Last pit stop...

Hello faithful followers,
Lin, Ivan, and I have made it to our cubicle in Hong Kong for the night.  Last night our boy slept a solid 12 hours again.  Love it!  We had breakfast, packed up our final items, and headed for the train station that would take us to Hong Kong.  Ivan did very well for the first 5 minutes of the ride, then decided he needed to be out of the carrier strapping him and Lindsey together and if he couldn't get out, then he'd be sure and let everyone in the car know of his displeasure and misery.  All was well.  Upon arriving at the station, a gentleman with a dolly promptly asked if we'd like his help with our bags.  He had no official markings of any kind and his cart was pretty wispy for the luggage we had, but I said sure, throw em on!  He did however help us find our way through the station and upon arrival at our gate and unloading the bags let me know he charged 100Y for his services.  6 minutes of minor work.  Keep in mind the 20 min cab ride across town just cost 60Y.  I held up a 20 and said I'm feeling generous today.  You would of thought I insulted his mother.  At any rate, after much chatter, 90% from him, and me still offering the 20, we settled on 25 just to get him to leave.  A short while later we boarded the train and made the 2 hour trip to Hong Kong.  We left at noon, which is about when Ivan takes his nap, and he was still wide awake at 2:45.  He had a great time playing (mostly with Lin) on the train.  He did fall asleep in the taxi to the hotel, but only slept 30-40 min.  He woke up in our room a short while later and never looked back.  There weren't many options for food near the hotel, as in none, so Lin and Ivan had noodles and I had a sandwich from 7/11.

I have to say, I think Ivan has really been coming around the last couple days.  For the first week or so, he would always want to be held when in our hotel room.  But if we were in the airport or in a store, he was happy to get down and run around.  Seemed reverse of what you'd expect.  But the last few days he's been roaming around our rooms and content to sit by himself.  When we're in public, he's happy to run a few feet away from Lin or I, but then turn around and run back to us.  We feel and hope that these are positive signs of a growing connection and dependence.  We're very thankful parents.

So tomorrow morning we'll be up by 5 to head for a 7:40 flight to Beijing, then on home to O'hare.  I fully expect some meltdowns on the plane, we'll attempt to battle them with snacks.  If anyone would like to greet us upon arrival, we'll be arriving at O'hare at 1:20.  We'll also be riding the train down to Macomb and will arrive there around 9pm something if that's of interest.

Thank you for your prayers!  We ask that you continue to pray for us as we travel home.  That we could be a blessing to those we encounter along the way and that Gods light would shine through us.

Sorry , no pics this time... :(. But stay tuned!