Headed to Moscow

We had a very exciting morning today. First, we headed to the Baby Home to pick up Nicholas. We gave the director two bags full of clothing. Some we purchased specifically for the Baby Home and the others we left here after Trip 2, but Nicholas grew out of them before he could wear them. Dr. Nina had nothing but nice things to say to us. We thanked her for taking care of our son for two years.

Then we stayed and played there for the next couple of hours. Sergei did some errands by himself and then picked up Anya and Evan and did some more. Yes, they left Nicholas and me alone on the playground. I never felt so vulnerable. Not only was I without an interpreter, but also without my husband. Luckily, Nicholas and I managed just fine. There was only one small meltdown that I put an end to quickly.

Evan had to go the bank today and withdraw Nicholas’ money. I guess the government sets up a bank account for each child that they can have when they turn 16 or when they are adopted. Nicholas had the equivalent of about $160.00, but we decided that we would donate it to the Baby Home rather than keep it. They also went and bought cakes for all the workers and little snacks for Nicholas’ group, as well as some diapers.

We walked Nicholas upstairs to his room so he could say goodbye. I could feel my eyes well up with tears. His caregivers also said some very nice things to us. Everyone was congratulating us and was happy for us. Nicholas gave out many hugs today before we walked out the door.

The biggest excitement came when we tried eating at the restaurant today. We thought that maybe Nicholas was ready, but maybe we jumped the gun a bit. First, he broke a glass. Then he spilled his water all over the table, me and himself. This was after he had eaten his banana and the other food had yet to arrive. Thankfully, once it did, he settled down and ate without a problem. Evan said that when he went to pay the bill he found that we were charged for the broken glass. I think it came to about $3.00. I guess in Russia, you break it, you bought it.

We have another hour or so and then we will put Nicholas to bed for the first time. The hotel brought us a rollaway crib, so we put it next to our bed. We’re hoping we all fall asleep early tonight since the alarm will be ringing at 5:00 AM.

I am going to leave you with a couple of pictures of the city. For those of you allergic to cottonwood trees do not come to Tomsk. It comes down like snow. It’s crazy. I’ve found myself sneezing a lot more since the cotton started flying a couple of weeks ago. I am also including a picture of Nicholas with our coordinator, Sergei.








Kristin

Introducing . . .

I want to formally introduce you to Nicholas, so you can meet the blessing at the end of this wild ride. He has lived his first 27 (almost 28) months in a baby home in Tomsk, Russia, but he is ready to officially become an Ohio State Buckeye (his daddy already tried to teach him how to say, “Go Bucks!”). Nicholas is a very special child, one that we have prayed about for years. Some people may not understand how you can love a child that you did not conceive. After meeting Nicholas, I wonder, how can you not love him? He smiles big with both his mouth and his big brown eyes. He is observant and curious. He smart and funny, always making us laugh. He is our son.

Some of you know that Nicholas became a blessing to our family the day he entered the world, even though we had not met him yet. Because on the day he was born, my grandfather, James Foxall went to be with the Lord. The Lord has turned our mourning into dancing though. My grandfather started a spiritual legacy within our family. He accepted Christ as his savior. We all, on our own time, have done the same. I want Nicholas to know the same Savior as his great-grandfather, which is why we gave him the middle name of James. Leave it to God to give us a clear sign, such as his birth date, that this child was hand-picked for us.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for both him and us during the trials and joys of this adoption process. Without your prayers, we feel like the journey would have been more difficult than it already was. We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as we strive to raise our son as a godly young man.
Without further ado, here is Nicholas . . .















We hope you enjoyed the pictures. We believe that they were worth the wait. We leave in less than 24 hours for Moscow and we have excellent news to report for all those that were praying: WE LEAVE JULY 4TH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our agency in Moscow worked out all the details. God is so good. Now we don't have to worry about changing our tickets or extra days at hotels. Our son will become a US citizen on July 4th in New York City. How awesome is that?!?

We may not have as much internet access in Moscow, but we will find a way to blog again. Evan has an online test for his class, so we have to be on the Internet this Thursday. If you want to be at the airport, please contact us, or one of our parents for further information. We just know that fireworks will be set off when we come home - literally!

Kristin

Final Countdown

When the 10 days started, we felt like the end would never come. But, here we are. It feels so good. We will no longer have to sign a form in order to take our child for the day. We will be able to dress him in whatever we want. We can show his picture on our blog and on our Facebook accounts. We will be able to tuck him into bed at night.

One of the hardest transitions I am having is calling him “Nicholas”. He has his name given at birth, which we call him by now. We try to add his new name after it, but sometimes we forget. I’m sure it will be a transition for all three of us. He’s actually repeated “Nicholas” back to us and it is really cute when he says it. However, I don’t think he associates it with himself. Who knows what he thinks it means.

We had a very busy day today. Usually our day starts at 10:00 or later, but today we were out the door at 8:45 AM. First, we headed to court to pick up the court decree. That was the most enjoyable ride we ever had to the courthouse. Next, we went to get his new amended birth certificate. Luba will have to translate it for U.S. purposes since it is in Russian.

We then went onto the Baby Home to spend an hour and a half there while Sergei ran some errands. I noticed Nicholas’ caregivers directing him more and more to us when he came to them. I can’t imagine what his caregivers are going through right now. They want so much for these children to be adopted, yet they’ve known most of them their entire lives. They have to have mixed emotions. I really feel for them.

We also started the process for his passport today. He went with us and was not a happy camper when he wasn’t allowed to walk into the various offices. Luckily, the entire process only took about 15 minutes and then we were out of there. Our final destination was the hotel. In the lobby is a travel agency so we reserved our tickets for Wednesday morning to Moscow. We will pay for them tomorrow after we have Nicholas’ passport in hand.

But, Nicholas is here with us now for the afternoon. He goes back to the Baby Home at 6:00. This will be the last time we drop him off there. Tomorrow, when he leaves, he leaves for good. I have already packed his outfit for tomorrow into our backpack. His little life will change dramatically. I hope he is learning that he can trust us through all the time we’ve spent together.

Finally, I want to let you in on a little secret I learned yesterday. I think something got lost in translation and today is really Day 11, which means we can show pictures online. The birth certificate lists us as parents, so it is official. HOWEVER, since I have one teaser left, I’m going to make everyone wait until tomorrow. I haven’t decided which pictures I want to put on the blog for the “big reveal” yet. Maybe I’ll be nice and post that blog in the morning, which is really Monday night for most of you. :)

Our final teaser is one that we love. Nicholas loves food, as you may know. Couple his love of food with his too-small clothes and you get this picture. We love tickling or kissing his chubby, little belly. It makes him laugh and then he tries to do the same to us. Enjoy.



Kristin

Day 9 of 10

I thought I would take today to explain a little better what we will be doing in Moscow. On Tuesday Tomsk will issue Nicholas a Russian passport since he is a Russian citizen. In order to come to the United States he will need a visa, just as we needed a visa to come to Russia. Before we go to the Embassy, he first needs to have a medical exam by a doctor (everyone seems to use the same one). Then our paperwork (more forms to fill out and other documentation) needs to be submitted to the U.S. Embassy by 11:00 AM. We will then be given an appointment for the next afternoon to have our Visa Interview. I heard that the interview is painless. There is more waiting around than anything.

