The Treasure at the End

Yesterday Natalie was seen by a physician as part of the requirement by the Embassy. He was just wonderful and he prescribed a cough medicine for her. I don't know what was in it, but I think I want to keep the extra! :) Natalie and I had been "battling" about her brushing her teeth. Yesterday after she had her first dose, she immediately went into the bathroom, picked up her toothbrush, put toothpaste on it and started brushing her teeth. She has consistently done so since. Also when we were at the airport, she absolutely refused to use a regular toilet even with me holding her. We had been using a little potty in Krasnoyarsk and the hotel provided one here. On a whim, I put her on the big toilet and she went. Again she has consistently been using it and flushing it completely on her own. She washes her hands without being told and I really do believe she is related on my mother's side. She cleans up the room constantly and reminds me of things such as putting away my shoes. She is such a sweet girl and as difficult as the journey was to get her, I am so glad that I hung in there as she is truly a treasure.
Today I met another couple here with my agency who have adopted a little boy. We will be traveling on the same flight from Moscow to Atlanta. God is so good!! It will be nice to have another family to travel with.
Off to the Embassy this afternoon!!

In Moscow

Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it to Moscow without a problem. Natalie slept about 3 out of the 4 hours on the plane. She was not happy about the seatbelt and we have had a few "moments" but overall she continues to do well. This next week we will continue doing paperwork and preparing to come home. When I went to get on the plane, we had to board a transfer bus, a woman got up so Natalie could sit down. Then we were standing in a line outside waiting to go up into the plane and another woman waved us forward in front of her. The stewartess gave her a speical backpack that contained markers and as I am typing she is drawing pictures with markers from the nice lady in the business center. I haven't figured out if there are more markers on her or the clothes!!!
Not sure I will post the rest of the week. I have a meeting in an hour of my schedule for the rest of the time here. We did go out for a long walk (sorry about the different font, but Natalie just hit the control button twice and I'm not taking the time to figure out how to fix it.) with the stroller and she had a great time. We located McDonalds and hope to have a meal there soon.
Can't wait to post more pictures and share about the rest of the time here!!

Good-bye Krasnoyarsk

It's funny, the first several days here, everything was so new and exciting and then about a week or so later, I just was ready to head home, but then in the next several days things changed and I find that I have made some wonderful friends here and settled in to a regular rountine. Suddenly I need to pack and head out tomorrow.
As far as Natalie, she is doing 1000 times better. She feels good, is sleeping well and eating well. She is laughing and talking up a storm. Thank you to all who have been praying. Tonight we will go out with several American families who had successful court dates today and celebrate. I am about 90% packed so hopefully it will not take much longer (waiting on some clothes to dry. No dryer, just hanging on the radiator.)
Yeterday it felt like summer here and today there are snow flurries!! Crazy weather, just like home!!
It has been such a good experience and I am grateful that we are now on the way "home."
I honestly cannot say enough good things about the staff here in Krasnoyarsk. They have been wonderful!!
So off to Moscow for another week of offical paperwork and documents and then home on April 2. Thanks again to all who have written!!

Quick Update

I have been busy with Natalie as she is making the adjustment from orphanage to a new mama. Please keep her in your prayers as I believe she is realizing that she is not going back to her "home." It has been hard on her and so many new and overwhelming things going on for her. She really is such a sweet child and so smart. I just have to show her something one time and she follows through the next time without any instructions.
We didn't make it to the Easter service as she got sick the night before. I was disappointed to miss Easter, but I am so glad to have Natalie and that far outweighs any disappointment!!
I will be heading to Moscow on Wednesday and will leave the hotel at 4:00 AM!! I will try to post tomorrow, but if not I will try at least once in Moscow. There it is much more expensive and I am not sure what my schedule will be!! I fly home the 2nd of April and that is not far away!!
Thank you again for all of those emailing. I love getting the mail!!

Gotcha Day

This morning we headed out and went to several offices to get a new birth certificate and some other documents. Only this time the only thing I had to do was sign my name instead of chasing them. We then went to the baby home. They brought Natalie out and the poor thing was so sad, but we changed her clothes and then went to get her passport photos taken. She feel asleep in the car as the traffic was unbelievable.

We then had lunch and came back to the hotel where she took a nap. Now I am attempting to type this with her on my lap. She is doing well and seems to be making a good adjustment. I am going to try to post some pictures.

