We have also decided to simply pay fines for being overweight on luggage. The international flight has a 70 lb limit and the intra-country for USA is 50 lbs. It is not worth the time, effort, or worry to get them under control or break them into more cases (we have I believe a total of four or five checked).

We head downstairs to the lobby and simply place our keys in a quick check-out kiosk. There is a shuttle bus loading and rather than wait for the next one we barge forward - knowing we are hours ahead of schedule but with our last experience at LAX, I'd rather wait at the gate than risk missing our flight home.

Home. I keep looking at little Julia and thinking... we're taking her home and she has no idea of what we are in anticipation of.

We see there is a curbside baggage check-in (for a fee) and I alert Marty that since one of our monster bags is now handle-less (yes, you read that right) then maybe it's worth the fee to not have to try to lug it around. The baggage person is a tall black man with a lovely distinct accent that I cannot place, but I believe that English is his second language and he speaks with a distinction and class that I enjoy. We laugh at our taped luggage and explain that we bought it in China for the trip home and just hope that it gets there in one piece.

You are traveling from China?

Yes, and we explain how we just spent a night at a hotel since we just brought newest daughter home. We introduce her and Julia extends her arm and rotates her hand (the perfect wave for riding floats in parades). He smiles appreciatively and says "follow me" as he leads us inside.

He brings our luggage to the inside desk and there is an Asian man manning the scale. We are told that there is a $25 fee per monster bag and I don't flinch and agree that the price is more than reasonable. Our friend asks if an exception can be made in our case as we have come in from an international flight where we have just adopted a child - and our luggage did meet the international criteria. The man eyes us and then smiles at Marty. So, you are a dragon? I look at Marty and notice that he is wearing his t-shirt bought at the Great Wall saying that since he successfully climbed the wall - he is labeled a dragon. Marty laughs and states that it was not an easy feat.

I believe that you look more like an emperor the man states, and then waives the luggage through... no fee!! I look for our friend and he is walking away. I chase him down and thank him profusely (as well as tip him generously) for speaking up on our behalf. He smiles and tells me it was his pleasure - and you know what? I believe him.

So many affirmations of goodness and acts of outreach and kindness in this journey.

We head immediately up to a long line for TSA security. There is a woman in front of me that is a retired daycare worker (28 years) with her daughter, and behind Marty is a young woman who took Chinese for a year. The wait isn't really bad and the girls are good. Once again I rely on Marty for all the documentation and we do get flustered as we try to remove the carrier, shoes, fanny pack, backpack, etc. Today I have simply worn my sandals without socks and don't care if I step barefoot for a bit (laughing hard). After some of the dust/pollution I have seen I'm not as fastidious about it.

And we end up passing. I think I had a bottled water in one case (don't know how that happened but I apologize for it - it was unopened) and the screener seemed surprised that I apologized. He then apologized to me for having to confiscate it!

We are several hours early for our flight but you know what... I don't care. The girls are happy and although the gate area is crowded - once a flight or two takes off we have the area to ourselves. The people at the gate ask us about the girls and they are given flight wings.

The girls race and giggle and such. As more people arrive we try to reign in Julia (since she doesn't always come when called). And then we board.

Now our seats are pretty far back. The plane is very long and aisles are narrow. I start by the window and the sky is clear. I'm fascinated by the landscape below and watch for a long time while Marty and Mary nap. Julia alternates between napping and fidgiting and I am suddenly so very, very sleepy. Every time I try to position myself so that I may balance holding her and being able to possibly sleep myself, she grimaces and screams. I take comfort in knowing that I will be at my home tonight in my bed - with Marty (we haven't shared a bed since Taiyuan). My eyes burn in the dry cabin air and I alternate between watching the three middle-aged male flight attendants on our flight and praying and counting blessings.

I open my eyes and I see a female flight attendant in the aisle about two rows ahead of me looking directly at me. I meet her eye and she mouths the words "Are you alright?"

I smile and answer that I was and she winks and then heads back up front - I guess to the first class section.

Later on I reluctantly realize that I need to go to the bathroom. This involves not only having to make Marty and Mary wake up and let me leave, but making Julia adjust to a change in position. Furthermore, there is a couple with a child on the flight who have positioned themselves standing in front of the bathrooms and they are visiting with other passengers. Ugh. I delay as long as possible and then finally notify that we have to switch positions. Julia protests and we all switch and such. I end up opening the lavatory door on the father (not a good place to decide to park and visit, especially when you know someone is in there) and when I return to our aisle I tell Marty that rather than him trying to stand up and let me in, just to scoot over and I'll take the aisle seat. Mary still wants the middle which is a relief to Marty as he likes looking out the window (and having a place to rest his head). Julia returns to me and we settle in again.

