Showing posts with label moscow - trip 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moscow - trip 1. Show all posts
Saturday, February 16, 2008
home
We arrived home safely. What an intense day. I thought I would be so excited to be going home, but on the drive to the airport this morning I was feeling sad. Anton, Katia, and everyone connected with our agency in Russia was just so wonderful to us, so saying good-bye was bittersweet. It was a life changing week, and they shared that with us. When the plane took off, I started crying. I hadn't expected to be affected so strongly. The young Russian woman across the aisle had a very concerned and sympathetic look. She was sitting with her young son, who had dark wavy hair and dark eyes, which of course made me think of what Eli might look like when he is older. Then right before the plane landed, the pilot came on the intercom, and said "For those returning to the USA, welcome home", and I started crying again. I was relieved to be home, but I didn't feel happy because we didn't have Eli with us. When the plane touched down, all the children on board became citizens, and I was touched by that as well. We might be home now, but nothing is the same. Part of my heart is in Russia.
moscow - trip 1 - last day
Almost time to leave Moscow. Our bags are packed, and in 30 minutes, Anton and Katia will be here to pick us up and take us to the airport. Marty and Lisa left this morning at 4:30am. We're glad we had the chance to share the apartment with them this past week. Being able to talk about what we were experiencing was very helpful. Doug, Kathy and baby Matthew are on our flight to Atlanta. We really enjoyed spending time with them this past week, and being able to talk to them as we wait in the airport will be great too.
Next post will be from the USA!
Next post will be from the USA!
Friday, February 15, 2008
moscow - trip 1 - day 6
Our last day in Moscow. Anton and Katia picked us up this morning at 11:00am for our 8 doctor medical exam. We drove 45 minutes to the clinic. Once we entered, we paid 20 rubles (a little less than a dollar) for blue plastic shoe covers, and then we went upstairs. The long hallway had windows along one side and lots of large plants, and there were couches, so we sat and waited, but not long. R & I were allowed to go in to see each doctor together. The doctors asked few questions, and the whole process only took 1 1/2 hours. We met another American adoptive couple, and we enjoyed talking to them while we were waiting. They are with the Gladney agency, and are adopting a little girl from Perm, who sounded adorable. It was their 2nd adoption. They showed us pictures of their son, who is now 6, and he was so cute. At the end, while we were waiting on our papers to be signed, we had tea in the secretary's office. We were so relieved when it was over, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined!
Then we went by the office briefly and then back to the apartment. We are all packed. I thought our luggage would be empty when we returned, but it's almost as full as when we arrived! We're ready to leave for the airport at 9:00am. I'm so excited about going home and getting everything ready for Eli. (We miss him terribly.) This has been a life changing experience for us. As much as I can't wait to get home, there are things about Moscow and the people we have met that we will carry with us forever.
Then we went by the office briefly and then back to the apartment. We are all packed. I thought our luggage would be empty when we returned, but it's almost as full as when we arrived! We're ready to leave for the airport at 9:00am. I'm so excited about going home and getting everything ready for Eli. (We miss him terribly.) This has been a life changing experience for us. As much as I can't wait to get home, there are things about Moscow and the people we have met that we will carry with us forever.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
moscow - trip 1 - day 5
Happy Valentine's Day! We enjoyed a nice Valentine’s Day, even though we didn’t get to see our beloved Eli, and we miss him very much. We started the day by going to Krasnogarsk to the Moscow regional courthouse to drop off our file for court, about a 45 minute drive. The courthouse is a new building, and was very nice. Because the traffic was heavy, the judge’s secretary had not arrived yet, so we waited about 30 minutes. We submitted our file, and that was a happy moment. When we signed the ledger book, Mark & Sinziana's names were just a few lines above ours! Based on the time lines of the other families with our agency, we're really hoping to be going to court in a month. That court date can’t come soon enough.
After we left the courthouse, we went down the road to a huge grocery store. It had groceries, plus clothes, a dry cleaners, bank. We got a few things to bring home, and more bottled water and cheese for the apartment. R got some tea biscuits and coffee creamer to take to the break room at work. We enjoyed walking through the store and looking at everything.
