tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77808433529527877342024-03-13T07:46:06.618-07:00Follow our Journey – Adopting Daniel from RussiaFollow us on our journey! This blog will be used to both chronicle our adoption story and to serve as a source of information for other families adopting children from Russia.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-19364202932175878112010-03-30T18:56:00.000-07:002010-03-30T19:29:06.761-07:00Daniel's Second Birthday<div>Once again, my apologies for so much time between posts.<br /></div><br /><div>Today we celebrated our first birthday with Daniel. Today he turned two years old. We had a small family birthday party for him last Saturday with members of Greg and Mary’s family present along with his god parents, John and Alice. </div><div></div><br /><div></div><div>Daniel continues to do great. At his 2 year ‘well baby checkup’ today, his pediatrician commented that he’s the healthiest foreign adopted baby she has ever seen. He continues to grow, remain healthy and develop on all fronts. He’s been incredibly healthy. He’s only been sick ONCE since we brought him home back last April (minor upper respiratory infection). His vocabulary grows weekly and he's starting to form small sentences. </div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>Let’s see...what else... Christmas was a blast with him. He didn’t quite understand the ‘ripping into the gifts’ thing. We would help him open a gift and he would find more entertainment in the box and wrapping paper than the gift itself (maybe that’s normal). He had a blast at Halloween. </div><br /><div>He and his big sister Katie dressed up as penguins.<br /></div><div></div><br /><div>Daniel’s also done a little traveling. October of last year he went with Mary and I out to San Francisco for a trip. I find myself being amazed at how much he’s done in just under a year. He’s gone from living in a small orphanage on the outskirts of Moscow, to being adopted, becoming a citizen of the United States, traveling to the West coast, and so much more.<br /></div><div></div><br /><div>Daniels’ sister Katie has done very well at accepting him into the family. Oh sure, there’s still those moments where the two of them both want to play with the same toys and some conflict presents itself, but hey, their siblings.<br /></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div>We’ve kept up with the Thompson family who adopted Alina from the same orphanage. We’re going to spend a weekend with them in Atlanta this summer. It will be good to see them again, let the kids see each other and get reacquainted.<br /></div><div></div><br /><div>Another person that’s on my mind today, Daniel’s birthday, is his birth mom. Several times today I’ve found myself wondering how she is, what she’s doing and if she’s thinking of Daniel. Somewhere tonight, about 5,000 miles from here, I hope that she feels the love that we have for her and her son. We pray for her to have peace in her heart and mind for the difficult choice that she made in giving Daniel up for adoption, in hopes that he would have a better life than she could provide.<br /> <br />And now, for what many have waited for...pictures!!</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/S7Ku-38K4UI/AAAAAAAABso/7OneQyAkjrg/s1600/2ndbday.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454614493890535746" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/S7Ku-38K4UI/AAAAAAAABso/7OneQyAkjrg/s320/2ndbday.jpg" /></a> </div><div>Daniel on his second birthday</div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/S7KyxWeaT2I/AAAAAAAABtA/Sq_gbkrKOJQ/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 256px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454618659615559522" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/S7KyxWeaT2I/AAAAAAAABtA/Sq_gbkrKOJQ/s320/IMG_1319.JPG" /></a><br />Daniel after the fair. He won </div><div>Mr. Personality in the baby contest.<br /></div><br /><div></div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/S7Kv7RjnahI/AAAAAAAABs4/wlZrgYfWOZo/s1600/carseat.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454615531559021074" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/S7Kv7RjnahI/AAAAAAAABs4/wlZrgYfWOZo/s320/carseat.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>Enjoying a ride in the van<br /></div><br />g, m, k & d<br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div>Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-64889010255449038752009-08-22T18:18:00.000-07:002009-08-22T18:30:09.090-07:00Has it been that long since I last updated the blog?Wow, time really does fly doesn't it.<br /><br />Daniel is doing AWESOME! He's very healthy, well adjusted and is just doing so well. He sleeps mostly through the night, sometimes waking up and crying but quickly going back to sleep. He sleeps anywhere from 10-11 hours a night. He has a great appetite and his personality is so good.<br /><br />He's getting at least 1 nap in a day, sometimes 2. Each about 2 hour in length.<br /><br />He loves to dance to music.<br /><br />He cut 4 new teeth this month.<br /><br />He's repeating words, saying 'Hi' and 'Herow' to people out and about. He's picking up a lot of words from Katie. "Mine" and "Elmo" are also in his vocabulary. He won't acknowledge with 'yes' he still says 'Da'.<br /><br />We had him circumsized about 2 weeks ago and he did great other than the first two days following the procedure.