couldn't wait to see them. Jerret said he wouldn't have stayed for any illness unless he was in danger of losing a leg or something. I agreed.
The flight to Amsterdam was absolutely lovely. We were on a 330 Airbus, and granted bulkhead seating with an infant bassinet for JJ to lay in. He was a little apprehensive at first, but after a while he adjusted and slept in it for a little over an hour, providing much-needed relief to my arms. The plane looked almost empty and had only about 50 passengers from nose to tail. There was so much room that many people switched rows and could lay across all three seats and sleep during the 7-hour trip if they wanted.
We didn't realize that we had a 5-hour layover in Amsterdam and fought to stay awake with JJ the entire time. In the line for our flight back to Detroit we met three guys who were on their way home from a sprint car race in Johannesburg, South Africa. After a few minutes of conversation we discovered that the men were not only from Toledo, but from the same small town that I am! It truly is a small world.
The last leg of our flight home was the longest. JJ didn't sleep much, maybe for only an hour total, and he wanted to be up doing something the entire time. We tried getting up and walking around with him, which seemed to work when it was possible, but was very hard to do without being in the way of someone. This last leg is also where we learned how important it is to pack the diaper bag with more stuff then you think you will actually need.
An hour before we were to land we discovered we were out of diapers, which we needed in a bad way. We didn't have any choice at this point but to wait until we landed and get a new diaper from our luggage. After a few minutes the smell became so unbearable that other people on the plane began to take notice. The girls in the row behind us even began spraying perfume to overcome the odor. Although we didn't have a new diaper to use, Jerret thought he could salvage the old one by taking JJ into the bathroom and "wiping it out." (I tried to convince him this wouldn't work, but he still thought it was worth a try). After a few minutes Jerret and JJ returned and I laughed out loud when I noticed a baby wipe sticking out of the back of JJ's pants. The whole idea of "wiping it out" didn't work too well and Jerret decided to let the baby enter the US commando, with about 7 wipes shoved down his pants. The wipes reappeared later when in line at the US customs office, only this time they were sticking out from the bottom of his pant leg.
Customs went smoothly and we quickly found our luggage and were met by the limo driver we hired to take us home. It was so nice to be in familiar territory and we were glad to be on our way home. We are both getting used to the time adjustment and are taking turns getting up with baby.
7 comments:
Welcome Home! I can so relate to the diaper thing. We had a major blow out on the last leg as well, we had diapers, but no matter how we bagged up the dirty clothes the smell would not go away! You are home now, that's all that matters :)
I have been following you and can't wait to see more pictures and hear more stories. The kyrg family here in America is growing stronger and bigger!
Tina
Hi Mommy! I just caught up on your journey and couldn't be happier for you all! He is beautiful, really beautiful! I look forward to seeing more pictures of the family! What a lucky little fellow JJ is to have such wonderful parents to travel all around the world to meet their angel! Best wishes to you! Love, TAT
Wow is is so good to see that you are home safe and sound. I wish you all the best.
Blessings John
Hey guys! Hope you dont mind but Carrie sent me a link to your blog. I loved reading about your journey, and prayed for a uneventful return to US soil. I guess prayers were answered...unless you count the diaper-thing! LOL. How funny is that!!! Well, congrats on the new family! I am sure you all are enjoying your time! Take care!
Love,
Niki Wight
Wow Just noticed it's time to update your profile.....PTL
Hey, I found you! :) I need to call you sometime and check in with you! We sure enjoyed getting to know you in Kyrgyzstan! I'm sure JJ is busy eating just like Aliya is - she will always eat!!! I hope things continue to go well for you! Esther
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