Mark- Day one- check!

Wow.  What an exciting, overwhelming and exhausting day!  Shew!  We got to the airport at 1:30...it was hurry up and wait..and wait and wait.  I was so overwhelmed with excitement, fighting back tears as to what was about to come.  Customs is a great place for people watching so we were entertained.  You see the electronic doors open a million times, anxiously waiting to see the face you have long to see for months and months.  For us it was only in a picture...a picture that I found out was actually Mark from 3 years ago.  Yicks!  Most our group walked out and we all cheered and hugged and cried ...but wait.  No Mark.  Soon to find out the poor kid did not "claim" a sandwich and had to go to a higher level of security.  Opps.  We laughed because we got the rebel of the group. 

FINALLY Mark comes out...white as a ghost might I add.  He speak very little English and if you know me you know I talk a million miles a minute and am bubbly and out going and touchy feely (sorry Mark...that's the cards you got dealt).  I am working on toning it down.  But needless to say we were all overwhelmed..but very happy! 

We decided to take the group to McD's for ice cream.  As we drove there, Jaxson had a Russian/English book and him and Mark sat in the back pointing at pictures giving thumbs up or thumbs down.  We found out he like sharks, bananas, swimming, and pizza. 

After ice cream we headed home.  I turned back to check on Mark in the third row of the car on a windy road and he was green.  You ok buddy, I asked?  he said his stomach hurt ...then BLEH- pukes.  Aye yai yai.  We scrounge to pull over strip the kid and get as cleaned up as possible to finish the trip home.  My heart ached for him- how terrible.  All he asked for was his mom. 

We have an app on our phones and ipad...it works good but sometime messes up because I am pretty confident after he puked his guts out he was not asking for "pancakes!, pancakes" or telling me that "ladies feel good".  This should be interesting as there is quite the language barrier.  After he showered he opened the door to the bathroom and just babbled something over and over.  I wish I could have taken a picture of Corey face for y'all.  He looks at me and says "what's he saying?"...I have not a clue, get the translator, dude!  He could not figure out how to turn off the shower...that's all. 

So we got home, showed him around and what to our wondering eyes appeared in his bag?!?  LEGOS!!!  The kids all got their out legos and played and laughed. 

He got sad a couple times and when it was time for bed he got very sad.  Broke my heart in two.  How scary it must be for a 9 year old. 
A little something about me...I never spent the night out, ever.  I hated the feeling when it was time for bed and all I wanted was MY bed and MY parents!  To this day, I hate it...but now it MY husband and kids.  So I can relate and I hate that for him.  I did find his brother on facebook and we were able to talk to his sister who is also here in the US.  Once he laid down he was out and is still sleeping this morning.

My prayer is that he is well rested today and we are able to provide the comfort he needs to know it is all going to be ok.