Brian already posted our triumphant and barely conscious return to the US with our son, but I thought I’d add in a few photos from today.

We were up around 4 am and on our way to Hong Kong…

Three hours and two van rides later, we cleared Hong Kong Immigration and were on our way to the airport. It was HUGE– It took us about 20 minutes after checking in to find our gate. We saw a gate numbered 503! Here, Alexander still manages a huge grin– he doesn’t know that he’s got a 14 hour flight ahead of him!

Just a random side note on our immigration through Hong Kong. We crossed over via van, and it was strangely invasive. A woman with a face mask came into our van and shot each of us with a temperature gun– checking to see if anyone was sick, I guess. It felt very sci-fi. I’m glad Alexander is in good health– it’s fairly common for institutionalized children to arrive very sick. You might notice that he’s always got his pacifier– in addition to using it as a feeding utensil, he’s teething like crazy!

Our flight was fairly terrible. Fourteen hours on a plane is too long, especially in coach. We paid for a little extra leg room, but it still felt like steerage on the Titanic about 6 hours in. It was a rocky flight– several folks got sick, including a few adoptive families. I’ve traveled outside of the US quite a bit, but let me tell you– it felt amazing to step off that plane onto US soil.

Immigration for Alexander was a breeze, with much gratitude given to our friend Ken, the adoptive dad and O’Hare employee I mentioned in our departure post. He assisted in clearing the way for us to speed through the process, and we were met with smiles, handshakes, and hearty congratulations from Customs and Border Patrol. We were barely coherent by the time we got off the plane (though Alexander got at least 6 hours of sleep sprawled out on us! This kid can sleep ANYWHERE!)

We’re here! Meet the newest US citizen!

Our friend Adam was circling the airport waiting for our signal, and he promptly arrived to chauffeur our tired selves home in addition to helping us adjust our car seat to fit our little guy.

Alexander had a note waiting in his car seat from his new friend Josh, Adam’s son. He grabbed it and wouldn’t let go– this photo is NOT staged!

We arrived at home to a wonderful surprise. Balloons and banner, which will stay up for awhile! Our neighbor and friend across the street was waiting for us– we are so very grateful for all the help of our friends and family in taking care of our home and felines while we were away!

There’s no place like home!

We made a big effort to stay awake to fight the jet lag– our bodies are 13 hours ahead of Chicago, so it’s really 10:30 am, and we’ve been up 30 hours. We managed to take Alexander on his first stroller walk through our neighborhood, and we even unpacked a bit. Now, we’re settled in for the evening with a celebratory cocktail, child bathed and snoring happily in his crib, and cats ridiculously cuddly in appreciation of our return.

This will be an Independence Day to remember.