My concern about being able to keep our July 4th return tickets is because of the 11:00 AM deadline. First, our flight from Tomsk arrives at 9:30 AM. Nicholas will need his doctor’s visit first. Second, Moscow traffic is horrendous. It can take well over an hour to get from one end of the city to the other. We are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, so if we cannot make the deadline, we will not be able to submit our paperwork until Thursday, which means our Embassy appointment would not be until the next business day. Due to our Independence Day, the Embassy is closed on Friday. Therefore, the next business day would be Monday. The earliest we would head home is Tuesday.

I hope it works out, but if we have to change our tickets, we have to do so right away. The seats on the flights home are being snatched up every day. It makes me kind of nervous because I’d like to go home sooner than later. So, I guess I am asking that you pray that there would be three seats available on whatever day we need to head home.

The good news is that once we reach the United States, Nicholas automatically becomes a U.S. Citizen. We have to spend a little extra time at customs, but it’s really that easy. The hardest part will be the waiting again.

So, that’s what coming up. . . Now onto today’s teaser which is from one of our first days back in Tomsk. The weather was unusually warm and the kids were out in short sleeves and shorts. Nicholas always liked to wear a baseball cap on backwards. You get a nice view of one of his cute little ears and chubby cheeks. Just a couple more days . . .



Kristin

Husband of the Year

This blog is about Evan today. It gives me a chance to gloat about what a wonderful husband I have. He has perfected doing laundry in the tub. He has configured the bathroom so he knows exactly how to lay out everything to dry. He offered to do the laundry today so Nicholas and I could have some one-on-one time. It worked out really well. You’ll notice in the picture that our bathroom not only serves as a laundromat, but also as a place to put all the items that 2 year olds like to touch, such as every lamp in our room.




He is also a baby whisperer. Nicholas hates to go down for his naps. He will cry and scream, “Nyet, Nyet”. Evan is so patient that he will tolerate his flailing arms and legs and just gently rub his back. It is so funny because Nicholas will be screaming for 5 minutes straight at the top of his lungs and then be out in a flash. It is like someone snaps their fingers, his head hits the pillow and he’s out.

Evan also makes better sound effects than I do. I tried to do a fire engine today, but Evan informed me that it sounds like the theme song to ESPN. His cars sound like real cars. He has a really cool sound for the camera we brought Nicholas. It makes Nicholas laugh and smile.

I am so grateful that Evan and I are in this together. We are the perfect combination. He’s more silly, but also stern. I’m more structured, but also a bit of softie. We decided that the most important thing though is that we remain a united front.

I’m not setting anything in stone, but we may make it home by Sunday, July 4th. Please only pencil that date in because I don’t believe it myself. It would be awesome because we wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of changing tickets and trying to find available seats. So, please pray for this situation to work out.

Today’s teaser is for future blackmail purposes. In a couple of days, this child will never have to wear pink long underwear again. Sometimes they are blue or green but, most of the time they are pink. We always take them off right when he gets here. He’s too much of a sweaty baby. He fits in with us well.



Kristin

Less Than 2 Weeks And Counting

What a great birthday! Luba took us to Baskin Robbins and I had a scoop of Rocky Road ice cream. A lot of the flavors seemed to have fruit in them. There were very limited choices that were chocolate-based, and I need my chocolate. It was pretty inexpensive too, compared with prices in the United States. We enjoyed just sitting and talking to Luba about our children. Her daughter is eight months younger than Nicholas, so they are doing a lot of similar things.



I find it funny to hear how hot it is at home. We’re still wearing jackets here in Tomsk. It is usually in the 60s. We’ve been having some light rain on and off the last couple of days. When they dress Nicholas to come to the hotel he always has on long underwear underneath his pants. They put him in so many layers and he sweats so easily. The first thing we do when he comes in is strip most of the layers off. I think it is somewhat freeing for him. When he leaves the baby home for good, we have to dress him in the clothes we brought. I hope we don’t get scolded for having too “little” clothing. We have clothes appropriate for our 60 degree days.

Now unto today’s visit . . . Nicholas came running out of his room at the baby home today and right to us. He was so happy to see us. He even shut the door to his room right in his group’s face. He didn’t really resist the car either. Usually he sees it and is upset. Today he only shook his head “no” once and then went in. We’re finding that the tantrums are more manageable and we’re having more fun than we are grief. Evan and I got the bright idea to go to the grocery store and buy food for lunch. It is too expensive to eat from the restaurant every day. It was perfect. Nicholas loved everything we had bought. We have enough food to last us the next few days.

Evan and I are starting to feel a little physically drained. We left home almost three weeks ago and never expected that we would have to be in Russia as long as we will be. I had told everyone that July 4th was the “worst case scenario”, and now I’d love to come home on that date. If our judge had not put a week between pre-court and court, we would be home by then. Oh well, I’m not going to dwell on it. We’ll probably be leaving for Moscow in a week from now. There is only a few more days of the 10-day wait left. Then it will be time for Nicholas’ “Big Reveal”.

Today’s teaser is one of my favorites. As an avid reader, I love to see my son with a book in his hands. He likes to make animal noises when reading this book. I look forward to reading many books with Nicholas in the future. I can picture us snuggling in his bed as we read together before he goes to sleep each night.



Kristin

35 Hours!

At first I was a little bummed that I would be spending my birthday in Russia. It is nice being here with Nicholas and Evan, but I really wanted the comforts of home. Then I realized something that made the day even better. If I want, I can celebrate for 35 hours. Since we are 11 hours ahead here, I can celebrate all day in Tomsk, and then the eleven remaining hours of my birthday in the U.S. So, happy birthday to me!

Thank you to everyone who has wished me a “Happy Birthday”. I was going to try and respond to each of your e-mails, but they kept coming and coming. Since we have to pay for Internet here, please accept my thanks on my blog instead. My darling husband has been scheming all week with Anya and Luba. He has arranged so that Luba will be taking us to Baskin Robbins tonight! I’ll let everyone know how it tastes. It will be nice to do something special.

I was also surprised by a gift from Sergei today. Anya wasn’t available today, so we were without an interpreter. Imagine my surprise when Sergei hands me a bouquet of flowers and says in English, “Happy Birthday, Kristin.” That meant so much to me. When we got out of the car he shook my hand and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He is such a sweet man.



We also took Nicholas to get his passport picture today. It was just a quick walk over from the baby home. They took three shots and we were able to pick the best one. Luckily, 2 out of 3 pictures he was looking at the camera. He is now fast asleep. Let’s see if he sleeps 3 hours again like yesterday!

I also love all the advice about dealing with tantrums. I always appreciate hearing from those that have gone before me. I am happy to report that Nicholas had a “good” tantrum yesterday. He didn’t want to leave the hotel room to go the baby home. The other days he was here, we just had to tell him it was time to go and he raced to put his coat on. But, yesterday he fought me tooth and nail. Anya told us that a few months ago another little boy got so use to coming to the hotel that he told his caregivers that the food at the baby home wasn’t any good.

Are you ready for your first teaser as we go into the second half of the 10 days? Here is a picture of my little boy in his father’s shoes. In this picture he really is being quite clever. He put Evan’s shoes down on the ground so he could reach the laptop which was on the desk. His little fingers made it to the touch pad, but I had it locked. He didn’t know and was happy with his success.



