My BRAVE little ex-orphan

I have had a blog post brewing in my head for quite some time.... hoping to put it to "paper".

Matthew with Daddy leaving the orphange for the VERY LAST TIME-- FOREVER FREE!!!!!!!

When I look at my new son I have a really hard time remembering he used to be an orphan... I really do.   I love him to pieces and he looks almost like what a biological son of mine would look like, and he acts very much like my boys do.   Yes he does have a physical handicap but rarely is that even noticeable to me (we are usually sitting, playing, eating, driving etc).

However on my way home from the airport my heart broke for my new son.... for the drastic change that was happening to him.... I'm not sure how much he "REALLY" understands.  He of course has said numerous times---Yes I want them to be my mama and papa, Yes I want to go to America.... but does he understand this is FOREVER, not a week long trip???   And trusting, he trusts us so much it is almost unreal.  (It may be an orphan behavior, I am not sure).

When we picked him up from his orphange for his GOTCHA DAY (post to follow on those details), we grabbed a quick dinner and then headed for the train station.   As we got into the train (probably his 1st train ride, and these are older Eastern European trains, not very much room, but he sits on his bed like a big boy-- the nervousness shows on his face...and mine to probably.   The train ride is such an adventure.   I give him a children's Dramamine because I have heard that the train has a tendency to cause the children to become ill.   He takes it, right away, not 5 hours after picking him up, he trusts us totally to take this "medicine".   He trusts us to sleep in a bed next to us.....  almost stranger, only 2 people he knew for 1 month 2-3 hours a day.....  He trusts us.... and it humbles me.

Matthew/Dima-- his first 5 minutes in his NEW HOME... It was like Christmas morning

For the communication, we actually do okay-- we can motion most "needs" and we can use some very basic words "yes, no, good, hungry, thirsty, bathroom, I love you etc".

We arrive in our next destination, the capital city.  I do believe he is excited about seeing this city, it is very popular in Ukraine.  (As is a trip to Washington DC for Americans).  So we take him out an walk ALL around.

I can tell when he lets his guard down, down..... like at TGI Friday's when he and papa  "GET DOWN" to some funky music and he laughs a BIG BELLY LAUGH!!  I love that!!

We then took him to the airport to fly him home.  What an experience an airport is for a normal well adjusted person, let alone someones first time, someone who is 8 and with 2 new adults he has known for less than 1 month.   But not even a hint of fear in his eyes.  He is a BRAVE BRAVE little boy!!  (He did sit by the window seat every time and enjoyed looking out-- BRAVE BRAVE BOY!!)   As we were in the London airport we had to take 2 elevators, and a shuttle metro type thing-- and again-- I had to remind myself OVER and OVER-- THIS IS HIS FIRST TIME--- This is all new.... and I cannot speak Russian to him, so in brief words I try to sooth him, and encourage him.  I hold his hand (he LOVES when I hold his hand and rub his hand), I smile, I tell him, "good, good, everything okay" numerous times...he he again is such a brave little guy.  

We land at Dulles airport (he slept for almost 4 hours on the plane) and he awakes to "Americo??"    "Yes, Dima, you are in America!"   WELCOME HOME!!!   It is almost 10pm so no one met us at the airport, and I am totally okay with that-- he had such a LONG day-- so many new things--- and we had SOOO many steps to go through once landing in the US for the first time.

So then we take him on a bus to the parking lot we are parked at-- and then we get him out and put him into "Daddy's Machina".   He sits in the back seat in his booster seat (and does NOT like seat belts).  We now drive him 3 hours home-- not in a busy city-- (which he is used to) but to a dark dark country atmosphere (at 1am).   He is still so brave.  We pull into our driveway and tell him "This is Dima's home!!"  He smiles and repeats....we take him in and oh his face--- the kitchen-- he was amazed by the size I think, and then the washer and dryer in the mudroom also catch his attention.  Then on to the living room with toys--- he is smiling from ear to ear.   I bring out his walker that I rented for him and he uses it so well!!  (In this orphanage he used a grown man's walker, and basically rode it not walked with it).

After a brief time exploring it is 2:15am- so we take him up to our bedroom and let him crawl in-- and he goes to sleep-- how very very brave-- laying in bed with 2 "strangers"-- yet he is so trusting-- so trusting-- I cannot explain-- it is almost eerie to me...   

**Although I saw him interact with people at restaurants, vendors in his country, airport security etc and he is NOT friendly with them, he does not answer/acknowledge them.... so I do not think he is so trusting to EVERYONE-- but he is so trusting to us....... I love it-- but I find it very odd.


This post has taken me 3 days to post-- and the point of it is-- how BRAVE very very very BRAVE my son is--  he has left the small small world he knew for 8 years and has come to live in America with his FAMILY.....
He has tried so many new foods, he has seen many new sights, he has met so many new people-- he is doing wonderfully....

I know I would not adjust that well-- I did not-- I was miserable in Ukraine- counting down the days to come home----  so happy to be home...    it gives me so much sympathy for him......