<br /><br />He has the most curly hair. It's time for a hair cut but Mommy doesn't want to cut it.<br /><br />Out in public he's still a big flirt!<br /><br />We continue to keep up with the Thompson family who also adopted from the same Russian orphanage. They are all doing great!<br /><br />Katie (the big sister) is doing great with him!<br /><br />I'll post some new photos here soon!Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-35446837093244032112009-06-07T09:01:00.000-07:002009-06-07T09:48:15.625-07:00Follow upWell, we've been home now for over a month and a lot has happened.<br /><div></div><br /><div>Daniel is doing awesome! He's sleeping 8-9 hours a night, he's been walking now for 3 weeks,he's beginning to repeat words. We try to get both his morning and afternoon nap in each day (he's a happier baby when he gets both in ;> )<br /></div><div>All his medical tests came back negative. We were concerned that he would have food alergies since he was always broken out at the orphanage, but all the tests came back negative and he hasn't had a breakout since we got home with him. Other blood and stool sample tests came back negative. </div><div> </div><div>We had his combination "Welcome Home/Happy Birthday" party several weeks ago. We had over 75 friends and family come out to welcome Daniel to the family.<br /></div><div>His big sister Katie is enjoying having a little brother to play with.</div><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/Sivu6MqWzLI/AAAAAAAABqs/nHe2D5LAXNk/s1600-h/p11080ta102204_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 273px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344628066403929266" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/Sivu6MqWzLI/AAAAAAAABqs/nHe2D5LAXNk/s320/p11080ta102204_1.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344627762703279282" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SivuohSepLI/AAAAAAAABqk/Bkf3mjXuy0A/s320/p11080ta102204_4.jpg" /><br /><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 248px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344624212610511330" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SivrZ4KZ8eI/AAAAAAAABqc/0pwV7QbM7tc/s320/p11080ta102204_25.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 272px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344623338571012050" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SivqnAHJl9I/AAAAAAAABqU/oAaGgmhgjqg/s320/p11080ta102204_28_0.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 244px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344623337759118786" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/Sivqm9FlFcI/AAAAAAAABqM/shRp_5j8OEA/s320/p11080ta102204_3.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-31325197857750340102009-05-03T13:35:00.000-07:002009-05-03T13:45:08.009-07:00Home for a weekWe've been home for a week now. Daniel's sleeping through the night and usually wakes between 5:30 and 7:00am. He's eating really good and thus far has not had any allergic reaction to any foods we've given him. He has absolutely no signs of the rash he had when we first met him in Moscow. <br /><br />We've kept friends and family at bay for the week while we work on bonding with him. He's bonded quite well with us. He'll reach up when he wants to be held and cry when Mary or I leave the room. Another positive sign is that when he's frightened, he cries and reaches for us (he's afraid of the vacuum). <br /><br />We've got a First Birthday / Welcome Home party coming up for him this coming Saturday. We'll have to work on 'protecting' him from all the over zealous people who'll want to monopolize him.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-74731264452082928272009-04-27T14:00:00.001-07:002009-04-27T14:27:44.834-07:00Trip 3 - The Flight Home6:00am comes too early sometimes. Especially when its the day of your departure to come home with your new little one. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Katia</span> and Vladimir picked us up at 8:30 so we could get to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">SVO</span> airport as quickly as possible. With the weather warming up in Russia, many people leave the city on the weekend for their summer homes in the country. Thus, the traffic on the weekends can be unpredictable. Sure enough, Vladimir called it correctly. Traffic was rough going out of the city Saturday morning and it took almost 1 1/2 hours to get to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">SVO</span>. With no traffic that trip would normally take 40 minutes.<br /><br />Piece of advice for families traveling with children in Russia. Families with children can jump to the front of ANY LINE in Russia. This includes VERY LONG LINES at the airport. Don't forget this advice, especially if you're traveling to Russia in the summer when the number of people at the airport apparently skyrockets based upon what we've been told.<br /><br />It took about a full hour to get through baggage X-ray, airline/passport check, baggage screening, check-in, passport control and security. Whew!!!!<br /><br />There's a great <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">restaurant</span> on the second level of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">SVO</span> airport, next to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">souvenir</span> shop. The burgers are <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span>, their Russian Noodles is great.