Wow, it’s already Wednesday and this is our first blog entry since we returned from Russia late Saturday evening. Sorry for the delay, but we’ve been trying to catch up on our sleep and get our new little girl oriented to her new life here in Michigan. Today is also our little Grace’s first birthday! We didn’t really do that much other than wish her happy birthday about fifty times today. The family is coming over on Sunday to celebrate with us, so we’re really looking forward to that.
But let’s get back to where we left off. Our flight left Moscow on Saturday at about 1:00. It went just like you would think an 11 ½ hour flight would be with a 1-year-old. She slept a couple of times for a total of about 3 hours maybe. The rest of the time, we just tried to make her as comfortable as possible, which meant walking down the aisles about 100 times, feeding her when we could, and trying everything else we could think of. Needless to say, it was a long flight.
We arrived in Atlanta on-time, went through passport control, customs, and immigration, which took about two hours. When that was all over, we still had three hours before our flight to Detroit left. So again, we walked her around the airport, fed her, and did everything we could to keep her happy. She was soooo tired. She finally fell asleep about a ½ hour before we left Atlanta, and slept the whole flight. She didn’t wake up until we got out of our seats to leave the plane!
We made the long walk to the baggage claim area. When we arrived, the new grandparents were there waiting for us! It was so good to see them after being away from home for 28 days! They helped us with our luggage and drove us home. We got home about 12:30 AM Sunday morning. We figured that we had been up for 34 hours straight. Mom and Dad spent the night, so they wouldn’t have to drive home so late, and so they could spend Sunday with us. Grace slept the entire night, until 9:00 the next morning without waking once!
Aunt Julie came to visit on Sunday afternoon while Mom and Dad were still here. Other than that, we tried to unpack a little, and start to get things organized. On Monday, I did laundry when Grace was asleep. When she was awake, I just played with her. Greg went in to work for a few hours Monday afternoon.
On Tuesday, we had our first outing with Grace to the pediatrician’s office. It went very well. She didn’t scream like she did at the doctor visit in Moscow. That is at least, until we went to the lab to have her blood drawn. She started screaming when they were just looking for a spot to put the needle. She doesn’t like having her arms held down like that. When the needle came, it was even worse. The first try, they couldn’t find her little vein, so they went to the other arm and tried there. They finally finished, but by the end, poor little Gracie was just drenched in sweat and shaking from crying so hard. We felt so bad for putting her through that. We headed home and she fell asleep on the 10 minute drive.
Today, Wednesday, we had our second excursion in the car. We went to our favorite place – Target! We had a few essentials we needed to buy. She did very well, taking in all the new sights and sounds.
We’re trying to get Gracie on a regular schedule of sleeping and eating, so that she doesn’t get overtired or too hungry. Either of those things can make her kind of cranky. Tomorrow we plan on changing it a little more. We’re experimenting to see what works best.
So our adoption journey is coming to a close, and a new chapter is starting with our life as a family. Thanks to everyone who supported us, through your kind words, prayers, thoughts, or even if you just read our blog and never commented. It all means the world to us. This doesn’t mean we’re done posting, but they’ll likely be less frequent. Having this blog has been so helpful to us in so many ways, we can’t imagine going on this journey without it. They say it takes a village to raise a child. We feel that it also takes a village to adopt a child as well. If we can help anyone with their journey, please drop us a comment. We relied on so many others before us and we’d love the chance to do the same.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Last Day in Russia!!!
We had our interview at the American Embassy today. It went really well. We were there with Monica and Little M, and the family from New York. We also met some people from New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, who were adopting with different agencies. When we first got there, we found a very long line of people, and we thought we were in for a long wait. But they let us go ahead of the line because we were there for adoptions. Those in line must have been there for other things, since they didn’t seem to have any kids with them. We had to take a number and wait for them to call us up to the window. There was a really nice man there who just described what all the documents were and what we needed to do with them, so it wasn’t much of an interview really. Then we waited again, not very long though, and they called us up to get Grace’s passport! She travels on a Russian passport with a US visa, the opposite of ours. Then as soon as we’re on US soil, she becomes a joint American/Russian citizen. Now we have everything that we need to come home! We explained it all to her and she’s really excited! Actually, her biggest interest in her passport was with how it tasted.
