Going back to Atsugi after a day waiting in Yokosuka was a huge relief. Bosley was thrilled to see me at first, but then seemed to remember that I had left him so he spent a couple of days sulking. I was happy to have some time to repack my suitcase and get things organized around the house. This meant cleaning up a little and throwing away all the food in my fridge that could go bad before my husband gets home. Packing was pretty tough. I had to pack not only clothes for me, but stuff for baby as well. Plus there was the matter of packing pre and post-baby clothes since I'm not sure exactly how long I'll be gone. We waited around all day Saturday for word of a plane arriving. As the day passed without news, I kept expecting to hear that one would be arriving Sunday morning and I would need to be ready to go. I kept my packed suitcase ready in the middle of the living room floor. Eventually we got word that nothing was expected Sunday either and to go ahead and enjoy the day off.
I spent most of Sunday second guessing everything I had put in my suitcase. I knew that "stretchy" was going to be key, but with winter turning into spring, and spring never lasting very long in Texas, picking seasonally appropriate clothes was a little difficult. With my suitcase sitting in the middle of the living room and his travel carrier packed and ready to go, Bosley knew that something was coming and spent the next two days a little upset at me. So upset in fact, that he actually refused to sleep with me at night, choosing to spend the night on the couch instead. Sunday evening we received word that the first plane would be arriving Monday afternoon. I was pretty excited because I had expected to be on one of the first flights out. I didn't realize just how many people were in category 1 however. The 737 that was arriving was only going to be able to carry about 140 people. Alphabetically, this only got up to letter D. With only one flight scheduled to come in on Tuesday as well, I knew it could be a while before I got out. Thankfully I also had the standby option. Flights out of Haneda were pretty open, but the only concern was actually getting to the airport. When my friend Jess who lives upstairs decided that she and two of our other friends were going to take a standby flight too, we all rented a van to take us there early Tuesday morning.
With our flight leaving at 6:55 in the morning, we needed to leave base around 3:30 am. Our friend Rachel was nice enough to volunteer to drive the four of us to the airport. In addition to the 5 people in the car, we also had Bosley, Beretta (a chocolate lab), and two cats. Then we had to add in all 7 of our suitcases. Even in a van, we were packed in like sardines. A few minutes into the ride, Bosley (who's normally really good during car rides) noticed the cats. He started crying and trying to chew his way out of his carrier. I let him out hoping that he would be better if he was allowed to just sit in my arms, but that didn't work. He spent most of the ride yelping and trying to claw his way out of my arms to get to Ade's cats. Not the best start to our day, especially at 4 in the morning. After getting a little turned around on our way to the airport, and then getting delayed by the Japanese quarantine people, we made it to the gate at the very last minute. Thankfully, the flight was nearly empty and all four of us were seated in business class. The second the jet started up, Bosley started crying again. I gave him a little Benadryl hoping that would calm him down, but sadly it didn't even phase him. Usually on planes he'll whimper or whine a little bit but not this day. He full out yelped and cried for the entire 11 hour flight. I tried comforting him, being stern with him, 3 doses of Benadryl, several trips to the bathroom so he cold walk around a little bit, and even just ignoring him. I even tried giving him one of his favorite disgusting treats that usually will keep him occupied for hours. Nothing worked. He was so loud that my earplugs couldn't even drown him out. Luckily it was an empty flight and the only people close enough to hear him were friends so I'm hoping that they'll forgive me. By the time we landed in Detroit, I was ready to leave him in a bathroom with a sign that said "Free Puppy!" Needless to say, I didn't get any sleep on that flight!
I landed in Dallas at about 9:30 in the morning, exhausted and full of a million conflicting emotions. I was relieved to finally be home, thrilled to see my parents, and heartbroken to be leaving my husband at the same time. Moving to Japan was pretty hard on us and it hasn't been the easiest 8 months. However I never expected to have to leave this way. While I had always been a little disappointed that our baby wouldn't be born in the United States, much less Texas, I was as prepared as I thought I could possibly be and had everything all planned out. I was happy knowing that he was going to be right there beside me, no matter where it took place. I hadn't worried much about the actual delivery until I found out that he wasn't going to be able to be there. I can't imagine going through this without my best friend and partner by my side. He's always been the one who gives me confidence and makes me feel strong when I don't on my own. For the first time since finding out I was pregnant, I'm pretty scared. While I'm happy to be back in Texas again, I have no idea how long I'll be here or when I'll get a chance to see him again. It's been hard not knowing when he'll even get a chance to meet his daughter.
Even with everything going on, I do feel incredibly blessed. My family has been absolutely wonderful. My parents are thrilled to have me home. On Saturday, my mom, my aunt, and my grandmother threw me a surprise baby shower! Being the most gullible person in the world, I didn't think twice when my cousin asked if I wanted to get out of the house for lunch and pedicures that afternoon. It was very relaxing and we had a great time. I didn't notice a thing until we pulled back into my parents' driveway and there were a ton of vehicles parked outside. I couldn't believe how quickly they had been able to put this all together and how many people showed up to celebrate! Several people told me how they had been praying for us for the past couple of weeks and that they had gotten their prayer groups to pray for us as well. I honestly believe that it's because of these prayers that everything came together as smoothly as it did and that Bosley and I were able to make it back here safely. It's been a long and stressful past few weeks but I do feel extremely fortunate to have so many people who care.
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