Kristin

Day 5 of 10

Once this day is over we will be halfway through our ten day wait! We have one mission we need to complete before we board that first plane to Moscow – Train Nicholas not to scream! When he doesn’t get his way he will cry and throw himself on the ground. Evan and I can handle that pretty well. It’s when he lets out this piercing scream to reinforce to us how angry he is that drives us up the wall. I can’t imagine what it will be like if he does that on any of our plane rides. He even let Sergei and Anya get a quick look at one of his screaming tantrums in the car ride to the baby home yesterday. Mean Mom and Dad wouldn’t let him open the car door while we were moving.

We know that he is 2 years old and we’re going to have these moments. We just need to help him calm down a bit faster than he has been. He is at the age where he thinks he can do everything himself. We are impressed with the good things he can do though. I love to hear him repeat words I say, even if he really doesn’t know what he is saying yet. He’s very organized and comes up with some very creative games to play. We’re really enjoying our time with him.

Yesterday evening I had a weird moment while Nicholas, Evan, and I were waiting for Sergei to arrive. Apparently, some Americans have checked into our hotel. I was chasing after Nicholas in the hotel lobby, so I wasn’t really paying attention to those particular women. All of a sudden I hear one say, “Oh, look he’s wearing pink shoes.” It took a minute for it to register, but I thought to myself, “Wait! I understand what they are saying. They’re speaking English.” We are so use to hearing Russian that we don’t expect to hear too much English coming from other guests. I wish I would have paid better attention, so I could come to my son’s defense about the pink shoes. He didn’t choose them and he has a nice pair of blue ones upstairs.

Tomorrow it looks like we may get Nicholas’ picture taken for his passport. It is just one step closer to heading home. Sergei said that we can dress him tomorrow in clothes that we brought so he isn’t wearing pink clothes for the picture. It’s also my birthday too, but more on that tomorrow.

Kristin

Day 4 of 10

The 10 days were not waived. Surprise, surprise. The good news is that they started on Saturday, so we already on day #4. The 10 days will end on the 29th and then we will spend the following two days getting his passport and new birth certificate. The July 4th holiday (observed on July 3rd) will add some extra time to our wait since we cannot do anything at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow that day. We’ll probably be home on either the 8th or 9th. It seems like a long way off, but we’re just happy to have an end in sight.

Nicholas is taking his nap right now, so I get a chance to update the blog. We had a pretty good day so far. I am happy to report that there was not a meltdown at the hotel restaurant today. But, that’s because we didn’t go there. We had the food delivered to the room. Nicholas was quite content to walk around in his diaper and t-shirt and didn’t really have a need for clothes today. At one point, he didn’t even want to wear a diaper, but we convinced him otherwise.

One area that we will have to work on is letting Nicholas know that no one is going to steal his food and that he’ll always have enough. He shovels in his food so fast. Evan and I are very fast eaters, but this kid takes the cake. He does like to use utensils if he is given the opportunity though.

Nicholas has begun saying a couple English words: Night, Night, Boo, Boom. We’re working on some others. As far as Russian goes, he says: Mama, Papa, Nyet (No), Paka (Bye), Da (Yes), Peesaht (Pee), and machina (car). There are a couple other things he says, but I don’t know what they mean. Anya did tell us that the other day when the car stopped at the baby home he said, “That’s it?” in Russian. It’s fun to hear him speak in that little voice.

I’m pretty sure that a week from today (the 30th) is when I can start posting pictures of Nicholas. Evan and I have a couple of teasers we may start posting in the coming days. Most of our pictures seem to be from last week. Since we’ve taken him to the hotel, we’ve been too busy to take a lot of pictures. But, we’ve taken a couple here and there.

Well, I’m going to go check on Nicholas. It also appears that Evan has fallen asleep too. I love my guys.

Kristin

Hotel Visit #2: Hurricane Winding Down

Our little “hurricane” has been downgraded from a category 5 to about a category 2. Overall, he was very pleasant today. In fact, as I type this, he is fast asleep in our bed. It was so cute to watch him fall asleep in his daddy’s arms. I guess the secret is to make sure he’s really worn out. Hopefully, we can start to get him on some kind of schedule while we’re having these hotel visits. We did have a HUGE meltdown at lunch today. He wasn’t patient enough to wait the two minutes for his food and was begging us for sugar cubes. He started screaming and no one could calm him down. A waitress even tried talking to him in Russian, but even that didn’t work. When our meals came out, mine almost ended up on the floor because he was still having his tantrum. After a little food in his tummy, he was fine. In fact, when he was finished, he got up and headed for the door.

I noticed that when people become parents, their children’s bowel movements suddenly become everyday conversation. I hate to do this on a public blog, but today I changed my first poopy diaper from my son and it was a BLOWOUT! It was awful!!! You knew it was bad when Nicholas was actually begging me to change it. At least we know the Russian words for those bodily functions, so we can ask him about it. He’s really making sure we get to experience all facets of parenthood within the first couple of days alone.

Nicholas has also been doing a little “mommy shopping”. I had read about this in other people’s blogs, but wasn’t quite ready for it when it happened with my son. Almost everyone the kids come in contact with at the baby home is women. There are different shifts and different groups, so he’s had a good number of women take care of him in the past two years. So, I wasn’t shocked when we’d be playing at the baby home and he’d run up to one of his caregivers and hug them. What I don’t like is when we’re out in public and he is going up to random women and wanting to hug them. That is why it is imperative that he learns that I’m not going anywhere. I’m his primary caregiver. There will not be 10 different women coming into our house to take care of him. Evan doesn’t have this problem because basically, Sergei is the man he saw the most before we came back to Tomsk. I know that a lot of this will be a process.

Well, we have to get off the Internet before he wakes up. He’ll want to play with our laptop and I’d like to keep it in one piece.

Kristin

Happy Father’s Day!

I am so happy that Evan gets to celebrate it with his son. I remember on Mother’s Day how we hadn’t heard anything yet and it was such a hard day for me. Thankfully, Evan’s day is a joyous one. You should see the way he interacts with Nicholas. You can tell they are going to be very close. He’s not afraid to be the fun or silly one. I know I’m hesitant to be myself with all of the caregivers watching, but not Evan. He can get Nicholas to laugh and squeal like no one else. I find myself just watching and smiling a lot. I can’t wait to watch their relationship continue to grow. Nicholas has one great daddy!

It wouldn’t be Father’s Day without a tribute to my own father as well. My sister and I have always agreed that we probably have the best dad in the world! He is the most sacrificial man in the world, doing anything for his girls. Some may see him as serious, but he is very funny and can be pretty silly too. I know he is someone I can talk to about anything and I deeply respect what he says. He has been a wonderful example of a godly man. Love you, Dad.

Now unto our hotel visit . . . If it wasn’t Father’s Day, the blog would have been titled, “Hurricane Nicholas Touched Down.” We had him for seven and a half hours today, and he made sure that every minute was memorable. The first hour and a half went very quickly. We played with his toys and had him laughing. Then we went downstairs for lunch and he turned into “that kid” - the one that cries and throws a tantrum. Luckily, there was only one other person in there. Once the food arrived, he wanted to sit in his own chair (there were no booster seats or high chairs). He had no problem cleaning his plate. In fact, when he was done, we had to stop him from taking it back to the kitchen. Apparently at the baby home, you clean up after yourself when you are finished. That will be nice when we get home.

