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!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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!!!
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!!!
Friday, March 7, 2008
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!!
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!!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
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!!
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!!
Monday, March 3, 2008
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!!
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!!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
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.
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