Finally home….
Mike here…..2nd attempt at updating our blog. I was updating last night and started to fall asleep at the computer and when I tried to save it, it got deleted.
First, let me start with the numbers: we started our journey home at 1 AM in Almaty when we got picked up to go to the airport. We arrived home to our house at 10 PM. The thing there is that it was 2 PM on Oct 19 in Florida when we left and we arrived on Oct 20 at 10 PM -- that’s 32 hours of traveling. Now, we add the fact that we got up at 8 AM that morning and didn’t go to sleep that night since we were leaving at 1 AM and it would have been hard to wake up and get going with just a little sleep. Besides, we were excited to be going home. So all together, we didn’t have any real sleep for 49 hours. We did get some naps here and there, but nothing to refresh someone.
Krysta took the flights very well - better than mom and dad. We had the carry on bag, 2 bags with Krysta’s food and spare clothing and jackets. The first leg was from Almaty to Frankfurt. This was a 7 hour flight. The VIP check in that had been discussed in the trip paperwork is really no longer needed. We went to the check in counter to check in our bags and get the boarding pass. This took a while since we asked for front row seats to give us more room. When we received our boarding passes, I asked if we got the front row and she had to redo it again - she seemed quite lost. From there, we went through passport control where they check our passport and boarding passes before allowing us into the terminal waiting area. After that, we had a little less than 2 hours to sit and wait. We waited with the Sarvers and their children. Their plane left first, so Krysta said goodbye to Alyssa and Alex and they were gone. Our flight boarded a little later and everything had to be scanned, so we had to take off our jackets and the Snugli that Krysta was in. This was quite a chore since we were all organized with this set up.
When we boarded the plane, we found out that we were seated in the 4th row (the check in clerk could not get this right if she tried - and she did try 2 times). Eileen asked a flight attendant if a front row seat was available. He did direct us to a perfect front row and said a bassinet may be available. Our flight had 4 other families with children (they also seemed to be adopting their children), so it was going to be an interesting flight. Krysta fell right asleep when we took off and we did get a bassinet, so we put her in there to sleep. Then we met a boy about 3 years old that I nicknamed ‘Chuckie’. Chuckie was loud and into everything. His parents allowed him to walk around the plane and play with door handles and the window blinds. The 2nd time that Chuckie went into the row behind us and slammed the window blind, I was just dosing off - so I jumped up and said ‘what the heck- that’s enough’ (in a very angry, low voice) and his dad heard me. He said they better go back to their seats. For the next 3 hours I tried to nap, but every 2 minutes Chuckie would let out a scream or loud noise. Even his dad went to the back of the plane to take a nap. At one point, Chuckie let out a really loud, high pitched scream that woke Krysta - I was not happy and tried to let them know since the parents did very little to quiet Chuckie down or get him to sleep. We were awake for the rest of the flight and Chuckie never stopped - he was even disturbing the people in first class, but there was nothing they could do either.
We went into the Frankfurt airport and had a 7 hour layover. We used the Europe City Lounge, which cost 16 Euros. They had nice comfortable chairs and food and drinks. We fed Krysta first, then had something ourselves. It was quiet in there, but Krysta would not nap. I had her close to napping at one point, but someone in the room made a noise and she was awake. She was not cranky - in fact, she was smiling at the other people and babbling. She did spit up 3 times, and Eileen had to change her shirts 2 times since she was the target. We were tired and could have used a nap, but was not meant to be. After using the lounge for over 3 hours, we left to explore the terminal and go find our gate. Once again, we had to undo our organized system of jackets and bags to be scanned and enter the gate area. Eileen said the woman scanned her private area with her hands and detector. We found our gate and just stayed there so we wouldn’t have to be scanned all over again. We got a hard pretzel, donut and coke for $9 (the Coke tasted funny and so did the donut). I checked our seats and once again, they were not front row seats so they had to be changed. This flight was full, so no extra room like the first flight.
The flight from Frankfurt to Washington DC was 8 hours and full and tight. We got a bassinet for Krysta, but she was not going to nap here either. She did go into the bassinet and lay there with a toy. The seats in this plane were so close that I could not get comfortable enough to sleep since I was in the center seat. When we got our dinner, Krysta would try to crawl out of the bassinet so Eileen and I would put 1 hand on her and try to eat with the other. Eileen and I switched seats and I got to nap a little (less than an hour). Eileen talked to the nice, older women in the seat next to us. This lady was with a group that had the row behind us and they were supporting us in our effort to get Krysta to take a nap so we could also nap. This was 1 long flight…….
When we arrived in Washington DC, we got the official sealed paperwork for Krysta to become an official US citizen ready to give to the passport control officer. We were told that once we set foot on American soil, she was a US citizen - but you need the paperwork to make it official. They took us to the front of the line and the officer took our passports and the sealed envelope for Krysta and did his stamping. He said once he stamped her paperwork and passport, she was a citizen. I was ready to sing out “I’m proud to be an American” ( I also was ready to sing when leaving Germany, but Eileen stopped me). It was good to be back in America. People here talk English and we were able to get updated news on events that happened while we were away. I found out the Tampa Bay Bucs were 1-5 …. how did that happen? Anyway, the process was pretty quick and she had to also go into the 2nd passport inspection office for one more quick processing.
In the Washington DC airport, you have to claim your luggage and carry it into another room with a conveyor belt to be sent to the next flight. And of course, we were scanned once again. So we had to take apart our organized system of carrying everything to be scanned. Then off to the gate for our last flight home. We ate some McDonalds for dinner and called home to the sitter to let her know we were just a few hours from being home. This was less than a 2 hour layover, which went fast since we had the passport control paperwork and ate. We were boarded quickly and off to Tampa airport. Krysta fell right asleep in my arms and I also got some nap time in. I would wake up from time to time when I felt like Krysta was slipping. Before I knew it, we were descending to the Tampa airport. Yay, home at last- kind of. We grabbed our luggage and got our Enterprise rental car and car seat. It was 80 degrees and humid there - at 9 PM. I was not expecting that, but it was better than 32 and snowing. I wish I had someone pick us up at the airport instead of driving home - I was tired and had to really concentrate at times. But we had special cargo on board and had to make it home safely. 10 PM and in the driveway.
Logan came running to me and jumped into my arms - he either gained weight or I was tired and weak. It was really good to see him. He looked at his sister and softly touched her head. He said she has fuzzy hair. We talked for a while about our trip and Logan told us about his time with Ms Sandy and the fun stuff he did. Then off to bed. Krysta went down easily for bed and we let Logan sleep in our bed that night. He was very happy to see us. It felt really good to be back in my own bed. Krysta made a noise and Logan was concerned that she woke up and needed something. We assured him that she will make some noises and we will let him know if she needed him. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Here she is almost a year since coming home with us. She loves her big brother and enjoys rides. Here she is on the train ride at Busch Gardens. She has hair now! She laughs a lot and is walking all over the place. We are very glad that we adopted her. She fits right in with the Harrison clan with her goofy sense of humor.