<br /><br />Be sure to get to the gate for your flights as soon as you can. They started boarding our flight a full hour and 15 minutes before the scheduled departure of the flight.<br /><br />The flight home with Daniel was great. We lucked out and got the bulkhead sets. He was a real trooper on the way home. He napped twice from Moscow to Atlanta. He flirted with the surrounding passengers and the flight attendants; he laughed and played and never once cried. He wore us out keeping up with him, but it was better than how some of the other parents were doing on the flight. One flight attendant stopped by and commented that he was doing great and that some parents in the back of the plane were fighting with their kids since they had departed. Daniel was funny...he would stand up in his seat, scan the surrounding passengers and when he would make eye contact with them, he would flash that smile of his.<br /><br />Getting through passport/border control in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">ATL</span> was fairly straight forward. You get off the plane as you normally do, go the agent, show your passports along with the passport of your little one. They will ask to see the envelope of embassy papers. You hand them over and off you go to a special room for processing of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">immigration</span>. You are processed in order in which you come off the plane and get into the queues for the agents. Once your packet is retrieved by the agent for processing, it takes them like 5 minutes to complete their part of the work. You'll hear them stamp your little ones passport and that's the moment of magic. That stamp <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">officially</span> declares them a citizen of the United States.<br /><br />The flight from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">ATL</span> to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tri</span>-Cities was horrible!!! Delta of course merged with Northwest Airways who was still keeping the old Saab 340s turbo-props in service. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">OMG</span> I HATE THOSE PLANES!!! They are loud, slow, hot and cramped. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Unfortunately</span> Daniel had a messy diaper once we boarded the flight and I had to change him in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">lavatory</span>. There is no changing table, not enough room for an adult to stand. I had to lay him on the toilet seat and change him. It was so hot in their I was concerned about passing out. This, coupled with the stink of his diaper...oh my...<br /><br />We were <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">greeted</span> at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">TRI</span> by family and friends. Daniel's grand parents, an uncle, some aunts, a cousin, god parents and good friends all came out to welcome him home.<br /><br />We hadn't <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">eaten</span> much so we went to Cracker Barrel and then went home and CRASHED!!!! Daniel passed out cold before we got home.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-11477949544445474542009-04-27T13:53:00.000-07:002009-04-27T14:00:02.439-07:00Trip 3 - FridayThursday night was totally uneventful. Daniel slept through the night with no problems.<br /><br />Friday started out with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Katia</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Valimir</span> picking us up and taking us to the Ministry of Education (MOE). The purpose of the visit to MOE was to sign a document requesting that they take our names off of the registry of potential adoptive parents. The ladies of course took their time to play with Daniel. We saw a good sign of bonding while at MOE. I (Greg) was holding Daniel and one of the ladies in the office held out her arms to take Daniel. Daniel actually paused and held onto me for a few moments before going to the lady. This is a good sign we're bonding well with Daniel. After signing the papers, letting them enjoy a few moments with Daniel, we left them with a traditional parting gift of a box of candies.<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Katia</span> and Vladimir dropped us off at our flat after MOE. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Katia</span> though continued working. She took our information to the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs where she registered Daniel as a Russian citizen. Daniel enjoys a dual citizenship and it is recommended that he be registered as one living abroad. Most agencies leave it to the parents to do this once they return to the states. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">CSS</span> requires it be done and have the interpreter do it.<br /><br />We rested and packed the rest of Friday and got to bed early. We knew the flight home would be long.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-76869415659691697222009-04-23T20:37:00.001-07:002009-04-23T20:52:05.205-07:00Trip 3 - ThursdayDaniel had another great nite Wednesday. He slept all through the nite with no problems whatsoever. <br /><br />Katia went without us Wednesday and got Daniel's Russian passport and his re-issued Russian birth certificate. This re-issued birth certificate lists Mary and I as his parents and it supercedes his original birth certificate.