Hi Everyone-
Well, we are here. It was very very hard to get here and I am soo soo soo tired but we made it and are officially in Moscow- or so I hear- I havent actually been outside yet.
So, you know how everyone says, "dont worry if your baby crys on the plane- you will never see these people again". Well, that may be true but try staring down 200 angry, grumpy Siberians while your 2 yr old screams like he is being tortured for 35 minutes during landing. Poor Orange- they both did GREAT on the first part of the flight- no problem with take off (thanks to lollipops- shhh) and for most of the flight. Apple was awesome the whole time but Orange had a couple meltdowns along the way. In anticipation of the jaw dropping, cant believe someone who weighs 32 lbs could make this much noise for this long, screams of deathly pain sound less horrible, complete and total breakdown he had for the last 1/2 hour of the trip. We tried everything- and everyone was staring at us and "tsk tsk"ing us and I just wanted to yell at them all. Of course, weirdly, Apple slept through it all as she had fallen asleep about 45 minutes prior to this, even though she was 2 feet away. But we got payback for that later- read on.
Anyway, so once we finally got off the plane and made it through baggage etc and the babies had calmed down we walked for about 1/2 mile (I swear) with the luggage and the babies etc to get where our driver had left his car. Ugh. But thank god for the strollers- they are worth their weight in cold. I think had we not had them I would be sitting in the DME airport crying right now with 2 sad babies because we never would have made it. Then our driver, who spoke no English (which is weird for our agency and highly annoying to me last night- i know, I am entitled and bad etc etc etc but at 1am with 2 kids who are crying and it is late and you are hungry and tired and dirty and when you are expecting someone who does understand you it is hard), couldnt find our apartment- so we drove around. Orange had another fit- which culminated in him completely blowing out his diaper all over poor Aaron - he was just so past tired and so upset and had to go and the diap couldnt hack it. Poor Orange and poor Aaron!! It was almost funny at the time- we were so tired and out of it.
Then on to the super expensive apartment- which we finally found at 1am Moscow time (4am Novo time). It is fine- not as nice as the Novo one, and three times the money, but fine. The kids were so worked up we decided to bring their mattresses into our room. It still took absolutely hours to get them down. Orange went around 3am and Apple at 5:30am- just in time for me to get up at 5:50am - for the Embassy doctor who was supposed to come at 6am to check the babies for their immigration papers. But, guess what- it is 7am and no doctor yet!! Thank god i didnt wake the babies - I had decided that Apple needs as much sleep as she can get (both do, but she way behind) but Mama and Papa are the furthest behind- of course. This whole parenting thing takes some getting used to! I am not familiar with multiple days of no sleep, no food (because I am busy making them toddler food and it seems to hard to make more for us) and travel. Ugh. We are SO ready to be home so we can get them on a schedule and work on the sleep issues and get our lives back to normal- the new normal!
So we are here- YAY! but so tired I can barely function, need to go find a grocery because we have very little to feed the babies for breakfast but tied to the apartment to wait for this dumb doctor to come. I am beyond cranky at this point but I am sure we will survive.
Thanks for reading to my ranty post- I will be better next time. Lets just be glad at least we are in Moscow!
Love,
Us
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Adios Siberia!
Or, it should be das vadanya!
Woo Hoo- in 2 hours we will be on our way to the airport and on the way to Moscow. The gods have smiled on us and we are off to the big city pox free! So, hopefully nothing will develop there but right now we are good to go and the Dr. says we can fly. :)
So, we have spent the day the cleaning the apartment, going for a stroll in the park and all the usual things you do with toddlers- breakfast, play, snack, play, lunch, play, nap, play, snack. Tiring on those of us who are not used to so much play in our day!!
Also, in Moscow it is currently 60 degrees! We cannot wait to not be hot and sweaty all the time. Gotta go- the kiddos need some more play before we leave for the airport! Hopefully they will fly as well as they drive. We can only pray about that one but hopefully!
Love,
Us
Woo Hoo- in 2 hours we will be on our way to the airport and on the way to Moscow. The gods have smiled on us and we are off to the big city pox free! So, hopefully nothing will develop there but right now we are good to go and the Dr. says we can fly. :)
So, we have spent the day the cleaning the apartment, going for a stroll in the park and all the usual things you do with toddlers- breakfast, play, snack, play, lunch, play, nap, play, snack. Tiring on those of us who are not used to so much play in our day!!
Also, in Moscow it is currently 60 degrees! We cannot wait to not be hot and sweaty all the time. Gotta go- the kiddos need some more play before we leave for the airport! Hopefully they will fly as well as they drive. We can only pray about that one but hopefully!
Love,
Us
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Happy - that is what they said today!
Hi!
Last night Orange finally fell asleep at midnight but Apple was having none of it- she was up all night with me- not crying the whole time, just scared and sad and awake- not in the mood for a cuddle but also not in the mood to sleep or anything else so we sat quietly and did baby massage, I sang to her, we tried snuggly, role play- you name it, we tried it! It was hard all around but Papa came to the rescue this morning (I had let him sleep so we would not both be basket cases today) and made breakfast and took over for a couple hours so Mama could get some sleep.
