Good evening all,
We started the day off by heading to the orphanage and spending almost 2 hours with Daniel. When we got there he was still asleep taking a nap. The caregivers didn't want to wake him because that would throw his schedule off. So we waited until he woke on his own. They brought him into the playroom where Mary and I fed him his lunch. He's a very good eater who prefers to eat fast! After a quick bottle of juice, it was down onto the floor for playtime. He loves it when someone holds him by the armpits and supports him while he walks. He's incredibly curious and loves going from area to area exploring.
The bonding is occurring. He's spending more and more time with us when we hold him. He's giving great eye contact and was even 'baby talking' at the end of the time today. He even snuggled with Mary when he started getting tired.
Tomorrow will be our last day with him until we return on the second trip. That will be hard on us. It's tough forming a bond with a child only to realize that you have to fly home and he stays there. But knowing that we'll be back to see him on trip 2, and then to take him home on trip 3 makes it a little more bearable.
Tomorrow we go back to the orphanage plus we have notarized the court petition that kicks off the adoption process in the Russian court system. At this time we anticipate having our court date somewhere in the first weeks of March. Following the court date, we wait the required 10 days then we can take him home. If we're lucky, he'll spend his first birthday (March 30th) as an American citizen. How cool would that be.....
Friday we have our 'medical review' with the commission of 8 doctors. Primarily a formality. Because of where it is, the time required to go through it and our scheduled time it makes going to the orphanage Friday out of the question.
Saturday we check out of the flat and head to the airport at 9:00am for our 1:00pm flight.
g and m
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The update everyone is waiting on...
First, my apologies for not writing yesterday. We got several emails wondering how things were going, etc... Sorry, but yesterday (Monday) was a long and tiring day.
Monday started out with us going to the CSS office here in Moscow for a short conference with Svetlana, head of the office here in Moscow. Next we piled into the car and went to the Ministry of Education (MOE). MOE is responsible for operating and managing the orphanages in Moscow. All orphanages are state run, none are private. Here we sat for 2 hours waiting to be called to receive our referral. Finally we got our call... Off we went into the office and before us on the table was the picture of a little 10 month old boy in a orphanage about 1 1/2 hours outside of Moscow. Initial reports were that he was very healthy and well adjusted.
Back into the car we went to the orphanage. Upon arrival we were taken to the Director's office. The orphanage is a 2 story white building situated next to what I believe are apartment complexs. She proceeded to read the child's medical record to us. Forgive us for not giving exact details, but we can't because he's not our child yet so we're obligated to not sharing exact details... Anyway, after going through the medical records they brought him in. He's cute as a button.
Our daughter Katie several weeks ago told us that Daniel would be 1 year old and have dark hair. We had a 'running joke' within the family that wouldn't it be funny if Katie was right. We were expecting an older child...Katie was spot on!! He has dark hair and big brown eyes and will be probably celebrate his first birthday a few weeks after we get him home!!! Score one point for Katie.
Anyway...we were only able to spend about 30 minutes with him on Monday. He started rubbing his eyes, turns out it was his nap time. We let him go and we left for the day.
(As a side note: We went to Hyper Globus afterwards for dinner and to grocery shop. Imagine two Super Walmarts laid end to end; Put a parking garage underneath; Put 60 check out lines in it THAT ARE ALL STAFFED; PLUS add a independant taxi service that will pick you up just to go shopping there then take you home. It was quite an experience, plus the prices were much cheaper than in Moscow.)
Tuesday (today) we left Moscow and drove back up to the orphanage. They brought Daniel out immediately and we spent the better part of 3 1/2 hours with him. He's social, makes great eye contact with everyone, smiles, crawls like a bullet, is pulling up to a stand on his own when aided by a stationary object (table or chair). He's sipping from a cup on his own and is a very hearty eater. He is making noises and sounds like he's ready to start talking. He immitates faces that people makes to him and laughs when he's amused by what face you're making. He's also the favorite of all the caretakers in his group of kids (about 30), which is great because that means that he's been held and interacted with during his time in the orphanage.
We hired an international adoption doctor to review his medical records and perform a medical/developmental evaluation. He showed up and we watched while he performed his examinations. Without going into details, he's in great shape. The doctor commented that Daniel could easily pass as a 'home baby' and not a baby that has spent his short life in an orphanage. Developmentally he's on track for his age. The doctor is having his medical records translated to English and will send them to us soon. As soon as we get them, we're forwarding them to a close friend of the family who is also a Doctor for further evaluation.