<br /><br />Thursday was spent doing some final paperwork. I (Greg) had to go to the Notary to have some documents notarized and then all of us went to the US Embassy for our Visa/Exit Interview. The interview is more of a formality than anything, but it's a critical point in the whole process. The results of the interview is a immigration visa that goes into Daniel's passport which allows him to travel to the US. This, plus a sealed packet of paperwork which we deliver to the Customs officals in Atlanta all go together to making him a US citizen once we arrive in Atlanta. <br /><br />It was cool seeing all the other adopting parents there in the Embassy. I would estimate there were 6 families there going through their interviews. <br /><br />I wasn't aware of this but Daniel will have a dual citizenship, US and Russian. He doesn't 'loose' his Russian citizenship when he leaves. In the future he'll have the ability to travel back and forth between the US and Russian, if he so desires. Only potential drawback to that is if he's ever in Russian and the military is 'called-up' and they draft, he could be drafted.<br /><br />Getting his travel visa and his paperwork pack from the US Embassy is the last essential step here in Moscow. Only thing left to do today is to go to the Ministry of Education, who oversees the orphanages in the Russian Federation, and sign a document that takes Mary and I off of the list of potential adoptive parents. Plus it is customary to take the Ministry staff a box of candies or flowers as a sign of thanks. Whole thing should take no more than 15 minutes.<br /><br />Rest of the day will be devoted to packing and preparing for a 14 hour trip home. Current plans have us in at TRI at 8:14pm Saturday nite. If the weather is warm enough here, we'll go out today and take Daniel for a walk. He's been fighting a cold so we don't want it to get any worse.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-47125567068509904262009-04-22T22:52:00.000-07:002009-04-22T23:00:44.228-07:00Day after Gotcha DayDaniel slept very well his first night with us. All in all he slept 12 hours the first night, solid straight through. When he awoke the next morning, he was in his typical good humor mood. <br /><br />Wednesday was a much slower paced day. Katia picked us up at 9:15 and we went directly to the hospital for Daniel's exit medical review. Dr. Morodova, who was the doctor who did his initial medical review in the orphanage back in January, was the doctor who did his exit review. Basically a subset of the original review, Daniel did very well. Dr. Morodova commented that the only issues he can see with Daniel is his food alergies and the fact that his weight is a little low for a child his age, which of course can be attributed to having been in an orphanage for the last 9 months of his life. <br /><br />Next, off we went to the American Embassy. Katia and I went in and filed the paperwork to get Daniel's American visa. We'll return to the embassy tomorrow for the exit interview there.<br /><br />The rest of the day was a freebie! We stayed around the apartment, spending time with Daniel, playing and getting to know one another. He's all boy!!! <br /><br />We gave him his first bath last night, didn't go quite as planned. He didn't want to sit in the tub so he stood the entire bath. After bath and a bottle, he was out like a light. He sleeps very well and goes out very quickly on his own.<br /><br />More later...Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-42685877543728523002009-04-22T03:00:00.001-07:002009-04-22T03:04:05.767-07:00Some photosOK, some photos...<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/Se7rgYGyT7I/AAAAAAAABp4/V6cBKgka-p8/s1600-h/100_2309+(Small).JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327454350685130674" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/Se7rgYGyT7I/AAAAAAAABp4/V6cBKgka-p8/s320/100_2309+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/Se7rUKcTYBI/AAAAAAAABpw/EbeCEuXZpdA/s1600-h/100_2322+(Medium).JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327454140858851346" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/Se7rUKcTYBI/AAAAAAAABpw/EbeCEuXZpdA/s320/100_2322+(Medium).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div> </div></div>Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-2428247401890515332009-04-21T11:06:00.000-07:002009-04-21T11:41:36.272-07:00!! Gotcha Day !!We awoke this morning to fresh snow here in Moscow. Temps were well below freezing and the lingering moisture in the air was taking advantage of it. While most of the people here in Moscow went about their normal lives, we embarked on something not so normal.<br /><br />Katia and Vladimir picked us up at 8:30 and off we went to the court house to retrieve the final court decree. Next, off to the 'Register's office', where we filed the adoption decree. Then, we set off for the orphanage.<br /><br />We got there a little after 1:00. More snow had fallen in the rural areas around Moscow than in the central part of the city. I don't know if I can fully detail freshly fallen snow that surrounds a children's orphanage...somehow it's a little brighter, a little whiter and it has a power to take you thousands of miles from whatever bothers you.