But, the fun really began after lunch. Nicholas seemed like he was getting tired, so we tried to get him to lie down and take a nap. That began the meltdown of all meltdowns. Nicholas has a great set of lungs on him. I’m sure everyone in the hotel can attest to it. For the next 2-3 hours, he would play, have a meltdown, play, and have a meltdown. No matter what we did, he would cry until he decided he was done. When he has his mind set on something, there is no changing it.

Near the end of the visit we decided to take a walk outside. This is something we will do next time after lunch to get him worn out. We were stopped by a Russian woman. We’re not sure if we were getting scolded or if she was just asking questions about Nicholas. After a few minutes, she gave up and walked away. Sergei came at 6:15 so we could take him back to the baby home, and of course, Nicholas fell asleep in the car.

We’re not sure if we will be at the baby home tomorrow, or if we’ll have another hotel visit. We’re going to play it by ear. All we know is that we are going to sleep well tonight. Please enjoy a picture of some of the aftermath of the “hurricane”.



Kristin

Adventures at the Park

After luring Nicholas into the car with crackers, we quickly shut the door and we were on our way to the park. He looked like a deer in the headlights as the car started moving. He sat in between us instead of in a car seat. We’ll try that another day. I guess the law is that a car seat is only needed when a parent cannot sit with the child.

About 10 minutes away, right by our beloved courthouse, is a little amusement park. We actually went there once on our last trip. This time it was a lot busier and more fun for Nicholas. It took him a little while to figure out what was going on, but after finishing his crackers, we spent the next hour playing. Since the weather has become a lot nicer in the last couple of days, it seemed that everyone had ice cream that we had passed. No matter what we were doing, Nicholas would just stop and stare at the person. Evan and I were even tempted to get some, but we don’t know if the baby home would like it if Nicholas had ice cream.

Near the end of our visit, Nicholas was eyeing this ride where you sit in a little airplane that goes in a circle. Evan went and bought two tickets and the two of them rode together. Nicholas loved it because there was a button you can press and a lever that made the plane go up and down. As we were walking back the car, Nicholas capped the visit off by throwing up on my hand and wrist. At least, it was just crackers, but the smell was awful. I guess he was initiating me into motherhood. Even as I type this, I swear I can still smell it.

We have the rest of the afternoon to ourselves, but it sounds like we’ll be having a little visitor at the hotel tomorrow. Anya said that we can take Nicholas to the hotel with us for part of the day. I’m not sure what we’re going to do, but we can always go outside for walks. She said that in the past, when couples take their children to the hotel for short visits, the children often do not want to go back to the baby home.

We still have no idea when we are coming home. All I know is that we are ready. This judge acts like we have no lives outside of Tomsk. It is kind of frustrating. We are hoping that we will know something by Monday morning. Please pray that he would finish all the paperwork. Living out of a suitcase is getting difficult.

Kristin

Are We Ever Coming Home?

That’s the way we feel right now. Apparently, the judge has up to five days to do the paperwork. Then the 10 day waiting period starts. We haven’t heard the official word on the 10 days yet, but we’re pretty sure we’re staying. We just don’t want it to be a 15 day waiting period because of our judge.

Also, last night we were checking flights on different dates and found that it will be easy enough to get to the United States, but getting to Cleveland is a different story. Delta is showing that there are no seats for weeks! We think if we talk to someone in person, we may get a different story. If not, we’ll find some way to get home. All we know is that the tickets we have for July 4th will most likely be changed.

Tomorrow we only have one visit, but it sounds like we’ll be taking Nicholas off-site. This is a very good thing. Our visits at the baby home can get a little monotonous at times. There isn’t too much to do, so we do the same things over and over. This afternoon Sergei wanted to get Nicholas use to the idea of riding in a car. He really hasn’t done that too many times in his 2 years. We know that Nicholas loves to watch cars drive by and we’ll walk up and touch any parked at the baby home. But, he doesn’t like to be in them! We tried to get him to just sit there, but he wanted out. We lured him in with food, which lasted only a couple of minutes. Sergei also borrowed a car seat from a relative (something you don’t see too much in Russia), which he put outside the car and asked Nicholas to sit in it. That wasn’t happening either. So, tomorrow Nicholas will probably scream bloody murder. I guess it is a good thing that he gets used to it now, because that will be a non-negotiable when he gets home to the U.S.

So, many of you are probably wondering when you can see pictures of Nicholas. We ask that you be patient just a little longer. While we were named his parents, we still have to wait for the court decree to go into effect to show pictures on our blog. On the 11th day after the 10-day waiting period, it is official. So, please be patient. It will be worth the wait.

Kristin

It’s All Over But The Shouting!

And, what are we shouting? Nicholas is our son! After 9 court appearances, spread over the last 8 months, our petition has been granted! Court went very well today. The representative of the Guardianship Authority (equivalent to Children’s Services) gave us a glowing recommendation, as did the Baby Home. Then, the prosecutor gave her speech. It was very positive and she supported our petition! Once Luba started translating, I got my “cry face” on. It’s kind of scary looking. It is when you want to cry, but you’re holding back.

But, after the prosecutor spoke, we re-stated our desire to adopt Nicholas. The judge then left for an hour to make his decision. We weren’t sure what took so long, but he came back and granted our petition to adopt! We were greeted with hugs by Sergei, Luba, the Baby Home Representative, and the Guardianship Authority Representative. Even Olga, the prosecutor congratulated us. You know, I think I’ve even grown to like her.

As for the 10-day waiting period, we won’t know until tomorrow whether or not it was waived. My guess is that it isn’t. It just isn’t really ever waived in Tomsk. So, we’ll probably be home in early July. It will give Nicholas a chance to continue to bond with us in familiar territory.

I can’t really describe our emotions right now. We’re ecstatic, but also in disbelief. It seemed like this day would never come, so we may not believe it until we’re boarding the plane with Nicholas. I just know this much – God deserves all the glory in this adoption. It was God who planted this desire in our hearts. It is God that sustained us during the difficult times. And, it was God who personally went before us and gave us this victory.

We’ll leave you with our smiling selves in front of the infamous court house! We have a son!



Kristin

Almost Finished

If you are a regular reader to this blog, this should come as no surprise to you. Yes, our case was continued until tomorrow. Same time, same place. But there was a different feeling in this courtroom today than there was in the Fall. Evan and I both felt very at peace. We answered all the questions asked of us and really didn’t feel like we were being grilled. I actually did the majority of the talking this time, which worked out fine.

So, why was it continued? Was it due to the prosecutor? Not at all! She was a dream. Yes, she asked us questions, but she seemed satisfied with our answers. She didn’t ask for any additional documents. In fact, I even caught her doodling during the hearing. The reason we’re not done is because we ran out of time. There were four volumes of documents and our judge went through and read about 75% out loud. We’re are talking about documents from early 2008, September 2008, and our most recent updates. Everyone in the courtroom looked like they were staring off into la-la land. So, with 45 minutes left in the work day, the judge called it a day. We think he had somewhere to go because he asked what the time was.