Natalie just hit a button and lost my message, but the nice lady here was able to bring it back up!! Yeah. As I was saying, I am going to attempt to post the pictures, but the directions are in Russian and the nice young man that has helped in the past is not working today. He did write down the directions so if I am not able to, I will post as soon as someone can help me!

Here is one from Thursday. Happy Easter to everyone!

Last Visit

Today as my last "visit" with Natalie. Tomorrow I will have the day off and then Saturday morning go to pick her up. I can't believe that the day is finally here. Today I saw her after her nap and she was a bit sleepy at first. But she perked right up and we continued with playing, talking, coloring and looking at pictures. I pulled out the photo album that I had brought. We had not looked at it for several days. It is funny because all the caregivers are mama, but today she would look at me, then the picture and would say mama with just a little bit of encouragement. However, when she sees my mother's picture she immediately says Babushka the Russian word for grandmother. Thank you all so much for praying these last 2 weeks. It has made the time go by quicker and overall the interaction has been so good. Now, please continue to pray. It is a bit different going from spending 2 hours a day together to 24 hours together. I really do believe she will make the transition well.
Last night I attended the church service at the church here. It was a really sweet time and people are just so friendly. On the way home, it was snowing quite a bit, but didn't last very long. I must be adjusting to the change because I find that I don't zip my coat in the lounge (when waiting to be picked up) like a did the first several days and I haven't really used my gloves.
Not sure that I will post tomorrow, but I will check email. Thank you to all of those who have written. It is nice to get mail from home!!

Outside Fun

Today it was a bit warmer, so Natalie and I were able to go outside. We played on the playground and she especially liked the teeter totter. I also showed her how to make a snowball and throw it. Not that there is much snow on the ground. We also worked on walking and that she holds my hand when we are outside. She quite independent so this is a little challenge for me. But she did hold my hand as we walked up and down the driveway. We then went inside and played with the toys and colored. The time at the home goes so quickly. Today I am having lunch with one of the families that is leaving tomorrow and then will go to church at 6:00. Tomorrow I will visit in the afternoon. So not much to report on today, but wanted to drop a quick note!!

Half Way There

Tonight marks the half way point in my trip here. In some ways it feels like I have been gone for so much longer. But in other ways the time is flying by. It is funny that I came here to adopt, but I almost feel like I am on a short term missions trip. I have been blessed to have several opportunities to meet some people who live here. I told you about the missionaries and on Saturday afternoon I met a young girl (in the 10th grade) who was passing out brochures for a company. We struck up a conversation (in English of course) and chatted awhile. She wanted to get together Sunday night and so I waited at the hotel, but she didn't show up (turned out that something came up.) Last night she came to the lobby. She didn't know my last name, but saw my friend Debbie in the lobby and heard her speaking English and asked if she knew me. So last night we chatted in the lounge. Her English is quite good and she gave me some pointers on correct pronounciation of some Russian words. She wants to be a journalist (or a hip hop dancer) so we are meeting again on Thursday so she can interview me for a class project.
This morning I went to the orphanage and saw Natalie. Today we were in a small office as the other room was being used and shared the office with 2 other families. One of her caregivers was also in the room, so there were a lot of distractions, but she did talk with me and attempted several words in English. Since I am now correctly saying "What is this?" we had some good success with interaction! She really must be related to me because one of the adults had brought some cookies and juice for the child she was visiting. Natalie did not hesitate to go right up and ask for her own juice and cookies. The lady was very sweet and gave her some. She has a weakness for the sweets just like her mama. So today I went to the new grocery store and bought some treats to take to her (3 more visits) and to stock up on some food for when she arrives.
Tomorrow will be the last day here for the 2 families that have been here. They will head to Moscow on Thursday and our paths should cross for one day in Moscow. I will miss seeing them, but another family I have gotten to know through the chat group will arrive Sunday. Their court date is Tuesday and they are also adopting a little girl. One of the families here and the one arriving on Sunday have been in the adoption process almost as long as I have, so it has been neat to be able to rejoice with them as they are completing their adoptions.
Until tomorrow!

