Haven't been here for a little bit, our journey home from ukraine began last week. Weds the 29th, Julia, myself, and our awesome translator/adoption worker took the overnight train from Kharkov to Kyiv. I had given Julia her medicine per the orphanage Dr for travel, she fell to sleep pretty quickly, we stayed up talking to 1am. The train had 4 bunks in it, and a small table attached to the wall by the window, and the door locks, was comfortable. So happy to wake up in Kyiv, even though the day would be running to get the last parts of the adoption done, the med exam, and the Julias visa at the American Embassy. Since Frank, Ashley, Matty went home 9 days before, being alone, and when Julia was in her extremem states of irratability made me really pine for them and home. Julia and I went for walks, wasn't scared at all, we blended in like everyone else, but home is home, and thats where I HAD to be. I went into the Embassy about 8:30am, gave the woman my sob story about NEEDING to go home, applied for the visa, paid, appt at 2p to speak to the officer for the visa interview. Next on the med exm, see the Dr for Julia to enter the US. I was just looking around, and hear someone ask me a question, in ENGLISH, another woman, fellow American from Texas adopting a beautiful teenage girl. We chatted for a while about her daughter and Julia, they were great. The med exam was faster than the wait, listned to Julias heart, watched her play with some toys on the exam table, and that was it. Took about 5 mins, and the report stated Julia has "Dawn Disease" along with her heart defect. Guess "Dawn Disease and Down Syndrome, maybe coincide together, nice job. Than we got something to eat, dropped off our bags at the apt, where we would be staying in Kyiv just one night. It was nice, but stressed me out when Julia would try to push over the TV, the small frosted glass table, pull on the curtains, etc, didn't want to have to pay to replace anything. Next stop, drop Julia and I off at the Embassy, and say good bye to the translator/adoption worker Angelena. She worked so hard for us, she was great. she was catching a train to go home as the visa was the only thing left, and I was with Olga, our facilatator. We hugged and cried saying good byes, we have E mails so we'll keep in touch, Into th Embassy Julia and I go. As soon as I saw the Officer, think he was american, I started to cry, what else was new. He said, the visa could be here today (the 30th of July), or tomorrow, have to send the info to Washington, depends if someone at the visa office is on line to see the info etc..." I told him, our flight is tomorrow, (July 31), I have been gone a month, NEED to get back home to Massachusetts, PLEASE help me, can you call Washington, PLEASE! Maybe he thought I was the hysterical mother, becasue I had the same woman from the morning help me 5 mins later. I filled in some more papers, praying hard for God to help us go home and get the visa. Saw the same great mom and daughter in the Embassy from Texas, made the time in the embassy easier, thanks. After about 30 mins, the woman calls me to the window again, "Mrs Booth, can you come to the window please, I need to have you sign something, and give you back your papers, with your daughters VISA, you can go home now. Again, I burst into tears, we are going HOME!!I'm a geek, I'm crying as I type this, was a very emotional time. Kept calling my husband with updates, and gave him the ETA of when we would be landing in Boston. British Air was phenominal helping me, they went above and beyond on the flights from Kyiv to London, and London to Boston. time to stop, the kiddies are waking up. God Bless America.