That flight attendant who caught my eye before comes to my side later and places her hand on my shoulder. She tells me that she noticed me because even in my rest I have this huge grin on my face. I tell her that it is probably because we are completing our adoption journey from China with this little one in my lap and I am so very grateful and blessed and we will be home tonight.

She returns later and asks which agency we used as she knows someone who has just begun to feel pulled toward adoption. We talk another moment and then she specifically mentions Steven Curtis Chapman. This is much more significant to me as he is a contemporary Christian singer from Paducah, Kentucky whom I have followed for many, many years long before he was as well-known as he is now and a strong leader in the adoption community (he has adopted three daughters from China). Also, it was after I read the lyrics to Marty of his song he wrote "All I really want for Christmas" that Marty first asked if I thought it would be possible to adopt a daughter from China. So, mentioning SCC by name was just especially touching to me.

One more time before the flight is over, she returns to me and says that she needs something from me. She has a napkin and pen and asks me to write both my name and Julia's name. I ask if she wants her original/orphanage name or her new name and she tells me her real/adoptive name. I do so and hand back the paper and ask what it is for and she tells me that she wanted to pray for us and wanted to be specific in lifting us up.

Oh my goodness. This woman wasn't even in our section and how we were connected! She didn't have any way of knowing we were Christians (I don't have a cross on or don't cross myself when praying or such), and I just felt such a joy and peace of knowing that God put these people all along our path to encourage us and guide our way - reaffirming that He was right there and in control.

I'm so tired but also so very much at peace.

And we are headed to Detroit. As we taxi to our gate Marty calls his sister, Janet (she lives in nearby Novi), and we marvel at how close we are to both her and the end of our journey. We take a moment to orient ourselves as to where our next gate is and to Mary's delight there is a mixture of a tram as well as those moving sidewalks to take. She is a pro at negotiating those moving sidewalks!

We find our gate and it seems we sit for no more than 10 minutes and we are boarding. Boarding!! Oh my goodness we will be in Wisconsin in about an hour. Despite my thrill at this fact, exhaustion overtakes me. Julia fidgits more and I think Marty realizes that I am literally falling asleep trying to hold her as she drops her toy twice. He takes her from me and although I hear her protests, I don't really recognize them as I fall asleep. I do not know if there was beverage service or not - I was not aware. I next hear that the seats need to be upright and tray tables secured. I'm shocked that I was in such a deep state and that I faded out on Marty. Mary has slept and is still sleeping.

And then we land. We are home! I see that church that is so easily viewed on the runway - the one I gazed at when I would fly to visit Marty before we married. Ahh - the familiar never felt so good.

We disembark and Marty assists an older woman who has had to put her carry-on in a bin behind us (she is about ten rows ahead of us). He is the most thoughtful man. We are so anxious to be here and yet she needed assistance to place it overhead and everyone is in such a rush to get off the plane. I step across the aisle to the empty seats vacated already and instruct her to wait right where she is - that Marty will bring her case to her. She appreciates it - and I appreciate him. I knew exactly that he would do that for her. Suddenly being the first off the plane or being home two minutes earlier is not a factor. We are simply HERE. Mike is waiting with our minivan and we will all be united and heading home presently.

Mary is so very, very excited to see her uncle Mike. She has been telling people all along our trip that when we get home that her uncle Mike would be coming to the airport to get us in "Stan the van" as we call our transportation. She and Marty have a competition going as to who can spot him first and then race to who can get to him first. I hear her squeals as she realizes that Marty has spotted him (he calls out what color shirt to look for) and she has to apply speed to pass her dad. She of course wins and begins with a diatribe about... oh my goodness... everything! He learns of her imaginary "friends/animals" that have been in China with us and Marty's water-ball experience and Julia being afraid of elevators and riding in cars. I keep waiting for a break for a breath to be able to greet him myself and finally just grab a hug while Mary continues to play verbal catch-up with him. It's really funny.

I know that we have a good drive ahead from Milwaukee and since I did not change Julia in Detroit I need to stop here and get her situated before we move on. I go to the family changing room where a beautiful black woman was sitting with a most gorgeous daughter in a stroller. We begin chatting as I change Julia (she is screaming as she hates changing tables) and I am telling her that we are just coming home from China. She is waiting for her grandmother whose plane has been delayed. Finally we are done and I sit Julia up to be able to greet her properly.

She immediately notices Julia's cleft and says "why she is a cleft baby!" It is not unkind or abrasive or anything that puts me on the defensive - simply a statement of fact without a lot of fanfare. I respond that yes, she is indeed a cleft baby and before I can even address her palate the woman responds...

