Almost Home!

We'll, we're on American soil. It feels like I've been gone for months, yet it's only been 2 weeks! I love coming home to America where I can understand what people are saying and I just feel...at home.

We're sitting in the Chicago airport. We have a 5 hour layover here! We had to wake up Anya at 3:30 a.m. so we could get to the airport on time. It's now 1:00 am the next night, Russia time and she's has not slept more than five minutes! I can't believe she's still going strong. She was a dream on the plane the whole 11 hours (so far.) As long as there's a DVD playing with Barney or The Wiggles or something like that, she just sits there all happy and doesn't complain a bit.  I was going to try to get her to lay down here at the airport, but I don't see it happening. She's running around the kids' play area in pure bliss, enjoying her freedom--celebrating her American citizenship! :)

I am so. so. so. so. glad to be done with the adoption. The last two weeks have been exhausting. I didn't realize how much it was impacting me until Jeremy showed up in Moscow. I had been bottling up my emotions for the past 12 days and when he walked off the plane, we both just wept. We have never been apart longer than a few days. It felt good to have a good cry that night and sort of catch up emotionally. It's not that anything is bad...it's just that I'm just not whole without my honey. Plus, it's exhausting traveling with a "toddler" that you're just getting to know!  Especially one who is experiencing real life for the first time! But she's awesome and happy and adjusting to normal life better than I ever imagined she would! I can't believe what a trooper she has been through all of this.  

The Titus family was a HUGE blessing to Katrina and I and eventually our husbands, in Moscow.  We had comfy beds, hot meals, rides to the airport and our Embassy appointment, an interpreter, and free calling to the states!  Emily was a total angel. She spent all day with us at the Embassy, then lead us on the Metro to Red Square, then drove us back home. Any American who can actually drive in Moscow is amazing...let alone one who can speak a little Russian!

Vahnya and Anya with the three Titus boys

It was really something else being at Red Square.  I told Jeremy he can tell people that he flew all the way to Moscow to see Red Square, then flew home the next day! That's pretty much all he had time to do. But he got to bring home a pretty sweet package. :)

Here are a few pics from Moscow.

 I took this one in the car on the way back to the Titus' after picking up Jeremy from the Airport Sunday.  Moscow has so many amazing buildings!

One of the "Seven Sisters" in the background.

These are all in Red Square. What an amazing place!

The Fillmore's and Nine's with our new little bundles.

Poor Anya and Vahnya had to sit in their strollers for five hours that day between the Embassy, the subway rides and touring Red Square. And the wind was frigid! But they both were so patient and only did a little complaining. I know none of my other kids would have been that patient!

Well, another four hours or so and I'll get to hold my baby Eli and hug and kiss the rest of them. Two weeks is far too long for a mama to be away from her little ones.  I can't imagine those who go for a month and do the whole adoption in one trip, like they do in Ukraine. How do you do it? I'm dying. But I guess you all wonder how we Russia people get through three trips.  Pick your poison, right?  You know, you just do what you have to do. It's hard, but you just plow through it and the Lord sustains you through those hard days, and when it's all done, you have this little human being that blesses your life!

OK gotta go. My battery is about out!