First 30 Hours Home

The airport greeting crew was such a welcome sight as we walked through the terminal of DFW toward baggage claim.  I want to apologize here for not getting the word out very well about our flight home.  As you can read, it was a whirlwind, especially there at the end.  The plane was basically backing out as we boarded in LA.  My hands were shaking and I was holding a sleeping Tian, so I could barely hold my phone, much less type out a message and get it sent to everyone before I had to turn off the phone.  For those who wanted to be there, but weren't, I know you were with us in spirit on our entire journey.

Those who did come helped us get home.  Home.  It felt unbelievably nice to walk in and smell the smells of our own home.  It smelled like America!  It smelled like freedom!

TJ got out of the car, walked into the garage, grabbed his fishing pole and headed to the pond to fish.  He had been aching to fish for weeks and this early morning hour was the perfect time for him.

The rest of us came upstairs and introduced the boys to their new home. They both loved the Hot Wheels cars and airplanes and adored the slide on TJ's bed.

Hannah went right to the couch to sleep.  Nana and Pappy stayed for about 10 minutes to help us get situated, then they headed back home for some sleep of their own.  (They had come to the house the night before to turn on the AC and put some food in the fridge.  The temp in the house was 97 degrees!  Needless to say, they didn't sleep in that heat, so they were ready for rest.

All of us napped after a couple of hours.  Slept several hours each. 

Our dear friends stopped by with dinner.  The meal was such a blessing, because I felt like I couldn't move.  So. Very. Tired.

Nana came back later in the evening to help unpack.  We Brownies were all just tired and felt run over.

Sleep was not great. Tian only slept 45 minutes, then another 30 or so.  He didn't want to be in his crib and would wake up and grab on to my neck before drifting back off for a very short sleep.  

Travis didn't stay in his bed, either.  Ken laid down with him.  He slept about two hours or so, but also woke.  

By 2:30, all of my Brownies were awake.  Hannah had slept all day, waking up in the evening, so she was still functioning on China time.  I let Ken sleep while I stayed up with the kids.

At sunrise, TJ headed out to the pond to fish.  At 7:30, the girls and I took Tian and Travis out to see TJ and play on the playground.  The sand seemed to be a new experience for them. Sliding down the steep slide, they each got a mouthful of sand.

Travis went grocery shopping with Ken while Tian played "tennis" in the courts, the only place we could find shade.

How we've felt emotionally:

totally thankful to be home. The hassle, headache, and physical pain of our trip home are all worth it for us to just BE HOME!

grateful that we have the boys here and all 7 of us are together. 

thankful that the boys appear to feel comfortable here. They are going to have rough nights and some grieving to do, but they are adjusting very well.

in love with my family.  I don't know what I would do without my love, my teammate, my partner Ken.  He is an amazing man, husband, father and leader of our home.  I'm lost without him.

How we've felt physically:

drained, sore throats all around (expect our middle child), several of us have flu-like symptoms, which are typical for jet lag fatigue.
heavy and dizzy.  I've felt very off-balance since we hit Shanghai.  Yesterday, a few of us, including me, felt very heavy, as if wearing a weight vest. 

From everything we've read about jet lag, this should all work itself out within the next two weeks.