Thursday the 9th

Today was the longest day of travel I have ever experienced.  We were at the airport by 8:30, for our flight to leave at 11:00 am.  We had some time to kill so ate breakfast and shopped for some candy.

Steve thinking:  "Why are these seats so $%^*ing close together?!

Our flight was 12 hours long to San Francisco.  Many have asked how the baby did.  She did amazingly well considering how boring 12 hours stuck on some one's lap is.  She fell asleep right before take off and slept maybe 2 hours and was awake the rest of the flight!  Yikes!  I had hoped she would sleep longer.  She ate food, played with toys, climbed up my body and waved at everyone behind us, walked the aisles and stopped to talk to anyone who was awake, waved at everyone and smiled her charming smile.  She also ripped up all the magazines, threw toys, and screamed really loud (but no tantrums thank goodness).  Luckily they fed us a lot so she was happy about that.  I did not sleep a wink.

Our plane arrived in San Fran around 10:00 am and we had a 5 hour layover to look forward too although to us it was really like midnight and we all just wanted our beds.

We made it through customs and immigration and then took Daisy outside to step on U.S. soil and officially become and American citizen.

First one foot...

then the other!  It's official!  Daisy is an American citizen!

Steve wanted to take the BART into the city and see some stuff which made my mom, Zack and I want to cry.  So we didn't.  Instead we got into the security line so we could go find our gate and wait out our now 4 hours.

While coming through security they made me wake up Daisy who was finally asleep in the carrier strapped to me so she could go through security in my arms instead of strapped to me with fabric.  Isn't that what x-ray is for?!  Whatever!  Then they "randomly" pulled Zack aside to PAT HIM DOWN.  But, they made him wait in this glass box until the official groper could come do his thing.  He was clearly terrified and I tried to pantomime to him that it was OK but I could see the tears forming.  They finally did their thing and we were through, Steve gathering up all our many items, all of us trying to put our shoes back on, me holding a baby not in a sling, trying to keep her asleep and trying to comfort poor Zack who was still terrified and now wailing and shaking in fear.  I have never been so livid.  I had to spend some time reassuring Zack that he had not done anything wrong and that they were all a**holes.  Allowing an innocent, sleep deprived, 8 year old child to be terrorized in the name of security does not give me comfort while flying.  It makes me never want to take my child on a plane again.    

After this trauma, we staked out a table near our gate and tried to rest.  About 2 minutes after I sat down, Daisy woke up.  Great.  We spent the next 4 hours chasing her through the airport as she tried to meet strangers, eat anything on the ground, poop her pants, and scream bloody murder.  It was awesome.  I was so tired I think I was hallucinating.  Zack slept on the bench at the table for most of it.

Finally, we boarded our plane bound for home.  I think Daisy was asleep on Steve but I don't remember because I immediately fell asleep with my head in my lap and was only roused when the plane landed at 5:00 PM.  Did you know sleeping hunched over like that for 2 hours really hurts once you get up?  I had a headache of migraine proportions and my whole body ached.  Death would have been a welcome relief.

But, there was no time to die.  Luggage had to be gathered and we had to get home.  My cute sister Ally and my dad picked us up at the airport and Ally had a darling candy basket and balloons.  We got into our car and had a nice quiet drive home without any near death experiences on the road.  What a welcome change that was.

When we got into our house it was clear we had had a home invasion!

My cute friends in our neighborhood had come and decorated our house with tons of balloons and streamers and posters to welcome us home.  They has also brought dinner for that evening and lots of good food to eat the next week and a gift bag full of stuff for Zack.  I almost cried!  Our other friends, the C family were perfect to think of Zack and they left him a darling candy gram poster.  It was so nice and we have the best friends and families who are always so caring and supportive!  Thank you all!

That night I got 4 whole hours of sleep!  Yea!  Welcome home baby Daisy!