We're Coming Home

Today everything went so well for us at the Embassy, they decided to issue his Visa and documents today instead of Monday, so we are coming home. I was so excited when they told me this morning it was a possibility, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. They said to come back at 2:00pm with Alex and I would have my interview. We ended up seeing the other couples that we met yesterday adopting the two girls from St. Petersburg. When they called our name, I hurried up to the window only to find but they had not received the facial recognition confirmation as of yet, this was the only thing holding us up and then it just appeared on the screen as we were standing there. I called the airline and they only had 2 seats available on the flight out, so little one will be sitting on my lap on the return trip, will make for a long 10 1/2 hours, but I don't care, we are coming home. Now hopefully everything will go well at JFK and we will make it through immigration, where he will become a US Citizen, and we will have enough time to catch our connecting flight home, we only have 1 hour 30 minutes, so please say a prayer for us that we can make it. See you all soon in the USA.

Went to see the doctor today...

We had to go get Alex's medical exam this morning. There were other couples there who were adopting 2 girls who were about 12 years old and little man was flirting with them. When it was his turn to get his exam I had to undress him and put him on the table and he started screaming, the doctor had not even touched him yet. The doctor made me go sit down because he said that Alex was playing me, he had crocodile tears, and that he wanted me to quit picking him up every time he cried (he wants to save my back). I told him once we got him home and settled I would quit, but he said it would be even harder for both of us then. I know what he is saying is true, but when those little eyes look up at me, what am I supposed to do. When he was finally done examining him and Alex came over to me I had tears in my eyes because I couldn't stand to see him cry. I know I will have to get over this, but I think it is going to take me some time. He is adjusting so well to everything. We went to get his picture taken at St. Basil's today and walk around Red Square, he is just amazed at everything and sits in his stroller and looks around. I am so pleased at how well adjusted he is and how well he is settling in with us. We have been so blessed by this little boy.

WE GOT HIM!!!!

We picked up our little boy today, this is such a good day. When we got to the orphanage everything was very rushed, they dressed him, said their goodbye's and we were in the car leaving. He did so well in the car, just looked out the window at everything and was amazed. I am so proud of him. The last 5 minutes he was ready to get out of the car, but so was I. Once we got to the apartment I think the elevator scared him a little bit, he just looked around. We came into the apartment and he was just holding on to me tightly. After about 5 minutes I put him down and off he went, he just kept walking from one room to another, looking at the TV, looking out the window, listening to all the cars, he didn't know what to do with himself. After about an hour I could tell he was tired because he was sucking his thumb so I took him into the bedroom for his nap, oh boy did he cry, it broke my heart. I stayed with him and he calmed down after about 10 minutes and layed down in the crib and I rubbed his back and eventually fell asleep. That is the most precious thing to put your baby to sleep for the first time. I am enjoying his nap time but can't wait for him to wake up.

One More Day...

Today when we got there Mr. Man was just getting up from his nap and so we got to see him eat his lunch, he is a good eater! Mom and I were amazed at what good table manners all of the children have. They are taught to eat with only one hand and the other hand stays on the table. It was so funny to see him eat with a big spoon, the size his dada would use, and he just shoveled the food into his mouth. When he was done he had such a big smile on his face, he was in a very good mood, singing songs while we were walking and just as happy as could be. I kept telling him one more day baby boy and you get to come with mama. I can't wait for tomorrow it is going to be such a happy day to finally get to bring him home with me and an even happier day when we can both come home to dada.

Another Good Day

Mr. Man was in another good mood today. On our first visit today Mama was late because she was shopping at the markets, but once she got there we went for a walk. He has declared his independence and decided that he does not want to hold my hand when we walk he wants to do it on his own. Well, of course, with the snowsuit, boots, etc. he wiped out and ate some dirt. When he stood up his face was all black so mama had to wipe it off for him. He has also really decided that he loves his Cheerios. He goes right for the bag and grabs them out and brings them over to me and goes "Aaahhh" (I believe that is "give me one"). After he ate one I put the container in my coat pocket and he came over and hit me on the leg and went "Aaahhh" again and then got in my pocket and got them out. He is so observant, doesn't miss a thing. On our second visit we did another walk and this time he decided in the dirt that he would hold my hand, smart child. Tomorrow we are not visiting because mom and I are touring the Kremlin. I will miss the little one and can't wait to pick him up next week.

Another Good Day

Mr. Man was in a good mood again today. We dressed him in his little snow suit and headed out for a walk. We spent about an hour outside riding in the stroller and then he decided he wanted out to walk around and chase the kitty cat that runs around. He was no match for the cat, never even got near it. With all that he is bundled in and his boots he can hardly move. Afterwards we went inside to play and he was in a really good mood, he was singing some kind of song but I have not idea what the words were. After about another hour he looked over and caught me eating a cracker, I tried to hide it really quick but nothing gets by him. He came over and looked behind my back like I know it's there and then I had to get his snacks out. We introduced him to Cheerios today, boy did he like them. He made one last about 10 minutes because he kept licking it and then licking his thumb, rubbing the Cheerio on his thumb, suck his thumb and then start the whole process over again. Mom and I were amazed that one Cheerio could last that long. All the ones afterwards went straight into the mouth, he didn't waste any time. I can't wait to bring him home and introduce him to all kinds of new foods. He has such a funny expression on his face when he eats, he will really love the stuff at home.

