Ni hao

This means hello, and I figure this is a good title, since that is all the Chinese I know. Unfortunately, it doesn't get you very far.
Well, since some have asked how the trip went and all you've gotten so far is Mike's version, I will now tell the whole story. We got to the airport with our 6 large bags and 2 car seats to check, and we had a backpack each, a rolling carry on, a double stroller, and oh, yes, 2 kiddos. Quite the circus! We had help getting our bags and other paraphernalia to check in, and it all went without a hitch. At the check in counter, the manager had to come look at our passports because they were so new, they hadn't seen the new style yet. A little apprehension on their faces, but no trouble. By the time we got through security, we didn't have a lot of time to kill, which was good. We let Kate and AJ run around some before strapping them in for 14 hours. When it was time to board, it was nice that we were able to go in Business class since we could skip the long line and get some help with our kids and all our stuff. AJ was in the window seat, I was on the aisle, Kate was on the other side of the aisle, and Rachel was in the middle seat. This worked out well since we took many trips to the potty. More on that later. We didn't have any problems at all with Kate and AJ at takeoff or ear pressure, which was great. We did however struggle with the harnessing system that I had bought. It was supposed to act as an extra safety measure instead of just the lap belt, but because the sides of the seats sloped in, they kept sliding down. Kate and AJ ended up slouched in their seats a lot. We finally took them off and they were much more comfortable. Mike told me I didn't need them, and he was right. Thankfully, he didn't gloat. So, what entertained my kids for that long? Mostly, colorforms, thanks to the brilliance of Kristy and Korean Air who gave them each one at the start of the trip. We tried watching movies, but the DVD player died before Kate even got through The Little Mermaid, and the computer was not far behind it. The personal tv's in the plane did not have any movies that were what I would choose for my kids, but they got to watch one anyway, mostly without sound. We also read books, made sticker pages, colored some, let them listen to music, played with my handheld Yahtzee game, which has lots of buttons that beep, meals were a long process, and don't forget the many trips to the potty. AJ also loved all of the buttons he had access to, and he turned the light off and on pretty much the whole trip. He loved that!
Mike was right in telling you that they didn't sleep much. AJ finally fell asleep about an hour and a half before landing(11:30 pm), and Kate fell asleep about 30 minutes before. As for the potty situation, of course, each time one had to go, the other saw it as their opportunity to get out of their seat. Usually, when I took one, the other wanted to go right after. You all know how small the restrooms are on airplanes, now imagine me squatting in there, holding a kid over the potty and then maneuvering around to get cleaned up. A little cramped. Now, imagine what you would do if you realized that your daughter has had a little too much juice and the diarrhea set in and leaked through her pull up and got onto her pants. So, in the little bathroom, your daughter is sad and feeling sick, you take off the pants trying not to streak it down her legs, get the pull up off without getting it all over you or the bathroom, get her cleaned up without making a bigger mess and then putting a new pull up on, all the while praying she doesn't go through all the pull ups you've brought on the plane! She got her extra change of clothes on and was clean again. Thankfully, we were fine after that, but it makes for a good story.
We got to Seoul, on no sleep for me or Rachel, and a cumulative 2 hours for Kate and AJ, not even a normal long nap for them, and your body is telling you it's two in the morning. Since we had to wake both of them up when we landed, they were oh, so crabby, and we felt so sorry for them. We got in the stroller for the long walk to the ticket counter to see if we could get our seats for our next flight together. Rachel was 3 rows back from the 3 of us, and we were not able to change that. We had a four hour lay over in Seoul, and we visited a playroom, where Kate and AJ took off playing as if they'd had a full night's sleep. I however was beat. I am more than thankful for my sister because I wouldn't have made it here without her.
On the next plane, we sat in the middle three seats, and Kate falls asleep as soon as I buckle her in, head bobbing all around. Apparently, the hour and a half was enough sleep for AJ, because, he was awake all but the last 30 minutes of that flight. I think I may have nodded off for about 15-20 minutes. Nothing that you'd actually call sleep, though.
So, we're finally in Shanghai, and we get the stroller, with a little trouble, and head out to go through customs and get our bags. Thankfully, one of the guards at the customs counter saw us at the end of the line and sent us to another lane for "People who need help", that was definitely me at the time, even though I am the first to say I don't need help. I hadn't realized, Mike wasn't able to come into the baggage claim area, so remember all of that luggage, and the stroller with two kids? Here comes the circus again, actually, the looks we got were more like Mike's description, freakshow! Of course, the way out is not a straight shoot, we had to make 3 turns, which made our arms burn, but we did it and were able to see Mike as soon as we got out, he's not hard to miss after all. It was a sweet reunion full of hugs, kisses, and some tears. Can't you just hear in the background, "Reunited, and it feels so good..."? That's the only part of the song I know. We found out quickly that ramps are not a big priority in Shanghai engineering, so we struggled with getting all of our luggage to the van and then in it was another challenge. We weren't able to get the car seats buckled in with the rest of us and all our stuff, so we were forced to hold Kate and AJ in our laps. Off we go to the apartment. It is night time in Shanghai, so I'm praying for a safe trip there and sleep for all.
We got to the apartment, and it is very nice. As I might have mentioned before, nothing is child proof like it is in the States, and so, my mom radar goes up again, and we start to figure things out. Kate and AJ share a room and a bed, which, besides not sleeping much yet, has not been a big deal. They, through all of this, have shown incredible flexibility.
So, we're finally done travelling, and we're in our new home. We thank you for all of your prayers, I believe they sustained us during our arduous travel, and we will covet them as we begin to get acclimated here.
As for our blog, we are able to post and read our post, but we cannot see the blog when the posts are published. We are not able to see the comments made either, so if you have our email, which I'm fairly certain you all do, please let us know your comments through that. We would love to continue to get your feedback that way.
As for prayer requests:
-Continual adjustment to the time change
-Finding some connection with other expatriates
-Figuring out how to get around town by myself with the kids(Rachel is here for another week, so after she leaves)
-Making our apartment our home
-Stress level for both Mike and I, especially regarding the safety of our kids
-Peace
I will post again soon on my first impressions of Shanghai.