Home!!!!!

12/06/12

Today is the day we will be traveling home!!!  We got up around 5:30 AM, got dressed, and headed down to breakfast.  We stuffed ourselves for the long plane ride ahead.  Once we finished breakfast, we packed the last few items in our suitcase and headed to the front desk of the hotel to check out.  We met the other families in the lobby and said our goodbyes.  We were so fortunate to be able to meet these sweet families.  We share such a wonderful bond.   Jocelyn, our tour guide, was also there for us.  She ushered us out the door and into a van that took us to the airport.  The flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong was supposed to be extremely short, about 45 minutes. We knew we had a 50 minute layover in Hong Kong, and Cathay Pacific Airline starts boarding an hour before they take off. We were very anxious for the plane in Guangzhou to take off, but the plane was delayed.  The longer we waited, the more stressed we all became. Gianna wasn’t too happy about just sitting there either.

                We took off about half an hour later than we planned to, which was a huge deal for us. As soon as we arrived, we had to run over to Cathay Pacific, which was all the way at the end of the terminal (of course). We got there right before we took off, and they actually were waiting on us. We ended up getting seats in front of the fourth seating section, so we got an infant bed that pulled out of the wall for Gianna. Brittany had to sit behind us, and she wasn’t too happy about who she ended up sitting by. The plane ride was long and extremely uneventful. We had a lot of turbulence on this ride. Gianna slept about an hour the whole time.  She would not sit with Joel at all.  I ended up holding her all the way except for a short bathroom break.  I felt like my arms were jelly by the time we landed in Chicago.   It was so nice to touch down on American soil with our baby girl.

                When we arrived, we were all really tired. We knew we only had one more plane ride to go, and we were all very anxious to get home and see everyone. We had quite a large layover in Chicago, so Brittany and I went out to find some food for us in the airport once we found our terminal. We found a “Bacon and Cheese” quiche for Gianna, which she loved. Brittany and I ate bagels, which were amazing. Joel had a stomach virus, so he wasn’t too hungry. Gianna ended up doing pretty good with that layover. When they started boarding the plane, we all realized we would be home in just an hour. Brittany fell asleep on the plane. When we arrived, we waited for everybody else to get off the plane, so it wouldn’t be quite as crowded-- then it was our turn.  We were so happy to be back in Louisville! 

                We walked through the gates toward our luggage when we spotted Justin.  Words can’t describe how incredibly happy we all were to see Justin.  We flung my arms around him and held him tightly. We introduced big brother Justin to his little sister, Gianna.  He smiled so sweetly and it was easy to see he was happy to have us finally home.  It was tough to be away from him for two weeks.  He looked so healthy and like he had grown a foot!   I looked up to see Mom (Grandma Mangas) and Dad (Grandpa Mangas) behind Justin.  Just behind them was a sweet “Welcome Home” banner held high (made by Livi Westbay J)  Some of my best friends were there waiting for us too.  We were so blessed and overjoyed to see their sweet, shining faces:  Toni, Livi, Melissa, Tim, Norah, Micah, Kelly, Ella, Ashleigh, Teresa, Rich, Mattie, Abbey, and Faye!!!! What an incredibly remarkable time in our life that we will never forget!  Toni took Mom, Brittany and I to our home while Dad took Justin, Gianna and Joel home.   

HOME SWEET HOME WITH JUSTIN, BRITTANY, AND OUR BABY GIRL, GIANNA!  We waited so long for this day!  We are so grateful to God for a safe, incredible trip and for bringing home our baby Gianna!