We have landed!

Where do I even begin?

The day before our flight we went to my Grandpa’s house in Dixon. He asked for us to stop by at least a day early so he could see Leah and we could spend a little time together before we took off. We got there around noon, and not even 15 minutes later we all fell asleep and took a nap. We’d been packing the hotel up the night before and were still exhausted. After our nap Leah wanted to explore the house so she got to: she walked around, got to “look” at pictures, and I took some pictures of her for my dad to see.[ That was the first time Leah had been in his childhood home in over 9 months – whenever we drive down to Dixon it’s to go to someone’s house for a party. ] After just talking for a while we went out to dinner at a little local Mexican place, then we stopped by my Tio Angel’s house to visit with his family one last time. Leah enjoyed herself as usual, and it was nice to be able to relax and see some more of my family before we made the plunge and got on our flight the next morning.

At that point it hadn’t really sunk in that we were moving for Christian or myself. We’ve both lived out of suitcases and hotels for one reason or another, and we’d been back and forth between our “usual stops” of Dixon, Galt, and Roseville…it just felt like a really weird vacation.

That night I didn’t sleep at all. Christian and Leah passed out eventually (him around midnight, her around two), but I just couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes. I was paranoid we’d lost something, we’d forget a necessity, what if Kairi gets stuck in San Francisco, or even worse: what if she gets stuck in Tokyo? I quadruple checked our tickets to make sure we were on the same flight, seats together, the right day and time. I made sure the vet didn’t overlook a single detail of Kairi’s history, and double checked her food supply we’d be giving the airline. After I finally convinced myself we were okay, and things were in order, I sat on the bed next to Leah and watched Dexter until 5am rolled around. Then it was time to wake up Christian and my Gramps to get the car loaded so we could be on our way. Our flight didn’t take off from San Francisco until 11:30am but we’d been advised to arrive 3 hours early so we could get our tickets, baggage checked, Kairi paid for and approved for flight, make it through international security, find the gate, etc. My Gramps has lived in the Bay Area forever it seems so he advised we take off 3 hours before our suggested arrival time to give us plenty of time for traffic since we’d be going through right around when people start heading to work for the day. Well it would figure that on this particular day his prayer for us showed results instantaneously – there was NO traffic the whole way to San Francisco, and even on the bridge we never once had to completely stop. We ended up in the SFO airport at our terminal a whole 4.5 hours early. We grabbed something to eat and let Leah walk around since it was a huge seating area and we were three of the seven people waiting that early. I got on the WiFi connection the airport has and woke my sister Jackie up, and she got everyone in her room so they could see Leah walk around on webcam and we could talk one last time before we took off. Even then I didn’t really feel like we were doing anything life changing…we’d flown as a family before, and came back. Nothing made this trip feel like it was anything special – Kairi was even waiting for us at our destination during our last trip – but I could tell my nerves would kick in soon enough.

After trying to maneuver the ramp with a baby, a stroller, a car seat, and 6 carry-ons (that we ended up regretting taking since only 2 of the bags ended up serving a purpose) we found our seats and settled in. I didn’t realize it until later but before the plane even finished taxiing out to the runway Leah and I were both completely asleep. She woke up ~2hrs later but I didn’t wake up for almost ~5hrs. When I first got to see our “in-flight map” we were halfway across the Pacific Ocean. I was in-and-out most of that flight, as I expected myself to be. Thankfully Leah was in a good mood and didn’t cause Christian much heartache. The last two hours seemed to drag on. They played four or five movies and a few episodes of FRIENDS so there was plenty to distract us, we were just getting antsy. Leah had woken up and was annoyed to STILL be on the plane and we really couldn’t blame her. By this point I had lost the feeling on the inside arch of my left foot though only slightly. When we were finally informed we were making our approach is when Christian and I started asking each other “Can you believe we’re here? Can you believe we actually made it?” After taking off around 11:00am and being on a plane 10hrs we were kind of expecting to land in the middle of the night – instead we walked off the plane and were welcomed to a warm afternoon in Tokyo. It was ~2:00pm when we landed.

Before we left the check-in desk in San Francisco they told us all of our baggage was checked through Okinawa. “Don’t pick-up bags, don’t re-check dog” they kept saying. All we’d have to do is go through customs and security again to get to our second flight.