<br /><br />Normal introductions, yada yada, best wishes, etc... They were all given in typical fashion. They asked if we would like to dress him or if we would like for them to in the interest of time. We were kind of overwhelmed at that moment and Mary decided it would be best if they dressed him before they brought him out. I've heard that they essentially meet you, greet you, put the kid in your arms and then push you back out the door...well, yeah, that's kinda what they do. <br /><br />Within 3-5 minutes they had him out to us fully dressed in ALL the clothes Mary gave them to put him in. We're not talking 2 layers...4 plus! He definitely remembered us and was giving us his characteristic smile within minutes. About 7-10 members of the staff started pouring in giving Daniel hugs and kisses. Many wanted their picture taken with him. Several were wiping away tears. The young lady whom was primary caregiver for Daniel's group fell to the end of the line and took a few extra moments with him. After we finished and started down the stairs, I caught a glimpse of her pausing and watching us as we went out of sight; Daniel took a little piece of her heart with him today.<br /><br />He did incredibly well in the car. Very overwhelmed but his personality showed through. He was flirting and playing the whole way to the Moscow Police Station. We had to go there to show Daniel to them so they could verify by pictures taken of him that we had taken custody of the right child. Also they are responsible for issuing the Russian passport so Daniel can get out of the country.<br /><br />Here comes the second good news of the day! Normally this process takes 2-3 days...we're getting next day turn around because we asked nicely. This means we can leave Saturday!!!! I've changed our airfare (not a cheap thing to do, but we're coming out not too out of whack because of the savings in the apartment) to return Saturday.<br /><br />We left the police station and went to the CSS offices where everyone took their time playing with Daniel. We were coached on the final 3 days and what to expect with the US Embassy.<br /><br />We arrived back to the flat after 5:00. Daniel had dinner and we got on a video call via skype to his new grandparents and uncle. He did his typical laughing, playing and such. He's got a really laid back, playful personality. <br /><br />After some more playing, he eventually wound down and fell sleep on Mary while I was on the phone with Delta. I tried finding the camera before they woke up...no dice. Mary woke up while I was stirring. I placed him in his crib and he's out like a light.<br /><br />I know someday he'll asked questions about this day. We've captured as many pictures as possible. I can only hope I can retain as much as I can to help him appreciate how awesome of a day this way. The look of excitement and awe were so prevalent on his face at times today. We had the TV on for a few minutes and he watched SpongeBob of all things. He's got a funny sense of humor. He sneezed and I mimicked him. He thought that was the funniest thing. He then proceeded to do fake sneezes for about 30 minutes, just at random, to get a laugh out of us.<br /><br />I know I'll have more thoughts on this day later. For now, Mary and Daniel are passed out and I'm sitting here looking down on the streets of Moscow.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-65145455901420123122009-04-20T11:14:00.000-07:002009-04-20T11:20:51.241-07:00Trip 3 - We've arrivedWe arrived into Moscow this morning a little later than usual. There was a delay departing Atlanta. With the tail winds you encounter crossing the Atlantic, you can make up a lot of time. All in all, a good flight. Plane was about 1/3 full so everyone had space to spread out.<br /><br />We were thinking that today was going to be a hectic day...turns out that's tomorrow. We just went to the CSS office for a bit, grocery store and then we got checked into the apartment. Great location next to New Arbat street (a tourist haven), 5-10 minute walk to the US embassy. Clean and comfortable. Dmitry and those guys do an excellent job at Peace Travel. <br /><br />I won't even try to recount everything we're going to try to do tomorrow, but definately getting Daniel is on the list (somewhere near the bottom actually, later in the day). There's some hope that if we can sweet talk the Moscow Police Station into rushing things for us, maybe, JUST MAYBE, we can leave early from Russian and get home. We're looking at instead of being here until Wed Jan 29th, we could leave on like this coming Saturday or Sunday. Cross fingers, cross toes and say a little prayer...<br /><br />Mary's passed out sleeping, I'm wide awake posting and emailing...Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-57161007605537540772009-04-17T16:11:00.000-07:002009-04-17T16:22:26.683-07:00Countdown to trip 332 hours till we depart for our third and final trip to Moscow. Our visas arrived a little over an hour ago, that's cutting it too close for me. If we didnt' receive them in time it would have cost us somewhere around $750-$1000 to adjust our tickets and accomodations.<br /><br />We're packing as light as possible for trip 3. It's not the trip going over that is cumbersome...it'll be the trip back! We'll have all our luggage, Daniel (of course) and the stroller. Remember from previous postings that most cars in Russia are small. Packing all of us and our stuff into Vladimir's car will be quite a feat.