After everybody got clean and dressed we went off to the photo store for some shots for the visa immigration. Apple was a champ (amazing considering the neglible sleep she got last night) but Orange did not like all the strangers at the photo store so his Visa pic will look at bit teary.
But apparently yesterday's good car behavior was no fluke- they LOVE being in the car- it is safe and with us and no one else yet you can see everything.
Then back home for some lunch of yummy Mama prepared Pelmeni and peas and then- nap time. Orange was out like a light, Apple, not so much. No nap for her but she did sit quietly on her bed for 2 hours while Orange slept. Papa went in and sat with her and snuggled with her for most of it - but still no sleep for our little one. I know she will sleep someday- but I hope it is soon! I took a nap at the same time- YAY!
More play- we have been practicing our English vocabulary - slowly but surely they are picking up new words. The words for today are "Yum" and "Happy" - both of which came out after a snack of yogurt and rice cakes this afternoon. We had been saying them at meals and to each other for a few days and they caught on easily to what they meant! This is awesome and their vocabulary is growing slowly everyday.
That is all for now- if all goes well we will be leaving Novo tomorrow for Moscow. Keep your fingers crossed!
Love,
us
Last night Orange finally fell asleep at midnight but Apple was having none of it- she was up all night with me- not crying the whole time, just scared and sad and awake- not in the mood for a cuddle but also not in the mood to sleep or anything else so we sat quietly and did baby massage, I sang to her, we tried snuggly, role play- you name it, we tried it! It was hard all around but Papa came to the rescue this morning (I had let him sleep so we would not both be basket cases today) and made breakfast and took over for a couple hours so Mama could get some sleep.
After everybody got clean and dressed we went off to the photo store for some shots for the visa immigration. Apple was a champ (amazing considering the neglible sleep she got last night) but Orange did not like all the strangers at the photo store so his Visa pic will look at bit teary.
But apparently yesterday's good car behavior was no fluke- they LOVE being in the car- it is safe and with us and no one else yet you can see everything.
Then back home for some lunch of yummy Mama prepared Pelmeni and peas and then- nap time. Orange was out like a light, Apple, not so much. No nap for her but she did sit quietly on her bed for 2 hours while Orange slept. Papa went in and sat with her and snuggled with her for most of it - but still no sleep for our little one. I know she will sleep someday- but I hope it is soon! I took a nap at the same time- YAY!
More play- we have been practicing our English vocabulary - slowly but surely they are picking up new words. The words for today are "Yum" and "Happy" - both of which came out after a snack of yogurt and rice cakes this afternoon. We had been saying them at meals and to each other for a few days and they caught on easily to what they meant! This is awesome and their vocabulary is growing slowly everyday.
That is all for now- if all goes well we will be leaving Novo tomorrow for Moscow. Keep your fingers crossed!
Love,
us
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
YAY We are a family!!!
HI Everybody-
We are officially a family. It is 11:30pm on Tuesday night and the kiddos, while still in their beds are STILL NOT ASLEEP. That is right, they have decided there is no way, no how, they are going to sleep at all. And, if we leave the room then they are unhappy and we dont want that either. So, right now Papa is in there and I will go relieve him momentarily. I cannot believe they are still awake. We started the 'to bed' process at 8pm- their bedtime- and are still at it. Any advice?
But to give a recap of our wonderful day!
First we went off to the vital records office- a boring place, filled with bureaucrats. Aaron filled out some very unofficial looking paperwork and off our coordinator went to the powers that be. A little while later we were called into an office where this lady handed us very official looking -- new birth certificates- naming Aaron and I the parents of Apple and Orange. Wow, seeing my name, in Russian, as the birth mother- for some reason I didnt actually realize you got a totally new birth certificate with all new info. Kind of surreal to be honest but in a good way. Then we got the adoption certificates and decree, stating that the children are now ours and the 10 day period has ended. YAY! We had to sign about 20 different places- it was crazy she kept handing us papers and saying Mama, Papa, sign here over and over again. No idea what we signed because it was all in Russian but hopefully not led astray! Then she gave a lovely speech about family and we were off.
Next it was to the bank to exchange more $$ for donations to the baby home and then some last minute shopping for some other gifts I hadnt known about before. Then we were off to the Baby Home! We got there around 4pm and the kids were awesome- I mean, totally calm, totally happy- let us change their clothes no problem, happy to read a story while we waited etc. I was so worried, and for nothing! There was one moment of tears when we left and got into the car but that was soon forgotten as we whisked down the highway for 2 hours of sights and sounds they had never heard or seen before. They were so great in the car- so brave and cute and good - very proud! Seatbelts were not their favorite thing so who knows what they will feel about car seats but they were so good anyway!
Then to the apartment- elevators are very very scary if they are tiny, old, Russian, noisy and you have never ever seen one before. Once we got over that and up to our 9th floor apartment things were great. We fed them a light dinner and they loved it- had 3rds and 4ths of things but here is a shocker, Orange, who we thought would eat anything, will not eat hard boiled eggs. Nope. Very interesting.
Then onto bathtime- Apple was so awesome- she loved the bath, great at brushing her teeth, combing her hair etc. She didnt even mind me washing her hair. Orange was also a trooper to be sure and cute as a button-- he doesnt like to have his hair washed and brushing his teeth was not high on his list of favorite things but they both love being wrapped in big fluffy towels to dry off. :) So adorable.
