Grateful to all - preparing for trip #2

hi everyone.. i was just thinking about our next step in this adoption journey. Seems like i was never going to finish round #2 of the paperwork but i've gotten thru the toughest part. We have about 5 documents left that need to be notarized & apostilled (state certified)... So we hope that after the judge reviews all of our documents, he will give us a court date. On the average, we're looking at 3-4 months from the time of our 1st visit (which was end of Oct., beginning of Nov)...so February or March? Well, March is the coldest month of all so wouldn't that be something to go then! It'll be so interesting that we'll take off to Russia a family of 3 & return a family of 4! Hmmm...it's exciting...

On this eve of Thanksgiving.. Greg & I want to thank all of our friends & family again, for the continued support & encouragement given to us during this whole process. We have not felt alone on this journey & are grateful for the continued prayers, donations, cheerleading, practical help like babysitting Thomas, copying documents, etc. We feel so humbled by the interest in our growing family.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Up before dawn

Wow...what a whirlwind..i thought after a successful first trip to Siberia & back that i'd get some rest time. Just a day after coming back I was knee deep in paperwork updates & new paperwork requirements for the Russian court. After our paperwork is sent in we hope to hear back regarding a court date (trip #2). At court, a judge will review our case & papework, etc. & hopefully grant us custody of "A." We'll be coming home a family of 4!

It was no small task to complete adoption documents while keeping Thomas safe & occupied. Usually i limit DVD time & usually he can have 1 little piece of candy every few days..the last 2 weeks, he's gotten his fill of Bob the Builder DVD's & he got into the Halloween candy which kept him busy for over an hour one day.
Of course i'd trade him for nothing but trying to work on the computer, talk on the phone to confirm/obtain document information, was a bit of a small nightmare. It's not meant that mom is home but mom has her back to you cause she's on the computer all day!

I have missed my normal daily household operations & i've missed spending fun time with thomas & Greg. But that's all going to change soon because we are at the finish line! Greg will take all of our notarized documents to Sacramento to get the state seal & then they're off to our adoption agency & then off to Russia.

I woke up at 5am this morning so i could have some time to myself. There's nothing like right before the sun comes up...it starts me off very grounded. I have a picture of "A" up on my desk so in the midst of my "to do" list i can remember that this is for him. I've never before had to rely on the "baby steps" approach to life as much as i've had to with trip #1 to Russia & this paperwork. It's helpful to trust that if you just keep moving forward, doing as much as you can even in little increments that eventually it gets done! Now, today, it's back to my fun life with Thomas (Greg's been working non-stop it seems)...we'll go visit grandma & have lunch with her, we'll hang out at the park later on, we'll cook up something good to eat & we'll look forward to Greg coming home from work. There's nothing like the joyful sounds of thomas when he hears Greg coming home.

Moving forward - pic of us in Siberia after signing docs to continue with adoption

We are home & settling in! We are sorry we did not post more in Russia... i was just trying to survive the travel & time changes & i had severe motion sickness on the 10 hour flight to Moscow...it was nightmarish but it passed. Note to self: take Dramamine before the flight!! Greg & I were joking that it's morning sickness for our new guy! Well, all went smooth & Greg & I were a great team & we met "A" (cannot post his name) & got lots of time getting to know him. PS - Thomas watched DVD's on the plane & it really helped pass the time for him!


It was wonderful to go as a family to meet our new family member. We signed paperwork stating that we are continuing on with the adoption (we never had a doubt really) so the court date will make it official - the judge in Siberia will have to give us custody. I have another batch of paperwork to complete - yesterday was not good as we had just been home a day & i found out all that had to be done before trip #2. Trip #2 will happen in 3-4 months. There is a 10 day wait period on trip #2, so it's going to be a long haul (2-3 weeks) but at the end we get to come home with "A." "A" is an energetic, curious little 18 month old that looks like he'll fit right in with us. Greg was so wonderful with him...making him smile & being playful with him. When i was there i just couldn't believe it ..everything was so surreal. Thomas did so well at the orphanage...he played & even got to feed "A" some of his snack. Because of confidentiality we cannot post pictures of him now. Here's some pics of us in Russia - it was a great learning experience to go to another country...Moscow was a big city where people were going in all different directions...there didn't seem to be that yielding to pedestrian rule that we Americans live by :)


Siberia (Krasnoyarsk) was kind of what i expected....lots & lots of apartment high rises left over from another age. The weather is harsh & the people are tough. It was cold but what we were more uncomfortable with was how hot it was inside! We kept taking our jackets off each time we walked inside & we noticed that the Russian were very comfortable in their winter gear...next time...easier jackets to remove & less carry-ons. So now back to the paperwork & preparation for trip #2. Thanks again for all the positive thoughts & prayers - we really felt God's hand guiding & protecting us.

HOME AT LAST!

We made it home last night around 11:30pm - so good to see the SAN JOSE AIRPORT! Thanks to all who have been thinking about us & praying for us. We'll write later about the details and our new little guy...
Trip one was a success!

Hello from Moscow

hi family & friends.. just a quick note to say we made it from SJ to Atlanta, Atlanta to Moscow (10 hours!) & Moscow to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia (4 1/2 hours). Things went fairly smooth & Thomas did well - the DVD player we borrowed from friend Jack saved us. We met our little boy (can't use name) & got to spend 2 days with him at the orphanage in the play room. Thanks for everyone's prayers...it was not even an issue having thomas with us at the orphanage.. thomas & our new little guy played together & we got to feed him his snack - even thomas gave him some spoonfulls. The whole experience has been surreal & a bit of just trying to survive as i was terribly motion sick & jet lagged for the first 2 days & not expecting that at all. We've been taking 1 step at a time... we are heading home tomorrow...just arrived back in Moscow today. Throughout the trip i just kept not believing we were really here...when we finally got to meet our new little guy, he was just standing there with a caregiver & we walked in & there he was, so tiny & just waiting... we got to see some of the other children the 2nd day cause we were in the play room which is their music room too...seeing all the faces made it so real & it was a mix of feeling...we were at least able to take 1 child from that place. We took tons of pictures...the sights here are like out of old movies...lots & lots of tall tall apartment buildings in Krasnoyarsk...cannot explain in words...ok, bye for now...again, thanks for all your prayers & well wishes for a smooth trip = it's been a success.