Then we drove back to Moscow. I fell asleep in the car. I woke up right before we arrived at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Since I didn’t bring a hat with me, I wrapped my scarf around my head, because women can’t enter the Cathedral with an uncovered head. The Cathedral was amazing. The walls and ceiling were completely painted with saints, angels, and the Savior, and there were gold icons everywhere. We bought a candle to light for Eli. We placed it in front of the icon which depicted the baby Jesus. There was an old nun there, and she was talking to us in Russian, which we did not understand, but her face was very kind. She gestured, so we walked up to the gold stand, lit the candle for Eli, and placed it there. Then we stood together and said a brief prayer for him. Even though we are not Russian Orthodox, it was a very emotional moment for us. As we were leaving, we bought a small icon, which had been blessed, of Elijah the prophet for his room.
After we left the Cathedral, we walked around the corner to a souvenir shop. It was very cold today, and it was snowing lightly as we were walking. We were so glad that we were wearing the silk long underwear, because we didn’t freeze! The shop we went to was in the former palace of the father of Peter the Great. It was a 2 story building built in the 17th century. We bought some nice souvenirs. We got a a wooden toy for Eli, an ornament of a man playing a balalaika, a coffee mug with a map of Moscow for R to take to work, and a little decorative box made from birch wood, which is a souvenir for Eli of the beautiful birch trees on the way to Kolumna. After we paid for our purchases, we had tea at the shop, and it tasted so good. We have really enjoyed the tea here in Russia. It's much more flavorful than the bags we brew at home!
Our next stop was the Tretyakov Gallery. It is a museum of only Russian art. We spent 2 hours walking through, looking at all the paintings. Other than our precious Eli, of course, it was the highlight of our trip to Moscow. Impressionism is my favorite, and I was thrilled to see paintings by Vrubel, Graber, and especially Korovin. At the end, we bought a book in English about the collection, which included some of the paintings that I liked and which I will enjoy showing to Eli when he is older.
Our last stop for the day was to go to the bank to exchange money. We needed 36,000 rubles for our 8 doctor medical exam tomorrow, which is our last thing to accomplish on this trip. After that is over, we will come back to the apartment and pack, and get ready to come home. Since we did not see Eli today, we have already started our waiting for the court date, even though we're not even home yet.
Please continue to pray that we get a court date very quickly, and pray for God to take care of Eli until we can return.
P.S. Here is a picture of R in front of the Cathedral.
After we left the courthouse, we went down the road to a huge grocery store. It had groceries, plus clothes, a dry cleaners, bank. We got a few things to bring home, and more bottled water and cheese for the apartment. R got some tea biscuits and coffee creamer to take to the break room at work. We enjoyed walking through the store and looking at everything.
Then we drove back to Moscow. I fell asleep in the car. I woke up right before we arrived at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Since I didn’t bring a hat with me, I wrapped my scarf around my head, because women can’t enter the Cathedral with an uncovered head. The Cathedral was amazing. The walls and ceiling were completely painted with saints, angels, and the Savior, and there were gold icons everywhere. We bought a candle to light for Eli. We placed it in front of the icon which depicted the baby Jesus. There was an old nun there, and she was talking to us in Russian, which we did not understand, but her face was very kind. She gestured, so we walked up to the gold stand, lit the candle for Eli, and placed it there. Then we stood together and said a brief prayer for him. Even though we are not Russian Orthodox, it was a very emotional moment for us. As we were leaving, we bought a small icon, which had been blessed, of Elijah the prophet for his room.
After we left the Cathedral, we walked around the corner to a souvenir shop. It was very cold today, and it was snowing lightly as we were walking. We were so glad that we were wearing the silk long underwear, because we didn’t freeze! The shop we went to was in the former palace of the father of Peter the Great. It was a 2 story building built in the 17th century. We bought some nice souvenirs. We got a a wooden toy for Eli, an ornament of a man playing a balalaika, a coffee mug with a map of Moscow for R to take to work, and a little decorative box made from birch wood, which is a souvenir for Eli of the beautiful birch trees on the way to Kolumna. After we paid for our purchases, we had tea at the shop, and it tasted so good. We have really enjoyed the tea here in Russia. It's much more flavorful than the bags we brew at home!
Our next stop was the Tretyakov Gallery. It is a museum of only Russian art. We spent 2 hours walking through, looking at all the paintings. Other than our precious Eli, of course, it was the highlight of our trip to Moscow. Impressionism is my favorite, and I was thrilled to see paintings by Vrubel, Graber, and especially Korovin. At the end, we bought a book in English about the collection, which included some of the paintings that I liked and which I will enjoy showing to Eli when he is older.