Then a story, a snack and a cuddle. Things are going well, right. You are all reading along thinking- Wow, even though Sarah and Aaron have never parented a moment in their life, they are doing a pretty bang up job of it. Well, here is where the wheels come off the cart. Bed time. Yup, at 8pm we put them down- lots of tears, scared, unhappy. Get that sorted out, but no sleep. If we leave the room Orange is out of his bed runnng around and Apple is sitting in her bed crying. She still has not even laid down- she would not even take her shoes off until 10:45pm (she had put them on again with her jammies after her bath- apparently this is common with kids from baby homes- their shoes disappear onto other kids if they do not guard them so she is feeling quite attached to her new pink sparkly sandals). So, at least we have her shoes off now! I will let you all know how it goes if and when we ever go to sleep but for now we are HAPPY, THRILLED, and TIRED.
Love,
Us
We are officially a family. It is 11:30pm on Tuesday night and the kiddos, while still in their beds are STILL NOT ASLEEP. That is right, they have decided there is no way, no how, they are going to sleep at all. And, if we leave the room then they are unhappy and we dont want that either. So, right now Papa is in there and I will go relieve him momentarily. I cannot believe they are still awake. We started the 'to bed' process at 8pm- their bedtime- and are still at it. Any advice?
But to give a recap of our wonderful day!
First we went off to the vital records office- a boring place, filled with bureaucrats. Aaron filled out some very unofficial looking paperwork and off our coordinator went to the powers that be. A little while later we were called into an office where this lady handed us very official looking -- new birth certificates- naming Aaron and I the parents of Apple and Orange. Wow, seeing my name, in Russian, as the birth mother- for some reason I didnt actually realize you got a totally new birth certificate with all new info. Kind of surreal to be honest but in a good way. Then we got the adoption certificates and decree, stating that the children are now ours and the 10 day period has ended. YAY! We had to sign about 20 different places- it was crazy she kept handing us papers and saying Mama, Papa, sign here over and over again. No idea what we signed because it was all in Russian but hopefully not led astray! Then she gave a lovely speech about family and we were off.
Next it was to the bank to exchange more $$ for donations to the baby home and then some last minute shopping for some other gifts I hadnt known about before. Then we were off to the Baby Home! We got there around 4pm and the kids were awesome- I mean, totally calm, totally happy- let us change their clothes no problem, happy to read a story while we waited etc. I was so worried, and for nothing! There was one moment of tears when we left and got into the car but that was soon forgotten as we whisked down the highway for 2 hours of sights and sounds they had never heard or seen before. They were so great in the car- so brave and cute and good - very proud! Seatbelts were not their favorite thing so who knows what they will feel about car seats but they were so good anyway!
Then to the apartment- elevators are very very scary if they are tiny, old, Russian, noisy and you have never ever seen one before. Once we got over that and up to our 9th floor apartment things were great. We fed them a light dinner and they loved it- had 3rds and 4ths of things but here is a shocker, Orange, who we thought would eat anything, will not eat hard boiled eggs. Nope. Very interesting.
Then onto bathtime- Apple was so awesome- she loved the bath, great at brushing her teeth, combing her hair etc. She didnt even mind me washing her hair. Orange was also a trooper to be sure and cute as a button-- he doesnt like to have his hair washed and brushing his teeth was not high on his list of favorite things but they both love being wrapped in big fluffy towels to dry off. :) So adorable.
Then a story, a snack and a cuddle. Things are going well, right. You are all reading along thinking- Wow, even though Sarah and Aaron have never parented a moment in their life, they are doing a pretty bang up job of it. Well, here is where the wheels come off the cart. Bed time. Yup, at 8pm we put them down- lots of tears, scared, unhappy. Get that sorted out, but no sleep. If we leave the room Orange is out of his bed runnng around and Apple is sitting in her bed crying. She still has not even laid down- she would not even take her shoes off until 10:45pm (she had put them on again with her jammies after her bath- apparently this is common with kids from baby homes- their shoes disappear onto other kids if they do not guard them so she is feeling quite attached to her new pink sparkly sandals). So, at least we have her shoes off now! I will let you all know how it goes if and when we ever go to sleep but for now we are HAPPY, THRILLED, and TIRED.
Love,
Us
Monday, July 28, 2008
One more day!
Hi everybody-
well, we just got back from the baby home and we had a great visit. They tell us they are giving us custody tomorrow "for sure" as the kiddos have no signs (knock wood) of CP and they do not think they were exposed now (grain of salt). But the plan is for us to go do some paperwork related to the passports in the morning and then go to the BH in the afternoon- laden with lots of "presents" and such for everyone there. Then we get to change the kiddos into their new clothes and off we go! Then home to the apartment and we spend Weds and Thursday together hanging out and waiting for their passports and then off to Moscow on Thursday night if all goes well!
Today was really funny- Apple had on a bride of frankenstein getup in blood red and gold thread- I wish I could post a pic here! And Orange was his usual cute self, and we all had lots of fun playing with balloons and blocks.
That is all we have to say today- tonight is our last night as parents with no kids so we are going out to dinner.
