One day to spare...

With one business day to spare before our big trip, we received Elijah's American passport! Hallelujah! We have been planning our trip back to the states since the beginning of June, and we took a bit of a gamble by buying our tickets back then without having the baby's passports. The prices were looking ridiculous the longer we waited, so we decided to get them and roll the dice.
We wouldn't be allowed to leave the country if Elijah didn't have both passports, so once we started planning our trip, we had to act fast. The Brazilian passport took much less time, though was quite a hassle regardless, but the American one had a 3 - 4 week window to arrive. We didn't start getting too nervous about it until this week, and Jay was very vigilant about repeatedly calling the American consulate to check if it came. After our unlucky experiences in general with bureaucratic things (hello visa), we sort of figured it would come at the last minute. And thank goodness it did, not a minute too late!!!
Now we can officially begin packing up the house, though I of course started my part a while ago. While we are grateful for our experiences here in Manaus, we are looking forward to seeing our family and giving Elijah the chance to be closer to his extended family. We know everyone is anxious to meet our lil Bubba, and we're just as anxious to see them, too.

He's ready for that Arizona sun :D