This of course meant that when we landed in Tokyo we see Kairi sitting in the middle of the walkway by baggage claim and our stuff on the incoming belt. I wanted to cry my eyes out. We didn’t bother with the baggage but instead grabbed Kairi’s crate and took her over to the animal quarantine desk to see if something was wrong or if we simply needed to provide her paperwork to get her on to our next plane. The guy working the counter was nice, and although he spoke very little English he knew exactly what we needed to fill out and took only the papers he required for his records. Kairi was terrified, naturally, but was in one piece and that’s all I really cared about at that point. Christian and I were trying to figure out how we were going to push Leah in her stroller, a cart with all 6 luggage items, 6 carry-ons, and 1 dog crate through customs and to a ticket counter. Just then one of the airport employees must have felt our panic and fear because he walked over to us and asked “Are you the Zambrana’s?” and when we said yes he smiled and said he had our luggage on a cart ready for us. When we thanked him he asked if we were traveling alone with all of the bags plus a baby and a dog. We said yes and he called a stewardess-looking employee over and explained to her we needed her help. She smiled and took us exactly where we needed to go and explained what each counter meant. The ladies at the counter for All Nippon Airways (ANA) were very kind and helpful. They played and talked with Leah, got us our tickets, explained where to go and when, and took care of our baggage entirely. I was feeling frantic and completely lost when we first landed in Tokyo but after that I was completely fine. We walked to our terminal, got a drink and a snack, and that’s when I was able to get online to let people know we’d arrived. The calling card we’d bought to use while in Japan didn’t have an international number on it (only on the top part that most people will automatically throw away, go figure) so e-mails were sent instead of phone calls. Leah got to stretch her legs and run around the terminal while Christian and I took turns chasing her.

When we finally went to board our second and final plane we first got onto a bus, then we were bussed to the plane that was waiting for us a short drive down the flight line. After making it to the plane we were told it would be a few minutes and people just kind of stood around waiting to be told they could go on. After we were released to the plane Leah and I took our seats by the window and Christian took his across from me in the middle. The first plane we had been on was much bigger – since it was an international flight and all – with three seats by the windows, and six or seven across the middle. This plane was two seats by the windows, and four in the middle. We had a small delay taking off and Leah was in a foul mood so she was crying and throwing any and everything we tried giving her. When we actually started taxiing out to the runway she passed out cold and slept the first 45 minutes of the flight. The rest of the way was rough. We ran out of water and they only served tea and soda on our flight so we were screwed as far as formula, milk, or juice went. We tried teething tablets, pacifier to help with her ears, orajel, any and everything we could think of – no dice. We ended up just playing pass the baby and hoped we’d keep her calm enough to not want to kill one another before we landed. Christian did manage to get a cat nap in on that flight though not too long after he passed out Leah went into super-bad-baby mode and threw a huge fit that woke him up.

We landed at the Naha International Airport around 9:45pm local time on July 20th. The scramble to get all of our luggage together as well as find Kairi began and we hoped and prayed Christian’s sponsor would be there waiting for us to help us get to base. Thankfully he was, and he was a smart guy and asked another of Christians soon-to-be co-workers to meet him at the airport to help “just in case” we couldn’t fit in his little car. He has a 2 seater car with less trunk space than most smart cars so it was definitely necessary that someone else help out. It was a VERY tight fit but we managed to get everything in the cars. It meant all of the passengers had luggage in their laps and Kairi was surrounded by bags on the top and sides, but we got everything back to the base.

It was weird driving on the left side of the road, and terrifying watching the motorcycles weave through traffic – two things that are standard in Japan. We were warned of common practices such as cars blowing through red lights and speeding up when it turns yellow and got to see it happen more than once on the 45 minute drive to base. The whole island seems to look pretty similar from what we could see at night and on the main highway…lots of casinos. I think we counted 5 on the ride home. There are also quite a few McDonald’s and some A&W Rootbeer restaurants.

