We're home. We flew all night with a fantastic girl who waited until just after the wheels left the ground to fall asleep and stayed asleep the whole long leg of the trip. Flying at night was good planning on our part, and we want full credit for choosing our flights so wisely. Upon entry into the country, her passport was stamped with a temporary resident stamp awaiting her final paperwork for citizenship. An American girl. Our dear friends Sandi and Bruce picked us up at the crack of dawn this morning, and Maryn was not shy about meeting them. We came home to a driveway covered with Welcome Home Maryn messages from the kids in the neighborhood. You gotta love that, and we did. Thank you so much for the welcome. That was such a special treat to come home to. Sandi and Bruce filled the fridge with a variety of foods including watermelon and Ramen noodles. So far it's been noodles for breakfast, noodles for lunch, and I'll bet at dinner we'll hit the trifecta. Tomorrow night dinner will arrive at 6 p.m. from one of our neighbors. They have really rallyed around us, and it makes us feel great to be able to bring our daughter to a neighborhood filled with wonderful, caring families. Toby was well loved in our absense, and she and Maryn are getting to know each other, very cautiously on Maryn's part. She doesn't realize that Toby's only interest in her is as a potential food source, that is, one that has the potential to drop food on the floor.
Everyone says coming this direction is much harder on you, and I have to agree. We're tired, but we're going to try to tough it out until 10:30 p.m. The travel experts tell you to stay awake until midnight in the time zone where you are, but we can't stay awake till midnight on New Year's Eve, so that's not going to happen. I want to lay my head down as I'm writing this, but I must resist.
Maryn is napping right now in her own bed in her own home. What a heartwarming scene. Hope it works for going to bed later.