Love,
Us
well, we just got back from the baby home and we had a great visit. They tell us they are giving us custody tomorrow "for sure" as the kiddos have no signs (knock wood) of CP and they do not think they were exposed now (grain of salt). But the plan is for us to go do some paperwork related to the passports in the morning and then go to the BH in the afternoon- laden with lots of "presents" and such for everyone there. Then we get to change the kiddos into their new clothes and off we go! Then home to the apartment and we spend Weds and Thursday together hanging out and waiting for their passports and then off to Moscow on Thursday night if all goes well!
Today was really funny- Apple had on a bride of frankenstein getup in blood red and gold thread- I wish I could post a pic here! And Orange was his usual cute self, and we all had lots of fun playing with balloons and blocks.
That is all we have to say today- tonight is our last night as parents with no kids so we are going out to dinner.
Love,
Us
Friday, July 25, 2008
1, 2, 3 breathe, breathe, breathe
Hi All-
So we got to go to the baby home again today! YAY! The babies seem to be just fine - they were laughing and we played pretty hard for 2 hours. Today we brought an apple with us (a real one, not just Apple products) and you would have thought it was Christmas and Easter all rolled into one. Those 2 will sit quietly and read a whole book if they know a "yablaka" piece is coming their way. This was super cute. Apple (the child) was not 100% happy when she came in but soon shed that with a cookie and some water and a new coloring book.
And guess what, she said "1, 2, 3" with me as we were counting doggies in one of the books! YES! These are her first English words. It was, of course, followed by a long conversation in Russian about her hair- mostly I think about her desire for a barrette (she arrived this afternoon with a haircut- a mullet- and neither she nor I think it suits her) but I only got about 50% of that down. And then lots of crazy play with the big blocks and puzzles.
Orange had his first real meltdown today- after being told "nyet" about something. But Aaron was a champ and got him through it with yoga breathing and a time in. And then it was all forgotten and off to play.
For some reason the baby home director is "sure" they did not contract the chicken pox and that it will all be fine. Not sure what inside info she has going on but I can tell you that I am going with this info. I know it could all be out the window tomorrow or sometime before we leave but I just need to believe that everything will happen on schedule and we will leave Thursday, with 2 healthy kiddos, for Moscow! So, everyone else- positive thoughts too please!
We have a long weekend of nada in front of us- no baby visits until Monday but we are going to clean the apartment, go shopping for toddler food etc so it should be okay. :)
Love,
Sarah & Aaron
So we got to go to the baby home again today! YAY! The babies seem to be just fine - they were laughing and we played pretty hard for 2 hours. Today we brought an apple with us (a real one, not just Apple products) and you would have thought it was Christmas and Easter all rolled into one. Those 2 will sit quietly and read a whole book if they know a "yablaka" piece is coming their way. This was super cute. Apple (the child) was not 100% happy when she came in but soon shed that with a cookie and some water and a new coloring book.
And guess what, she said "1, 2, 3" with me as we were counting doggies in one of the books! YES! These are her first English words. It was, of course, followed by a long conversation in Russian about her hair- mostly I think about her desire for a barrette (she arrived this afternoon with a haircut- a mullet- and neither she nor I think it suits her) but I only got about 50% of that down. And then lots of crazy play with the big blocks and puzzles.
Orange had his first real meltdown today- after being told "nyet" about something. But Aaron was a champ and got him through it with yoga breathing and a time in. And then it was all forgotten and off to play.
For some reason the baby home director is "sure" they did not contract the chicken pox and that it will all be fine. Not sure what inside info she has going on but I can tell you that I am going with this info. I know it could all be out the window tomorrow or sometime before we leave but I just need to believe that everything will happen on schedule and we will leave Thursday, with 2 healthy kiddos, for Moscow! So, everyone else- positive thoughts too please!
We have a long weekend of nada in front of us- no baby visits until Monday but we are going to clean the apartment, go shopping for toddler food etc so it should be okay. :)
Love,
Sarah & Aaron
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Friday Morning in Novosibirsk
Hi Everybody-
Just a quick post to say no new news yet. We didnt get to see the babies yesterday (we knew that we would not, it was not on our every other day schedule) but if all goes as planned we will get to go this afternoon to see them!
So, no word on the chicken pox issue either- please everyone just keep your fingers and toes crossed that it passed over them- we will know by Tuesday hopefully one way or the other and as you all know I am all in favor of us leaving Novo for Moscow on Thursday as planned.
The good news is that if we have to stay for longer we think we should be able to stay in our apartment (80% chance) rather than have to move someplace else. And, of course, Aaron would get to see the eclipse - Uncle Peter, he will have a full report for you!
So, everybody think positive no chicken pox thoughts and we will keep you posted.
Love,
Sarah and Aaron
Just a quick post to say no new news yet. We didnt get to see the babies yesterday (we knew that we would not, it was not on our every other day schedule) but if all goes as planned we will get to go this afternoon to see them!
So, no word on the chicken pox issue either- please everyone just keep your fingers and toes crossed that it passed over them- we will know by Tuesday hopefully one way or the other and as you all know I am all in favor of us leaving Novo for Moscow on Thursday as planned.
The good news is that if we have to stay for longer we think we should be able to stay in our apartment (80% chance) rather than have to move someplace else. And, of course, Aaron would get to see the eclipse - Uncle Peter, he will have a full report for you!
So, everybody think positive no chicken pox thoughts and we will keep you posted.
