We're Home

We got home yesterday. We were 40 minutes early into the Redmond airport, so very few people actually greeted us, but then people kept trickling in, so that worked out well and might have been less overwhelming for Ella.

There are some photos of her homecoming below.

We have so appreciated all the encouraging, positive emails and blog comments, also yesterday all the people who came to the airport to welcome Ella and who let us know they have been keeping up with us on this adventure by reading our blog. It is amazing to me how many of you care so much about our family and especially about our new daughter.

This will be our last post. Now that we are home, we are shockingly busy. The last 24 hours have been chock-full of unpacking, holding Ella, and cleaning (had to redo all the laundry due to residual mosquito repellent stink, and unfortunately while paying someone to do your laundry is affordable in China it is very expensive here. I actually considered looking into it ....). We have also been sleeping a little bit too much during the day and not quite enough at night. Getting these pictures off the camera and onto the laptop was quite a feat for our jet-lagged minds and bodies.

This photo was taken just off the plane. It was a good thing we landed early because those little planes are not good for my stomach and I was very sick. Every time the plane bounced I made a humming/growling noise in the back of my throat ... I think I was scaring the man across the aisle.

We were greeted with flowers and a balloon by my friend Barb.

With my brother Tim and Ella's cousin Amy.

Ella discovered the Lego table in the airport and played with kids from our church. Until that point at the airport she was very quiet and withdrawn ... I think she was scared and just not sure what was happening.

With several people from Robert's work.

With our friends Jim and Heather Knox and their four kids.

With my good friends Tara McSween and Maria Roberts

With Matt and Amanda Fisher and their daughter Emily, who is the same age as Ella (and thus Amanda has been a great resource for me as I prepared for Ella)

With Grandma Karin