Ethiopia and USA - Day 6 & 7 - Traveling Home!

Our flight out of Addis left at 10:15pm so we were picked up to be driven to the airport at about 6:30pm. On the advice our my friend Kim who had traveled to Ethiopia earlier this year to get her two precious children, after checking in and going through all security check points, we found dour gate and waited outside it until about 45 minutes before. There are no bathrooms and water beyond this point and it was GREAT advice. And thanks to the help of some of our wonderful traveling families, we were able to get all our luggage checked in and through all the lines and our boys remained relatively happy.

Once on the plane with the seat belts on was another story! As we had been warned, they DID NOT like the seat belts and let the entire plane know it by screaming bloody murder! However, our children were not the only unhappy children, so I didn't feel all that bad!! Once the seat belt light went off, things got much better and once they fell asleep, they were great:

Ryan Ephrem discovering the music on his MP3 player. Our friend Emily downloaded hours of children's songs and the boys LOVED listening to them!

Looking out the window at Dulles:

Getting through security at Dulles was a less than enjoyable experience as the original directions I was given to get myself and the boys through the metal detector were not specific enough and add to the fact that John Eyob took off running and then all four of us had to walk through the metal detector again - it was not my finest moment!

After that it was off with two other traveling friends to Fundruckers for cheeseburgers (the boys loved them) and Ben and Jerry's for ice cream (Ryan was asleep by then, John didn't like it all that much but we think it might be because it hurt his teeth, and Mommy so needed some chocolate!)

This picture is right before the start of a melt down:

But, yeah, then everyone was happy:

John Eyob shares his MP3 player with our special friend Ms. Linda. She traveled with her daughter and our travel buddy friend Alice as Alice picked up her forever daughter. She was a TREMENDOUS help as John enjoyed holding her hand right and thus stopping a melt down!

The flight from Dulles to O'Hare was only about an hour and a half - a piece of cake. And you will notice lots of pictures of John as this flight went MUCH BETTER!

John discovering the music with the headphones. He LOVED pushing the button on the arm rest to change the station!

Coloring:

Watching the planes and cars out the window after landing in Chicago:

Family and friends were there at the airport to welcome us home and rejoice with us! And I cannot begin to put into words, and am chocked up even typing this, what it was like to be carrying our babies down the stairs as our family and friends, with balloons and signs and video cameras, ran toward us!! We were so excited to share this moment with so many who had prayed and supported and encouraged us through this process!

A few hours after arriving home, showing the boys around the house, and giving them a tub (which they LOVED once they got the concept of sitting down. We think they had only had showers before), my family came over for dinner, to visit with the boys, and see our video.

A surprise from my Mom and sister Sarah:

WHAT A JOURNEY - AND NOW ONTO THE NEXT LEG OF IT!!!

Thought/Advice to those coming after us:

1. Definitely take our friend Kim's advise and wait outside the gate at Addis until the last possible moment.

2. Airplane Bathroom FYIs for those traveling to adopt older children - we heard that most children were frightened by the toilet flush on the airplane (our oldest however loved it and thought it was hilarious!) so our plane was to open the door and then flush. We didn't need to though. Our oldest also had no problem telling us when he needed the bathroom and then waiting in line. Our youngest guy was in pull ups and we suggest using the back middle bathroom - there is a big mirror and our guy stood on the closed toilet seat looking at himself in the mirror while I changed his pull up. (Can you tell where lots of our concern was in regard to the flight!)

3. On the plane ride, just remember you will eventually get home!!

4. Don't worry about inviting friends and family to the airport. Our boys loved it.

5. We were unbelievably blessed to have had meals brought to us every other day for the first three weeks plus friends who gave us frozen meals. This was AWESOME!!!!! I was horribly sick the first week and a half home and not having to figure out what was going to be for dinner was such a blessing. But even more than that, our friends got a change to hang out with the boys for a little bit! If you are reading this blog and have friends who are adopting, remember to bring them a meal when they get home!!