Luba thinks it will take about an hour tomorrow and then we’ll be done. No one has a bad feeling at all. We simply ran out of time. So, in the morning, we will visit Nicholas. Then at 3:00 we will have court. We will ask for the 10 day waiting period to be waived. However, if it is not, we are not hurt by this continuation. The 10 days ends on a Sunday, so we can’t do anything until Monday anyway(i.e. – Nicholas’ passport and new birth certificate). So, no harm was done, except for the fact that we have to wait again. But, we’re getting good at waiting.

Thank you to all that prayed. I know some of you even got up early. We appreciate your dedication to us. If you feel like doing it one more day . . . well, that’s up to you. :)

Kristin

So Much for the Russia Diet

Evan and I splurged this afternoon and bought lunch at the hotel’s café. We had our favorite waitress who taught Evan most of the Russian he knows when it comes to food. Afterwards, I went upstairs to do some more laundry and Evan went to the store by himself. We were told this morning by Nicholas’ caregivers that they would like us to bring some diapers for him. The cost of diapers is another reason that most of the kids are potty-trained so early. Nicholas usually has diapers on for half the visits we are with him.

Anyway, Evan came back and diapers were not the only thing he had purchased. We now have even more chips and candy. If it was not for the running around we do with Nicholas, I think we’d come back with an extra 10 pounds on us.

Our afternoon visit definitely burned some calories though. Nicholas prefers to play with his group when they are outside with us, so we happily oblige. We are starting to learn the names of many of his friends too. His caregivers do their best to direct Nicholas to us whenever they can. He is definitely more vocal in comfortable surroundings.

I’m going to keep this short today. Court is tomorrow at 3:00 PM (4:00 AM EST). Please be praying that we get a good night’s sleep. Thank you to all those praying last night. I got 8 consecutive hours of sleep!

Here are a few pictures of our groceries, the baby home playground and us (and a sneak peek at Nicholas too)!














Kristin

Lost in Translation

Only a few more visits left and then we go to court. I never thought we’d get through the week. A week seems so long when you’re far from home. But, a little over 48 hours from now, we’ll be sitting in the courtroom. No one knows what to expect. We all agree that the judge just needs to make his decision in the three hours we have until the courthouse closes. We do not want to come back again the next day.

We had our first victory yesterday with Nicholas in the area of discipline. He wanted to take his snack and run around the playground. We had asked him to eat it while sitting down. He wouldn’t listen, so we held onto his snack. After a few minutes of giving us “the look” and saying, “Uh, Uh” over and over, he decided that he’d rather have his snack seated on the bench. It is so hard to be consistent when we are only with him for an hour and a half, twice a day. We’re going to do the best we can for now.

Evan did have him laughing pretty hard yesterday though. Nicholas was eating his snack while Evan went over some Russian words with Anya. I don’t know if it was because the pronunciation was off, or the fact that Evan was “speaking” Russian, but Nicholas was smiling and laughing. It didn’t matter what the word was. As long as it was in Russian, it was funny.

It seems like the temperature wants to get warmer again. The sun is shining and we probably won’t need our coats on our afternoon visit. I keep hoping for a breezy 75 degrees, instead of a rainy 60 or sweaty 95. The sun always gives us more opportunities to play outside, rather than stuck in the playroom. A change of venue is always nice with a 2 year old.

I am going to ask for continued prayers. I am getting attacked with a lot of negative thoughts, especially in the middle of the night. We are at the end of the journey and I really feel like Satan is doing everything in his power to just rob my joy. It usually happens around the hours of 2:00-4:00 in the morning, which is 3:00-5:00 in the afternoon for many of you. I really just want to rest in the sovereignty of God right now and just enjoy our time here. So, if you could just think of me during those hours, I’d appreciate it.

Other than that, we’re pretty comfortable in our Tomsk routine. Even though it was eight months in between trips, everything is very familiar.

Kristin

Feed Me

This morning as I lay in bed, trying to fall back to sleep, it occurred to me that besides Nicholas, I mention eating a lot in this blog and also on my Facebook. In order to save money, we try and eat whatever they serve us for breakfast, and then choose either lunch or dinner to eat at a restaurant. Sometimes we just eat peanut butter sandwiches in our room for both meals. Besides watching our money, we also are trying to ease our way into Russian cuisine. So, when I get excited about spaghetti for breakfast, it is because it will probably be my biggest meal of the day, and it is easy on the stomach. I am hoping to go to their local Baskin Robbins sometime before we leave. They do have some flavors that we have back home, and some more local tastes.

Anyway, after breakfast today, we had our only visit with Nicholas. He was a little grumpy today, but we think it was partially due to the fact that he seems to have a cold. But, we are working on teaching him that he can’t always do whatever he wants. We even let him lay on the floor saying, “Uh Uh” over and over while Evan, Anya, and I continued to play with one of the toys he usually likes. After a little time, he snapped out of it and went back to playing.

After our visit, we dropped our backpack off in our room and walked to the store by ourselves. We had gone once last fall, so it wasn’t as intimidating as last time. The only problem was the fact that Evan and I were like two kids in a candy store. We were throwing things in our basket we never would at home: 2 kinds of Pringles, candy bars, Nutella, etc. We did manage to get a couple of healthier things such as bread and bottled water, but that didn’t stop us from going back to our room and indulging on a few sweeter things. We also did a “load” of laundry in our bathtub. We have another one to do, but because of limited drying space, we have to wait until tomorrow.

After watching a movie on our laptop, I decided to take a quick nap so I could stay awake later at night. Well, I just woke up from a 3 hour nap and could go fall back asleep for the night if I don’t keep myself busy. I wish I could figure out Evan’s secret because he has no problems at all.

We’re getting closer and closer to Wednesday. I am really working hard to not let any worry take away from my excitement. We’re curious as to what this court hearing will look like this time. Will the judge start at the very beginning and look at every document, or will we pick up with the citizenship issue? I have to be careful not to dwell on every possible question we can be asked at court though. This is why I have to get on a normal sleeping schedule. I can’t be laying in bed thinking. Not a good idea.

Well, we’re going to probably have a small snack (We’re not too hungry after “lunch”) and watch television (Animal Planet is just as interesting in Russian) or a movie. Tomorrow is a 2-visit day and the morning one is without interpreter.

Kristin

Work Out

What a great day! Nicholas continues to keep us busy. Our morning visit started out a little late. Sergei showed up about forty five minutes later than normal. Since we were without an interpreter, we did not know the reason, but from his gestures we could tell he was apologetic. We later found out from his daughter that there was car and train accident that delayed him.

While we didn’t get the full 90 minutes with Nicholas, we definitely had quality time. When we arrived at the baby home, we found Nicholas outside with his group. The temperature was dramatically cooler today, so many of the kids were bundled up in hats and coats. Since it was colder and the baby home workers seemed concerned about our lack of jackets, we took Nicholas up to the playroom again. It wasn’t as bad inside. When we took off his winter gear, we found that he was once again wearing his “#1 Girl Baby” shirt and pink tights. That didn’t stop him from acting all-boy as he ran around the playroom. We topped off that visit with a very stinky diaper (They must like them to wear diapers when they are in their winter gear because of all the layers).