Love,
Sarah and Aaron
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Worst Day Ever
Ok- so today we went to our every other day (supposed to be every day but they changed their minds at the last minute) visit with our kiddos and we learned that one of the kids in their groupa has chicken pox. They are not sure if our kids do or not. But, if they do they are possibly not going to release them to us on Tuesday as planned. We may be here MUCH longer than anticipated. And, with the eclipse who knows if we will have someplace to stay. And why on earth we cannot have custody now and take care of them I do not know but that is also out of the question. I am MAD and SAD and scared for our little ones. Anyone have any advice for me??? Anyone know the incubation period for chicken pox? My DH is being very nice and supportive- he wants me to remember that "fyosh budit harasho" (sp?) but it is super hard right now.
And the darn washer in our apt broke with all of our clothes in it. I am losing it right now.
So, that is where we are right now. Will keep everyone posted on what happens- hopefully they will not present symptoms and we will get to leave this hinterland on Thursday as planned but at this point I have little hope. Or a place to stay after the 31st.
And the darn washer in our apt broke with all of our clothes in it. I am losing it right now.
So, that is where we are right now. Will keep everyone posted on what happens- hopefully they will not present symptoms and we will get to leave this hinterland on Thursday as planned but at this point I have little hope. Or a place to stay after the 31st.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Another Day in Siberian Limbo....
Hi all!
Just a quick update- quiet day today as we did not get to see the babies and Aaron was recovering from his terrible cold. Bad news is that I finished my last book that made the trip with us and English language books seem hard to find. I will have to find something to read because one can only watch so much Russian 'pimp my ride' on Russian MTV.
We went out to dinner tonight with another adoptive couple here in Novo- HI Tanya and Jon- thanks for the fun dinner! It was great to have a whole conversation in English and you guys are cool! Have a great rest of your trip. :)
So, that is all today- nothing to report other than we have one more day on our 10 day count down to check off and we are safe and well (except for Aaron's cold).
Love,
Us
Just a quick update- quiet day today as we did not get to see the babies and Aaron was recovering from his terrible cold. Bad news is that I finished my last book that made the trip with us and English language books seem hard to find. I will have to find something to read because one can only watch so much Russian 'pimp my ride' on Russian MTV.
We went out to dinner tonight with another adoptive couple here in Novo- HI Tanya and Jon- thanks for the fun dinner! It was great to have a whole conversation in English and you guys are cool! Have a great rest of your trip. :)
So, that is all today- nothing to report other than we have one more day on our 10 day count down to check off and we are safe and well (except for Aaron's cold).
Love,
Us
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Quiet Weekend
Hi,
Well it is Monday morning and it is POURING out. Huge thunderstorms rolled in yesterday and we have had torrential rains on and off for the last 24 hours. Good news- cooling things down- it is only 80! and Bad News- very very wet when you only have your feet as transportation. :)
Aaron braved the elements yesterday morning and went out and bought 2 umbrellas - at at least 100% + of the cost from the day before I am sure, but we needed something! Then we waited for a break in the downpour (princesses dont like to get too wet if possible) and went out for a walk, a visit to the dept store that is about 8 blocks away, a quick stop by the Sibir to leave a note for another adoptive family that arrives tonight, a grocery visit, and dinner at the pub nearby. It actually didnt start really raining until we were on the walk home and with our trusty new umbrellas we stayed pretty dry.
Today we are free until 2pm when we will leave for our afternoon visit with the babies. Aaron woke up this morning with a hideous cold- either caught from Orange or due to his foray into the storm yesterday morning for umbrellas so I will go to the pharmacy when they open and use my incredibly stilted and sad Russian to try to find him some medicine. While we brought over a dozen kinds of baby medicine from our doctor with us- we forgot all grown up medicine- no tylenol, no cold stuff- nada. So, now I will go forage (umbrella firmly in hand though) and hopefully find something good that isnt too potent and scary.
That's it- just wanted to give you all a quick update on our very quiet weekend.
Well it is Monday morning and it is POURING out. Huge thunderstorms rolled in yesterday and we have had torrential rains on and off for the last 24 hours. Good news- cooling things down- it is only 80! and Bad News- very very wet when you only have your feet as transportation. :)
Aaron braved the elements yesterday morning and went out and bought 2 umbrellas - at at least 100% + of the cost from the day before I am sure, but we needed something! Then we waited for a break in the downpour (princesses dont like to get too wet if possible) and went out for a walk, a visit to the dept store that is about 8 blocks away, a quick stop by the Sibir to leave a note for another adoptive family that arrives tonight, a grocery visit, and dinner at the pub nearby. It actually didnt start really raining until we were on the walk home and with our trusty new umbrellas we stayed pretty dry.
Today we are free until 2pm when we will leave for our afternoon visit with the babies. Aaron woke up this morning with a hideous cold- either caught from Orange or due to his foray into the storm yesterday morning for umbrellas so I will go to the pharmacy when they open and use my incredibly stilted and sad Russian to try to find him some medicine. While we brought over a dozen kinds of baby medicine from our doctor with us- we forgot all grown up medicine- no tylenol, no cold stuff- nada. So, now I will go forage (umbrella firmly in hand though) and hopefully find something good that isnt too potent and scary.
