Home at last!

After 4 straight crazy days (Wed leaving the orphanage and taking a 17-hour train ride, a stressful Thursday morning at the embassy then figuring out family life in an apartment, Friday doing a 10-hour marathon between the hospital and the embassy, and a 24-hour travel day on Saturday) we are finally home. Thanks so much to the friends and family that set up our house and provided food so we could just slide right into life here; we feel very supported even though we have seen only 4 people so far. It is too bad we haven't been able to video all the kids' reactions to various things, but it is obvious that all 3 are really loving life here after just half a day. And for us it is pretty surreal to be back here. More than ever, I am appreciating stable internet, a comfortable bed, a proper shower, and a bunch of other things about our house.

Julia is the most expressive, but Olena is smiling nonstop here and often giving Julie impulsive hugs (she is very affectionate and easy to please and was an absolute joy for the last few weeks and on the trip), and Maria was pretty overwhelmed by having her own beautiful bedroom and is obviously happy though still quite quiet. Just after Pete and Beth and my parents left us alone, Julia was sitting at the counter and I asked her if she wanted an orange, an apple, or a banana, and she said, "Orange, apple, AND banana." I was just starting to get that when she caught a glimpse of what was in the drainer and started yelling, "Pomidorchka, pomidorchka, pomidorchka!" (a diminutive word probably best translated "cute little tomato"), setting all 4 of us laughing. A similar thing happened at lunchtime today when I pulled some Polish kielbasa off the grill and she just about came through the glass shouting "Kovbaska (little sausage)". Another classic: taking a sip of Coke in Frankfurt, exclaiming "Cacacochka!" (not a real word, I think, but close enough), and giving the bottle a delighted and passionate kiss. They did get a peaceful start to the day, all three snuggled together under blankets on the loveseat in front of Sunday morning cartoons. Maria and I had a good time together later in the backyard filling up the birdseed and getting the deck cleared off; she insisted on doing all the shoveling while I got the grill going.

The trip went better than I was expecting. We were in the air for about 12 hours (almost 3 to Frankfurt and at least 9 to Chicago). Julia had a little trouble during the layover and around hour 8 over the Atlantic. Lufthansa gave fantastic food service and nicer kiddie toys on both flights than I have ever seen, even when airlines were more full-service when I was little: nice stencils in a classy cloth bag, chocolates, playing cards, and a painted wooden baby bird on a steel carabiner. Maria hurt her hand trying to get out of the plane bathroom, which dampened the last part of her trip, but she was a trooper and she is fine now. All three slept the whole 3 hours of the van ride home from Chicago. Everyone slept through the important hours of the night, too, although Julie needed to help Julia a little at the beginning and around 4:30. I made sure I didn't sleep after Frankfurt, and I was able to sleep until 8, and then Julie got some extra sleep while I kept the girls busy.

We know there is going to be a lot of adjustment and work for all 5 of us in this next chapter, but it feels incredible for all the craziness, dangers, and uncertainties in the adoption process and orphanage to be over. There were so many ways that God's hand was obvious on this trip and, in retrospect, over the last 3 years to bring these particular 3 precious girls into our family that we are pretty overwhelmed with thankfulness. All the waiting, effort, and pain were definitely worth it.

Olena's teacher had a hard time saying goodbye.

Taking visa pictures on Thursday

Wiped out after the first embassy visit