"I was a cleft baby, too." I am standing in front of her and search her face - she laughs when she sees me doing so. Finally she points to the left side of her lip and I'm still not seeing any signs. She tells me that she has had multiple surgeries and that many people are unaware. I can certainly see why!! I feel a warmth envelope me - far to many coincidences to brush off. I cannot convey how much I just feel God's love enveloping us and leading us still yet. We say our goodbyes and I am so touched.

Marty, Mike and Mary are waiting on a bench and we head to the baggage claim. A man was not exactly pleased that we show up just as he had to pull off our monster luggage. Marty simply laughs and thanks him. He pays $2 for a cart to stack it and we head outside. It is decided that Marty will get the van and Mike will wait with me and the girls and simply come by and we'll pack, load and scoot.

Well, we forgot that Mike had the parking ticket in his pocket - too late. Marty had to pay $21 to exit but at that point if they said $100 I think we would have coughed it up - simply to be home. (I must add since I am late posting this that we have since gotten a letter from the garage that we can be refunded if we provide them the ticket... which Mike still had and passed on to us. Whooo hoooo!)

Marty finally arrives and I load the girls while the brothers load the luggage. Julia is FURIOUS at the prospect of a car seat. She has never seen one (obviously as I didn't ever see one in China, either) and I am suddenly grateful that we did strap her in the stroller. We head for home - it is dark and I find the "kiddie crack" cake balls and start feeding her. Mary is wanting some as well and Julia calms down as long as the the supply holds out. Of course the ride is too long to maintain the feeding so Mike got to listen to his newest niece fuss for quite a bit and I kept thinking... good! I mean she has slept all day almost on the flights and I'm needing SLEEP and she is maybe going to tire herself a bit. Aren't I terrible?

Ahhhh! Home! Home!!!!!

I look at my long-neglected flower beds (I quit weeding mid summer as the adoption sped up) and just breath in deeply the country air. I look up and the STARS! Not just maybe one here or there... but thousands of stars! I missed them without realizing.

We head inside and I can tell immediately that Carol (from Carol's Critter Care) has cleaned up the house as there is no way that after two weeks away that my rug would be so clean - even if the dogs stayed in the study. Thank you!

I keep looking around and the dogs (Louie and Cooper) are excited and Marty takes them out to wear them down as Miss Julia needs a good first impression. The little black cat, Gilda, is so happy to see us. I place Julia down near her as she is begging to be let out. Julia takes one look and almost convulses in terror. Her fists are gyrating up and down and she is just horrified. I scoop her up and Mary just steps in and pets her beloved pet and Gilda winds around Mary. Julia still has tears wet on her cheek and watches the interaction with fascination - yet still fearful. I will see her chattering to her within five minutes and petting her within the hour yet.

The dogs are another matter. Their backs are at her eye level and their heads are above hers. We put them back in the study with the gates up so that she can see them. She watches them carefully. I will find her crouched down with her hands on her knees in the kitchen also later tonight chattering to Cooper. We will take down the gates when we go to bed and will never have them up again.

We forgot that we washed our sheets on our bed and when we went to remake the bed, the mattress pad had gotten wadded up - discovered as we went to remake the bed before our departure over two weeks ago. There was a very wet spot that I was afraid would mildew so we threw it back in the dryer and now have to make the bed again.

Marty calls Carol to see if we could possibly come get our third dog, Chester, who stayed at her house (He gets on Louie's nerves and Louie doesn't cope well). He leaves a message on her machine. We are overwhelmed with what to do first and want to get Julia situated. She of course is on China time and so although it is now almost 10:00 pm., here, she's mid-morning on her schedule!

We show her around and before I realize it she is just padding through the house and talking (well, Julia-talk that is) and seemingly interested and all. Mary isn't so sure about Julia wanting to touch anything without her expressed consent but there is so much to touch/explore that it doesn't seem to daunt Julia one bit.

We haven't eaten a meal today except for McDonald's breakfast. Did we make a frozen pizza? I am not sure - it is all a blur at this point and jet lag as well as adoption from lack of sleep in anticipation has overtaken our senses.

Somehow we make it to bed. We did have one casualty on the trip - Julia's beloved stuffed poodle named "Happy" was lost. We fear that she threw him down while in the Ergo carrier somewhere in the Milwaukee airport. I have such sentimental attachment to him but realize that beating myself up at this point is no use. She does get to sleep, though, and we realize that the next phase of adoption is facing us...

Goodnight from the Phillipson Four.