That's it- just wanted to give you all a quick update on our very quiet weekend.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Saturday Morning in Siberia
Well, you have not lived until you are in a car in the middle of an 8 lane Siberian Highway, when it is 90 degrees outside, after sitting in traffic for 2 hours and your car dies as soon as traffic really starts moving! It was pretty scary for a few minutes but Nicolai, our fearless driver, actually willed (I really do think this at this point) the car into starting again and we made it home safely just an hour or so later. Traffic on Friday nights here is the same as in Seattle- terrible!
Well we are catching our breath today- no visits to the baby home until Monday (BOO! Silly rules) so we are just getting our acts together this weekend. We found out the other day that all of the 6 pairs of shoes we bought for the kiddos are too small (our children seem to have giant tootsies and the outline of their feet I took during trip 1 did not translate into shoes that fit now) so we are on a hunt for children's shoes today! It is good to have a mission- it keeps us from dwelling on our thoughts about being parents who are not allowed access to their children. Lets all just pretend they are at a lovely toddler summer camp- it does help.
Yesterday's visit was good- hot and we decided to play outside on their little playground. This was a so-so idea- it was very very buggy out there and they were in the mood for quiet play so we ended up just playing with small toys and reading a book- all of which probably should have been done inside. Oh well, live and learn! Both kiddos were cute and Apple made my day when she told the caregiver to "go away" (in Russian) when it was time for them to go back to groupa. It was a good change from her tears and "mommy, no, dont hold me" of earlier so I think progress is being made! She is an independent little spitfire for sure!
Orange is picking up more English already- we have "look" and "no" and "yes" so far which is awesome but his previously on the mend cold seems to be developing into a full blown issue so I cannot wait to get custody so we can give him some medicine and lots of love and care!! I want to make him better and hate seeing him coughing etc but we are not allowed to do anything until we have custody- UGGGHHH!
The weather has broken a bit- it is only going to be 88 today! YAY! Of course by Monday it will be back to 100 but lets concentrate on today. And I know some of you are wondering on the summer uniform- much like the winter uniform of short skirts and high boots we have moved into even shorter skirts (or hot pants), tops that truly are barely there and high heel sandels (preferably 4" and sparkly) for all women under 40. I still cant figure out how they all walk long distances in those heels but they do- it must be what keeps them in shape. So I feel frumpy but whatever - at least my feet are not killing me. :)
Hope all is well with all of you - now that court is over and we are counting down the days I am starting to miss home- just want to get there with the babies. Only 17 more days until the Brand family is at home!
Well we are catching our breath today- no visits to the baby home until Monday (BOO! Silly rules) so we are just getting our acts together this weekend. We found out the other day that all of the 6 pairs of shoes we bought for the kiddos are too small (our children seem to have giant tootsies and the outline of their feet I took during trip 1 did not translate into shoes that fit now) so we are on a hunt for children's shoes today! It is good to have a mission- it keeps us from dwelling on our thoughts about being parents who are not allowed access to their children. Lets all just pretend they are at a lovely toddler summer camp- it does help.
Yesterday's visit was good- hot and we decided to play outside on their little playground. This was a so-so idea- it was very very buggy out there and they were in the mood for quiet play so we ended up just playing with small toys and reading a book- all of which probably should have been done inside. Oh well, live and learn! Both kiddos were cute and Apple made my day when she told the caregiver to "go away" (in Russian) when it was time for them to go back to groupa. It was a good change from her tears and "mommy, no, dont hold me" of earlier so I think progress is being made! She is an independent little spitfire for sure!
Orange is picking up more English already- we have "look" and "no" and "yes" so far which is awesome but his previously on the mend cold seems to be developing into a full blown issue so I cannot wait to get custody so we can give him some medicine and lots of love and care!! I want to make him better and hate seeing him coughing etc but we are not allowed to do anything until we have custody- UGGGHHH!
The weather has broken a bit- it is only going to be 88 today! YAY! Of course by Monday it will be back to 100 but lets concentrate on today. And I know some of you are wondering on the summer uniform- much like the winter uniform of short skirts and high boots we have moved into even shorter skirts (or hot pants), tops that truly are barely there and high heel sandels (preferably 4" and sparkly) for all women under 40. I still cant figure out how they all walk long distances in those heels but they do- it must be what keeps them in shape. So I feel frumpy but whatever - at least my feet are not killing me. :)
Hope all is well with all of you - now that court is over and we are counting down the days I am starting to miss home- just want to get there with the babies. Only 17 more days until the Brand family is at home!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
We are parents!
Hi!!!!
We just got back from court. It went well and we are officially parents!!! It was a bit stressfull- Aaron had to give a speech that we had prepared but then we had to change it at the last minute which is always hard. And then they had lots of questions for us about our house, our lifestyle, if we were capable of raising children, why we want to adopt 2 etc. It lasted just over an hour and was a bit nerve wracking but everyone was direct but not mean. Then the judge went out and came back 5 minutes later with the verdict-- we are officially the proud parents of Apple and Orange!!!
Now we are quickly back at the apartment to change clothes from our suits to baby home clothes and then off to the baby home for our first visit as real life parents! We get to visit today, Monday, Wed, Fri and Saturday of next week. The following week is still up in the air but we think we get custody on Weds! That is the current plan- things tend to be a bit fluid here with things like that (UGH!) but Aaron is forcing me to go with the flow and the good news is we are parents!!!