Visit Number 5

Several people has commented or asked about pictures. I guess everyone has a different view or opinion, but I personally feel more comfortable waiting until my 10 day waiting period is over. Then I promise I will post pictures. At this point I am scheduled to pick up Natalie on Saturday. This morning I went for my 5th visit. I had not seen her in 2 days and I know for some families it is sort of like starting over again. But Natalie came in and we picked up right where we left off. Today we were pretty much in the room by ourselves so she was talking more and trying a lot of English words for me. Towards the end of the visit she noticed some cookies and she asked if mama could give her one. One of the coordinators was in the room and translated and told me it was fine. So I gave it to her. She then said something else, which turned out to be, that mama should get one for herself too!! Every day it seems I am picking up more Russian words which is good for both of us. Today when she left I reached out to hug her. Usually she just stands there while I hug her. But today she actually hugged back and told me good-bye and waved quite a bit. Every day she melts my heart more and more. Tomorrow I will go back to see her in the morning.

Today I went to lunch with Nancy who is a missionary here. We went to a place where you fill your bowl with different meats, fruits and vegetables and they then stir fry it. It was quite tasty. They have a Subway and Kentucky Fried Chicken here, but I have yet to visit those places. Nancy also took me to another grocery store a bit further away, but with a lot more variety. Another missionary joined us who had been in Romania and we shared "war" stories. I have been really blessed to be able to experience so much of the culture and to learn more about Krasnoyarsk from people who live here. All this has helped make the time go by much quicker.

A typical day for me is getting up and going to the breakfast buffet which is included in my hotel stay. The choices vary from hard boiled eggs to a cottage cheese, carrot, and cabbage dish. There was macaroni today and another day mixed vegetables. There is always cheese, cold cuts and pastries and today we had home fries. It is a great way to start the day. Most days I have gone to the orphange from about 9:30-12:00 and then have a light lunch in my room from items purchased as the grocery store. The hot water in the water cooler is hot enough to make Ramen type soup. There is also a refrigerator so I get things like yogurt, juices and other items. In the afternoon I either go to the orphanage from 2:30-5:00, visit with other families, walk around, shop or just work on my needlepoint. In the evening I meet us with some other families for dinner and I treat myself to a DVD. There is a German channel that every other hour has news in English and there is an English station that is all about financial news. Every day I hear how bad the dollar is. Mmmm. I feel like I am learning a lot in the international finanical world.

For those of you reading the blog, please drop me an email and let me know how you are doing. I love hearing from everyone!! That's it until tomorrow.

Sunday Snow

Yesterday there wasn't much to write about so I didn't add anything to the blog. I did spend the day out walking and went to several shops. I did buy a small stool and a potty for Natalie to use when I pick her up.

This morning I went to a Russian church with a missionary here. I did recognize a few hymns and the people were very friendly. Afterwards one of the ladies was celebrating her birthday. Here in Russia when it is your birthday, you prepare a huge spread for everyone else. I think I do like the American way better where everyone spoils you on your birthday. The food was great and I really got a taste of quite a few different Russian dishes. It was also nice to "talk" to the ladies and they were very kind and excited about the adoption. I plan to go again on Wednesday and then again on Sunday. Somehow it doesn't seem right not to be in church on Easter. Now that is Easter in America. They will not celebrate Easter here for another month.

As you can see by the picture above, I woke up to snow this morning. It was very nice and warm yesterday and I was able to go out and about in my shoes instead of my boots. I spoke to my mom last night and heard that it was in the 70's and all the pear trees are in bloom. I also heard that it is going to get colder here and that this is a "mild" winter.

I am just amazed by all the things that are available here to purchase (though I was told it really has just been in the last 4-5 months) and I would probably have brought a few less things that I now know I can get here. For those of you who are adopting the one thing I would still recommend is a flat stopper for the sink to do laundry, but you can buy things such as peanut butter, raisins, dish detergent, laundry detergent, toothpaste (even some very specific name brands) personal toiletries (again name brands found in America) and the children's store has all kinds of clothes, toys and things such as strollers. Feel free to email me on the Yahoo site if you want specific information.

I'm not sure what time I will visit Natalie tomorrow but will find out later tonight. I'm more than a third of the way through this trip and I have really enjoyed getting to know the city and the people here. I'll share about my visit tomorrow!!