The base itself is pretty dang huge, and confusing. I think it has a lot to do with us getting use to the traffic laws to be honest. Christian was able to get an Okinawan rental car with his international driver’s license which has been a huge help to us since he won’t be getting his base-approved license until tomorrow (if all goes according to plan).The hotels on base don’t have internet except for in the little lobby down the road, and while there’s a shuttle that will pick you up from your room if they are available, there is currently only ONE servicing the entire base so we haven’t had any luck with getting a free ride. The first full day we were here (July 21st) we decided to try to walk the half-a-mile to the PX and commissary. We didn’t make it 20 feet when it started pouring. Not a little rain shower, not a quick sprinkle, downright torrential rain. Naturally Leah had nothing covering her stroller and we all got soaked. It was still ~80 degrees outside so we survived but we took that as a sign that Okinawan weather really isn’t predictable at all. Leah thought it was fun, and she laughed and played while we waited for the storm to pass so we could take her back to the room for a quick change. The humidity here is ridiculous and if I don’t put in contacts I will see nothing but fog on my glasses for a good 5-10 minutes upon going outside. I have a picture on my camera of our car and it looks like I’m standing in the middle of fog because the lens was hit by the humidity. Besides the rain and constant humidity the weather here isn’t all that bad.

It’s been two days since we arrived and my left foot is still numb. I called the hospital to ask if I should be concerned about it and it sounds like my big baby possibly picked one of my nerves and decided it would be nice to cuddle up with and has cut off the feeling to that part of my foot. I have no discoloration, no temperature change, and no severe symptoms otherwise…just numbness. I have an appointment to be referred over for my pregnancy and such on August 9th and if it is still a problem then I may see a specialist. Until then I have been told to do my best ot be on a “modified bed rest” schedule since Christian is in-processing and gone most of the day and I can’t very well tell Leah to just stop having needs. While he’s at work I am to keep my activity to a minimum and drink plenty of fluids; when he gets home I am to take my activity level down to nothing if at all possible (the nurse told me to have my husband take over duties with Leah haha) and elevate my feet. She recommended this because I have had a lot of back pain with this baby so far and from how I’m carrying (very prominently) at only 20 weeks my body is most likely strained and under stress from all of the traveling. I haven’t had much time to relax (except while writing this) today mostly because Leah is fighting her nap as usual and Christian is taking one instead. At least one of them will hopefully have a sunnier disposition in an hour or so!

Besides wreaking havoc on my innards, Baby Z is doing well at 20weeks+. I get plenty of loving kicks and punches throughout my day and my appetite is just fine. We do not have a name picked out yet for those of you who have asked, and I don’t know when we will have one. We have a girl name we like a lot but boy names are a little more difficult for us to agree on. I haven’t started shopping for boy things quite yet because while the PX here is pretty big their baby section is lacking a little in the clothing department for my taste. I sense an order from Carters.com very shortly…

I don’t have a ton of pictures to put online yet but as I take them I’ll be updating our Flickr account. Until we get a house (appointment is on Friday, waiting list is currently between 9 and 12 months…) I’ll be using the hotel internet so don’t be surprised if I am unable to update daily or if I don’t reply to messages or e-mails. It’s not done purposefully as anyone with a small child and a busy husband can tell you – I just don’t have a ton of free time on my hands right now. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, and I’ll update whenever possible. It’s nice to have a connection to our stateside family and friends still, even if it is online via the internet.

Never again.

Maybe 15 minutes from home tonight Christian fell asleep while driving.

I was sitting in the back seat of our car with Leah because she was very tired and ready for bed, but we were (obviously) not home yet. She can be very picky about her sleeping conditions and this just so happened to be one of those instances.

He was talking to me just fine and then I feel the car take a sharp right and we're on the side of the road, in the gravel, about to hit a tree. I screamed loud enough to startle Christian, who then over corrected and almost caused the car to flip.

Thankfully we were the only people on that road at the time...at the same time it's scary to think we could have gotten badly hurt and nobody would be the wiser.

Naturally I had a panic attack. I am really afraid of being in cars as it is (one of my weird phobias) so this only caused a breakdown to say the least. I had my cry and yelled at Christian until I felt better (which really didn't bother me then but I made a point of apologizing after we'd been home a while) then I took the wheel. I drove us the rest of the way home, Christian awake in the back seat the whole time.

He didn't look tired at all. Didn't sound tired. Didn't feel tired.

I don't know what happened to my husband tonight.