<br /><br />Gotcha day is anticipated to be Tuesday. Yes, yes, there will be pictures posted... ;><br /><br />We'll be taking my laptop plus <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">webcam</span> so we can communicate to family via <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">skype</span>.<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Accommodations</span> this time around will be an apartment next to the American embassy. Full kitchen, bath, free <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Internet</span> (yeah) and calls to the US.<br /><br />So, that's it for now. We'll probably update everyone once we get to Moscow and get settled in to the apartment.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-41866069661061999962009-04-11T11:41:00.001-07:002009-04-11T11:55:11.120-07:00Home from Trip 2<div>We arrived back home early this morning at about 2:00am. This was after sitting in Atlanta for 7 1/2 hours due to the weather rolling through the southeast yesterday. So, to catch everyone up...<br /><br />Thursday we spent the day going to the orphanage and spending time with Daniel. We took gifts and a cake for the staff. Daniel was in excellent spirits and played with us up until it was time for his nap at 2:00pm. We even got a tour of Daniel's group area where he and the others in his age range sleep and spend a lot of their time. Any preconceived notions of what a Russian orphanage looks like should be tossed out. The area was clean, tidy and functional. Baby beds arranged neatly in one half of the room while the play area was on the other half.<br /><br />We had lunch with Katia and Vladimir, our translator and driver, and we headed back to the CSS office for a final meeting with them to go over paperwork for the third trip.<br /><br />Thursday evening was consumed with packing, calling back to the States and catching up family and dinner.<br /><br />The flight Friday was obviously a lot of fun. The flight from Moscow to Atlanta was uninteresting, but it gave us an opportunity to observe other families just returning with their newly adopted child from Russia. It gave us a chance to plan out how we're going to occupy a 1 year old on an 11 hour flight.<br /><br />I spent this morning preparing our paperwork for the third trip's visa. I had to scramble around because the Russian Embassey has changed their processing time for visa applications. They no longer offer same day and next day processing of visas. Hopefully our visas will be back before we depart on the 19th...of course if we don't have the visas, I guess we're not departing now are we????? ;></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So, without further ado...here's our first photo we're publishing of Daniel:</div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323509166338683586" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SeDnYbInMsI/AAAAAAAABog/mImPMtM16pA/s320/thisone.jpg" /></div>Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-71870383300655903932009-04-08T06:23:00.000-07:002009-04-08T06:34:19.323-07:00We're Parents Again!Today it became offical - WE'RE PARENTS AGAIN!<br /><br />Daniel Allen Artyom Holt is now our child, per the ruling of the judge this afternoon in the Moscow Regional Courts.<br /><br />Court went well. We were delayed about 15 minutes because the case before ours went over. Our case took an 1 hour, 15 minutes. Questions to us were minimal (2 or 3) because I covered all 'typical' topics in my opening statement. The judge was complete and to the point, but polite and friendly as well.<br /><br />After court we had to run to the adoption agency's office and then to the Notary Public for some document signings.<br /><br />We've now made it back to the hotel and WE'RE CRASHING HARD!!! We ordered room service and are crawling in bed for a nap.<br /><p></p><p></p><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322312693969490914" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SdynMkOak-I/AAAAAAAABMY/ZBPN5Ik1500/s320/100_2177.JPG" />Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-16147208083165022032009-04-07T17:30:00.000-07:002009-04-07T17:37:56.081-07:00Trip 2 (part 2)As a follow on to our previous post, a few other things:<br /><br /> Most of the snow here in Moscow has melted now. Outside of the city in the more rural areas, they still have snow on the ground. Temps are in the 40s with the sun trying to pop through.<br /><br /> We presented our donations yesterday. Mostly children's clothing we had purchased in the States or clothing that had been donated from other sources. We included in our donation some diaper rash cream we had gotten on sale somewhere. They were particuallarly happy to receive that. According to Katia, here in Russia there are many products on the market that are nothing more than cheap knock-off products made in China that simply do not work. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes between a 'quality product' and one that is a knock-off, plus paying a higher price for the product doesn't guarantee you anything either.<br /><br /> So, for anyone wanting to know what to bring to orphanages as a donation...BUTT CREAM is a hit! Also, OralGel for the children while they are teething is a welcome donation.