Friday Flurries

I was able to visit Natalie this morning. She was pretty quiet and didn't talk alot, but she played just fine and just seeemed to be in a quiet mood. She bounces back and forth between liking sitting acitvities such as coloring to throwing the ball and playing with musical instruments. Today she sat in my lap as we looked at pictures and the little flip books that I got from my shower (thanks Misty!!) which she really enjoys. After our time together, I got to watch her eat lunch with her group. She ate the soup right away and was one of the first ones done. Then they gave her the main meal which consisted of meat, potaoes, bread and carrots I believe. She did great with the potatoes and vegetables, but wasn't much of a meat eater. Reminds me of my nieces when they were young. :) I am sure having mama watch her was a bit distracting too!!
I will not visit again until Monday. Tonight 2 of the couple here with my agency are picking up their boys. I will babysit for one of the families. One more week and then it will be my turn. Meanwhile I am finding my way around the city or rather I should say the area around the hotel. There are so many things within walking distance and I am really glad for that since it takes a lot of skill to drive around here .
Not much more to write about, but will continue to keep you posted!

Third Visit

Today I visited Natalie in the afternoon. Tomorrow it will be in the morning. I got there just as she was waking up from her nap, so it takes a little time for her to start talking. She really is a sweet child and I am amazed at her ability to stay focused. Today we colored, worked on some English words, did puzzles and just played. We were sitting at a table and I moved away to the couch and in my best Russian accent spoke "Come here" in Russian. She picked up the coloring book and crayons and brought them right over to me. What a wonderful feeling. So I have gone through my cheat sheets and have written down key words and phrases. Unfortunately I will not get to see her over the weekend, so I plan to study and try to master some words and phrases so I don't have to rely on the cheat sheets.
During our time there, a gentleman came into the room and she began crying. I was able to pick her up and hold her and she let me comfort her. A bit later he spoke to her and she warmed up to him and was fine. Part of the problem may have been that she actually did not nap, because she was waiting for mama to come. Every day I am just amazed that I am now a mother and will be bringing home my daughter. I am so thankful to the Lord. Some times it is really heard to understand his timing, but as I sit back I am able to see how He has worked so many things out. One of the blessing has been being here as the same time as Debbie and Tim from Ohio. We usually have dinner together and that has been a lot of fun. Last night we went to the Irish Steakhouse and the whole menu was in Russian and no one spoke English. I had chicken Kabobs which were quite good.
Tomorrow I will get to visit Natalie in the morning and I will also get to stay and watch her eat. That will also give me a better idea of what foods she is used to. Sunday I will be attending a Russian church with a missionary here. So that will also help pass the time.
The weather was a bit warmer today and it did snow a little, more like a dusting.
Thanks again for all the emails and comments on my blog!!

The Day After

Last night I had a dream in which I got a phone call from the coordinator here and she told me that even though my court date was over, they still wanted more documents!! Of course that is not true but after all the paper chasing, I guess my brain cannot grasp the reality that it is done! Woo Hoo!! Went to see Natalie this morning. When I arrived she was sitting in the play room with her classmates watching a nature video. Immediately I heard her say something about mama and she came over to sit with me. We had a delightful time playing today and I can tell that she is feeling more and more comfortable. I am slowly learing some practical words in Russian and she is trying out some English words. I also took some of the clothes and the shoes I brought and tried them on. They fit and so I won't have to go out and try to find some. Just about anything you can think of is available here in the city so that would not have been a problem.
This morning when I woke up it was minus 12 Celcius and that is the coldest it has been yet. Still no real snow. Yesterday after court I walked around the city a bit and checked out some of the stores. It is a large city but I am enjoying being here. I also met another couple here yesterday that came with a different agency. The had flown into Moscow and there was no one to meet them, so they had to figure out where to stay (they missed their connection) until the next day when they were able to get in touch with someone. The staff in country that I am working with have been exceptional. They are always there when you arrive or depart and very punctional. They are also so good about explaining what is going on and what to expect. Knowing that takes a huge weight off and just frees me up to focus on Natalie and to enjoy my time here.
Thanks so much for all of those who have written emails and commented in the blog. It is always so great to hear from you!!

It is Offical, I am a mama!!!