More later,
love,
Sarah and Aaron
We just got back from court. It went well and we are officially parents!!! It was a bit stressfull- Aaron had to give a speech that we had prepared but then we had to change it at the last minute which is always hard. And then they had lots of questions for us about our house, our lifestyle, if we were capable of raising children, why we want to adopt 2 etc. It lasted just over an hour and was a bit nerve wracking but everyone was direct but not mean. Then the judge went out and came back 5 minutes later with the verdict-- we are officially the proud parents of Apple and Orange!!!
Now we are quickly back at the apartment to change clothes from our suits to baby home clothes and then off to the baby home for our first visit as real life parents! We get to visit today, Monday, Wed, Fri and Saturday of next week. The following week is still up in the air but we think we get custody on Weds! That is the current plan- things tend to be a bit fluid here with things like that (UGH!) but Aaron is forcing me to go with the flow and the good news is we are parents!!!
More later,
love,
Sarah and Aaron
Apple and the iPhone
Today we went to the baby home in the morning- which is nice because it is not quite so hot in the car etc if you leave town at 7:30am rather than 2pm. Our visit was overall good- Orange was his usual cuddly bear self- of the 2.5 hours we got with them he was in one of our laps for at least 1/2 of it. SO CUTE!
Apple developed a deep affinity for Apple products yesterday (so naming her Apple on my blog must have been a premonition of some kind!). We had downloaded some Russian children's music onto my iphone and I played it yesterday for them. Dancing and general merriment ensued. Then I showed her pictures of herself on the phone- from the last trip and from yesterday and she really really loved that. She took the phone away and spent quite a while flipping through all the pics and calling out what they were - it was hilarious and she loved it. She also figured out how to change the song at the same time. Very smart girl.
Poppy Nick- you should call Steve J. and tell him he has a new spokesmodel. :)
The rest of today went well- lots of snacking on cheerios, drinking of apple juice, sorting of puzzles etc. Apple is very good at puzzles and she taught Orange how to do a few too. We also played with our Russian/English flash cards and their vocabulary is just amazing.
Tomorrow is court day and we have been told to spend the rest of the day reviewing our dossier, brushing up on our Russian vocabulary (not to worry- we have a translator with us but they like to know we are trying to learn- which we are!) and generally preparing ourselves for our big day! Everyone has been wishing us luck- it is a very big deal because tomorrow is the day the judge decides if our adoption will be final and we will officially become Apple and Orange's parents. So everyone think very positive and good thoughts for us!
The one piece of bad news we received is that they have decided that we DO NOT get to go to the baby home every business day of our 10 day wait- apparently there are other families from other agencies who will be coming in next week to meet children and the baby home feels like too many prospective parents in house at one time is a bad idea. SO, now we get only see the children every other day of our 10 day wait- which is a huge bummer but at least it means we get to see them on a weekend day as well. In the long run this will not be a big deal at all but right now in country it is a big deal to me. We will power through though- keep our eye on the end goal of bringing our kiddos home in August!!
Love,
Sarah and Aaron
Apple developed a deep affinity for Apple products yesterday (so naming her Apple on my blog must have been a premonition of some kind!). We had downloaded some Russian children's music onto my iphone and I played it yesterday for them. Dancing and general merriment ensued. Then I showed her pictures of herself on the phone- from the last trip and from yesterday and she really really loved that. She took the phone away and spent quite a while flipping through all the pics and calling out what they were - it was hilarious and she loved it. She also figured out how to change the song at the same time. Very smart girl.
Poppy Nick- you should call Steve J. and tell him he has a new spokesmodel. :)
The rest of today went well- lots of snacking on cheerios, drinking of apple juice, sorting of puzzles etc. Apple is very good at puzzles and she taught Orange how to do a few too. We also played with our Russian/English flash cards and their vocabulary is just amazing.
Tomorrow is court day and we have been told to spend the rest of the day reviewing our dossier, brushing up on our Russian vocabulary (not to worry- we have a translator with us but they like to know we are trying to learn- which we are!) and generally preparing ourselves for our big day! Everyone has been wishing us luck- it is a very big deal because tomorrow is the day the judge decides if our adoption will be final and we will officially become Apple and Orange's parents. So everyone think very positive and good thoughts for us!
The one piece of bad news we received is that they have decided that we DO NOT get to go to the baby home every business day of our 10 day wait- apparently there are other families from other agencies who will be coming in next week to meet children and the baby home feels like too many prospective parents in house at one time is a bad idea. SO, now we get only see the children every other day of our 10 day wait- which is a huge bummer but at least it means we get to see them on a weekend day as well. In the long run this will not be a big deal at all but right now in country it is a big deal to me. We will power through though- keep our eye on the end goal of bringing our kiddos home in August!!
Love,
Sarah and Aaron
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Baby Time!!
Hi!
We are here in Novosibirsk- we arrived late last night and our apartment is great- very spacious and nice by European standards- it was a good choice and much better than being cooped up at the Sibir for days on end. The best part is the fabulous internet connection and privacy- anyone want to Skype?
