moscow - trip 3 - day 7

Another long and challenging day in Moscow, hopefully our last. No one slept well last night. Eli seemed to wake up every hour on the hour. He didn't cry, but he made lots of noises, and every time he woke up, we woke up. At 6:15am, he was up for good. I tried to put him in the bed between us, but he was too restless, so we all got up.

He was very fussy this morning, and nothing seemed to soothe him. I think he was tired and overwhelmed. Since we had to leave at 11:30am, I put him down for a morning nap at 9:00am, and he went to sleep pretty quickly. Now he cries when I put him down. He has figured out that we come if he cries, so now he'll cry. I'll go in and pat him, and then he'll cry again, but then he'll fall asleep, within 10 minutes, so he's still doing well.

He woke up, and I fed him an early lunch of Gerber chicken and mixed vegetables. He ate all of it. So far, he has eaten everything we've given him. I dressed him in an adorable outfit, and we were off.

It was cold and rainy today. I can't wait to get home to warmer weather! We stopped at the store to get a large box of Cadbury candy as a gift, and then we went to the Ministry of Education. S. met us there. We went in the office and signed the registry book, indicating that our adoption was completed. They congratulated us and wished us well.

Then we went to Red Square to get the traditional family picture! There was a brisk wind blowing, and it was so chilly. We saw a wedding party there, having their pictures made, and I'm sure the bride was freezing. Her dress was very pretty though!

We arrived at the Embassy a few mintues before 2:00pm. There were 9 other families there, including Troy and Rachel! I enjoyed talking to them and seeing Daniel. He is a cutie! We thought it was only going to take 30 minutes, but it took an hour. We were so happy to finally have his passport!

After leaving the Embassy, we went to the office and had a wonderful visit with Carol. It was so great to see her here! The executive director with our agency is here also, and she is also very nice. Eli showed off for them, and it was hilarious! He was being so vocal and so cute. He really likes Irina, and showed off for her too. By the time we got back in the car, it was 4:00pm, and he had not had an afternoon nap. He was so exhausted. He fell asleep before Anton even started the car! He never woke up when we came into the apt, so I just put him in his crib, and he slept for an hour.

When he woke up, he had a bottle, played on the floor, had dinner, and played on the floor more. I could tell he was tired though, because he started getting fussy again. R held him and walked around the apartment, and he really liked that. I put him to bed a little early, about 7:30, and this was the most he has cried yet when putting him down.

Diaper changes continue to be difficult. Each time, he waves his arms and kicks his legs as hard as he can. I'm hoping this is just because he's so overstimulated right now, and not a permanent behavior.

We have the weekend to just relax in the apartment, and we definitely need it. We are all tired and so ready to come home. Everyone else is flying home tomorrow, and we are SO jealous!

This morning

adorable outfit for the Embassy (I did fix his hat before we went out!)

the happy family in front of St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square