Time to celebrate! We are all done!BJ is coming to America!
An American citizen yes,
but always a proud Polishman!
In front of the American Embassy with
BJ's Visa package! Yea!
WE ARE FINISHED! What a great feeling! It's crazy, but the whole two year process came down to this one last task! I was very impressed as everything went so smoothly! I was in and out in about an hour (most of the time was waiting) and all I had to do was raise my right hand and say "yes" when asked if everything was accurate. We then had to go back to the embassy and pick up BJ's visa package at the little window shown in the background of the above picture. The package is to be given to the Customs and Border Patrol inspector upon entering the U.S. We also have BJ's passport with his Visa attached to one of the pages. After the U.S. stamps his passport, he will become an American citizen. I read today that BJ will have dual citizenship until he is 18. If he decides to keep it, he has to apply. How neat is that to belong to two countries at once. I think that's pretty special!
Now that we are finished, we have a chance to pack, relax and enjoy two more days of Warsaw before we take off! I am hoping for an uneventful flight home, but I need some great ideas from all of you! How do you keep a 20 month old busy and quiet on a 9 1/2 hour flight? I'm a bit nervous as the little guy can't seem to sit still for more than 2 minutes! Please help if you can!
Thank you and God bless!
9 comments:
Congrats on finishing that final step - what a great feeling! We'll be praying for a safe and uneventful journey home for you all. We can't wait to see you!
I sent you an e-mail with a few ideas for the trip home.
Adorable pictures, as usual. :-) Give that beautiful little boy a big hug and kiss from us all.
Way to go BJ! That is so cool that he'll have dual citizenship until he's 18.
Can you save that email with ideas for the trip home. Hopefully I'll need it next summer!
jpfalzer@rochester.rr.com
Yea!!! What a great feeling to have all of the documents ready to go!!!! I also sent you an email with my ideas, I think you'll be surprised at how well BJ does on the flight!
Enjoy your last couple of days in Warsaw :-)
With three kids on the plane, we had to do a lot of planning to make sure they are all happy. We dreaded that day because we have three very active children. Until it was time to board the plane...
My very active kids, were the calmest kids on the entire plane. We actually received a round of applause when we got off the plane in the US.
My eldest watched the little TV screen in front and insisted on looking at the map with the airplane moving on it, so he can see where he is. He watched it for about 90% of the time he was awake.
My two other kids (5 and 3 years old), watched some TV, listened to music and fell asleep.
The meal times kept them occupied and after the meal time was done, I'd take each one of them for a stroll around the airplane. I'd then reach the end of the plane, where all the stewards gather, and "force" my kids to exercise. I'd tell them to do squats, lift their legs, stand on one leg. I'd do that for about 15 minutes, then continue to stroll on the other side of the plane. The kids loved it and it allowed them to stretch a little.
I also had with us several toys for them to play. The most successful toys are the magnetic ones. They don't fall on the floor, and are easy to spread around. If you can find a magnetic puzzle, that's ideal.
A colouring book with one crayon was good for a while. Magazines kept their attention for a very long time because the magazines on the airplanes have a ton of things in them.
But believe me, your son will be so fascinated by everything that's new, that he may just choose to look at everything and not play with toys.
Make sure you take change of clothes with you on the flight. For you as well!!! You don't want to get stuck with a dirty shirt from your child getting sick on you at the beginning of the flight.
Oh...and we also brought with us a box of earplugs for all the passengers that sat around us, just in case one of our children will decide to throw a temper tantrum. Thankfully, we didn't need it.
I'm taking it for granted that you will have a new teddy bear for BJ to hold on to throughout the flight.
One of the key to our success on this flight, was that everything we gave them was new. They had never seen it. So it held their interest for a long time.
Oh, definitely get a model airplane for BJ the day before the flight.
Also, you'll be amazed what a simple plastic magnifying glass does to a child. Ours, played with it non stop! They took it with them everywhere!
I hope this helps a bit.
Ummm...hmmm...didn't realise my comment would be THAT long. Maybe I should have just posted it on my blog and referred the link?
Have a great, safe trip home. The flight will go faster than you think. Our son did great on the flight, stayed up the majority of the way home (he was busy people watching), and was able to transition to US time over night. He went to bed at 12am, got up at 7am the next morning and that was it. It sounds like there are more positive stories than negative, so my guess is that BJ will do just fine. I am sure you are beside yourself with excitement at the thought of being a family in your own home. And I am so excited for you. Thanks so much for sharing your story. It was great to read.
Awesome!! Praise the Lord!!
Are you home yet? I just read your latest entry and am wondering how the flight went. I'm sure it will/was fine, as you have such a natural calm demeanor that BJ will pick up on. He's such an adorable little boy! Best wishes & kep in touch!
Hello Melanie and James
this is Daniel Guggisberg, the Kochersperger family historian. I would like to include your
son with the family tree. Here is a link to our
website
http://sites.google.com/site/kochersperger/
Which Kochersperger branch of the family do you belong to? There are 2 branches that spell the name exactly as you do, one is from Pennsylvania, the other is from Jay County, Indiana.
my email address: englisberg@gmail.com
best regards and our congratulations!
Daniel Guggisberg
Redondo Beach, CA
Post a Comment