HOME

We are all home.   We're done. It's over. No more endless flights to/from Ukraine. No more leaving my children behind.  No more adoption paperwork.  I could go on and on but you get the picture. Now all of our focus can be directed on bonding as a family of seven and helping Alexander adjust to this brand new, very different life in America.  It will not be a seamless transition, I am aware.

We sure got off to a great start last night, though. It was a beautiful scene at the airport. Alex smiled as soon as he saw the crowd waiting for him, and didn't stop smiling until he went to bed. Once home, Alex, Eli, and Isaac chased each other around, squealing, over my "YOU HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW!  GO TO BED!" directives. Once the four younger kids were safely tucked away, Alex hung out in the kitchen with Curt, me, Nana, and Papo. Alex was still grinning from ear to ear, just watching us and listening to the friendly banter. After another round of goodnight hugs, Alex slept for a long time.  Probably as long as I would have slept had my alarm not woken me up at 6:30 to get the kids ready for school.  I should be able to sleep in tomorrow, though. By my calculations, if you don't count some light snoozing on the flights, I got a total of seven hours sleep from Monday through Thursday. No wonder I have a sore throat and stuffy ears again. I am so relieved that we can get into some sort of normal routine now.  We have an easy weekend ahead; perfect for just hanging out together at home.  Let the future begin!