Home Sweet Home!

Aunt Jill & I successfully crossed the world with Baby Jill in tow. We were greeted at the St. Louis airport by many family members & dear friends. Words cannot adequately describe the emotions of having your children meet for the first time. JC ran up to me, almost knocking me down, and bent over his new baby sister sweetly whispering "I'm JC and I love you Baby Jill". Jacob was a bit more shy. He came over, gave me a big hug and gave Baby Jill a sweet little grin too. It was quite a night.

A little about our week in Russia... We picked up Jill from Orphanage #10 on Tuesday, August 12th. She immediately "bonded" with me and would not let any others (including Aunt Jill) hold her or even touch her without a huge cry. I've become expert at the art of going everywhere with a baby on my hip!

Vlad took great care of us including taking us to the U.S. Embassy Friday where we secured Jill's visa stamp inside her Russian passport. We stayed at the Marriott Grand and found several places to eat and buy M&Ms and Coke Light... very important new mom foods! Aunt Jill, Jill and I spent a lot of time walking Moscow throughout the week. We took in all the sites and just enjoyed the beautiful city and weather. We also enjoyed getting to know Jules and her new daughter Clare.

Jill's rash was much better than previous visits and continued to improve throughout the week. We did notice it itching her and looking more red as we stood in line to check in for our flight. To ensure her total comfort and begin spoiling her right off the bat, I made the not-so-frugal decision to upgrade our tickets from coach to business class and we all crossed the globe in fine style. Aunt Jill & I enjoyed a champagne toast as we boarded, warm nuts as we reached flying altitude and even the most delightful chocolate ice cream as a mid-flight snack. The best part was the flight attendant call button, rung a few times for Diet Coke... not the Coke Light served in Moscow.... for Diet Coke fans, Coke Light just isn't the same! Baby Jill was excellent! She never made a peep on the flight and slept about 4 hours. It was a very enjoyable 10 + hours. Landing in Chicago, we breezed through immigration with an American flag in hand. Our little girl was an official U. S. citizen! She cried for about 2 minutes as our Chicago to St. Louis flight taxied to the runway and slept the remainder of the trip home. Now, if only someone other than me could hold her, she'd be the perfect baby!!!!!

The boys seem to be adjusting OK to having a sister. Time will tell. I'm giving it a week or so before the honeymoon period wears off and they realize she is here to stay. It's been hard to juggle everyone and I've yet to find a good routine. For those of you that know me well, you'll understand when I say the hardest part of having three kids is my obsession with keeping the house clean and clutter free. I went to bed Sunday night without vacuuming.... the mess is driving me nuts but the desire for sleep is overwhelming!

Jill's been sleeping well each night and we're very, very slowing transitioning her off the Gerber Oatmeal and bananas she's been eating since we picked her up. I'm also giving her soy formula in a sippy cup (she rejected the bottle). We see our awesome pediatrician Thursday and I'll seek his advice on her rash and transitioning her to whole milk and regular food. I'm taking my sister's advice and not using the puree' baby foods given Jill has 8 teeth and our past experience with Jacob, his texture issues, and our months in food therapy.

I'm sticking close to home this week. Today, the kids played outside and Jill enjoyed the water table.

A huge THANKS to Aunt Jill for tagging along with me to Moscow. Having my sister with me made our Journey for Jill that more special!

That's it for now! Many thanks to everyone for your prayers, calls, cards, flowers, thoughts, advice and friendship!