After nearly 36 hours of traveling we arrived in Dili yesterday afternoon just after 1400 local time. Considering that the trip involved three continents, four countries, three connections, two new parents, a four-month old infant, a profoundly deaf grandmother, and over 160kg of checked luggage for a 60kg allowance on the last leg of our trip, I am happy to report all went splendidly. I duplicated Luka's bathtime routine by bathing him in a nice over-sized bathroom sink in the business lounge at Cape Town International, followed by a nice feed and a sleep in Business Class on EK 771 to DXB. Unfortunately, due to bad weather in Dubai our flight departed late and was stuck in an hour-long holding pattern outside Dubai before we could land, thirty minutes after our connection departed. The ground staffer at the transit desk resisted bravely when I insisted that the flight the next day simply wouldn't do - and we soon secured seats on the next flight out. Singapore was as uneventful as only an overly-efficient Asian city can be, with everything running like clockwork. Fortunately for me the gate agent took great pity on me and allowed me an additional 50kg of baggage, charging me for only half of what I expected.
Upon landing in Dili Luka met with the harshness known as 'heat' - something he has had the pleasure of avoiding for the past six months, ever since the two days he spent outside the NICU in Darwin. We came home to an overjoyed (and yes, slightly underfed kitty, turns out even Afghan refugee cats don't like to eat cat litter no matter whether it is mixed with wet food or not).
Thanks to my almost-as-efficient-as-Singapore-airport mom visiting, we managed to unpack about 90% of our stuff last night. She spent the entire time arranging and re-arranging a room for Luka where he will be changed and cared for in the first weeks while he still sleeps in our room. Thanks to our friends and fellow-new-parental-types Maarten and Annabella who brought delicious take-out, we did not have to go to bed hungry.
I must say, it was not without some emotion that I stood in the dressing room adjoining my bathroom unpacking, thinking about the last time I stood in that room. It was March 21, a day before Chris' birthday. I was 30 weeks pregnant with a as-of-yet unknown him/her, experiencing mild 'cramping' as I tried to imagine what makes sense to pack and to leave for whatever it was that I was leaving on a plane to Darwin for. I remember looking at my clothes thinking "what do I pack, will I come back, will I be a mom next time I come back here..." - I guess the answer to that was yes, it would be on 29 September, the day before my own birthday, when I returned to the place where our story began.
Thanks to everyone in Dili who kept Gus alive, thanks for the lovely welcome chalk message on the pavement outside our house, and thank you for the caring messages, support and prayers. It's good to be back.
Upon landing in Dili Luka met with the harshness known as 'heat' - something he has had the pleasure of avoiding for the past six months, ever since the two days he spent outside the NICU in Darwin. We came home to an overjoyed (and yes, slightly underfed kitty, turns out even Afghan refugee cats don't like to eat cat litter no matter whether it is mixed with wet food or not).
Thanks to my almost-as-efficient-as-Singapore-airport mom visiting, we managed to unpack about 90% of our stuff last night. She spent the entire time arranging and re-arranging a room for Luka where he will be changed and cared for in the first weeks while he still sleeps in our room. Thanks to our friends and fellow-new-parental-types Maarten and Annabella who brought delicious take-out, we did not have to go to bed hungry.
I must say, it was not without some emotion that I stood in the dressing room adjoining my bathroom unpacking, thinking about the last time I stood in that room. It was March 21, a day before Chris' birthday. I was 30 weeks pregnant with a as-of-yet unknown him/her, experiencing mild 'cramping' as I tried to imagine what makes sense to pack and to leave for whatever it was that I was leaving on a plane to Darwin for. I remember looking at my clothes thinking "what do I pack, will I come back, will I be a mom next time I come back here..." - I guess the answer to that was yes, it would be on 29 September, the day before my own birthday, when I returned to the place where our story began.
Thanks to everyone in Dili who kept Gus alive, thanks for the lovely welcome chalk message on the pavement outside our house, and thank you for the caring messages, support and prayers. It's good to be back.
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