It is Tuesday night here and we are officially packing for home! We just returned from the US Consulate where we joined 54 other adoptive families in swearing that everything we completed was accurate and true to the best of our ability. We now have Sarah's visa so she can leave China and enter the U.S.
Tomorrow morning we have to be on the bus at 6:00 a.m. to head to the airport. Our flight leaves for Tokyo at 8:20 a.m. With the 20 hour travel process, I'm praying Sarah does well and that we all get some sleep!
This morning we took our official group photo with the babies and pictures of them and all their families. The picture is of the 13 Jiangxi babies in our travel group (Sarah is the 2nd from the left). It seems surreal that we have been here two weeks already! The time has flown and dragged by at the same time.
We look forward to coming home for so many reasons! Introducing Sarah to her sisters will be the best part, but it will be fun introducing her to everyone else as well. I look forward to being in my own kitchen and bed again. Everyone here is tired of being in hotels.
Once we get home, please keep in mind that we are going to be incredibly jet lagged and haven't seen Elizabeth and Rachel in two weeks. Sarah is also going to be going through a huge adjustment to our home, her sisters, and her new environment. As a result, we want some time as a family to adjust.
Therefore, we are asking everybody (and we mean everybody) to refrain from calling and stopping by until Saturday. We will be checking our e-mail and posting on the blog. If you need to get us information, please email us. Also if you hear of someone planning on calling or stopping by before then, please let them know of our wishes.
We know all of you are anxious to say hello and meet Sarah. However, Elizabeth & Rachel will be our first priority when we get home and we need to respect their needs as our children and give them time to enjoy being new big sisters. Thank you for respecting our decision and wishes at this time.
We want to thank all of you for support and prayers during the adoption process, our travels, and helping with our daughters at home. All of you have been a great blessing to us.
2 comments:
Congrats!!! I will be praying for a non-eventful flight and a happy baby!!!! Re-entry takes awhile for those coming home, and those whe stayed home. You are smart in asking for a few days of time alone as a family of 5! Hang in there as Sarah and the two of you re-adjust your clocks. I really think that was the hardest part for us! I will touch base via email when we return from AZ. I would love to bring a meal over when you are ready!
Blessings,
Diana
P.S: What a beautiful group of Jiangxi Jewels!
John, Jonda and Sarah,
In response to your requests I have emailed everyone with the Bridge and shared a portion of your most recent post (in case they haven't been checking it). We look forward to seeing you all soon.
Mike
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