We're home!

Well, we made it home on Sunday night...exhausted but feeling so happy to be in America. Our travel was long (3 planes) but the kids handled it like troopers. We were greeted by several family members and friends which was so nice after our long trip...thank you to everyone who made it to the airport to welcome us home!!!

So far, Emma's transition into the Bush household has been fantastic. She seems to be adjusting very well, without issues or problems. We are only 5 days in but hopefully this won't just be a honeymoon period, but the way of things to come. She is such a great little girl. She is handling her new world much better than I would. I think Lucas is the main reason for her settling in so well. She just follows his lead and off they go. I was worried that she may have difficulty sleeping alone in her new room since she slept with Lucas while in Ukraine but the first night (perhaps because of exhaustion) she climbed into her bed, pulled the covers up, said "night night mama" then promptly fell asleep. We awoke the next morning to both kids playing quietly in the playroom, waiting for us to wake up. Gotta love that!!!!

We've been out to several places (Target, grocery store, my hospital) and I've been taking my cues from her. She doesn't seem to be getting overwhelmed or over stimulated. She's so easy going (much like Lucas when we brought him home) and she loves going on whatever adventure is next. She also doesn't mind her booster seat in the car with the seat belt. We thought this might be a problem since she'd never been belted in while in Ukraine but, again, she takes her cues from Lucas and just follows along.

I registered her for Kindergarten and will enroll her as soon as we get her immunizations up to date. I imagine she will go to school in about a week or two. It will give her some time to adapt to our environment a little more and I don't anticipate she will have too many problems adapting to school. She of course will be behind but I imagine she will catch up quickly with her peers. She is understanding much of what we say to her and she is speaking more and more English everyday. She is incredibly shy though so she may not speak in public for quite some time. I can't imagine a more perfect child for our family.

Our time in Ukraine was tough, but as I suspected, the tough parts are fading and we're left with the wonderful memories (of which there are so many) of our time in Ukraine. The experience for Lucas was so important in so many ways. He now understands what it means to be adopted from Ukraine and he learned so much from being in "his country". His pride in his homeland is something we hope will last for a lifetime.

I'll post more in a few days along with some pictures. I just wanted to let you all know that all is well and we are having a great time as a family of 4. We've dreamt of this for so long, and now that it is a reality, we are enjoying it immensely. Life is good!!

L, C, L & E