I was scheduled for my usual induction, but when I went in for a check-up the afternoon before, Elizabeth's heart rate was a little worrisome. Not wanting to leave things to chance, the doctor decided to go ahead and send me straight over to the hospital and keep her monitored there.
When I got there (after getting my parents to pick up the children and picking up Brandon myself), everything appeared to be fine and so the induction was started that evening. The labor progressed pretty rapidly and Elizabeth showed up at 2:08 AM after over an hour of pushing. Both of us were healthy, so we got to enjoy a few days in the hospital before being sent home to fend for ourselves.
The next six weeks went by quickly as Brandon and I made our way through the paperwork checklist. I picked up the birth certificate a week after Elizabeth was born, and we headed up to DC the next Monday to apply for her passport. It was done the next day and had her Uzbek visa in it the next week. Elizabeth wins the family record for the earliest passport, with hers being completed by her twelfth day.
After the passport and visa, Elizabeth and I both got medically cleared, Elizabeth got added to Brandon's orders, and we had her plane ticket a full week before we were planning on traveling back to Uzbekistan. Brandon and I kept looking at each other the entire time, wondering when the unexpected disaster would strike. But no disaster struck, and we all flew back to Tashkent together on December fifth, arriving the night of the sixth with all our luggage. The carseat that we forgot to pick up at the baggage carousel in Frankfurt even showed up.
Before heading back, we were able to fit in Joseph's baptism and Eleanor's baby blessing the weekend before Thanksgiving. Brandon's parents and sister Brooke made the trek out from Missouri, my sister and her family came up from Jacksonville, my aunts came down from DC, and my brother and his family came down from Delaware. It was a wonderful family weekend. As I watched all of the priesthood holders gather round to bless Eleanor and confirm Joseph, I was thankful for the wonderful men in my family who do such a wonderful job of serving God and taking care of their families.
The next weekend my brother and his family and my sister and her family gathered for Thanksgiving at my parents' house. It was a boisterous and rowdy weekend, with lots of delicious food. All dozen of my parents' grandchildren were gathered, ranging from one month to thirteen years old. Weekends like that remind me of all that I miss while living overseas.
Our three months in North Carolina were actually quite enjoyable, and in the end I'm glad that we didn't go to London. I enjoyed the time we had with family and friends - and also being able to drive everywhere and have a house with a yard instead of a tiny London flat. I had such a great time that I was afraid that going home would be a disappointment after all the fun we'd been having.
But as soon as we walked in the door, I was so glad to be home, even if home is currently in Central Asia. It's great to be settling back into our routine and enjoying Christmas in our own home surrounded by our 'family' here in Tashkent. And most of all, I'm grateful that we're all together as a family. All nine of us.
