Home

Well, I've been up since 2 am, same as yesterday. I'll nap when the girls nap and they are handling the jet lag well.  They are even handling my sleep schedule well.  They're at the cusp of losing their second nap but for the time being we're keeping it for the sake of sanity.  They are quite adaptable and the transition home has been better than expected! 

That ugly stroller didn't make it to Beijing so we had a hell of a time between connecting flights.  After almost 2hrs of carrying these guys we found this cart about 10 yards from the gate hence Mark's expression.

We had an amazing flight home.  I know that's something that most people might not expect to read nor did I anticipate typing that, but a friend/fairy godmother in the airline industry surprised us and made sure we traveled well and consequently, we were able to sleep on the plane for a long time quite comfortably and ease into our transition with as well as possible.  Ever ever thankful to her, are we.  We took a cab home, having foregone friends' offers to meet us at the airport.  Mark's the private type while I tend to go into sensory overload (I'm a terrible candidate for a field trip chaperone) and we met Luke and Annabel as they ran up to us, I have missed those two so much so this was the very best part of the trip, here, the girls home and us home with Luke and Annabel.  

Friends on the block who saw us coming were out to greet us and that made me cry more and then we were home.

Gigi! 

Gigi is our salvation.  She has been with us since Luke was little.  Luke was a newborn and I asked a favorite fellow grad student at Dominican if she knew anyone reliable to watch him as I took classes at night and she said, I'll ask my sister.  That's when Gigi entered our family and she is indeed family.  Honest to God if she were not part of our lives I'm not sure how we'd be doing this.  She stayed with the kids while we were gone and did all the carpooling, took care of the dogs and yard and everything seamlessly.  All I had to do when we received the travel dates in April was text her and ask if she was free at that time to watch them.  She texted back, Of course.  She's the BEST. BEST BEST BEST.  

Luke had a playoff game that he felt obligated to play so after he met the girls, we followed him and watched an inning - he was so happy. 

Luke and Annabel and I hung out all day yesterday at home getting the girls acclimated to the new place, their rooms, dogs, the yard.  They're tearing up the street in front of our house (new street! good!) so that's some good porch entertainment.  Turns out our neighbor's chicks turned out one rooster so we've been listening for him and really having fun with that - if I can't have my own chicken coop this is the next best thing. It's raining today so I think it's more of the same.  My friend Dianne who has adopted a girl from China too and who has been a huge help in a thousand ways arranged for mutual fantastic friends to bring meals for weeks - are you kidding?  I don't have to cook if I don't want to?  

I'm wearing yesterday's clothes, no makeup and happy and grateful as can be.  I thank everyone for everything. Thank you. Thank you!!