I went shopping for him today and bought him a new pair of shoes and some new toys, not that he needs any but I am just panicking about the plane ride home and keeping him occupied for 10-12 hours. We will try his new shoes on tomorrow to see if they fit his chubby little feet. I brought 2 pairs with me and the one pair you can't even get on his foot and the other I think is a little too big.

Beautiful Day for a Walk

Today we took Mr. Man for a walk outside, it was a pretty day with the sun shining, but the wind was quite chilly. He had on his usual, yellow snow suit, boots, scarf, hat and gloves, he looks so cute in it because it is so big on him. He was in a somewhat good today just a little cranky. I think he was feeling much better than yesterday. We actually visited for 3 1/2 hours today and then toward the end he was getting very tired and hungry, so we ate some of the gerber puffs and that seemed to pacify him. Mama is not feeling good today, I started to get a cold yesterday and it is in full force today. I had a feeling I would get a cold because Anna & Sydney had one before I left and Alex has one now. I brought some cold pills with me but not enough so I headed to the Anteka (Pharmacy) today, our driver and the lady at the Pharmacy discussed my stuffy nose (I kept hearing them both sniff and then shake their heads yes, so that is the only reason I know what was going on). They gave me something, I have no idea what, but I took one about 2 hours ago and I am still alive and not hallucinating, so that is good. It seemed to help for about 1-2 hours and I am again all stuffed up. Oh well, I shall survive. I believe that it I can take another one after 3 hours (my interpretation of reading the dosage in Russian) so maybe I will be adventurous before bedtime so that I can sleep.

Little Sick Today

The little fellow was not feeling so well today. He came in somewhat smiling but his little cheeks were really red and he felt a little warm to me. He was on the floor playing and I noticed that he lost a little bit of his breakfast and then a little later he lost it on both he and I. He has really been burping something nasty smelling (wasn't sure exactly what end it had come out of) so I am wondering if they have changed what they are feeding him. Around 2:45 he started getting really tired and would lay on the floor and just put his thumb in his mouth. He is really cute when he lays down because he keeps tapping his foot to the music that is playing and every so often lifts his little butt in the air. After a while he started crying and wanted me to pick him up so I was trying to just lay on the floor with him and he started to cry harder and, of course, my luck the social worker was walking by the door at that time and heard him and came in to make sure everything was okay. I was trying to tell her that he was just tired, but I'm not sure what she understood and then not sure what she said to me, she then smiled and left. About 15 minutes later his caretaker came to get him for nap time. I am so hoping he is better tomorrow. I cannot wait to pick him up next week because I will know exactly what he is eatting and what is not agreeing with him.

Good Day

Well, my little cranky pants came in crying today so I thought we were going to have a fussy visit. His caretaker brought him into the room and he just threw himself on the floor right at my feet and just looked at me, like pick me up can't you see I'm sad. After about 10 minutes of me holding him he started to play and laugh. We ended up having the best visit today. He just amazed himself with a box he found in the cabinet that had rings in it that he would put on his arm and a piece of string. I think we can take all his toys back and just bring a paper box home from work and put a piece of string in it. After about 45 minutes he wondered over to his diaper bag where he knows his snacks and juice are and gave me that grunt that he has (feed me woman!!!). He tries to grab 2 of the little puffs out and shove them in his mouth before I can stop him and he has mastered the sippy cup, he gulps so fast and doesn't come up for air. I really hope tomorrow is as good day like today, he was such a joy.

Today was a sad morning, Dada left to go home. Our driver picked him up this morning and took him to the airport while I stayed at the apartment. Slava was going to walk him to get checked in and everything since he has never travelled by himself before. When Slava picked me up I asked how things went and he gave me the 2 thumbs up, so I am hoping that Dada is only his plane home. I kinda missed him as soon as he walked out the door and that's not normal. I'm going to blame that on being in a strange country, I'm just a little out of sorts.

Mom and I had a really good visit with Alex. When they bring him into the room he just runs and jumps into my arms and if I put him back down he starts crying. I think that we have spoiled the little one already. Everytime he would cry Mitch and I would pick him up, and now he expects that. To be honest, I am okay with that because I love just holding him. I think he is starting to realize that I am his mama because he wants to sit in my lap, hold my hand, me carry him, etc. He also knows that I am the one with the snacks and today we had apple juice. It took him a while to figure out the sippy cup (I had to try it first to figure it out myself, it was a little tricky). I think tomorrow I will take one of the normal sippy cups that will be a little easier. All that apple juice went straight thru him so I had to change his first diaper today, it weighted a ton. He started to get a little cranky about 2:30 (nap time is 3:00) and he cries and tries to fight falling asleep, but when they come for him he just gets a really big smile on his face. I think they feed him before he naps and he knows that. I am going to ask tomorrow if there is someone there to translate for me. That has been the hardest part here, our driver speaks no English and at the baby home there is one social worker who speaks a little, so can only ask questions when she is there.

