Siberia, here we come!

Well, where do I begin. We are in Moscow, it is 5am local time. We are 11 hours ahead of you Californians. No problems to report. Both our flights here were slightly delayed, but it has been no big deal. We arrived in Atlanta after our red eyes on tuesday night, and slept from 7am-2pm at the Holiday Inn.. It was a much needed 5hrs since none of us slept on the red eye. Except for Thomas, We arrived in Moscow at 11am. It wasn't a bad flight for being close to 10 hrs long! Thomas slept half the time, which was nice, and Jeanette didn't get sick, which was great!

So.. Moscow... the traffic is still crazy, our trusty driver Vlad. navigated us through any potential problems...
We had aour Russian medicals done today. It only took 5 hrs! I'll share more on that later....

We are in the Renaisannce hotel, and wheeew it is expensive, 400/night, and everything, and I mean everything in this town is expensive! It is the most expensive city in the world, i have heard.
a hamburger - 30 bucks
club sandwich - 25 bucks..

our dollar basically sucks against any and all currency right now... for example...
1 euro gets you 34 rubles (Russian currency)
1 dollar gets you 23 rubles.

we get to the good stuff now... we are off to siberia tonight and will see andrey the same day.. and our day in court follows on 3/4.. i wish i had taken some kind of court room testimony class to prepare! it takes 2 hrs! intense questioning...

so.. we feel good except for waking up at 2am and being wide awake! Thomas is doing well, i am good, jeanette is solid.. she marvels at how beautiful and GQ all the russian men/women are here.. they really do it up! they are really a good looking people!

also, we are travelling with another family from Ohio.. a pharmacist and a firefighter... the swingles.. really good people, good travelling buddies!

and, it snowed like crazy over night so Thomas in his brand new snow gear had the time of his life! it was really fun to see him enjoy himself!
okk.. i am out, but we'll talk soon!

Greg, Jeanette, and Thomas

Let the madness begin!

Tomorrow is the big day. WE leave at 10pm from SJ, and land in Atlanta at 5am. We actually have a room at the Holiday Inn that day due to the fact that our flight from ATL to Moscow doesn't leave until 4pm!
Our last few days in the good ole USA have been spent completely redoing our entire house. Thanks to Jeanette and her sis MaryAnn, and our niece... and others, things are organized and in tip top shape,... I believe they call it nesting...
I have been working. (Someone has to pay for this adventure) Below is a copy of our itinerary, so you know roughly where we are, and when we'll be getting Andrey.

2/26 Leave US
2/28 Arrive Moscow
2/29 Medical Exam
3/1 Leave Moscow for Krasnoyarsk
3/2 Arrive to Krasnoyarsk
3/4 Court Hearing
3/17 Pick up "A" from orphanage & Receive documents
3/20 Leave for Moscow with "A"
3/21 Apply to US Embassy
3/24 Receive
3/24 Russian Consulate
3/26 Receive Document Registration
3/27 Leave Russia for US as a family of 4!

So.... keep checking back here , as we will try and update it as much as we can with pics and vids...

Later!!!

Greg

COUNTDOWN TO MOSCOW 6 more days

I'm boring myself with the details of my cleaning & organizing but i find it's become a crucial part of my preparing for "A" to come home. I remember when i was pregnant with Thomas i cleaned the house like a mad woman. I guess i'm doing the same thing now. So we're waiting on our visa's to arrive & for our itinerary to be finalized & i'm working on a last minute letter we may need for court. It's nerve wracking cause of the time crunch. Last night i picked up some medication for "A" in case he gets sick on the way home... i bought him some diapers...everything's more difficult because i don't know his weight & size. Most people tell me that as soon as little ones get the love & attention they need, they grow like weeds & learn to smile & laugh big. I cannot wait for the joyful moments.

I'm focusing also on the reality of having a child who's making a major transition from institutional life to family life. I've read the books & am aware of the issues/risks. It helps to recall my grad school years of clinical psychology too so i feel like i have the knowledge. We are going to have to teach "A" that i'm his mom & Greg's his dad. Sadly, i'll be just another care giver to him for awhile until it kicks in that i'm it & Greg's it. I'm looking forward to getting the food "A" needs - fruits, veggies, etc. I'm looking forward to taking him to the school across the street - we spend many hours there as it's like a beautiful park with a big mountain as the back drop. THere's a huge field & "A" can run around & feel the sun. Ok, today's projects are laundry & getting the itinerary taken care of. Yesterday my sis & i cleaned out thomas's closet - she was doing that...i was on the phone with unexpected adoption business & well, i'm getting used to working under pressure & deadlines.

