Alive and Kicking!

Okay, I know the song references are over the top, but that is the song that came to mind as I am sitting here watching Savannah play in her Exersaucer this morning. I think Simple Minds (the group) must have had this moment in mind when they wrote the title to that song!

Okay, I know I missed the BLOG entry for the past couple of days, but I have to tell you that a 15 hour flight on an airplane across 12 time zones can catch up with you really quick! So here is the catch up entry for the past couple of days!

Monday morning in Hong Kong came bright and early after a long night of packing and repacking! Savannah hit the sack about 9:30 and Ann Marie and I followed a little after midnight. The night fairy was good to us and we all got a good nights sleep before the big flight. The alarm went off at 5:30 am and we were off and running!

We all met in the lobby of the hotel at 7:30 am for our walk to the airport and check in at Continental. All went smoothly, except that our friends Paul and Catherine were selected for the groups random luggage check! Not to fear as Paul was allowed to go to the front of the line after security found nothing but dirty clothes and baby items in the bags! They must be immune to the smell of dirty laundry as the officer never cracked a smile! After clearing customs we all hit the Burger King for a good American breakfast with coffee! Soon enough it was time to load the plane and 10 anxious families from the United States started off on the long journey home!


The plane ride, although long, was very uneventful (thank goodness!). Except for one set of children who without proper supervision ran wild in the plane for 15 hours and a couple of spit-up maladies around the cabin, all was well. Savannah made it through the flight unmedicated (Ann Marie as well!) and in good spirits! When we touched down in Newark we felt a huge weight lifted off as we were almost home! Then came customs! Not to say we have it all wrong, but it could be a lot better! After clearing customs and having to pay for a cart to move the luggage 150 yards (yes, it was only $3.00 but in China it was FREE!) we sent the luggage off to the next flight and were greeted by Ann Maries Aunt Mary and Uncle Tom waiting for us with pizza, water and some items for the baby! What a welcome sight! We gathered up Paul, Catherine and Zoe and had a feast right there in the terminal. By looking at the photos, it looks as if “like father, like daughter” holds true in the Marcus household in regards to pizza! Many thanks to the Buonanno’s for providing the welcome wagon in New Jersey!

After departing from Newark Savannah was a little crankier on the way to Raleigh, but who can blame an 11 month old who just made a trip half way around the world for being a little cranky, nevertheless we made it into Raleigh on time and made the long walk to the escalator to find our families! To our surprise we found more than family, there were close friends and co-workers there to greet us as well! We are truly blessed to have people who care about our family so much as to take time after a long day to meet us at the airport. Again, many thanks to you all for the warm reception!

It was so overwhelming to see our friends and family bond with our daughter that even I shed a tear or two! Being home was one thing, but being home as a family meant then world to me. We then loaded the happy families into the van and truck for the ride back to Holly Springs where we settled in for the recovery.

Monday night Savannah did not sleep very much, so neither did we. Tuesday we worked on a couple of hours of sleep and a couple of naps during the day and made it a lazy day to gather as much energy as possible. The food prepared by Ann Maries mom and our friends Karen and Chris really came in handy, thank to you both! We all sat down and watched the hockey game last night with our next door neighbor “Uncle Dick” and the bedded down for our second night which went much better!

Today we are again lounging around the house and getting Savannah back on her schedule for naps and eating. She is adjusting to the time very well, eating like a champ, and loves her new puppies that are very protective of her already!

Ill close today with a big THANK YOU to everyone for taking the ride with us the past few weeks and months. We are so happy to be back home and have our daughter and cannot wait to see you all and share our little bundle of joy. That’s it for now, so you know how the ending goes, till then…..

Michael (downstairs nanny), Ann Marie (upstairs nanny) and Savannah (the nap master) Kennedy