Our last stop for the day was to go to the bank to exchange money. We needed 36,000 rubles for our 8 doctor medical exam tomorrow, which is our last thing to accomplish on this trip. After that is over, we will come back to the apartment and pack, and get ready to come home. Since we did not see Eli today, we have already started our waiting for the court date, even though we're not even home yet.
Please continue to pray that we get a court date very quickly, and pray for God to take care of Eli until we can return.
P.S. Here is a picture of R in front of the Cathedral.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
moscow - trip 1 - day 4
Much better day today. We drove across Moscow to the notary office, and we only had to wait 30 minutes before we signed our documents for court. R paid 1400 rubles, and then we were on our way to the orphanage. I was happy that we were getting to go out to Kolumna earlier in the day.
The traffic was not heavy today, so we made it to Kolumna in 1 1/2 hours. As soon as we arrived, we went into the music room again, and his caregiver brought him in. She said she could tell that he had been waiting for us. As always, he was in a happy mood. We got down on the floor, and he actually played with the stacking rings for a few minutes. We read the “Touch and Feel Farm” book again, and that was still his favorite. At one point, I left him with Russ, and went across the room. I sat back down on the floor, and then called him. He crawled all the way across the room to me! So once he’s wearing fewer layers of clothing, he’ll really be moving around. When he got to me, I gave him lots of hugs and kisses, and I could tell he was very pleased with himself. The rest of the visit, he just wanted to be held, so we did. Lots of hugs, kisses, and snuggles. I told him he is my Snuggle Bunny! I got some great pictures of R holding him. At the time, we didn’t know if we’ll see him tomorrow, or if today was our last visit, so we told him how much we loved him, that we would be coming back to take him home as soon as we could, and that God would be with him and take care of him until we returned. About 2:30, his caregiver came in. She watched us with him for a few minutes, then she played with him along with us. She seems to like Eli, and is good with him, and I am very thankful for that. At 2:45pm, we kissed him one more time, and then she took him upstairs for yogurt then a nap. She took the keys on a ring and the photo album for his crib, and the stacking rings for his room.
Then we went to the office to give I. the notarized documents for court, and then I. gave us our folder that we’ll turn in at the courthouse tomorrow. While we were at the office, we found out that we won’t be seeing Eli again on this trip. We have to go to the courthouse tomorrow, and the drive to Kolumna in the heavy traffic is just too long. We have our 8 doctor medical on Friday.
Please pray that we get a court date as soon as possible, so we can bring our Snuggle Bunny home very soon! We miss him already!
The traffic was not heavy today, so we made it to Kolumna in 1 1/2 hours. As soon as we arrived, we went into the music room again, and his caregiver brought him in. She said she could tell that he had been waiting for us. As always, he was in a happy mood. We got down on the floor, and he actually played with the stacking rings for a few minutes. We read the “Touch and Feel Farm” book again, and that was still his favorite. At one point, I left him with Russ, and went across the room. I sat back down on the floor, and then called him. He crawled all the way across the room to me! So once he’s wearing fewer layers of clothing, he’ll really be moving around. When he got to me, I gave him lots of hugs and kisses, and I could tell he was very pleased with himself. The rest of the visit, he just wanted to be held, so we did. Lots of hugs, kisses, and snuggles. I told him he is my Snuggle Bunny! I got some great pictures of R holding him. At the time, we didn’t know if we’ll see him tomorrow, or if today was our last visit, so we told him how much we loved him, that we would be coming back to take him home as soon as we could, and that God would be with him and take care of him until we returned. About 2:30, his caregiver came in. She watched us with him for a few minutes, then she played with him along with us. She seems to like Eli, and is good with him, and I am very thankful for that. At 2:45pm, we kissed him one more time, and then she took him upstairs for yogurt then a nap. She took the keys on a ring and the photo album for his crib, and the stacking rings for his room.
Then we went to the office to give I. the notarized documents for court, and then I. gave us our folder that we’ll turn in at the courthouse tomorrow. While we were at the office, we found out that we won’t be seeing Eli again on this trip. We have to go to the courthouse tomorrow, and the drive to Kolumna in the heavy traffic is just too long. We have our 8 doctor medical on Friday.