COUNTDOWN TO MOSCOW 7 more days

My body is tore up from cleaning & moving so much. I've been in work mode since we got the news on Valentine's Day that we are going back to Siberia to pick up our little "A." I'm having cleaners come in on Wednesday - i cancelled the service for awhile to save money but i must have the nest clean - super clean. We had a huge Sunday, put the new car seat in for "A", put up the crib - greg did a great job. We got "A" a little booster seat for the dinner table. My sis helped go thru all the kitchen drawers & cabinets & she re-lined the drawers with pretty paper. I'm in my kitchen about 70% of the day so it's important to me! The boys room - i love saying that..looks cute - i just need some decorations for near "A's crib so he has something to look at. It's weird having the crib up - it's thomas's old one that he hardly ever slept in as he hated sleeping anywhere but with mom & dad. Each day i have my to do list. We Fed Ex'd the visa applications yesterday & we're still pinning down the itinerary. With so few days, it gets kind of nerve wracking but i've learned that everything comes together in the end. Thomas is talking lots about his new brother & we assigned a stuffed animal to be "A" so thomas could pretend. We already put stuffed "A" in his car seat. Then we put stuffed "A" in his chair at the dinner table. Ok, off to start the days doings.

Preparation Day #1

well i have a moment to relax, thomas is asleep now. Yesterday (Valentine's Day) was the best ever. Greg left 3 little sweet cards for me, 2 in the house & 1 in the car. I love little suprises. Then Thomas & I started out our day by doing our usual Valentine deliveries..it's one of my most favorite holidays, even when i was single. There's something so sweet & fun about giving & getting little pink & red valentine cards..the sillier the better. I started my Valentine cards over 2 weeks ago to make sure i'd get them all done! Greg made fun of my efforts but i stayed strong & kept at them.

After Thomas fell asleep the phone rang & the area code was from Virginia which is where our adoption agency is. I just knew this was the call with the court date.. there had been a mysterious silence the last few days & i could feel that something was happening. Sure enough, it was our family coordinator wanting to conference Greg in..as she was trying & i was left to wait, the feeling was of shock, joy, bliss & oh my goshes everywhere! I knew she had our court date & this was the moment we were waiting for & it happened on one of my most favorite days! Since Greg was at work we couldn't reach him & i told him later..he suspected though because of the message i had left saying we had some good news. So great joy yesterday, great joy. We are so grateful to be going back to take care of business & bring "A" home. I must say that i thought we'd have lots more notice but as it turns out i only have a few days to get the visa's, etc. At least i've done it once before so this time isn't as hard. I have a sister who acts as my administrative assistant (because she was one for HP). So The hardest part will be preparing to be on our Eastern European vacation for so long & delegating stuff that needs to be done. Also, we need a car seat for "A", snow clothes, & a bunch of other stuff that he'll need. That's not even mentioning what i need to get for the trip. Anyhoo - no problem - it's just wonderful to be simmering in the joy & wonder of it all.

announcing a COURT DATE!

hi friends...i only have a second..got the call today that we are leaving for Moscow on February 26th!! After a few days in Moscow we'll be off to Siberia (5 hour flight) & our court date is March 4th. We'll be traveling with another American family from our agency which is a blessing! More to come...!

Wednesday

On Monday our adoption agency received hopefully the last 4 documents from us. I fed ex'd everything Friday before 5pm - it felt so good! We are assuming this is all the judge will need from us but we'll see. We arranged thomas's cozy bedroom to fit a crib. We are now really preparing the house...cleaning, moving furniture & getting clothes ready. This is the part that i waited until last to do. Thomas keeps talking about Russia & "A" & we continue to pray for "A" & discuss him daily. I'm preparing emotionally for having 2 boys. That's all for today.

Getting Excited!

