Day 13/14 and home.

And so we made it on our flight... sick and all.

Having a seat with a bassinet is great because you get way more leg room and I sware every stewardess on the flight wants to cater to your needs because you have a baby! I think my flight attendant could tell I was sick (probably due to the fact I kept fanning myself with the "What to do if your plane crashes" card. They were so amazing and kept helping us with our bags and oohing and aaahing over how cute our sweet Mose was.

And then we began to take off. All of the right sounds occurred and the plane began to move down the runway when all of a sudden verything kind of just stopped. It was a really strange feeling but the brakes were suddenly on and it was clear we were not taking off. I immediately looked to our flight attendants who were seated on either side of us facing our section. I know they are trained to always look calm during any sort of problem. And of course they were smiling away. But then I saw them exchange a few glances and I just knew something wasn't right! The one kept looking out the window as well... and now I was nervous. Then the pilot announced that there was some problem with the gear for taking off and that we would need to wait while they sorted it out. Now, I'm not a nervous flyer. I LOVE flying, I love everything about it but when you are sick and you don't know how your baby is going to be on the flight you don't want any delays. I had visions of us having to get off the plane and wait hours for the next one. Or of us being forced to taxi for hours while Moses screamed and we were sick in the toilet. And so more fanning of the face continued until about five minutes later when the pilot said the problem was fixed.
Hm... that was fast. Maybe they shouldn't of told us there was a problem and just said they needed to wait for something!
And so we took off again and this time we made it off the ground!



Moses was amazing and slept through the flight so well. I actually fell asleep too but woke up when the lady across from me was grabbing my arm telling me that my baby was crying! I guess I didn't hear over the engine of the plane. Anyways, from this point on I was paranoid and couldn't sleep.
And so I watched movies. The great thing about international flights is you have about 30 movies to choose from. Woohoo!
At one point Mike and I started to feel better and decided to eat one of the meals. Big mistake. Stomach pain quickly came back with a vengeance.

By the end of the flight I was so exhausted, weak, and so feverish that I wanted to die. Luckily, mike was feeling a lot better than that and was able to carry most of our bags and Moses.

Our plan was to go the baby lounge and relax... or find those cool chairs that actually lie down in the airport. We were going to meet Mike's cousin who lives in Amsterdam in a few hours for lunch. I was no longer looking forward to this. And so we began walking through the airport like zombies looking for a chair that was somewhat comfortable. Everything seemed to be taken. And then we saw a sign that seemed to appear out of the clouds like an oasis in a desert.... YOTEL. I think the sign said: Tired? Sleepy? And needless to say we walked towards this purple heaven (all their lights have a purple glow) and I have never been so happy to hand over my visa card in my life.

We didn't ask how much, we just asked if they had room and we went to bed! We didn't take any pictures of this gorgeous little bedroom but I found a youtube video that shows just how tiny yet gorgeous the room is! Seriously, it was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. And I'm so glad we treated ourselves to this because to my surprise I got my period! That's right ladies. Always be prepared when you travel (I wasn't) because I totally forgot how traveling changes my cycle. Anyways, I figure 98% of my readers are female and don't mind this detail.



After a few hours we were feeling a bit more sane, we had a shower and I felt "good enough" to go and meet Mike's cousin outside of the airport. And I actually managed to keep down a croissant and some juice. Yeah! After our lunch we had to get back through security and enter the boarding area once again.



To our surprise when we went through the check-in we were told by the women at the counter to expect delays and cancellations due to a plane crash.

Um..... panic!

Hearing this kind of news while at an airport is freaky. I asked her where the plane crashed and she said "Here, at our airport." She honestly looked very choked up and didn't give us any more details so we went in and saw on the TV what happened. It turns out a plane missed the runway at Schipol and crashed into a field. There weren't a lot of details as to how many people may have died but there were defiitely injuries. So now, I started to turn into a nervous flyer. First our freaky "take off" and now this. Thankfully our flight wasn't cancelled and we said a prayer and made it safely home.

Once again, KLM was amazing. The flight attendants gave Moses a KLM bib and at the end of the flight they came over with a card that the entire crew signed for him and a toy airplane. They told us that they were so happy we adopted and that they want Moses to remember the flight he came home on. It was so sweet!

This flight was long and Moses was a bit more fussy but I didn't care.... we were on our way to home, family, comfort, and we were sooooo excited to see everyone.

When we landed in Vancouver it was so surreal. I think I was shaking. I suddenly just felt so nervous and emotional. This was our dream becoming a reality, all my life I have wanted to adopt and now it has happened!

We made it through immigration without a hitch (I was so freaked they were going to take our baby away for some reason). And walked through the gates to see our family and friends. Here are a few pictures from our home-coming! Moses looks so small here to me. I can't believe how much he has already grown since being home!




(The grandma's)

(Cousin z. wearing her "Holy Moses" shirt)

(Moses is not so happy about the winter coat we brought him for the suprise snowstorm we came home in!)


I suddenly feel choked up. Like this is the end of this journey. I know of course that it is only the beginning..... of not only knowing and loving Moses as our son but of opening ourselves up to however our next child will come to us. Mike and I are so blessed for being able to adopt. We have gained so much more than a family through this process. I think that once you open yourselves up to adoption it feels like you adopt a country, a culture, and consequently a richer and more beautiful life. I continually stop each day and am overwhelmed by the fact that I have been chosen to raise this child. We are so lucky and we love Moses so much. The fact that my childhood dream has come true already merely shows me that I need to continue to dream. Who knows what is next. But don't worry, I think I am going to continue to blog : )

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us while we were gone, thought of us, and left encouraging comments to us on our blog. And to everyone for making our transition home a smooth one. xoxo.





"Adoption feels like a genetic connection because it links you directly not only to your own gene pool but to the genes of all humanity, all the way to the roots from which we all originated... Adoption carries the added dimension of connection not only to your own tribe but beyond, widening the scope of what constitutes love, ties, and family. It is a larger embrace."
-Isabella Rossellini (adoptive parent)