We entertained ourselves at the Westin on Monday.  Steve loves to play peek-a-boo with Sabrina with various sized things.  Monday it was his shirt.  She ended up finding the arm hole.  We thought she looked kind of ET.

I had the opportunity to meet Ashley – an agency friend.  It is always fun to put faces to the email!  Then we ventured to to Inka Grill (yes, we left the Westin and no sirens went off).  Sabrina flirted with the other diners and the waiter, shamelessly but did manage to stop and pose with mommy.

Leaving yesterday was a complete fiasco.  I was trying to ship a box home and the woman in the business center didn’t understand that I needed to leave 5 minutes ago.  We arrived at the airport and spent 45 minutes checking in – not 45 minutes in line – 45 minutes at the desk with the clerk.  Apparently she was having trouble issuing the lap ticket because of a problem with the system.  Instead of communicating this, she just left us standing.  Then when she returned, she informed us that the lap ticket would be $200.  $200 for our child to sit on our lap and breath their canned air?!?  I was told 10% of my ticket price (a bit less than $50) but apparently the taxes and fees are more than $150.  I wasn’t even close to amused.  Then we go through security and I couldn’t get the stroller collapsed and was near tears as Steve watched me from the other side of the security gate.  They choose to search both of our carry ons.  The salt and pepper shakers sent me over the edge – they were carefully wrapped in newspaper and she ripped it apart so that they were loose in my carry on.  Steve had to tell me to walk away when I started yelling at the woman that they were just salt and pepper shakers.  But, we got on the plane with our daughter so I guess none of it mattered.  Taking off from Guatemala and landing in Houston choked us both up.  It was a dream a long time in the making.

Sabrina did well on the flights.  She slept for a few minutes on both but didn’t take a good nap.  She was rather distressed to find most US citizens less impressed by her charm.  She tried her hardest to flirt with anyone in eyeshot but only a few were willing to be engaged.  We arrived in Houston and made it through customs in about 30 minutes.  Then we headed to Pappadeux’s for dinner.  Pretty good crab cakes and pretty girly slushie drinks.  (I kept telling the waiters gracias – how long will it take to stop speaking broken Spanish to people?)  Sabrina had her first dinner in the US as a US citizen.  She seems to be eyeballing mommy’s girly drink.

Then on another plane to finish our journey home.

Because my husband is amazing in so many ways, we won’t discuss the forward facing car seat and the struggle to install it backward facing at 12:15am in the airport parking lot.  We made it home (or at least what my brain still calls home while we hold the mortgage on it) and I found this:

And this:

Thought of by my husband and executed by my in laws.  Then I got to the kitchen and discovered milk, bread, baby food, and some other staples.  Also thoughtfully provided by the in laws (remember Steve hasn’t lived here in 6 weeks).  It brought tears to my eyes.  So wonderful to feel loved and missed.  So wonderful to be back home.  Here I sit this morning, enjoying my Guatemalan cafe con leche out of my Guatemalan mug while  my daughter and husband play on the floor in front of me.

And this is the beautiful sight I woke up to this morning:

My family.