Please pray that we get a court date as soon as possible, so we can bring our Snuggle Bunny home very soon! We miss him already!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
moscow - trip 1 - day 3
Today was a challenging day. Traffic was very heavy, and we didn't get to spend as much time as we wanted. But first, we have a name! His name is Elijah Alexander, and we will probably call him Eli. After much discussion over the last several months, we have decided not to keep his Russian name, and to give him a family name instead. Elijah means "The Lord is God" or "My God is Yahweh". We wanted to give glory and honor to God, who brought him into our lives. Alexander is my mother's maiden name, so it honors her side of the family, whom I love very much.
Today's trip was longer than we had hoped. But as we turned on to the road to Kolumna, we saw a wedding convey. The hoods of the cars were decorated with flowers, and one of the cars had balloons tied to the back.
After a 2 1/2 hour drive, we finally reached Kolumna. I was eager to see Eli. Because we were late, we didn’t get to see him eat lunch as we had hoped. We waited while they dressed him in many layers, and then we took him, along with the caregiver, into downtown Kolumna to get his passport and visa pictures taken, about 7km from the orphanage. His caregiver was very kind to him. He is an amazing little guy! He never cried. He is so open to new experience, and is craving stimulation. He doesn't seem to get overwhelmed, so that's good! He looked all around, and looked out the window, taking it all in. We arrived at a little store that took passport photos in the back. The caregiver sat in the chair and held him while they took the photo. It was difficult to make him look at the camera, because he kept turning his head to look at me! I had the beanie Pooh, and waved that, and they finally got the shots that they needed. R paid them 230 rubles, and then we all got back in the car to go back to the orphanage.
Once we were there, the caregiver took off his outer layers, and handed him to me. We went back to the music room, where we were yesterday. R. got good pictures of him, which I can't wait to share later, and I “read” him the “Touch and Feel Farm” book. He loved petting the soft chick on the cover. Whenever I turned the page, he would go back to it!
I put him on the floor to see if he would crawl. He got on all fours and rocked back and forth (that pre-crawling motion), and then he stretched up on his tiptoes, just like downward facing dog yoga pose! R. got the cutest photo of that. We saw a very brief forward motion, but that was it. I think he had on too many layers. So, he might be behind physically for now, but that will change soon enough. If you hold him in your lap, and hold under his arms, he loves to jump up and down! He wasn’t really interested in playing with the toys. We tried the ball, the stacking rings, and the car. He would play a little, but he really just wanted to sit in my lap and have baby snuggles. We haven’t really seen him cry. Not even in the car. Once, he started to fuss, but as soon as I snuggled him, he put his thumb in his mouth, and he was fine! I will definitely be bringing a pacifier on the 3rd trip for the plane ride home. He is such a sweet boy. So for about 30 minutes, I just held him and talked to him and gave him lots of kisses. I also showed him the“Who Loves Baby” photo album that we had brought, and he looked very intently at all the pictures. At 3:00 the caregiver came to get him, to put him down for his nap, so we kissed him and said “paka paka” (bye bye). So we had 1 hour 15 minutes of time with him, not including the time it took to get his photos taken. The moments with him were the definitely the bright spot of the day. He is so wonderful, and comfortable with us, and we feel bonded to him. Yesterday was a little awkward, because it was the 1st meeting, but today we didn’t feel awkward at all. It was the most natural thing in the world. R is very good with him too.
Then we went upstairs to the break room to wait on his medical records. Our translator took them to the office to be translated, and we will have a copy before we leave Moscow. While we were waiting, we had hot tea and R. ate some cookies that he really liked, a vanilla sandwich cookie with banana creme filling! When we go to the market on Thursday, he’s going to look for some to bring home.
Traffic on the way back to Moscow was just as heavy. We stopped by the office to review the English translations of the Russian documents we will sign tomorrow at the notary. We got back to the apartment at 8:00pm, so it was a long day, and we were drained.
Doug, Kathy and baby Matthew from downstairs came up when we got home. Lisa had cheerios and gerber puffs to give them, and they brought Honey Nut Cheerios (with the Russian label) and fruit cocktail to trade. We have really enjoyed visiting with them and seeing their adorable little one every night.
