home feels so good

We are home. Home feels so good.

After our court date on Friday, we went to visit Vlad once more. Just being with him and knowing it was official was so sweet. I whispered in his ear that we are his parents for real now. I love that kid. I think he knows it. I was surprised that I didn't cry when we had to leave. I thought it would be hard, but the moment was just so full of hope and future that I couldn't be sad. He will be home in a few weeks.

We left super early on Saturday morning and took the train back to the capitol city. The train was actually quite nice since it was during the day. We were in a private compartment and got to see the countryside filled with little homes and farms. We stayed overnight in the capitol city and got up at 3am to head home to Chicago. Wow. Long day of travel. Syrus was a champ, but we were all exhausted by the end. And it was SO nice to finally walk into our house.

Home feels so good. I went up to the boys room that Syrus and Vlad will share. Their names are on the wall above their cribs. And it looks so different now. Before, seeing the name Vlad on the wall didn't mean the same thing as it does now -- it was in many ways just a name and a dream. Now when I see the name Vlad, I really know who that little boy is -- what his smile looks like, what his laugh sounds like, how he nibbles a grape when he eats it, why he lets out a yell when he can't find the cell phone, what his hands feels like when they grip me for a hug. Now when I see the name Vlad, it carries weight like the name Syrus does. Now it is the name of my son.

And what a name! We decided to keep his given name, Vladislav -- it is the one thing he owns and all of the nannies and kids call him Vlad. He knows that name -- and that's how we know him, too. His middle name, Sorin, we chose for him because it is the name of the priest who founded Notre Dame. If you know anything about the Burick family, they are a Notre Dame family. I got my football jersey when I got married to josh. And we wanted to give Vlad a middle name that would make him a Burick. Thus, he got a piece of the Burick heritage -- haha! Notre Dame, baby! It is in many ways a second home for Josh and his dad. Josh can't wait to give Vlad his jersey when he gets home.

That's right, home feels so good.