Planes to See

One year ago today John and I boarded an airplane to China--and to Louis!

Today Louis and I went to the airport to watch planes take off and taxi in. As much as I would like to say this was all a well-planned attempt to celebrate the first anniversary of the start of our China trip, it just happened that we chose today for a play date with Louis's new friend Lucas and his mom, and she suggested the airport observation area.

 

No toys to argue over and plenty of space to run? And airplanes taking off constantly? What better spot could we find?

Louis and Lucas hit it off. For 3-year-olds, both are relatively well-seasoned air travelers, though Louis doesn't remember his airplane flights at all.

John and I? Oh, we still remember quite a bit. The food...the turbulence...the size of the airplane bathrooms...the people we met along the way--some of whom are now very close friends.

And we can assure you that Louis looks much happier on this fake plane in the airport's play area than he ever did on any plane we took with him.

What a difference a year--and a little distance from a trip--makes.

 

As Louis and I were driving into the airport today, we saw airplanes flying low in the sky.

"Ride one?" Louis asked. I told him--once again--about the airplanes he has flown on, how he rode two in China, and one from China to the United States. He doesn't remember, but he didn't say so. "Ride one today?" he asked.

"Not today," I replied. "We can't fly without Baba. He would be sad to miss out on riding a plane."

One day maybe Louis will realize the pleasure Baba finds in riding airplanes is slim--and that any joy he finds is tied directly to the fact that those flights are part of becoming a father.

Today Louis had other things on his mind.

There were airplanes to watch...

child-friendly vehicles to explore...

just enough sharing of steering wheels and seats to make the visit educational...

juice boxes to inhale...

and places to go.

The boys never said where they were driving these vehicles.

They didn't seem to have a specific destination in mind...

besides the bottom of the juice box, that is.

When John and I boarded that plane a year ago, though, we had a definite itinerary and a very clear goal. Neither one of us had ever imagined flying halfway around the world. And we had never flown together. But we felt the tug and knew we were called to push aside our worries and fears to welcome this little boy in Hunan Province into our home and family. After all, he had already captured our hearts.

As I watched Louis gazing at the airplanes today, I sensed some of that same sense of wonder. Airplanes are, after all, magical.

 

How do airplanes fly? How does a child halfway around the world become our son who fits so perfectly into our family? How did the last year go by so quickly?

We'll never know.