Has it really been a week?

It's hard to believe that we have only been home a week. It really does seem like much longer, but our flight arrived in Nashville a week ago Saturday at 9:35 p.m. We had a wonderful group of family and close friends who stayed up late and drove to the airport to meet us. What a wonderful sight! Yuli got to meet his grandparents (Rob's mom and dad), his Aunt Trina, Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Luke, two of his cousins and of course, Uncle Corey who came to pick us up and drive us home. While we were waiting on our luggage, Rob's dad sat on the floor in the baggage claim area, and Yuli decided that he would sit in Grandpa's lap for a minute. This made Grandpa very happy, and Yuli gave Grandpa a big smile.

That is how it has been for the most part since we have been home. Our little guy smiles all the time. He is happy and singing in the morning when he wakes up. He has become very cuddly and wants to be held or hugged all the time. He is even learning to give kisses. Yesterday at lunch, he pulled my face down to his and gave me a sweet little smooch.

Sometimes, I think that adjustment has been harder for me and Rob than it has been for him. Julia is eight years old so it has been a while since we had a toddler, especially a toddler who is fascinated by everything from light switches, to doors opening and closing, to the toilet flushing. With Julia, we were eased into the toddler world as she grew, but with Yuli, we have been thrown into the arena of a toddler who Rob likes to joke is on steroids. He wants to open everything, see everything, do everything, but he also wants all of this to happen with Mommy in his eyesight. He follows me from room to room and is usually right next to me -- underfoot so to speak. If I open a cabinet door, he wants to see what is in the cabinet. If I shut the cabinet door, he reopens it and then shuts the door himself.

Yuli also thinks that every time I go into the kitchen I must feed him. Sometimes, he will pull me into the kitchen and point at a box of cereal on the counter to let me know that he wants some. Rob and I have to be very careful that he does not overeat. We were told that the orphanage "rationed" the children's food so Yuli probably went hungry a lot. His natural awareness of when he is full or satiated was done away with because of the rationing. He could literally eat more than Rob and I both if we let him. He especially loves mashed potatoes so I have added that to weekly menu items. Julia does not care for them so we rarely ever ate them until Yuli arrived. We discovered his affinity for them while we were in Bulgaria and eating dinner at Pizza Roma. The potato puree (mashed potatoes) was one of the only soft things on the menu so I knew that he could eat them. At any rate, let's just say my boy has a healthy appetite.

Yuli enjoying the swing at the park

This week will be a busy week for our family as Rob returns to work, and we have our first post placement visit on Tuesday.  We will also have Yuli's first trip to the pediatrician on Thursday. I have been told that our visit to the doctor will be over two hours long. I should probably bring snacks to keep my hungry little man occupied!