Hello Everyone,

We left Guangzhou yesterday after our appointment at the United States Consulate. That experience was not what I expected. It consisted of standing in a line to hand them a few documents and then raising our right hand and promising to take care of her and to never abandon her. It was very fast. When we were finished, everyone clapped and yelled, so Abbi started clapping, too. It was priceless! We had to say goodbye to all the friends we had made there. Only four families left there for the airport. It was sad to say goodbye, but we were so happy to be on our way home with our new baby girl.

There was just one hitch in the beginning of our journey....we left one carry-on bag on the bus! Our guide was a lifesaver and got it to us before we boarded our plane. We had to pay for overweight luggage, but not nearly as much as some people we saw in line beside us. They had too many bags, so they decided to stuff the contents of one bag into the other three. They literally had three men sitting on the suitcases to get them closed. They looked as if they could pop at any second. It was hilarious!

I started my trip home with an earache and Abbi kept rubbing her ear. I was getting concerned about the plane trip and how it may affect us. We boarded at 9:30 at night and were all sleepy. I had trouble eating my meal because every swallow hurt my ear. I was able to get Abbi to sleep rather quickly and I had no trouble following. There were extra seats on the plane, so Abbi had a seat all to herself. She and I both slept about 8 hours. When I awoke my ear was fine and it hasn't hurt me since. Praise God! That was an answer to prayer. The rest of the flight was easy. Abbi played and made friends.

We arrived in Los Angeles in the evening and had a 4-hour layover. We let Abbi run and play as much as she wanted. We were concerned about this flight because it was about 7 hours and it wasn't her bedtime, but it was for everyone else. We gave her a bottle and she fell asleep and slept for about 6 hours. We couldn't believe it! When she awoke she was happy and playful. Everyone around us commented on how well she had done. I think they were expecting to hear a crying baby the entire time. She did great!

We waited in Atlanta for 3 hours for our flight home. It was morning there. Abbi was very busy in this airport. She pushed the stroller and ran a lot. Brian and I were exhausted by this time. We just kept thinking, only one more flight and we're home! The flight from Atlanta to Mobile is only about 45 minutes, so there was nothing to it. Abbi was her busiest on this flight and we were our most tired. I'm glad it was so short. There was quite a crowd of family and friends to greet us at the airport. Words cannot express how happy we were to see everyone and to be home! We both became emotional when we saw Drew. I didn't know I could miss someone so much. We had a great time seeing everyone and showing off little Miss Abbi. She was very playful and showed off her smile to everyone. She's such a little flirt!

Our journey to China is over and yet another is just beginning. God has been so good to us and I have no doubt that He will continue to be so. We are now Abbi's parents and we do not take that responsibility lightly. People have told us she is a lucky little girl, but I feel like we are the ones who have been blessed. She's precious and I thank God for her all the time.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support. We are so blessed!

Brian, Vicki, Drew and Abbi