We're HOME!!

WE MADE IT!! We are very sick of travelling and very happy to be home at last! We woke up at 4:30am (China time) on Wednesday morning (which was 4:30pm on Tuesday afternoon in Michigan) to get ready and meet our guide and driver to head to the airport. Our first flight was from Guangzhou to Tokyo -- only 3 1/2 hours. Our departure was delayed a short time due to fog in Guangzhou, but we were only held up about 30 minutes. Maelin did well on the flight. She looked at books, played with the flight safety cards (haha!), and did a sticker book. We had a 2-hour layover in Tokyo, where Maelin ran off her extra energy with trips up and down (and up and down and up and down...) the escalators. As soon as we boarded the next flight (3pm China time, 3am Michigan time), Maelin was asleep. She took a 1 1/2 hour 'nap' and woke up when the flight attendants started serving food - ha! All things considered, Maelin did very well on the 12-hour flight. We played with toys, ate some snacks, walked up and down (and up and down...) the aisles, and when a flight attendant gave her a deck of cards, Maelin and Mama played 52-card pick-up (well, it was actually about 45-card pick-up ... there were a few still left on the tray table!). She cried a couple of times, very briefly, but truthfully, Jim and i felt like crying after being on that plane for so long!

We arrived in Detroit around 3pm (Michigan time); customs and immigration went smoothly, and once we got our suitcases, we were on our way home! Maelin did NOT like the car seat (i'm pretty sure she'd never been in one before), but she cried for a bit and then fell asleep on the ride home.

We arrived home around 6pm to a lovely welcome from the Framptons, Gleesons, and Greschaws! Maelin got to meet Grandpa Les and Grandma Pam, Nana and Popa Gleeson, Aunt Shelli and Uncle Darrin, Uncle Jon and Aunt Laura, Uncle Lance, and cousins Lauren, Drew, Adrienne, Jacob and Lucas! She was a bit groggy at first, but she warmed up pretty quickly. By the end of the evening, she was let a few people hold her, and she was giving out hugs upon request :) In the pictures above, she's with Grandpa Les (my dad) and Aunt Shelli (my sister).

Baba, Maelin and i stayed awake until 9pm, and then headed for bed. Aaaaand at 3:30am, we were all up for the morning! The picture above is Maelin's first Cheerios breakfast - at 4:15am!! I'm sure it will take a couple of weeks to adjust fully to the time change.

If anyone is still out there and interested, i'll probably keep blogging about Maelin's adventures, at least until i have to go back to work in a few weeks.

Love to all,
Shonda, Jim, and Maelin