On the way to our afternoon visit we had a new experience. We got to ride the bus. Anya had arrived at our hotel and got a phone call from Sergei saying he had bad gasoline in his car. He was going to come to the baby home once he fixed the problem. For 9 rubles a person (probably around 25 cents) we got to ride the bus almost to our destination. Then we got to walk the last 4 or 5 blocks to the baby home. One thing I admire about this town is that they aren’t afraid to walk. Not everyone can afford cars, so it is public transportation or your own two feet.

Nicholas was very happy to see us when we arrived. We shared the playroom with a fourteen-month old little girl, Vika and the woman who is adopting her. I think Nicholas did an excellent job of entertaining her as he ran through the room again. We have found that he loves to put things in order. Whether it is putting something away, or playing with a certain toy, it needs to be just right. He also loves to throw EVERYTHING!!! Today I was two seconds away from getting a black eye. I would love to see the judge’s face at court when he asked what happened. Usually they are concerned with parents abusing children, not the other way around.

We only have one visit tomorrow and were told that it was going to be cooler again. We’re enjoying the relief from the heat. And, don’t quote me, but I think tomorrow’s breakfast is spaghetti and meatballs. Can it get any better?

Kristin

Adjustment

Yesterday I was feeling so awake. I even commented to Evan and Luba on how I feel like we adjusted so well to the time change on this trip. Well, about an hour after we returned from Pre-Court, my energy started to drain. Evan and I were watching something on the laptop one minute, and the next I was out cold. Once I woke up from my nap, I headed to bed. I hate going to bed too early because then I am wide awake in the middle of the night. I can’t wait to fully be on Tomsk time. It doesn’t help that the sun comes up at 4:00 in the morning though.

Waking up in the middle of the night also allows me time to think. For those of you who regularly read my blog, you know that I tend to be a worrier and too much of a thinker. Yesterday was no exception. There really should be no issues with our court case. I just worry that our judge will not make a decision in one court session. Last Fall, we did go to court 5 or 6 times before we went home. Only two things have changed since we were last here: my employment and the fact that Nicholas has Russian citizenship. I already explained my unemployment yesterday to the judge, but I have a feeling we will re-hash it next week too.

We had some pretty good visits with Nicholas today. We chose to play in the baby home for the first visit since it was cooler outside. That was such a bad idea. Even Nicholas was sweaty by the time we were done playing. So, this afternoon we had our visit outside. Nicholas’ group was outside as well. When he saw them playing, he made a break for it and joined them. We decided we would just play amongst all the kids. I counted 16 of them. We had a lot of fun.

Since it was so hot outside, near the end of their playtime, their caregivers brought a tray of 16 teacups filled with water. It was quite a sight. There was no breakage and only one spill among the whole group. When Nicholas saw the little boy spill his water, he pointed at him as if to say, “Hey, don’t waste that!” See, Nicholas doesn’t waste a drop. He also helps us drink the bottled water that we bring.

I think Evan’s pride and joy moment of the afternoon is when he read Nicholas’ shirt: #1 Girl Baby. At least he wasn’t wearing the shiny, sparkly pants that this one little girl was wearing. Anya was our interpreter this afternoon and this particular girl took a liking to her. They were reading and playing together. Then all of a sudden Anya got up and left. She returned about ten minutes later and said that the little girl was playing and then all of a sudden had an accident on her lap. Then, the little girl never left her side. She even called Anya, “Mama”. We teased her and told her that she should tell her dad she’s bringing home a friend.

Luba is on vacation for the long weekend, so sometimes we will be with Anya and sometimes we will be without an interpreter. Our visits are definitely going faster than they did last October. Nicholas is so active that we find ourselves constantly chasing after him. Between chasing him and our “Russia Diet” we should be in shape and looking good by the time we get home.

Now we’re going to watch some American television on iTunes and try to stay awake past 7:00.

Kristin

The Gang’s All Here

After 6-7 hours of segmented sleep, we began Day 2 in Tomsk. Everyone will be happy to know that it was “Spaghetti Wednesday”, my favorite day of the week. Our meeting with Dr. Nina went very well. She was very proud of us for enduring this long wait and for coming back to Tomsk. She went over a lot of details we already knew, but is part of protocol. At the end, she asked if we had any questions. I asked how much Nicholas weighs. Are you ready for the answer? 14 Kilos! If you convert that it is almost 31 lbs. We met this child 14 months ago weighing not even 17 lbs. We definitely will be donating his clothes from last October to the baby home. Those puppies are not going to fit!

Our visit with Nicholas went well. We stayed outside again. In fact, I think we’ll try to do that as much as possible. As hot as it can get outside, there is no air conditioning in the baby home. At least we can find some shade outside.

Luba was with us on this visit, so we learned that he is saying “Bye” (I can recognize it now that I know that’s what he is saying) and “big car”. He also says, “Mama”, but not to me yet. He said it to a couple of his caregivers that walked by. I didn’t take it personally.

In typical 2-year old fashion, he definitely doesn’t like it when he doesn’t get his way. In fact, he won’t budge. He puts his hands behind his back and cocks his head to one shoulder. And, no translation was needed when he said, “uh-uh”.

We also know when he is going to do something mischievous, like throw his toy car into the flower beds. He gets this grin on his face that says, “Better watch what I’m going to do right now.” I actually got a picture of that smile. Too bad we can’t show it yet.

Pre-Court was, um, interesting. Basically, the majority of the 2 hours we were there were spent discussing re-opening our case since we couldn’t come in February when invited. Long story, short – our case is re-opened. The bad news is the judge set our court hearing for next Wednesday, June 17th. We were hoping it would be tomorrow or Monday (Friday is a holiday here), but were thankful it was only a week. The judge suggested a month, but Sergei quickly explained that it wouldn’t be financially possible for us.

As you can see from my blog title, “The Gang’s All Here” that Olga is once again our prosecutor. Are you really surprised? But, she’s not the same person she was 8 months ago. She seems a little more supportive. She still isn’t afraid to challenge and ask questions, but we found her agreeing with us on many issues – including the fact that the court case should be earlier than a month.

Our court case being next week may have an effect on our return date because of the July 4th holiday. We may not be able to come home until the 8th or 9th, unless the 10 days waiting period is waived. So, we covet your prayers right now for everything. We have a better feeling about everything, but yet, nothing is coming easy either. In the meantime, we will continue to visit with Nicholas.

Please pray that we would continue to trust God in this situation. Also, pray that we would not guard our hearts when it comes to Nicholas. Evan and I both want to embrace him wholeheartedly, but at the same time, we remember last October, and get nervous.

Overall, we’re in good spirits. We’re just ready to bring Nicholas home. Keep praying.

Kristin

We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Sleep

Boy, are we going to sleep tonight! While we have been able to function by taking short naps of 2-4 hours, we think it is time to get some real sleep. When we returned from our medicals, we decided to take a nap to get refreshed. Refreshed, however, is not how I felt. I woke up feeling like I was hit by a truck. Last time we were here, I remember falling asleep for the night at 6 or 7 P.M. for the first couple of days. I have a feeling that history will repeat itself.

Now onto our first visit with Nicholas . . . We would say that Nicholas would fall under the “husky” category. His belly did hang over his too tight pants. Of course, we don’t know what he looks like in size appropriate clothing yet. But, he is adorable. In fact, we found out why he is a little bit of a chub. Anya (Sergei’s daughter) told us that Nicholas is one of the favorites at the baby home, so everyone is always giving him an extra treat. Yes, our kid was voted, “Most Popular”.

