We are home!

Sorry for disappearing on you all. We lived through the long plane ride. I think that one's kinda like childbirth. You don't want to talk about the gory details and you have to forget about it or every family would only do it once! Micah slept very little and usually at times that we couldn't sleep, like as a meal was being served or before takeoff. That meant mama and baba didn't get much sleep. Micah fussed quite a bit on the long flight from Tokyo to Detroit which annoyed mama, baba and many others nearby.

Going through immigration was no big deal after all the work we went through. The first officer processed us into the US and referred us to another officer for Micah. We gave that officer the unsealed (as directed) envelope from the consulate in Guangzhou. He tore it open, looked at a couple of things, stamped a couple of forms and said, "Have a nice day!" Kinda a inauspicious welcome for the US's newest citizen.

Northwest managed to break the handles off our cool stroller from China. *sigh* The rest of the trip we had to push on the broken pieces - ow!

We proceeded through customs and security in a sleep-deprived haze. We had about an hour to wait for our next short flight back to the ATL.

Micah seemed overjoyed to be in the US. He was laughing and clowning around on the plane. Mama kept him occupied while Baba took a half hour nap. Then Baba returned the favor. About 30 seconds before touchdown (literally - I could see the ground) Micah fell asleep.

There were family and friends there at the airport to meet us. My parents, our pastor and his family and our dear friends Kim, Michael and Sheridan were a sight for sore eyes. It felt so good to get those hugs. I love you all! We collected our luggage and went to the Northwest office to file a claim on our stroller. Much to Sheridan's chagrin, Micah slept through the whole thing. Sheridan kept touching and talking to Micah to get him to wake up. He's been waiting for this boy for a while!

Micah didn't wake up until we put him in the car seat for the ride home. Children in China don't ride in car seats. He's never been in one and he didn't like it. He kept clawing at the harness like he was being choked. It was a long ride home. We got home, along with my parents and he was back to his sweet, charming self. He did a round of mama, baba with the photo album and really seemed to recognize his lau lau and lau ye (grandma and grandpa).

Sleep didn't come easy that first night. He fussed and cried for over an hour. Once he went to sleep he only slept for a couple hours and then woke. He was up for about four hours before mama finally sang him back to sleep. I've got to learn some new lullabies! I was boring myself!

We continue to adjust to life at home as a family. The days are really fun and the nights are sheer torture. We're trying to sleep in shifts so we can get rest while his body clock adjusts and he learns the ropes of life here. More on that later, I'm sure.

He's asleep right now, so I'm gonna hit the sack in case is doesn't last. Night, night!