So that's where we are at this point. Tomorrow we go back to the orphage and spend more time with him. Then we head back to the CSS office to start the legal paperwork. Thursday will be spent going to the orphanage again and going to have documents notarized. Friday will be the day Mary and I go before the "medical commission" for our medical eval. 2 hours, 8 doctors and a load of fun!!! Sounds like a hoot!
Monday started out with us going to the CSS office here in Moscow for a short conference with Svetlana, head of the office here in Moscow. Next we piled into the car and went to the Ministry of Education (MOE). MOE is responsible for operating and managing the orphanages in Moscow. All orphanages are state run, none are private. Here we sat for 2 hours waiting to be called to receive our referral. Finally we got our call... Off we went into the office and before us on the table was the picture of a little 10 month old boy in a orphanage about 1 1/2 hours outside of Moscow. Initial reports were that he was very healthy and well adjusted.
Back into the car we went to the orphanage. Upon arrival we were taken to the Director's office. The orphanage is a 2 story white building situated next to what I believe are apartment complexs. She proceeded to read the child's medical record to us. Forgive us for not giving exact details, but we can't because he's not our child yet so we're obligated to not sharing exact details... Anyway, after going through the medical records they brought him in. He's cute as a button.
Our daughter Katie several weeks ago told us that Daniel would be 1 year old and have dark hair. We had a 'running joke' within the family that wouldn't it be funny if Katie was right. We were expecting an older child...Katie was spot on!! He has dark hair and big brown eyes and will be probably celebrate his first birthday a few weeks after we get him home!!! Score one point for Katie.
Anyway...we were only able to spend about 30 minutes with him on Monday. He started rubbing his eyes, turns out it was his nap time. We let him go and we left for the day.
(As a side note: We went to Hyper Globus afterwards for dinner and to grocery shop. Imagine two Super Walmarts laid end to end; Put a parking garage underneath; Put 60 check out lines in it THAT ARE ALL STAFFED; PLUS add a independant taxi service that will pick you up just to go shopping there then take you home. It was quite an experience, plus the prices were much cheaper than in Moscow.)
Tuesday (today) we left Moscow and drove back up to the orphanage. They brought Daniel out immediately and we spent the better part of 3 1/2 hours with him. He's social, makes great eye contact with everyone, smiles, crawls like a bullet, is pulling up to a stand on his own when aided by a stationary object (table or chair). He's sipping from a cup on his own and is a very hearty eater. He is making noises and sounds like he's ready to start talking. He immitates faces that people makes to him and laughs when he's amused by what face you're making. He's also the favorite of all the caretakers in his group of kids (about 30), which is great because that means that he's been held and interacted with during his time in the orphanage.
We hired an international adoption doctor to review his medical records and perform a medical/developmental evaluation. He showed up and we watched while he performed his examinations. Without going into details, he's in great shape. The doctor commented that Daniel could easily pass as a 'home baby' and not a baby that has spent his short life in an orphanage. Developmentally he's on track for his age. The doctor is having his medical records translated to English and will send them to us soon. As soon as we get them, we're forwarding them to a close friend of the family who is also a Doctor for further evaluation.
So that's where we are at this point. Tomorrow we go back to the orphage and spend more time with him. Then we head back to the CSS office to start the legal paperwork. Thursday will be spent going to the orphanage again and going to have documents notarized. Friday will be the day Mary and I go before the "medical commission" for our medical eval. 2 hours, 8 doctors and a load of fun!!! Sounds like a hoot!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
First full day in Moscow
Hello all,
Today is Monday the 26th. Today we go to the Ministry of Education and receive our referral. Then, off we go to the orphanage. To say we have butterflys in our stomachs is an understatement.
Yesterday Katia took us around Moscow for some sightseeing. Red Square was first on the list. Followed by some churches, Moscow State University, some parks and many sights as we drove about town. We stopped at a small gifts shop that CSS always brings their families to for shopping. Katia assured us that the prices were very reasonable and that the items in the shop were authentic. We purchased several items not only for gifts for loved ones back home but items to keep for Daniel so he can remain connected to his Russian heritage.
Stacye and Andy arrived yesterday afternoon. They were zapped of energy and crashed early last night. Mary and I stayed up packing some of the gifts and rearranging stuff in the luggage. We crashed at about 9:00 but were both up through the night. It's tough sleeping here. Because of the low level clouds and fog and the lights of the city, it never really gets dark. More like the light level you would find at say 6:00am in the morning.
We're heading out. We'll send updates this evening. It will be a long day for us. We may not get back to the apartment until after 7:00 this evening.
gah
Today is Monday the 26th. Today we go to the Ministry of Education and receive our referral. Then, off we go to the orphanage. To say we have butterflys in our stomachs is an understatement.