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-52269080012663798952009-04-07T16:11:00.001-07:002009-04-17T16:20:28.443-07:00Arrived for trip 2We arrived in Moscow Tuesday morning at about 10:30 am local time. The long flight from ATL was made even longer by a few rude Russians who would never shutup. They 'roamed' from region to region of the forward bulkhead area chatting/laughing. They never came near our area but they could be heard throughout.<br /><br />Smooth sailing getting through passport and luggage. Katia was waiting for us outside of luggage and off we went directly to the orphanage.<br /><br />Daniel has grown in the past 3 months. He now has 4 teeth that have come in (all uppers), his hair is a little longer and curlier and his skin rash/food alergies are gone. We all believe he remembers us because when they brought him in he stared at us intensely for about a minute. It took him an hour to 'warm up' but when he did he was laughing and playing. He can stand on his own for several minutes (>4) and can take several unassisted steps by him self.<br /><br />Following seeing Daniel, we left the orphanage for the CSS office in downtown Moscow. Gotta love Moscow traffic!!! Ugggh! Spent a few short minutes checking in with the CSS staff, getting a few pointers on court, then they let us go to go get checked into the hotel.<br /><br />We're staying at one of the Holiday Inn's in Moscow. Practically identical to HI's in the US. Comfortable room and bed, wireless internet is anonyingly slow during peak hours but at 3:00am in the morning it is nice and speedy. If you stay here try the Beef Stroganoff!!! Awesome!!! And be sure to tell the cook how you want your meat cooked, Mary's burger was still breathing...<br /><br />Wednesday we're outta here at 9:30 for our 11:30 court appearance. I showed my prepared statements to Katia and she could find nothing wrong with them.<br /><br />Until then, I think I'll attempt to sleep some more...Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-52865042759434934452009-04-05T09:30:00.001-07:002009-04-05T09:37:13.334-07:00Trip 2 is upon usWe depart for trip 2 back to Moscow tomorrow at 11:30 AM. Quick flight to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ATL</span>, sit for a few hours then we settle in for our 11 hour flight to Moscow.<br /><br />Upon arriving in Moscow Tuesday morning, we'll go directly to the orphanage where we'll see Daniel for the first time since January. Not sure how long we'll get to spend with him since we'll be dead tired I'm sure.<br /><br />Wednesday we have our 11:30am appearance in court. If all goes well and Greg's prepared statement is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">sufficient</span>, the entire proceeding may take no more than 15 minutes from start to finish. If the judge isn't quite happy with the prepared statement and wants to 'dig deeper', they will start asking questions. Longest court appearance we've heard of was 2 hours. By this point, the court appearance is no more than a formality. We've passed all other hurdles and we've never heard of anyone being denied the adoption at this stage.<br /><br />Thursday we'll head back to the orphanage to visit with Daniel one more time before we leave on Friday.<br /><br />We'll update everyone Tuesday evening once we get into the hotel.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-62563287232637389252009-04-03T19:08:00.000-07:002009-04-03T19:11:37.912-07:00Adjustment to court dateWe got word this morning that our court date has been moved up a day. Now, we'll be going before the judge on April 8th. That adjusts our "Gotcha Date" to the 21st. Now, if we're lucky (and we do mean LUCKY!) we might could finish all the final paperwork and be out of Russia by the 25th. If we're not lucky, then it means we'll be staying in country until about the 28th. Stay tuned for futher details...Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-24672553289614345212009-03-30T05:27:00.000-07:002009-03-30T05:28:23.053-07:00Happy Birthday Daniel!Today is Daniel's first birthday. While we're sad that we're not there with him to celebrate it, we're excited to know that in 8 short day's we'll see him again for the first time since January.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-8968092435935642472009-03-28T10:37:00.000-07:002009-04-03T19:12:51.028-07:00Quick UpdateT minus 10 days till we see Daniel again (4/7/2009)<br />T minus 12 days till court (4/9/2009)<br />T minus 25 days till "Gotcha day" (4/22/2009)<br />T minus 32 days till we bring him home for good (4/29/2009)<br /><br />Preparations continue for our court trip. I'm putting the finishing touches on my presentation for the judge, plus we've compile a photo album of the types of photos that judges like seeing (family, home, pictures of us with Daniel, etc). We should have our Visas back by Tuesday (3/31/2009). Katie will be on Spring Break the week we're gone for the court trip so that helps.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-5362147290102661872009-03-20T02:49:00.000-07:002009-04-03T19:13:10.258-07:00T- 32 days to gotcha dayBased upon input from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">CSS</span>, looks like our gotcha day will be April 22nd.<br /><br />We've got trip 2 planned out now and we're putting together details for trip 3. Looks like we won't be back in the US until about April 29<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span>. Since our gotcha date is on a Tuesday and now there's an extra day of paperwork following the adoption decree being issued, that puts us going over a weekend and of course none of the government offices are open on the weekend. So it pushes us out until the 29<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> for coming home.Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-26085976945839433432009-03-16T08:04:00.001-07:002009-03-18T17:04:13.509-07:00We have our court date!April 9th!!!<br /><br />I've already got our air reservations done. We're departing April 6th, arriving on the 7th, visit Daniel on the 7th and 8th, court on the 9th, depart Russia on the 10th.<br /><br />That puts our 'gotcha day' on or about April 22th!!!<br /><br />More details to followGreg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-25145633337506421432009-03-13T16:36:00.000-07:002009-03-13T16:44:57.081-07:00Another update...Well, we continue to wait for word from Russia on a court date. However we have had some contact with the Motherland...<br /><br />The Thompson family are in Russia for their court appearance, which went well by the way. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Stacye</span> and Andy were at the orphanage to see their little girl they are adopting, Alina, and were able to visit with Daniel for about 10 minutes. They report that he's in great shape, growing up and now has two teeth coming in. They were able to send us some pictures of him. He was in his typical good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">spirits</span>, smiling and laughing. They reported to us that they gave the staff another disposable camera to take pictures of Daniel with, that we'll get when we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">officially</span> adopt him and pick him up. Plus they are writing in Daniel's journal, chronically Daniel's life while we're away from him. <br /><br />BTW, regarding photos...some have asked why we haven't posted any pictures of Daniel on the blog. Well, technically he's not ours, he's a ward of the Russian government. Until he's 'ours' we can't <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">publically</span> post any pictures of him. If we posted pictures and somehow the Russian government found out...well, they could make life difficult on us...<br /><br />We're continuing to purchase items to donate to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">orphanage</span>. This time of year is a great time to find bargains on winter items. <br /><br />So, for now we wait.<br /><br />Regards,<br />Greg, Mary and KatieGreg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-56911436754972015752009-03-01T15:10:00.000-08:002009-03-01T15:15:04.737-08:00Daniel's roomDaniel's room is close to being complete. Here's some pictures of it:<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWvrqUifI/AAAAAAAABJc/oBT5EM1-WaE/s1600-h/100_1972.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308361594216155634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWvrqUifI/AAAAAAAABJc/oBT5EM1-WaE/s320/100_1972.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWoprHG_I/AAAAAAAABJU/utPJQi6j2UM/s1600-h/100_1959.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308361473423514610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWoprHG_I/AAAAAAAABJU/utPJQi6j2UM/s320/100_1959.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWhhq8TFI/AAAAAAAABJM/mVLp5aP3Z0g/s1600-h/100_1981.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308361351016238162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWhhq8TFI/AAAAAAAABJM/mVLp5aP3Z0g/s320/100_1981.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWZdfnCWI/AAAAAAAABJE/33x73jmDmlc/s1600-h/100_1969.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308361212456012130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWZdfnCWI/AAAAAAAABJE/33x73jmDmlc/s320/100_1969.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWTdYUD_I/AAAAAAAABI8/QIsQGrLWQv8/s1600-h/100_1968.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308361109346193394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWTdYUD_I/AAAAAAAABI8/QIsQGrLWQv8/s320/100_1968.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWLA3NW9I/AAAAAAAABI0/-J2x9OORx64/s1600-h/100_1963.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308360964252195794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WuJ9JcVq-FQ/SasWLA3NW9I/AAAAAAAABI0/-J2x9OORx64/s320/100_1963.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div> </div></div></div></div></div></div>Greg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780843352952787734.post-73506824789049302342009-02-26T18:03:00.000-08:002009-02-26T18:11:22.988-08:00Final documents to be apostilled before court trip...Good evening all,<br /><br /> So our final set of documents to be apostilled prior to the court date have been processed in Nashville by the Tennessee Secretary of State. They are on their way now to North Carolina where CSS staff will get them to Moscow either this weekend or sometimes next week. <br /><br /> We heard from Carol with CSS earlier this week. All indications continue to point to us getting a late March court date, perhaps even one that would allow us to be in Russia with Daniel on his birthday, March 30. <br /><br /> Perhaps we'll hear something definite on a court date early next week.<br /><br />Regards,<br />g, m and kGreg, Mary, Katie and Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12035350366025389479noreply@blogger.com0