I'm writing this as we're in the air on our way to China.  I know I won't have copious amounts of time to blog in China so I'm writing while I can.   I want to be sure to journal as much as I can so I won't forget this amazing trip that will change our lives from this point on.

I surprisingly slept OK last night which I didn't expect.  I waited until I was super tired and got 5 hours or so of sleep for which I was thankful. The morning at home was uneventful other than worrying we forgot something really major.  We took our breakfasts on the go and met Waverly at her house on the way and she drove us to the airport in our van so that we don't have to pay for 2 weeks of parking.

Checking in made me nervous!  We couldn't check in online since we ended to show passports but when we went to check in with an agent at the kiosk, he said there was a problem with my passport and I would need to see a special agent.   She couldn't get the system to accept me either and they finally figured out it was a flag in the system that I would be traveling with an infant both ways instead of just on the way back.  They finally got it all worked out, but I was quite nervous in he interim fearing something was wrong with my passport that couldn't be worked out quickly.

We finally proceeded to security check and while the boys' backpacks go through, the agent stops the line and says,"We have a knife in a backpack over here!"   I of course paid little attention to the crazy people who would dare bring a knife on the plane until a couple of seconds later when Matt and I realized at the same time that it's Jacob's backpack they're talking about.  We both turned to Jacob with eyes wide and exclaimed, "A KNIFE!!??"   He immediately has the "deer in headlights" look because last night Matt had asked them to check and double check for anything that could considered a weapon.  Jacob and Matt both start hoping it's not the pocketknife that Matt presented to J on their special father son weekend trip a couple of years ago.  They pull us out of line and it took a while for them to find the culprit.  It was a camping cutlery tool that had a spoon, fork, and the dullest little tiny blade of a knife that he had gotten for Christmas from Nana and Gabby.  First small loss of the trip.  We reassured J that if that is the worst that happens this trip, we're doing great.

We flew out of Memphis at 8:20 or so and arrived in Detroit around 11.  Upon getting off the plane the pilots let the boys sit in the cockpit for a second which of course is a treat for a little boy.  We grabbed a quick lunch and boarded for Beiijing.

This is a huge plane - a Boeing 777 and they even have beds for sleeping in first class (which we are not:).   It's interesting so far.  The majority of people flying are Asians with several Americans flying alone, presumably on business. They make all of the announcements first in English and then in Chinese.  Also for meals they have a couple of American choices and then a Chinese choice. There is a precious little Chinese baby boy in the flight which has made me excited just it see him!   :).  The main difference I've seen between this flight and all others I have ever been on is that they keep it very dark at all times. No one has their windows open and everyone is in their own little world.  Very few people talk.  There is a video screen on each screen so instead of playing 1 movie for everyone, people can choose their own things.  They have kids' movies and cartoons as well as TV shows, music or whatever.  The boys have watched 1 movie so far.  They're doing great so far but on this leg we've only been 4 hours on this leg and we have 9 to go.

The plane is set up to where there are 9 seats in he same row: 3 seats on he right aisle, 3 seats on the left aisle, and 3 seats in the middle.  Because we were only able to book our tickets 3 weeks or so ago, our travel agent couldn't get all do the seats together.  We were assigned  3 seats on the right aisle and 1 seat in the middle of the middle aisle.  I knew neither boy would feel comfortable sitting between 2 strangers and because Matt's legs are longer, I volunteered to take the middle seat.  So I started out between a guy who thought his arms belonged on the other side of both arm rests and a grouchy lady.  We found out the lady's mood when Matt offered to help a different short lady store her luggage in the overhead bin.   The short lady made the comment that grouchy lady's suitcase was a little big and so maybe they should try another bin.   So the grouchy lady beside me says,"Well, too bad!   My luggage was there first and it's not my problem lady!!"   So I'm thinking God may have a job for me on this plane trip :), but found out otherwise when she asked to switch seats to an empty window seat because she didn't want to be in the middle of a family.  She did have a redeeming quality (or she may have not wanted us to talk over her), and I was able to move it the aisle and talk to Matt and the boys better.   :)

Overall, so far I'm just excited and nervous. We absolutely can't believe we almost get to hold Ellie Kay!!

Update:  Now I'm writing after most of the trip behind us. (We have about an hour left).  They kept everything dark on the plane until a few minutes ago.   They turned on the lights and served the third meal on this plane.   (None of us ate very much.  Not too hungry).  Most of the trip was dark with people napping or watching movies, except for a couple of Chinese people behind me who talked pretty loudly for a couple of hours.  Sleeping was very difficult for all of us.  I hope we can go to bed early tonight and catch up.  We caught little cat naps here and there except for my night owl Jacob who requires little sleep. I kept getting stiff from sitting in one place.

I'm excited to see Beijing very soon and want to soak up as many details as I can to tell Ellie Kay later on.