From left field... an old friend says

Today I got an email from a highschool friend that I keep crossing paths with.  This fall he and his wife had their first child and I celebrated her arrival with less meaning than he just did mine.  He sent me a message on Facebook (OK I know, since when is FaceBook the most meaningful way to deliver a message??? But for this, it was perfect).  We aren't close, I can't even remember the last time I saw him.  For someone you have known over the years to send a message like this, well, it just makes me feel good.  I feel good because he knows me.  He knows what he could say to recognize the significance of my news and excitement and he found the perfect way to say it.  He said this:
"Только одно может превзойти улыбку молодой мамы – улыбка ее ребенка!


Поздравляем!"  and the translation (which he waited for days to get from their Russian accountant who has been out sick since I shared my news with him) is this: 

"The smile on a new mother can only be out done by one thing. The smile that is returned by the child on the other end. Congratulations"
I tear up every time I read it... it's perfect... it's from an old friend who knows just how much this means to me. 

In other news, I don't know that I've heard anyone else comment / complain / commiserate with the physical difficulty of coming home.  Now I throw myself a bit of a pitty party in that some of the circumstances of my trip made it a bit more stressful than the norm (traveling alone, traveling the LONG way around, missing flights, getting yelled at in Russian, having your travel visa arrive only hours before departure, having only one week to accept and prepare to travel, almost getting killed by your Russian Driver (OK - I think that is pretty standard lol), and traveling into the middle of nowhere to meet your child...) but, all in all, I have had a hard time coming down off of the adrenaline.  I've managed the having to leave him behind in stride (It wasn't a surprise to me - I've got things to do to get back) but the stress and racing heart and pounding chest that comes out of nowhere just when I relax (seemingly to say HEY!!! HEY YOU!!! Don't relax.. you might get eaten by a tiger!!!!) or something to that effect.  It's getting better but man oh man... I have struggled.  Tonight I'll go to my hockey game and work some stress out there.  I have to pick up 200 photos that I printed (yes mom there are doubles of some for you :)  and grab my skates... so I better get at it. 
The paperwork is coming along nicely.  Everything is in order, just waiting for things to arrive so that I can fill some forms out, update my home study and get everything back to the agency.  Inevitably there will be required revisions but I just want to be as fast as I can with fingers crossed to get back there FAST!!!

Well, speaking of fast, my skates are sharp... I better go locate my lungs (which I haven't seen since before Christmas) and see if I can still skate.