Good Eats!

Well today he discovered cookies and gerber puffs. Everyday he always seemed a little hungry toward the end of our visit, so today I took snacks. I had the banana puffs in a cheerios container and when I first gave him one he just kind of looked at it and played with it. I put one in his mouth and he just got the look on his face like what is this. After a couple tries he was shoving them in his mouth by himself. Every time he wanted one he would just make this really loud grunt and then get a smile on his face. Later he got a little cranky so I got the cookies out, he was going crazy trying to eat them. I figured out for the plane ride home, as long as I feed him he should be in a good mood, just like his daddy! (Oops, Daddy just called me a bad name when he read this.) I have a feeling he is going to learn to like a lot of new foods and love the taste of them. Everything here is so bland tasting, I bought some ice cream tonight so gotta see how it tastes.

We went to get his passport picture taken today. He just sat in the back seat on my lap and looked around. I must say his picture was adorable, I wanted to ask for an extra copy but didn't know how to ask it. We only did one visit today so that he could get some rest and feel better tomorrow. We went to Red Square and toured around a little bit. Tomorrow morning we are going to an outdoor market to shop, I want to find him a little chair like he loves at the home. After that we will go and visit him.

PROUD MAMA & PAPA

Well, it's official - we are parents!!! Everything went very well today, everyone was very friendly and nice. We were both so nervous before court, I told Mitch I was more nervous today than the day I married him. After court we went to visit for about 3 hours and then it was his nap time. We then came back about 1 1/2 hours later and they had to wake him up and by the time they brought him, he had little tears in his eyes. I think the poor little one is so tired because we have totally disrupted his schedule. Tomorrow we are only going to do one visit so that he can get some sleep and feel very rested. Mitch said he is probably wondering when these people are going to leave so that he can get his sleep, won't he be surprised once he realizes we are not going away. Tomorrow we will take him to get his picture taken for his passport. I get to pick him on the 28th and we return home on the 6th. I need to have some mommy time before the boys rule the house!

What a wonderful little boy!

Today was even better than yesterday, he was so excited to see us. He came walking right in and I of course grabbed him for a big hug and then he wanted to get down to playing. He comes right over to his bag of toys and just starts taking things out and dumping on the floor. He was in a very good mood today, but we have certainly found out that when it is time to eat or sleep, he gets very cranky. The good part is you can have him laughing again quickly. We visited for about 3 hours and then went away for a while and came back in the evening to take him for a walk. There were other children outside walking and when we would come upon them, he would just stop and wait for them to get ahead of us. I think he didn't want to share our attention because all of the children were so adorable you couldn't help yourself from smiling and waving.

Our First Visit this Trip

We went to see him today and we were afraid that he might not remember us. We had to wait about 30 minutes once there because he took a longer nap than usual, doesn't he know how hard that was for us. When they finally brought him, he came into the room and just kind of looked at us and didn't really say or do anything, just stared at us. We took him outside for a walk and he just kept looking at us and then after about 15 minutes we had him laughing and he was just like the first trip. He was all bundled up in a snow suit and it was about 50 degees outside, thankfully we did not have to put on his scarf. Tomorrow is 57 degrees so we will see if we can take him for a walk again.

Another surprise, he is walking all on his own now and has pretty good speed. He is not the most graceful little one though because he tends to trip over his own feet and everything that is on the floor. Once he gets his momentum going, he just takes off and doesn't pay attention to anything that is around him. I guess Mitch will really have to make sure everything is put away at home because he is one curious child, picks up everything.

Well he said Dada today, you should have seen his dada, he was beaming! I reallt think he said mama first, just maybe it was in Russian and we didn't understand it (wishful thinking!) He met his Babooska (Grandma) today and just kept looking at her like "who are you?". His Dadooska is not happy that grandma got to meet him first, and she is surely going to call him and rub it in. We go back tomorrow for our two visits again and then the next day we go to court. I can't wait.

Trip 2 - We arrived!!

We have arrived. Not as eventful as our last trip, we did actually make is to Moscow this time on the first try. Unfortunately, they lost one of our pieces of luggage. It took us about 1 1/2 hrs to get from the airport to the apartment and within being here about 30 minutes they called to say our luggage is at the airport, we can come pick it up. Mitch has headed back to the airport to get it, the bag had almost all of his clothes and some of Alex's toys. We did make sure that we carried on all of our court clothes because they are the most important. The apartment is okay, very small, one little bedroom, a small living room/mom's bedroom, a very small kitchen, it will be cozy for all of us.

We get to visit Alex tomorrow and see our little boy. We can't wait to see him again, I hope he remembers us. I have my hopes up that he looked at our pictures every day and will remember who we are. We'll see, I'll keep you posted.

COURT DATE

Finally, we received our court date. We will be leaving on Easter to head over for our court date. Mitch will be coming home the Sunday after. Mom and I will be staying there until we can bring Alex home. We will be there about 24 days and we get to visit with him every day, I can't wait to see him againg.