Yes, still alive.

Yes, we are still alive! Barely!

What an interesting week I have had with these boys. We went nearly straight from the orphanage to the train station a week ago Monday. The train trip was really pretty easy as it was an overnight train.

After a couple of days in Kyiv we endured the longest day flying home. Zhenya had some trouble on the flight from Kyiv to Frankfurt, but slept nearly the entire two flights after that. Poor Theo didn't sleep at all on the way home, and by extention neither did I!

Adjusting to the time difference was more difficult upon coming home than it was when we left. I also have several new children to care for, so who knows. I'm still wiped out today! I'm trying to decide if I have enough energy to do the grocery store with all these little people. Dad is traveling again.

The kids seem to genuinely like their new brothers. Ruby likes to pet them on the head and run away giggling. Ralph has pretty much ignored them altogether, though. I think he is probably wondering when they will be leaving! ha!

Zhen is a great eater and is acting pretty content overall. He prefers to play by himself and goes into the bedroom and shuts the door. He has some agressive tendencies, but so far they have only been directed toward me.

Theo is amazing and heartbreaking at the same time. He is constantly hungry and will eat until he overflows. I'm trying to give him as much as he wants, within reason. He officially weighs 13 pounds 1 ounce. I am totally disregarding his weight from the visa medical appointment. That appointment was really a joke. Did I tell you how they weighed him? I stood on a cracked old bathroom scale with him, and then again without him in my arms and the nurse recorded the difference.

We visited our family doctor yesterday to get a baseline for his weight. The doc suspects that he may have additional genetic issues due to his size and peculiar odor and has referred us to a children's hospital for some testing. These are tests that he definitely needs, and although I do not share the doc's suspicions it will be interesting to see what kind of results we get. If I had not seen so very many tiny children at the orphanage with the same starved appearance, I might agree with him.

Yesterday was a hard one for Theo and I. Lots of crying. Lots of Theo smacking and punching himself. Lots of me trying hard to figure out what he needed or wanted at the time. But I tell you, I love that kid to pieces. I couldn't imaging loving him more if I had given birth to him. Knowing how I love him, you will surely forgive me for what I'm about to tell you. Yes, he is wearing pink. I was unprepared for such a tiny boy and the only clothes that fit him are Ruby's old things!

Today, things are a bit brighter. I totally fed him way too much this morning and he spit up a lot. But right now he is playing on the floor and having a great time. He is pretty strong and has good energy. I helped him practice standing for a bit. He seems to enjoy that. It is so good to see him enjoy something, to see him smile, to hear him babbling. I just love the way he rocks himself to sleep. Yes, it is sad that he needed to learn to comfort himself, but it is so cute the way he clasps his hands and closes his eyes while rolling back and forth. He appears to be praying fervently.

The fact that he is home with us now is the answer to many others' fervent prayers. Thank you.