Yesterday Katia took us around Moscow for some sightseeing. Red Square was first on the list. Followed by some churches, Moscow State University, some parks and many sights as we drove about town. We stopped at a small gifts shop that CSS always brings their families to for shopping. Katia assured us that the prices were very reasonable and that the items in the shop were authentic. We purchased several items not only for gifts for loved ones back home but items to keep for Daniel so he can remain connected to his Russian heritage.
Stacye and Andy arrived yesterday afternoon. They were zapped of energy and crashed early last night. Mary and I stayed up packing some of the gifts and rearranging stuff in the luggage. We crashed at about 9:00 but were both up through the night. It's tough sleeping here. Because of the low level clouds and fog and the lights of the city, it never really gets dark. More like the light level you would find at say 6:00am in the morning.
We're heading out. We'll send updates this evening. It will be a long day for us. We may not get back to the apartment until after 7:00 this evening.
gah
Saturday, January 24, 2009
We've arrived!
Afternoon all,
Mary and I got to Moscow this morning at about 11:00am local time. The flight was great. The plane was I would say only 40% full. Smooth air all the way through. 10.5 hours passes fast. This was my 5th transatlantic flight and probably the best. Passport control was a breeze, so was getting our luggage. The final hurdle was passing through customs control. I guess since we had so much stuff (4 bags, 4 carry ons and 1 stroller) we some how stood out ;> He made us put all bags on the XRay machine while he stood there flirting with the lady with him. Once once did he glance at the Xray image.
Weather: Cold, snow on ground but none falling. Wind chill will rip through you. Weather is supposed to warm up some while we're here. Up to the mid 30s/40s.
After that we located Katia. We loaded up the luggage and off we went. Traffic in Moscow is very similar to traffic in New York. Stop and go, accidents, takes 45 minutes to an hour to travel a distance that would take people in most cities 10 minutes.at most. Got checked into our apartment. The apartment is just 1/4 mile from the Kremlin. Very secure area.
BTW: For anyone going to Moscow, adoption related or otherwise, be sure to check out Peace Travel, Inc. So far they have been great to work with. We've rented the apartment through them plus I've got the cell phone from them. Probably didn't need the cell but since my BlackBerry isn't getting service over here, we wanted to be safe rather than sorry potentially.
Resting for rest of day. Going to do exploring and touristy stuff Sunday.
g
Mary and I got to Moscow this morning at about 11:00am local time. The flight was great. The plane was I would say only 40% full. Smooth air all the way through. 10.5 hours passes fast. This was my 5th transatlantic flight and probably the best. Passport control was a breeze, so was getting our luggage. The final hurdle was passing through customs control. I guess since we had so much stuff (4 bags, 4 carry ons and 1 stroller) we some how stood out ;> He made us put all bags on the XRay machine while he stood there flirting with the lady with him. Once once did he glance at the Xray image.
Weather: Cold, snow on ground but none falling. Wind chill will rip through you. Weather is supposed to warm up some while we're here. Up to the mid 30s/40s.
After that we located Katia. We loaded up the luggage and off we went. Traffic in Moscow is very similar to traffic in New York. Stop and go, accidents, takes 45 minutes to an hour to travel a distance that would take people in most cities 10 minutes.at most. Got checked into our apartment. The apartment is just 1/4 mile from the Kremlin. Very secure area.
BTW: For anyone going to Moscow, adoption related or otherwise, be sure to check out Peace Travel, Inc. So far they have been great to work with. We've rented the apartment through them plus I've got the cell phone from them. Probably didn't need the cell but since my BlackBerry isn't getting service over here, we wanted to be safe rather than sorry potentially.
Resting for rest of day. Going to do exploring and touristy stuff Sunday.
g
Thursday, January 22, 2009
T-minus 15 hours to trip 1
15 hours till we depart for Moscow. Packing is almost complete. Katie is spending the night with the grandparents. We're running around the house doing last minute stuff.
Since we live so close to Asheville, we agreed to meet with Carol today from CSS so she could pass off some papers for us to transport to their staff in Moscow. We're also taking some clothes that were donated for the orphanges.
We'll be arriving in Moscow on Saturday and will be in the apartment by 2:00pm. We're renting a cell phone while in Moscow so we can call back home and people can reach us. Peace Travel offers cell phones for $5 a day and .50 a minute to the US. WOW. My BlackBerry through Verizon was going to be $5 a MINUTE!!! Forget that! Plus we get free calls from the apartment. Having the rented cell is extra piece of mind while wandering around a city and country you've never been in.
