UNEVEN

That's my word for this feeling I have. Others have called it "Fuzzy". Yep, that word works too. I told someone the other day, "I feel like everything is moving in slow motion and my brain is about 5 steps behind me."

The sad thing is, even though I feel tired all the time, no amount of sleep seems to make this feeling fade.

I have no idea how my hubby is managing to put one foot in front of the other. He was at work Tuesday morning and even went to Boy Scouts Tuesday night. And today he left to go on a camp out for the weekend. He doesn't look very good though. And he admits to having caught himself snoring at his desk. Poor dear!

Anyone have tips for curing jet lag?

I've heard it takes one day for every time zone you traveled through to recover. Well, that puts us at almost two weeks! I can't handle another week of this!

We're Home

After a completely exhausting day, including a 3 hour delay in Houston due to thunderstorms in Dallas, we made it home.

We're tired and still feel like we are flying, but we are happy to be back with our family. I enjoyed sleeping in my own bed again last night. My kiddos were happy to be in their beds again too. The boys are still asleep!

I'm going to rest again now. Have a great day!

Last Visit - part 4

As you can imagine, I started to get a little emotional towards the end of our visit. Knowing that I was going to have to walk away from this precious boy that I am head over heels in love with, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. The end of this trip is bittersweet. On one hand, I get to go home and be with my children again, but I am leaving one of my children behind. Very emotional!

So, Wilson was sleepy which meant some great cuddle time for us. And we were eating it up! Mike had him when he started laying his head down and sucking his thumb. We figured this was the perfect time to give Wilson the stuffed animal we brought for him. This little dog will stay in his crib for the next couple of months, absorbing the smells of the orphanage so that when we walk out for the last time, he will have something familiar with him. Then, being the super sweet and thoughtful husband that he is, Mike offered to let me hold Wilson so I could soak up some love too.

I miss him so much already. I spend lots of time looking through our photos and videos - over and over and over. I pray the next couple of months fly by. I want that beautiful boy at home, with the rest of my children, where he belongs.

Last Visit, part 3

I know, I know. I'm late with my blog post. But I have a good reason. We've been walking our legs off! We got to tour this big town and buy souviners for all our family. We've had a great day. Now we are tired - AGAIN - and ready to grab a bite to eat and sleep until 2am, when we have to get up and ready to go. Our driver will pick us up at 3:15am to take us to the airport. Then we are headed HOME! YAY!!

So, our last visit with Wilson was a good one. We really enjoyed playing with him. But true to form, he started to get sleepy after about an hour and a half. Only on this day, he was content to be with us, even though he was tired. Which made for some really special pictures. This isn't all the pictures, but it's all until tomorrow's post.

Last Visit, part 2

Watching Wilson play and interact with Mike and me makes me long for the day we will bring him home. He is already so much a part of our lives. And he just fits. Really! I can't wait to see my two littles play together. Eli will be thrilled to have a new playmate. One his size. And I can't wait to see how quickly Wilson learns things from Eli. Eli is 3 months younger than Wilson, but way ahead developmentally. So, developmentally speaking, we will have a new baby of the family. And I think Eli will take on the mentor role quite well.

But that's just Eli. What about the other three? Lillian will want to hold him and pick him up. Ainsley will want to teach him and help him with everyday tasks. And Max will just want to cuddle with him and give him piggy back rides and such. They are all so excited.


ANYWAY, I got carried away thinking of the future. Here's some more of our last visit with Wilson:

Where is Thumbkin?

I just had to throw this short post in.

During our first visit with Wilson, Mike asked if Wilson sucks his thumb. Marina translated and the response was, "Yes, but only occassionally. Not very much."

Well . . . . . . . . . .

I'm thinking they stretched the truth a little. What do you think? ;)

Last Visit, part 1

We had so many wonderful pictures and videos today, I get to torture you and make this a 4 part series. Trust me, though. You'll thank me in the end. These pictures are too good to let you see them all at once.

Today was our last visit with Wilson until we return for court. And, no, we don't know when that will be. I was a little anxious on the way to the orphanage knowing that today's goodbye would be harder. But once I saw Wilson, all the anxiety melted away and I just took each moment as it came. I savored every smile, every laugh, every kiss.

Wilson was feeling better today. We played with toys, played in the ball pit, slid down the slide. We had a great time.

One side note before you see the pictures. Another couple came in while we were there. They have already had court and today was the last day of the 10 day wait. They have seen their little boy everyday during that time. And you know what? He was miserable. He cried the whole time we were there. He wanted to go back to his groupa. The dad noticed Wilson and how happy he was and commented on how lucky we are that he is doing so well with us. And that's when it hit me. Wilson's magical extra chromosome gives him a peace like no ordinary child has. Wilson takes everything in stride. Did he ever get upset? Yes. Did he want to go back to his groupa? Yes. But he had peace that he was being cared for and loved. There's just something about that one extra chromosome. It's special! Wilson has so much to learn, but he will be teaching us so much more!

What a beautiful child!

I'm not sure how many times I said that today. "He is just beautiful." Enough times that I lost count. Finally, after the umpteenth time, Mike responded, "You've said that about all our kids." EXACTLY! He is one of our kids.

Wilson was not feeling as well today as yesterday. It didn't show too much, but he was a little more cranky. Not that we didn't get any smiles. We got lots of smiles and lots of laughter. He is such a sweetie. When they brought him in, he came to me and hugged me tight. He took some time to warm up to Mike today. In the beginning of the visit, Mike kept trying to get Wilson to come to him, give him five, or kiss him. But with each attempt, Wilson would turn back and hug me. I ate it up!

He showed a little more of his personality today. He very much enjoys playing with our phones. He prefers the iphone over the Motorola Bravo. If we tried to take the phone away he would grunt/growl and turn away. He would pout if we wouldn't give him the phone fast enough. He is going to be hard headed like the rest of the Wooddell kiddos!

Overall, it was a great visit. And we are even more in love today than we were yesterday. (if that is possible)