Tomorrow might be the last day we go to the orphanage, but I won't know until tomorrow afternoon. We are already so attached to Eli, and want to spend every moment with him that we can. He is just the most adorable, sweetest, amazing baby ever!
P.S. Here is one of the last photos of us before we became parents! This was taken in front of St. Basil's Cathedral, of course, right after we arrived in Moscow on Sunday.
Today's trip was longer than we had hoped. But as we turned on to the road to Kolumna, we saw a wedding convey. The hoods of the cars were decorated with flowers, and one of the cars had balloons tied to the back.
After a 2 1/2 hour drive, we finally reached Kolumna. I was eager to see Eli. Because we were late, we didn’t get to see him eat lunch as we had hoped. We waited while they dressed him in many layers, and then we took him, along with the caregiver, into downtown Kolumna to get his passport and visa pictures taken, about 7km from the orphanage. His caregiver was very kind to him. He is an amazing little guy! He never cried. He is so open to new experience, and is craving stimulation. He doesn't seem to get overwhelmed, so that's good! He looked all around, and looked out the window, taking it all in. We arrived at a little store that took passport photos in the back. The caregiver sat in the chair and held him while they took the photo. It was difficult to make him look at the camera, because he kept turning his head to look at me! I had the beanie Pooh, and waved that, and they finally got the shots that they needed. R paid them 230 rubles, and then we all got back in the car to go back to the orphanage.
Once we were there, the caregiver took off his outer layers, and handed him to me. We went back to the music room, where we were yesterday. R. got good pictures of him, which I can't wait to share later, and I “read” him the “Touch and Feel Farm” book. He loved petting the soft chick on the cover. Whenever I turned the page, he would go back to it!
I put him on the floor to see if he would crawl. He got on all fours and rocked back and forth (that pre-crawling motion), and then he stretched up on his tiptoes, just like downward facing dog yoga pose! R. got the cutest photo of that. We saw a very brief forward motion, but that was it. I think he had on too many layers. So, he might be behind physically for now, but that will change soon enough. If you hold him in your lap, and hold under his arms, he loves to jump up and down! He wasn’t really interested in playing with the toys. We tried the ball, the stacking rings, and the car. He would play a little, but he really just wanted to sit in my lap and have baby snuggles. We haven’t really seen him cry. Not even in the car. Once, he started to fuss, but as soon as I snuggled him, he put his thumb in his mouth, and he was fine! I will definitely be bringing a pacifier on the 3rd trip for the plane ride home. He is such a sweet boy. So for about 30 minutes, I just held him and talked to him and gave him lots of kisses. I also showed him the“Who Loves Baby” photo album that we had brought, and he looked very intently at all the pictures. At 3:00 the caregiver came to get him, to put him down for his nap, so we kissed him and said “paka paka” (bye bye). So we had 1 hour 15 minutes of time with him, not including the time it took to get his photos taken. The moments with him were the definitely the bright spot of the day. He is so wonderful, and comfortable with us, and we feel bonded to him. Yesterday was a little awkward, because it was the 1st meeting, but today we didn’t feel awkward at all. It was the most natural thing in the world. R is very good with him too.
Then we went upstairs to the break room to wait on his medical records. Our translator took them to the office to be translated, and we will have a copy before we leave Moscow. While we were waiting, we had hot tea and R. ate some cookies that he really liked, a vanilla sandwich cookie with banana creme filling! When we go to the market on Thursday, he’s going to look for some to bring home.
Traffic on the way back to Moscow was just as heavy. We stopped by the office to review the English translations of the Russian documents we will sign tomorrow at the notary. We got back to the apartment at 8:00pm, so it was a long day, and we were drained.
Doug, Kathy and baby Matthew from downstairs came up when we got home. Lisa had cheerios and gerber puffs to give them, and they brought Honey Nut Cheerios (with the Russian label) and fruit cocktail to trade. We have really enjoyed visiting with them and seeing their adorable little one every night.
Tomorrow might be the last day we go to the orphanage, but I won't know until tomorrow afternoon. We are already so attached to Eli, and want to spend every moment with him that we can. He is just the most adorable, sweetest, amazing baby ever!
P.S. Here is one of the last photos of us before we became parents! This was taken in front of St. Basil's Cathedral, of course, right after we arrived in Moscow on Sunday.
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