When he first saw us today, it was obvious he did not recognize us. In fact, he cried and wanted to stay with his caregiver. This is not really a bad thing. Instead, this is very positive for attachment. He knows who are strangers and knows who takes care of him. So, after walking around outside with Nicholas and his caregiver, he finally warmed up to us. He is very into putting his toys away before taking out another one. I can’t complain about that. He also was saying a few words. Anya wasn’t with us until the end so we didn’t get to ask what he was saying. Hopefully, we can find out in the coming visits.

Nicholas is also potty-trained. Or is he? He was not wearing a diaper. However, he was standing there playing when all of a sudden a huge puddle quickly formed beneath him. We got one of his caregivers and she brought over an extra pair of underwear and shorts. Thankfully, we were outside when this happened. It appears that Nicholas can go to the bathroom at the times they sit him on the toilet, but he probably does not know his body’s signals well enough to tell someone before an accident happens. We’ll probably use pull-ups on the way home, for all of the airline passenger’s sakes and ours.

Tomorrow morning we meet with Dr. Nina, the baby home director, to hear all the official stats and information about Nicholas. Then we’ll visit with him. We probably won’t see him tomorrow afternoon, unless pre-court goes miraculously fast.
I just want to say that today we not only saw Nicholas, but so many cute kids that need families. It broke our hearts to see all of these smiling faces and know that some of them may never be adopted. We are so thankful that God led us here to Tomsk. It’s just changed us so much.

I want to close by giving a weather report. It is HOT!!!!! When I converted the temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit, my jaw almost dropped. It was 95 degrees here this afternoon! Granted, they don’t have the humidity that we have at home. It wasn’t so sweltering that you couldn’t breathe. It felt like it was in the low 80s. But, we brought jeans and we were sweating. Luckily, I brought some travel detergent because we are going to be doing our laundry a lot!

I want to leave you with a picture of Nicholas. Of course, it was taken purposely as a tease. Hopefully, in the next week or two, you can see the whole picture.



Kristin

A Romantic Anniversary

We dined on chicken. We sat shoulder to shoulder as we watched not one, but two movies together. I felt like I was flying on top of the world (or at least the Atlantic). Okay, maybe I should start at the beginning . . . the day started bright and early – a little after 5:00. We gathered our bags, said goodbye to “the girls” and were on our way by 6:30. We felt like old pros as we walked into the airport. Our bags weighed in at 45 lbs each, which was not any easy task. It took me days to make sure that I evenly distributed everything while discarding everything that wasn’t a necessity.

Our Cleveland-Atlanta flight was very uneventful. Once we got to Atlanta we had our traditional Arby’s lunch and waited at the gate during our almost five hour layover. I’ll admit that the eleven hour flight to Moscow is not on the top of my list of activities I want to repeat over and over. However, this flight was the most pleasant we had yet. It really was a “light” flight compared to the others we had last year (Note: If there are several three-seaters open in the middle, snatch them up right away, or you will never get one). Evan and I were able to recline, and, at one point, he took the two seats behind me so we both could stretch out a little. We also were shown two movies, but our favorite was “Hotel For Dogs”. It was a really cute, family-friendly movie. It is definitely worth owning – for Nicholas, of course!

As far as sleep goes, we managed to get 2-4 hours of interrupted sleep. I know I kept waking up every so often. But, we’re happy to have rested a little. My favorite part of the flight though was whenever we ate. I actually don’t mind airline food. For our anniversary dinner, we had: chicken and white rice, a side salad, buttered roll, and a brownie for dessert. Very romantic . Breakfast was Delta’s version of the Egg McMuffin sans the ham, which was also very tasty.

Anyway, when the plane landed we found that Russia is very concerned about the H1N1 virus. First, we had to fill out a medical form asking about our whereabouts in the last 10 days. Then, no one could leave the plane until their temperature was taken by a machine that looked like a radar gun. We all passed with flying colors.

Then a miracle happened. We got through passport control and the baggage claim in less than 20 minutes. That never happens! Our Moscow interpreter quickly found us and we were driven across town, which took over an hour, to our hotel. We managed to get 3-4 hours of sleep and a shower. My favorite part is when we were able to brush the funk off our teeth. Sorry if that is T.M.I., but we felt so gross. In Russia you have to use bottled water to brush your teeth, so Evan went to find us some downstairs (He’s the brave and adventurous one).

We were so glad that we didn’t have to wait out our 11 hour layover at the airport. We felt refreshed and ready to tackle the last flight. A funny thing happened while we were waiting at the gate. We saw the Russian twin of my dad! It was really weird. I was thinking it, but didn’t say anything. Then Evan turns to me and says, “There’s your dad.” It was funny. What was creepy is when Evan wanted to take his picture. I thought it was best he keep his camera tucked away. I don’t know how we would have explained that to a gate full of Russians.

But, after a four hour, boring flight we arrived in Tomsk. We were met by Sergei and his daughter, Anya. Even though we have been away for 8 months, seeing them made the time slip away. Both of them looked very excited to see us. They also told us that Nicholas is a very big boy. We will find that out for ourselves in just a few hours.

We were also reunited with Luba later this morning as we went through our fun Russian medicals. They were quite painless this time. In fact, we didn’t even have to do the X-Ray because it hadn’t expired yet. While we were in the hallway waiting, Luba told me some positive things about our case. One thing is that she’s not sure if we’ll get the same prosecutor. I didn’t even know that we could have a different one. We can always hope and pray.

But, we’re back at the hotel now resting. We see Nicholas this afternoon and then tomorrow morning. At 2:30 tomorrow afternoon (3:30 AM EST) is our pre-court hearing. Please keep us in your prayers. We are feeling more confident, but we still don’t know exactly what to expect.

So, I will let you know how our visit with Nicholas goes. I can’t wait to see their definition of “a very big boy.”

Kristin

Ready, Set, Go!

Today has been the hardest day yet! We started our day before 7:00 and never stopped. But, we’re ready to go. It’s so hard to believe that tomorrow we’re actually leaving for Russia. I still don’t believe it. We did some re-weighing of our checked baggage and carry-ons this morning. I found it funny, but not surprising, that my carry-on is very heavy because 75% of it is paper work that we have to hand-carry to Russia. Once we get off the plane in Tomsk, our load will definitely be lighter.

As of my last check, our flight to Moscow is still not full. In fact, there are several three-seaters empty as well as the two seats behind us. We will either be reclining our seats far back or snatching up one the rows in the middle to stretch out. This is an overnight flight, unlike the flight home, so we have to do what we can to get at least a few hours of sleep.

One of the benefits to our trip, besides the obvious, is that we get to go on the “Russia diet”. We don’t really snack a lot and just eat a bigger breakfast and regular size lunch. Dinner is usually a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something else of that nature. Last trip, Evan lost about ten pounds. I only lost 1 or 2, but I’ll take it.

We’re pretty excited about our trip right now. I am still a little nervous about court, but I am probably worrying about things that won’t even happen. The judge and prosecutor may be as ready as we are to get this case over with.

