We got downstairs to check out, and it was sheer chaos in the lobby of the Hilton. Apparently a large percentage of the hotel population was checking out that evening, and there were many adoptive families that were all on our flight. The lobby was just buzzing with people and excitement, and little kids running around everywhere.

I waited in line (and waited and waited) to check out, and our friend and driver Selamneh came in and helped entertain Belane while I got the checking out accomplished. I won’t tell you what our grand total at the Hilton was, but IKES…it was a lot. (We got a great rate, but it still added up. We loved our stay there though, and I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling.)

We got our bags into Selamneh’s car and we were on our way to the airport. It was already passed Belane’s bedtime at this point, but she was taking things in stride. I was starting to worry a bit about logistics…how I was going to move two large suitcases, one large backpack, a lap top computer and a very clingy little girl all by myself.

But Selmaneh got us settled with a luggage cart and he got us as far as the security point outside. With a big hug and a tear or two we said good-bye, and Belane and I were officially on our own, and on our way.

We got through security without too much hassle, and made it to the end of a ridiculously long line at the Ethiopian Air counter. We got there right after the other bunch of adoptive families, so once again the kids were running around and being excited. After a few minutes of waiting, a LOVELY gentleman came over and told us that they were opening up another line, just for families with small children. Woo hoo! Since I was at the end of the line, I ended up being first on the new line, and soon enough Belane and I were on our way through the rest of the airport, minus our two suitcases.

We finally made it to this large, glass waiting room, where we waited to board the plane (it is a long process in Ethiopia…you have to be at the airport three hours early). All of the adoptive families ended up together again, and the kids ran around, ate snacks, ran some more, ate some more….they definitely knew that something big was up and despite the fact that it was well past bedtime for all of them, they were showing no signs of slowing down.

When we finally boarded the plane, it was very warm and crowded, and the realization that we were going to be stuck in those seats for 18 hours was a bit daunting. Belane did NOT like the idea of sitting in a seat with a seatbelt on, and wanted to be held. All of the hyperactivity and the amount of time past bedtime were catching up, and kids were crashing. There were lots of little kids howling.

I held B on my lap until they made me put her in her seat, and she did sit down ok, with minimal pouting. She loved having her own little TV and buttons I let her push as much as she wanted.

She was her typical cheery self for the most part and really took it all in stride. After about an hour of “playing” and checking things out, I got her settled down. She put her head on a pillow on my lap and stretched out, and she slept for a solid nine hours…right through the plane landing, spending an hour getting cleaned in Rome and then taking off again. The lights being turned on, meals being served, etc. didn’t phase her at all.

The flight is grueling. That’s all I can say. 18 hours in the same tight space is just not fun (the entire trip was over 34 hours, but that one flight by itself, from Addis to Washington DC is 18 hours). For me, it is definitely the “labor” equivalent of adoption. But all in all, she did great (and I did pretty ok too). She actually did a lot better than I expected. She is very quiet when she cries, so even the few times when she got overtired or frustrated, she didn’t disturb anyone around us. She did turn quite a few heads with her giggles though.

We survived it…we ate snacks, watched movies, played some of her little games and napped quite a bit. We made more than a few trips to the bathroom, and happily “visited” with some of our friends on the flight. I tried not to let my exhaustion show too badly, and tried to be upbeat and cheerful for her.

When we landed in DC it was just awesome. It was so good to be back “home”, even though we still had a lot of traveling to do. And, since Belane came home on an IR-3 visa, because we met her before the adoption, she was a US citizen as soon as that plane landed on US soil. Very cool! Lots of emotions.

Continued...