Got a request from our family coordinator at the adoption agency for another document. She said the judge is requesting it. It's an easy document to obtain but it got me so excited to think that the judge was actually looking at our paperwork! I'm looking of pics of "A" & i think i'm ready to go to Siberia! I think i'm ready to do the 3 plane rides & go into action with keeping thomas occupied. I think i'm ready for the cold...all of asudden i feel very brave. I'm ready to face the challenges and maybe even crack a smile. Well lets not carried away! It was hard to smile during transport as i was always terrified of the city traffic & no lane thing - oh, & the no seatbelt thing didn't set well with me either. I was talking to my brother's doctor who turned out to be from Moscow...she is a pretty woman. I noticed while in Russia that people are most attractive & dressed so nice. The women wear stylish boots, jackets, hats & scarves...the men are dressed up & i did not see people wearing jeans & sneakers. People are walking everywhere there & they don't have the custom of eye contact & a polite hello when you're walking head on with someone, like we have here. Thomas is asleep in the car & his granparents are going to spend some time with him today & that means i can go & fed ex the last of the documents out...oh, i didn't mention...i missed the delivery of our 3 last documents that were apostilled in Sacramento - the delivery guy brought them to the post office so i have to go to the post office & pick them up. It's amazing how important people become to you when they're holding your precious documents. I think i've said before, i love the mail man, the fed ex man, the guy in Sacramento who knows us & certifies our documents, & the man from immigration who got me what i needed. Depending on people can make you feel vulnerable but we all have to do it & again..that's why i think it's important that we all try to help each other out..sooner or later we're all going to need something from someone else.

nap time thoughts

It's nap time for thomas & that means free time for me! I feel like i need to write..i know when i start writing in my head that's it time to write it out. I have been thinking about this adoption journey & what i continue to learn. Aside from the joy of anticipation, i've experienced feelings of great impatience & desperation. I realize from time to time that those feelings feel familar - it's not the 1st time i've struggled with them. It's a different challenge but same feelings! I'm thinking that maybe i'm ready to learn the lesson & move on.

Before i met Greg, my Mr. Right, i spent many of moments in despair feeling like i would never meet the right guy. I could not believe that God would provide for me a husband who would meet all my quirky requirements. I just couldn't believe it would happen. I had been a bit boy crazy my whole life...finding a husband was something i desperately wanted for all the right reasons. I wanted to share my life.

At 30 years old my then boyfriend of 3 years off & on proposed...i had been waiting a long time to hear those words..long story short..i broke it off even though all the wedding plans were in place & the dress bought! We just saw the world so differently & i was more focused on getting the proposal than if we were actually compatible to be hubby & wife. I met greg i think around 2 years later... it's easy to say now but i wish i had trusted God, i wish i had believed it could happen to me.

I think of how peaceful my life would have been if i had waiting patiently & believed that God had a plan for me, that He would send me the man just for me. But i couldn't see it thru the fear that often crept up. I would have done so many things differently if i had hope & confidence.

So the fun thing about life is you get another chance at doing things the right way with the right attitude! Here's a chance for me to trust & believe that God will take care of us & provide. Instead of fear & worry which today i'm pushing over to the side, i'm going to believe that we'll be provided for in all ways. Now tomorrow, i may have to give myself a little pep talk again, but that's ok...it's allowed :)

I

The mail never looked so good!!

So greg just opened up the mail - i though for sure that the document we've been waiting for from dept. of homeland security/immigration would come in a big envelope so when i didn't see one in the mail today, i was irritated that we didn't get the doc. yet & i'd have to contact immigration again (which is no easy task)...then Greg handed me a smaller envelope with Dept. of homeland return address & sure enough WE GOT IT!!!!! I loved the mail man for bringing it, I loved the guy at immigration who helped get that to me & i loved Greg for not believing me when i said that we didn't get the doc yet. AND also in the mail today the document came that we needed from our homestudy agency - JACKPOT! When it comes together, it really comes together - seems you have to get to the pit before all the good stuff comes flooding down. So now i have the 3 documents in my hand that we need to get a court date. Next step is send these to Sacramento to get the state seal & then they're off to the adoption agency (back east) & then we should be given a court date! Now i feel like we're back in the game where we should have been in the beginning. I was so scared to open the documents in fear i'd accidentally rip a corner of the page or spit on it or some horrible tragedy would fall upon the paperwork...this is the kind of insane fear that happens when these documents are the way to your child...by the way..a child that you want to get out of the orphanage asap!! Today is a good day!