Sunday will be a down day for us. Probably will spend it walking around, finding a grocery store and resting. The Thompson family arrive Sunday. We're sharing the Duma apartment with them. It's great...we're renting a 3 bedroom furnished apartment and splitting the cost. That brings the per family cost to well below that of a hotel room. Stacye and Andy will be a hoot.
OK...getting tired...thoughts aren't entirely coherent (yeah, nothing new there)....
gah
Since we live so close to Asheville, we agreed to meet with Carol today from CSS so she could pass off some papers for us to transport to their staff in Moscow. We're also taking some clothes that were donated for the orphanges.
We'll be arriving in Moscow on Saturday and will be in the apartment by 2:00pm. We're renting a cell phone while in Moscow so we can call back home and people can reach us. Peace Travel offers cell phones for $5 a day and .50 a minute to the US. WOW. My BlackBerry through Verizon was going to be $5 a MINUTE!!! Forget that! Plus we get free calls from the apartment. Having the rented cell is extra piece of mind while wandering around a city and country you've never been in.
Sunday will be a down day for us. Probably will spend it walking around, finding a grocery store and resting. The Thompson family arrive Sunday. We're sharing the Duma apartment with them. It's great...we're renting a 3 bedroom furnished apartment and splitting the cost. That brings the per family cost to well below that of a hotel room. Stacye and Andy will be a hoot.
OK...getting tired...thoughts aren't entirely coherent (yeah, nothing new there)....
gah
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Another step closer
We got our Visas back via UPS today. The Russian Embassy took 4 days to turn them around.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
2 weeks to first trip
So, things are starting to get exciting. Here's the latest:
* We're departing Friday the 23rd in the afternoon. After a quick layover in Atlanta we're boarding flight 46 which will take us directly to Moscow. We'll arrive there Saturday morning (their time).
* We're sharing a 3 bedroom apartment with a couple from Birmingham Alabama who is also going on their first trip to Russia. This is awesome because going this route is so much cheaper than us getting a hotel room. They are arriving on Sunday afternoon.
* Together we and the other couple will be going to the Ministry of Education Monday morning to receive our referrals. Chance are incredibly thin that their referral and ours will be in the same orphanage. They will go to their orphanage...we'll go to ours.
* Once we get to the orphanage, WE MEET HIM. We'll spend the first day getting to know him and deciding "is this the one?".
* Tuesday the little guy gets a complete medical review by a international adoption doctor that we have scheduled. He'll do a medical exam, review his records, talk to the staff and other things. Once he has all the details, he'll give us his medical recommendations.
* Either on Tuesday or Wednesday we'll decide if we're moving forward with the referal they gave us. If we don't accept this referral, the orphanage will get us another child for consideration.
* Once we accept the referral, we start the paperwork in Moscow.
* We continue to see the little guy each day until we leave on Saturday.
* Mary and I also have to have a medical exam on that Friday.
* We return home Saturday the 31st.
So, normally it is about a 6 week turnaround for your court date. So...about mid march we should go back for trip #2.
So that's where we're at. We're packing luggage and weighing it to ensure we don't take too much (airline limitations). We'll be taking the laptop so we'll be able to keep everyone up to date.
We'll update everyone before we depart.
* We're departing Friday the 23rd in the afternoon. After a quick layover in Atlanta we're boarding flight 46 which will take us directly to Moscow. We'll arrive there Saturday morning (their time).
* We're sharing a 3 bedroom apartment with a couple from Birmingham Alabama who is also going on their first trip to Russia. This is awesome because going this route is so much cheaper than us getting a hotel room. They are arriving on Sunday afternoon.
* Together we and the other couple will be going to the Ministry of Education Monday morning to receive our referrals. Chance are incredibly thin that their referral and ours will be in the same orphanage. They will go to their orphanage...we'll go to ours.
* Once we get to the orphanage, WE MEET HIM. We'll spend the first day getting to know him and deciding "is this the one?".
* Tuesday the little guy gets a complete medical review by a international adoption doctor that we have scheduled. He'll do a medical exam, review his records, talk to the staff and other things. Once he has all the details, he'll give us his medical recommendations.
* Either on Tuesday or Wednesday we'll decide if we're moving forward with the referal they gave us. If we don't accept this referral, the orphanage will get us another child for consideration.
* Once we accept the referral, we start the paperwork in Moscow.
* We continue to see the little guy each day until we leave on Saturday.
* Mary and I also have to have a medical exam on that Friday.
* We return home Saturday the 31st.
So, normally it is about a 6 week turnaround for your court date. So...about mid march we should go back for trip #2.
So that's where we're at. We're packing luggage and weighing it to ensure we don't take too much (airline limitations). We'll be taking the laptop so we'll be able to keep everyone up to date.
We'll update everyone before we depart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