The title says it all, but for those of you who want all the details, be prepared, this is a long post!
On Saturday, I laid around, slept in and finished a book and checked out at 3:00. My ride picked me up at 5:30 and took me to the airport. This time I rode Aeroflot to Krasnoyarsk and it was a more comforatble flight. Since it was over 4 hours and overnight, I didn't get any sleep. So I think over the lat 3 days I have had a total of 11 hours. But I am doing fine. It will probably catch up with me tonight! I arrived here in Krasnoyarsk at 5:30 AM and it was cold, but there really wasn't any snow. Can you imagine, no snow in Siberia? I slept about 3 hours and then set out to meet the 2 couples who are here from my agency. They both had successful court dates last Tuesday and are waiting out their 10 day stay. Tim and Debbie from Ohio have been my personal guides and have shown me where the good places to eat are as well as the grocery store. The grocery store has amazed me at all that is available there. One of the treats of being at the hotel here is that there is free bottled water available (about $10 a bottle in Moscow) and a breakfast buffet as well as reasonable internet fees. D & T have also told me about a flea market and children's store that I plan to check out later today.
Monday afternoon (hard to believe that was only yesterday) I went to the orphanage to meet Natalie. They brought her into the play room and she had a picture that she has painted to give to me. She has grown by 2-3 inches and has gained about 2 pounds. She was a bit shy at first. The doctor at the orphanage told me that she has been so excited and has told all the children that her mama was coming for her and was going to take her to America. She was so excited that she was unable to sleep for her nap. It was wonderful to see her again after so long. We spent the next 2 hours playing and talking. I got to see the bed she sleeps in , the bathing areas (she showed me how she washes her face) and I also got to watch her eat a snack. They say she is right handed, but I see her using her left hand just about the same amount.
After that, I was prepared by the staff here for court. They asked me questions that I would be asked and helped me to be able to express them correctly. They also told me the order of the proceedings and what to expect. I had heard that it could last up to 2 hours.
I then went out for dinner and came back and organized all my notes. This morning I was up early and Tim and Debbie prayed with me before I left for court. I was a bit nervous as you can imagine. The judge asked me a variety of questions and on her desk was my stack of documents. Thankfully I was not asked for any more documents nor were there any questions specific to my documents. The director of the orphange also spoke. She was very complimentary about the interaction with Natalie and spoke very much in my favor. A representative from the Ministry of Education also spoke and recommended the adoption. There was also a prosecutor, but he also spoke in favor of the adoption. After they all spoke, we left the room while the judge reviewed every thing. I believe we were out of the room about 5 minutes when she called us back. She granted my request to adopt Natalie. The entire process took 50 minutes. I am still sitting here in shock that this has really happened and I am getting teary just thinking about it. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to all you who have prayed, encouraged and supported me in this process. Now I begin my 10 day waiting period. I will be able to pick up Natalie on Saturday, the 22nd. In the mean time I will visit her as often as possible. There are a lot of families here right now from other agencies too. So I think the time will go quickly. I will continue to post updates and let you know how things are going here. Thanks to all of you who have emailed. It is great to hear from you!!!