So, this morning after a fitful jet laggy night we took a LONG walk around Novo- looking for a grocery store. We thought there would be one in our neighborhood but after walking for quite a while in the direction we were told we would find one we gave up and walked the opposite direction to the main square- where we had visited a grocery on our first trip. Success! Then back to the apartment for a meal and to wait for Katia and Nicolai (coordinator and driver). We went to the baby home around 2pm and first met with the head doctor. She gave us the update on the kiddos and then it was off to the races.
Apple and Orange were great. Some trepidation and tears at first but once they calmed down it was fabulous- we played lots and Orange let both of us hold and cuddle him- he was very snuggly. Apple was excited about the toys and we had a good time romping around. She was also very nice to her brother and made sure he got some 'cookies' and water when we were having snacks and he was snuggling with Aaron.
And here is the BEST PART- they both called us Mama and Papa - for the first time ever. It was awesome- I cant quite explain the feeling.
They have both grown a little bit physically but really they have had a language EXPLOSION- especially Apple- she is chattering away none stop and talking to us all the time. I need to practice more Russian as I was not expecting here to be talking in complete sentences and holding actual conversations. She was patient with us though and repeated things so we could "get it" and Orange was also talkative and he actually said an English word at the end of the play time- FABULOUS!
So, YAY! We get to see the kids again tomorrow and then Friday is Court Day! Hope all is well and love to you all.
Sarah and Aaron
We are here in Novosibirsk- we arrived late last night and our apartment is great- very spacious and nice by European standards- it was a good choice and much better than being cooped up at the Sibir for days on end. The best part is the fabulous internet connection and privacy- anyone want to Skype?
So, this morning after a fitful jet laggy night we took a LONG walk around Novo- looking for a grocery store. We thought there would be one in our neighborhood but after walking for quite a while in the direction we were told we would find one we gave up and walked the opposite direction to the main square- where we had visited a grocery on our first trip. Success! Then back to the apartment for a meal and to wait for Katia and Nicolai (coordinator and driver). We went to the baby home around 2pm and first met with the head doctor. She gave us the update on the kiddos and then it was off to the races.
Apple and Orange were great. Some trepidation and tears at first but once they calmed down it was fabulous- we played lots and Orange let both of us hold and cuddle him- he was very snuggly. Apple was excited about the toys and we had a good time romping around. She was also very nice to her brother and made sure he got some 'cookies' and water when we were having snacks and he was snuggling with Aaron.
And here is the BEST PART- they both called us Mama and Papa - for the first time ever. It was awesome- I cant quite explain the feeling.
They have both grown a little bit physically but really they have had a language EXPLOSION- especially Apple- she is chattering away none stop and talking to us all the time. I need to practice more Russian as I was not expecting here to be talking in complete sentences and holding actual conversations. She was patient with us though and repeated things so we could "get it" and Orange was also talkative and he actually said an English word at the end of the play time- FABULOUS!
So, YAY! We get to see the kids again tomorrow and then Friday is Court Day! Hope all is well and love to you all.
Sarah and Aaron
Monday, July 14, 2008
Chicago, Chicago...
Hi All-
blogging from the Chicago airport. Bored, bored, bored. Not much to report- super ready to be there which is bad as we have over 20 hours to go. :) First flight uneventful- back of the back of the plane.
Really just wanted to post this picture of the crazy amount of luggage that is making this trip with us. Between all of the gifts we must bring, the snacks etc for the kiddos and 2 strollers we are definitely travelling HEAVY for us. But American didnt seem to mind, as long as we paid our overweight fees so that was good- rather pay a fee than have my bag rejected for being ridiculously heavy.
Write more once we are there!
Love,
Us
Monday, July 7, 2008
We have confirmation!
So, we are definitely going in July! Our court date has been set, plane tickets have been purchased, apartments have been rented and we are ready ready ready to go! If all goes as planned we will be home August 5th as a family!!
Just wanted to let those who were wondering if we had gotten confirmation that yes, we are a go for launch. :) Mommyhood here I come!
Just wanted to let those who were wondering if we had gotten confirmation that yes, we are a go for launch. :) Mommyhood here I come!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
WOO HOO!! TRIP 2 HERE WE COME!!
We got tentative trip 2 dates today! I am over the moon excited. It looks like we MAY leave Seattle on July 12th/13th and be in Novosibirsk by the 15th. We would have court a few days later and then have our lovely 10 day waiting period. We would get to leave Novo by the end of the month - with the babies!!! Then off to Moscow for a few days of Embassy paperwork and home by August 5th/6th.
Can you believe it? It is actually happening!!! Now, I just need to sort everything out to leave in 10 days and go across 11 timezones and stay there for 3 weeks- no problem- I am an organized girl and we have been getting ready for 11 weeks now so I think as long as I can find us a place to stay and some tickets we are good to go! I cant believe that we will be parents by the end of July!!!
I will keep you all posted!
love,
Sarah and Aaron
Can you believe it? It is actually happening!!! Now, I just need to sort everything out to leave in 10 days and go across 11 timezones and stay there for 3 weeks- no problem- I am an organized girl and we have been getting ready for 11 weeks now so I think as long as I can find us a place to stay and some tickets we are good to go! I cant believe that we will be parents by the end of July!!!
I will keep you all posted!
love,
Sarah and Aaron
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