Sleepy Sunday In Zhengzhou

Today really IS a day of rest for us.  We got in to the hotel at midnight last night, and were definitely ready for bed.  Our flights were through LA, so rather than flying north and over the North Pole (like we've done in the past leaving from Chicago or New York), this time we went up the west coast, by Alaska and down through Russia. Due to staying up all night packing before we left, I was able to sleep during our flights (trying to get myself on China time), but even then my sleep wasn't that great from a huge caffeine deprivation/sinus headache.  So, by the time we got to the hotel, I was totally ready to sleep and woke up ready to go!  I can't say the same for Jason and Lydia....they slept too soundly and too long during the flights, so had a more fitful sleep.  We could hardly get Lydia to stay awake during breakfast.  Poor girl...and her tummy hurt because she was so hungry.







So happy to be here!  A few thoughts from yesterday's travel:

A few times, it just seemed unreal to me that soon I would have Vivian.  I walked (sleep deprived) through LAX on the verge of tears several times...wondering if I would make it through the trip, feeling overwhelmed already with the anxiety of each step (and we weren't even out of the US!), and also such huge waves of emotion thinking of Vivian and how close we were getting to her.  Throughout this 14-15 month wait, I had not been able to securely envision her in my mind, with life being so crazy, the end seeming so far away, and needing to focus so much on the little people that were already in my life (in person).  But suddenly, driving to the KC airport and walking around in LA, I could picture her sweet face and feel her energy in my soul. It was like some wall broke away and I could envision her as mine...(even though I thought I had done this before, the feeling was quite different) I could actually imagine her in action thoughts rather than just through a 2-D image like a photograph. It made me so relieved and happy (that she was finally imprinted in my brain) and also a feeling of bonding to her in a way that I hadn't been before.

Also, watching Lydia while she traveled was so endearing.  She was so nervous, scared, and wanting to do everything right.  At take-off during the first flight, I watched out of the corner of my eyes as she covered her pet zebras little eyes with his paws.  So scared, but she braved it all so gracefully!  As we went through security in the US, as she greeted flight attendants in Mandarin, and braved being eyeballed through customs in China, she seemed so grown up!  It made my heart sad that they have to grow up, but also very happy that she is growing into such a sweet little lady who will be such a great older sister.