Moscow and Medicals

I am here in chilly Moscow. There is some snow on the ground and is breezy, but not unbearable. It was somewhere in the high 30's today. I spoke with my friend Nicki shortly before I left and she told me that she was praying that as difficult as it has been, that her prayer was it would be that easy. Based on my day Tuesday, I told her to pray harder!! :) Well, she must have. On Tuesday night I was supposed to get a Fed-ex package that contains some of my documents needed for court. It did not arrive. However, on Wednesday it showed up at the door 10 minutes before I was to leave to the airport. When I got to the airport, they were no longer requiring you take your checked through luggage through additional security which saved time. My suitcase was one pound over so I had to add it to my already heavy backpack. I had just settled in for a wait when I was paged. Turned out that there was an empty seat on the flight leaving one hour earlier than mine. So they got me on that flight which gave me additional time in Atlanta. On the way over the flight was packed. So there was no chance that I could lay down and possibly get some sleep. I can never sleep on the overnight flights. But the amazing thing is that I did sleep for about 3 1/2 hours. We arrived on time and I was one of the last people through passport control but when I came around the corner to the luggage area, there was my suitcase coming right at me!! I was met by Max who took me to the hotel. I have to say, I am very impressed by the Renaissance Hotel. Don't want to waste the time here, but let me say everyone has been so kind and helpful and I have been very well taken care of.
Today I went for my medical tests. I'm going into a little detail here for the families that will be traveling. A lot of people before me have done so and it was so helpful for me. We went to the American Clinic. What was funny to me was that I never did see any Americans. But there was Old Glory out front blowing in the wind which made me feel good. I was warned that I would spend a lot of time waiting. I got there about 2:45 and sat in the waiting room for about 50 minutes. I was then taken into an exam room and immediately met the neurologist. She made me the most nervous of all!! (Do you get the pun here?) I had to touch my nose, relax my arms (which I could not quite achieve) so she could test my reflexes, and several other skills. Back to the original room. I saw the oncologist next. He asked some questions and did a little exam. Next came another doctor. For her I had to lie down on the table and remove just my top. She took my blood pressure and checked my ears, throat, She pounded on my chest and back and then asked if I had any pain. She did the most in the way of examining, but nothing our of the ordinary. I saw an infection specialist, A psychologist and psychiatrist and a TB specialist. Everyone was very kind. I finished up at 5:10 and then had to wait a little for the paperwork.
I just finished a wonderful meal. Tomorrow I will head to Krasnoyarsk at 8:30 PM. I will get there at 5:30 AM (time difference) Sunday morning. Monday I will get to visit Natalie, which I am really looking forward too. Tuesday I will go to court. I probably won't post again until after court, but I greatly appreciate your prayers. My understanding is that it will last 2 hours and the judge will ask me a lot of questions. Please pray for me to have wisdom and the right words. I am checking email, but can't promise that I will be able to answer everyone!! Will post when I can!!

My LIfe is Not Dull

I keep saying that I am going to write a book about my life and that will be the title. Today I found out at 11:45 AM that that the courts needed another document. I left work early and raced home and then across two counties to get the document and sent off to be apostilled. From there it will go to the adoption agency and hopefully beat me to Russia. Please pray that it does. I also had 2 appointments, dinner with a friend and another set of documents to pick up that were supposed to be done last week. But now as I gear up for the evening of preparing to go, I just want to take a few minutes to update the blog. Please continue to pray for safe travels, documents arriving, medicals to go well (March 7th) and for me to be able to get my ticket changed in country. But most importantly please pray for my court date on March 11th.
Thank you all for you words of encouragement and your prayers. I know that is what has helped me to keep my sanity!! :)
I will post when I can!!

Change is Good

I've always said that change is good. Today I found out that my travel days in Russia are changing. So quick emails and phone calls and a moment of panic. But it all works out. I will actually return back to the states 2 days earlier than originally planned. Best of all, I have only 1 instead of 2 connections and will get in at 9:30 PM instead of midnight!! How great is that? I have one set of documents to pick up tomorrow and overall it looks like those have all worked out. My brother has been here the last several days fixing little things and has been a huge blessing. I am sad to see him go, but I know he misses his family and is looking forward to going back home. One more day of work and for the most part, I am packed and ready to go. Two more appointments tomorrow and then putting the house in order. At that point, I think I will get REALLY excited. It is hard to believe that after almost 2 years and 9 months, I am on my way to bring my daughter home.
I can't begin to express my thanks and gratitude to all those who have helped me to make it through these last 2 and half weeks as I have been chasing documents, moving my mom, visiting with family, traveling, and just preparing to go. Please continue to pray for all the little details to fall into place. There will be 2 families from my agency when I arrive in Krasnoyarsk and another family will arrive shortly after they leave. I just continue to see God's provision and timing. I will do my best to keep the blog updated, but remember if you haven't heard from me, most likely I have not been in a place where I had Internet access!!
God is good!!

Catching Up

It has been such a busy week and I feel like I am so far behind in so many things. Thursday my brother flew in without any problems. On Friday we left for West Virginia and my nephew's wedding. The wedding was sweet and everyone had a great time. Congratulations to Brittany and Jason. I returned home last evening and have been going strong ever since working on so many little details, primarily packing and preparing to be away a month. My mom is settled in and just has a "few" more boxes to unpack and put away. The addition looks great and feels very homey. I am just waiting on one more document (my birth certificate) but have all the others. So two more days of work and last minute errands and it will be time to see Natalie. It will be almost 5 months by time I get to see her. Thank you so much to those who have been praying. I will do my best to keep the blog updated.