Well, we are doing a few quick things around the house and then we’re off to bed. We’re waking up at 5:30 A.M. to start our day and a half of travel. I’ll make sure and document our wonderful anniversary. Hopefully, I will be able to write again soon after we get to Tomsk.

Kristin

Take a Deep Breath

Now, relax. The documents are all in our possession. Some are not what we originally wanted, such as the mortgage letter, but everything has, once again, worked out. Thankfully, our local post office took extra good care of us. Our home study agency had mailed our documents, so Evan went up there yesterday afternoon to see if they had come in after the mailman left for his delivery. But, they weren’t there. So, they took down Evan’s name and number and said they would hold this particular document and call him when it came in. Lo and behold, at 8:00 this morning, we received a phone call from the post office. Evan has been to Columbus and back, and now I get the fun task of scanning all the documents and e-mailing them to Luba. Unfortunately, we have just a basic home scanner that goes at a turtle’s speed, but it will keep me busy.

I want to take the time to thank all the people that have let us and our families know that you will be praying for us during our third trip. It means so much to us. Your prayers are definitely needed because our worries and fears can often creep up and try to steal our joy in this situation. Every time I start to let myself get really excited, Satan plants another negative thought in my mind. But, then I think about how much we’ve already overcome. We’re almost over the largest hurdle in front of us. We can’t give up now!

I keep looking at the calendar and realizing that a week from now, our court case could be heard and decided. I don’t know if we’ll legally be Nicholas’s parents yet. It all depends on that 10-day waiting period, but it will be finalized by my birthday (Again, June 25th, for all those that want to jot it down on their calendars). I have always loved my birthday. I don’t care how old I’m going to be. I don’t care about presents, except for this year. Nicholas is the best birthday present anyone could ever give me.

So, we have a lot of things to celebrate this month: our anniversary, Father’s Day, my birthday, and the adoption of Nicholas. I always thought June was the best month of the year.

I will try and get at least one more post in here before we leave. Then, barring any Internet problems, I will write again on Monday night (Tuesday morning for Evan and me).

Kristin

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boy, did it feel good to get that out! We have not had a very relaxing week. In fact, every day has brought some kind of hurdle or disappointment. Today’s disappointment is, once again, with our home study agency. They were supposed to overnight our documents and have them to us by today. Well, they didn’t come. We fear that she sent them regular mail instead. Evan’s plan was to go to the Secretary of State tomorrow morning, but he will have to make two trips or push everything back to Friday. I really don’t like cutting it too close. We have to scan our documents and e-mail them to Luba so she can translate them. It would be nice to give her plenty of time to do so.

Speaking of Luba, we have not heard from her about what to do with our mortgage letter debacle. Since our mortgage company told us that they will not do the letter we need, we have asked Luba what to do next. Since we did not get an e-mail from her today, we took matters into our own hands. Evan is headed to the notary right now (Shout out to the wonderful Bob Davis) with not less than five versions of a cover letter for various mortgage documents we may have to submit (i.e. – mortgage note, payment history, etc.). Who knows what Luba will want, but we’re trying to be proactive, so we don’t have to scramble tomorrow.

Other than that, things are just wonderful. Our bags on 99% packed and are underweight by Delta’s standards. We’re about a pound over our Russian airline’s requirements, but we’ll just have to throw some more things in our carry-on when we get to Moscow. By the end of today, I will have five freezer meals made. Making dinner will probably be an afterthought when we get home. I usually take 2-3 days to recover fully from jet lag on the way home.

Evan and I were talking about our lack of showing enthusiasm right now about our trip. So many people have come up to us and congratulated us. They’re all brimming with excitement. Our response is usually said with little emotion, “We’re excited too.” And, the reason we do that is because we know all the hurdles we will face before we even get on the plane. We’re tired. We’re drained. We’re excited on the inside.

Here’s the good news . . . Sunday is coming! This will soon be over. Once court is over, this really could be like an anniversary vacation. We will go out to eat; see our son. We’ll even do some sightseeing. Here’s looking to Sunday!

Kristin

Progress

Let’s review some of the final elements on our list:

Thursday Evan and I went to the doctor to have physicals for our medical paperwork (that Russia likes renewed every 3 months!). We’re both healthy and good to go. I also talked to my doctor about something that happened during our Russian medicals last September. The Russian doctor had listened to my heart and declared after 30 seconds of listening that I had a valve problem. This was news to me. A normal thinking person would have shrugged it off and not thought of it again. Well, it has bothered me for months. But, my American doctor took extra care to listen to my heart and heard nothing abnormal. Let’s see what the Russian doctor says this time.

Also, Thursday brought us a special delivery. For those of you who remember our last trip, our passports with our visas arrived the day before we left. In fact, the Fedex tracking system had said they were supposed to come the day of departure, but they miraculously came early. Well, this time is different. We already have them in our possession! It is a great feeling to know that something that important is already taken care of.

We also learned a valuable lesson. Just because the majority of the unknown name/unknown numbers or odd phone numbers that appear on caller ID are telemarketers, does not mean that ALL of them are. Lately we have been so frustrated that we pick up the phone and hang it up right away. Well, Thursday morning we did that to the Cleveland CIS office. Oops. Thankfully, they were persistent and called a THIRD time and Evan answered it. They were just informing us that they were mailing out our I-171H!!! Another huge praise!

And, I told you about our mortgage company letter. I managed to get a hold of a manager on the phone. She understood our situation and promised to have our documents sent out right away. I asked her where she was because I wanted to know the origin of these documents for apostille purposes. She said, “I’m in India, but your documents are coming from Maryland.” Even she chuckled when she said it. I knew a lot of jobs were outsourced there, but no one has ever told me personally that is where they were.

So, we were promised two notarized letters sent overnight. I had faxed them the letter showing exactly how it needed to be so there were no issues. Well, we have issues! First, the letters were not sent overnight. Second, what was sent to us was not a letter. We received one copy of our mortgage note. That is not what I requested and that is not what I was promised. So, I’m a little ticked off at our mortgage company. Right now, Evan and I are trying to do some creative thinking on how to handle it. We have a call into Leslie to see what she thinks.

Other than that issue, 85% of our documents are complete. We have a few to get apostilled on Wednesday or Thursday. We are just waiting on our addendum and picture pages cover letter from our home study agency. She is supposed to send it out no later than tomorrow. Today I started making meals to freeze and working on packing. Hopefully, we are underweight this time!

God is really teaching me a lot right now. Memories of our court experience still haunt me and rob me of my peace. I really am trying to get the knowledge that God is personally going before us from my head into my heart. He is not surprised by my unemployment. He was not shocked that our mortgage company did not give us the correct document with less than a week left. I need to rest in the fact that God is in control.

It’s really easy to forget to stop and pray when we are this busy. I am making a point of bringing every care, concern, and praise to Him. And, praising Him needs to be important. Look at how much He has taken care of this far. When we heard that we had to make a third trip we instantly worried about the finances. But, it has been handled. We worried about our I-171H, but with one polite phone call, Cleveland’s CIS expedited it for us. Nicholas is healthy and well taken care of at the baby home. That is definitely a huge praise.

A final praise is that next week at this time, we will be boarding the plane to Tomsk. We will be four short hours away from being in the same city as our son. How exciting! We can hardly wait.

Kristin