Surviving

Our last 24 hours in India were a rollercoaster. It began with a trip to the doctor's office to pick up Cole's medical papers for the embassy appointment. The doctor told us to come before 10 (since that was when our appt was) and we got there at 9. The lady there said the doctor wouldn't be in until 10:15 or 10:30 and told us to sit. About 20 minutes later, after we are quietly panicking and whispering about what to do, another lady comes and just hands us the envelope that was sitting on the counter. Whew - just in time.
Our embassy appointment was really easy. We had a scheduled appointment which got us through the lines quickly but there was still a lot of waiting. I think we got called up to the window 4 times before it was all done but everyone was very nice to us.
We had a late check out at the hotel for 2 pm but our flight wasn't until 12:15 am. I would definitely recommend just paying for the extra night at the hotel to avoid the major struggles we endured. We spent the afternoon doing a little sightseeing and then asked to go to Dilli Haat to shop. Pretty sure that is not where our driver took us since I was told it was a flea market type venue with lots of Indian items. We ended up at what seemed to be a strip mall with Levi's and other Western stores. Hmmm... We did find a few treasures and it was sooooo hot that we didn't stay long and thought we'd just head to the airport early.
Apparently you can not go in the airport before 3 1/2 hours of your flight. So we got dropped off at the visitor's lounge across the street where we had to wait almost 3 hours. It was a nightmare and I broke down and cried several times. Crowded, under construction, hard, plastic chairs and a screaming baby.
When we finally got into the airport, our airline informs us that Cole's ticket is scheduled for July 12th, not June. But they easily changed it since he is a lap child and also hooked us up with the bassinet.
Our stress levels were high at this point and we were hoping to breeze through the officer before going to the gate. Not so. Turns out the first two pages of our packet that we were supposed to give him were for a completely different child. We also didn't have an original copy of something because we gave it to the embassy. Mark was pulling out paper after paper - it was a huge mess - and Cole began to scream...again. We must have stood there for at least 20 minutes. The officer was nice but obviously thorough and finally found what he was looking for in our stack. So to those of you who are traveling soon - check your documents! We just took everything given to us and assumed perfection and then yikes!
And now here we are at home, adjusting. It has not been easy and I hope each day will get a little better, especially since Mark returns to work tomorrow and Grandma & Grandpa leave as well. Thankfully my parents are coming on Wednesday - hope we can survive until then!
On another note, today is Cole's first birthday! Pictures to come...