moscow - trip 3 - day 5

Our first day together as a family! And it was a very busy day! Eli slept through the night. He woke up about 6:30am, and we were still tired and not quite ready to get up yet. I changed his diaper, and then put him in the bed between us. He liked that a lot! He lay there, sucking his thumb and snuggling! Then we got up, and had breakfast. Eli played on the floor for a little while, crawling, pulling himself up, and playing with his "Touch and Feel Farm" book, which was a favorite when we visited him in the orphanage. By a few minutes after 9:00am, he was asleep again. I put him in the crib, and he slept for 1 1/2 hours.

When he woke, we all got ready for Anton and Katia to pick us up at 11:40am. When we went downstairs, Katia told us that Anton would be late, because he was stuck in traffic. (We really, really dislike the traffic here.) We went back upstairs to wait, and after about 30 minutes, we were on our way to our medical exam for the Embassy. Even though we missed our appointment, the doctor was still able to see us when we arrived.

The doctor was very kind. Eli hated being undressed! He cried, more like screamed, and that is the most crying we have ever seen from him. As soon as the doctor was finished with his very brief exam and I picked Eli up, he stopped crying immediately! The doctor said that he was very healthy and that he appeared as attached as a biological child. We had already felt that strong bond, but it's nice to hear someone else say it!

After paying our 2800 rubles and getting paperwork for the Embassy, we headed off to the police station to pick up Eli's passport. He is so amazing in the car. He never fusses, cries, or whines. He just looks around, or he sleeps. We now have his Russian passport, which is very cool! One step closer to coming home!

After we left the police station, all 3 of us fell asleep in the backseat on the way to the office! That would have a been a good picture! It was the first time for I. to see him, and he smiled and let her hold him. She explained what we have left to do, and thankfully, it's not much.

We got back to the apartment around 4:00pm. It took us 30 minutes to drive the 3 blocks from the office! Eli started getting really fussy for the 1st time. He was tired, overstimulated, and completely off his schedule. After we talked to my mom on the phone, we gave him his first bath in the bathroom sink! He cried a little, but when I showed him he could splash in the water, he was very excited, and enjoyed doing it! He was so cute!

We put his pajamas on and fed him some dinner. I had planned to give him a bottle before bed, but he was way too sleepy, and wouldn't take it. He pushed it away with his hand! At 7:30pm, I put him in the crib, and he started to fuss, but he was just too tired. 5 minutes later he was completely out again! I know the past 2 days have been so tiring for him. Tomorrow will be a little easier. Eli and I will be here in the apt while R goes to the Embassy with Katia to file our paperwork for Eli's visa.

I'm hoping to have a calm day with Eli, so he can recover from being so tired and overstimulated.




God has blessed us with a beautiful and wonderful son!