During the dinner Friday night, Melinda started to not feel well. We went back to the hotel and put Haleigh and Savannah down to sleep for the night. I finished packing and tried to get some sleep, while Melinda was in and out of the bathroom all night long. By morning she could hardly move due to lack of sleep and an upset stomach. I managed to get Savannah dressed and coaxed Melinda to get ready. She begged me to just leave her there and take the girls and go on without her. She did not think she would be able to go. We did go down to the lobby and caught the bus to the airport. We told our guides Jocelyn and Kathy goodbye and thanked them for taking care of us. The flight was about two and one half hours from Guangzhou to Beijing. At Beijing, we had a three hour layover. During the layover and the 13 hour flight back to the States, Melinda started to feel a little better. She was able to eat and drink a little.
This is where our other problem started. I had packed our Dramamine in our checked luggage and did not have any for Haleigh. She started to get sick and never really recovered until we landed in Charleston, well over 3 hours later. We felt bad for he,r but our layover in Chicago was only 1 hour and 37 minutes. I took us that long to get through Immigration, pick up our checked luggage, go through customs, recheck our luggage, catch the airport tram from terminal 5 to terminal 2. For those of you who have not been to Chicago's O'Hare airport, let me tell you it is huge, we had a 6 - 7 minute tram ride just to get to terminal 2. After we arrived in terminal 2 we had to go through security again then run down the corridor to catch our flight. During all this time poor Haleigh could barely keep up. Had it not been for the 2 couples we were with in China and who were on their way to Charleston also, we would not have made our flight. They had a hand in a little delay of our flight so we could make it. Thanks,guys.
We made it to Charleston around 8:00pm and had a warm greeting by about 25 - 30 friends and family members. It felt so good to have them there, and we are so thankful for them because we were so homesick! Our boys ran up and hugged us--they looked like they had grown so much in 17 days. It was great to see each and every one who turned out to see us. After talking and a few pictures, I left to pick up our luggage that didn't arrive. Apparently the layover in Chicago was so short, the luggage didn't make it to the plane. Our luggage caught the 5:30pm flight the next day and was picked up by my brother, Bruce, who happened to be spending the night in Charleston. (Thank you, Uncle Bruce! )
After we said our goodbyes, we headed home. China does not have a car seat law, so you can only imagine what happened when we strapped Savannah in the car seat. She screamed for a solid 15 minutes. After that she settled down, and we started our one and one half hour ride home. Savannah likes car rides now, well, as long as the car is moving.
Once we got home we noticed the house had been decorated with balloons and streamers, by our wonderful family, and a Welcome Home sign drawn by our cousin Krystil. (Thank you, Krystil and Family ) We love you guys. Notice in the picture of that very special sign shown below, the similarities to the Panda bears on our web site.
We again would like to thank all of you for your prayers, your emails, and for signing our guest book. Savannah will have all of your wishes made into a cd for her to keep and look at and remember how much everyone loves her.
This has truly been an amazing journey, and we are glad we could share it with you. After waiting for 3 years, we know that God knew what he was doing when he gave Savannah to us. She was meant for our family, and it seems like we have always had her. God is good!!
p.s. For those of you still wanting to know what was in the brown envelope. Look back on the date of the 24th. The papers we filled out that day in our guide's room is what was in the envelope. The envelope needed to remain sealed to prevent any tampering with the paperwork before it reached the U.S.
Signing out from HOME!!! :
Brian, Melinda, Jordan, Tannor, Haleigh, and Savannah
LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD
Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother
Two different lives shaped to make you one
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun
The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it
The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it
One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name
One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim
One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried you tears
One made an adoption plan, that was all that she could do
The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.
Now, which of these two women, Are you the product of?
Both, my darling, Both, Just two different types of love.
---- Unknown