For dinner tonight, we went to KFC! Wow, what a way to celebrate our last night in Moscow! Grace was a little cranky. Because of our appointments, we had to wake the poor thing up early from both of her naps today. She was absolutely exhausted by dinner time, so we didn’t think she would be able to make it through dinner at a restaurant. There’s a KFC about three quarters of a mile from our hotel. We put Grace in the baby carrier and walked to KFC. (Grace isn’t real fond of the stroller, but she loves the baby carrier!) We were hoping KFC had an English menu. No such luck! But one person there spoke a little English. We were able to order chicken and fries. We brought it back to our room and ate it here. It was pretty good. Not exactly like KFC at home, but close enough.
They pick us up for the airport tomorrow morning at 8:45. Our flight leaves at 12:55 and lands in Atlanta at 4:30. That’s an 11 ½ hour flight. We have a five hour layover in Atlanta during which time we have to go through customs and immigration. Then our plane for Detroit leaves at 9:30 PM, arriving at 11:30 PM. It will be an extremely long day, especially for the little one, but we’re anxious to get it over with and start our new life together. We really need to get Grace on a regular schedule. With all these appointments and flights, she has meals and naps at different times each day so it’s been really hard on her. But we’ll be able to fix that in just a day or two now.
Monica and Little M. will be on our same flight to Atlanta so we’re really happy about that. Our new friends from New York fly out the same day, but on a different flight. We wish them safe travels back home.
So today, on our 27th day since we left home (yes, we’re counting), we are making our very last post from Russia. The next one will be from home!
For dinner tonight, we went to KFC! Wow, what a way to celebrate our last night in Moscow! Grace was a little cranky. Because of our appointments, we had to wake the poor thing up early from both of her naps today. She was absolutely exhausted by dinner time, so we didn’t think she would be able to make it through dinner at a restaurant. There’s a KFC about three quarters of a mile from our hotel. We put Grace in the baby carrier and walked to KFC. (Grace isn’t real fond of the stroller, but she loves the baby carrier!) We were hoping KFC had an English menu. No such luck! But one person there spoke a little English. We were able to order chicken and fries. We brought it back to our room and ate it here. It was pretty good. Not exactly like KFC at home, but close enough.
They pick us up for the airport tomorrow morning at 8:45. Our flight leaves at 12:55 and lands in Atlanta at 4:30. That’s an 11 ½ hour flight. We have a five hour layover in Atlanta during which time we have to go through customs and immigration. Then our plane for Detroit leaves at 9:30 PM, arriving at 11:30 PM. It will be an extremely long day, especially for the little one, but we’re anxious to get it over with and start our new life together. We really need to get Grace on a regular schedule. With all these appointments and flights, she has meals and naps at different times each day so it’s been really hard on her. But we’ll be able to fix that in just a day or two now.
Monica and Little M. will be on our same flight to Atlanta so we’re really happy about that. Our new friends from New York fly out the same day, but on a different flight. We wish them safe travels back home.
So today, on our 27th day since we left home (yes, we’re counting), we are making our very last post from Russia. The next one will be from home!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Baby saw the Doctor
Today is our first full day in Moscow. We arrived at the hotel last night from the airport after 11 so we didn’t post anything yesterday. Luckily, the flight was only behind schedule about 15 minutes, not 3 hours like Andy and Kathy had to endure the other day. Gracie’s first airplane ride was a little rough. It was way past her bedtime, and we had some trouble making formula for her on the plane. It seems they have bottled water at room temperature or hot water for coffee. That’s it. So now we have a better plan for the next flight. She was pretty fidgety for most of the two hour trip, but finally went to sleep for the last fifteen minutes or so. She was exhausted and quite frankly, so were Mom and Dad, but we made it. On the way from the airport to the hotel, our interpreter had me fill out forms for the embassy. It was difficult to write while riding in the van, so I’m not sure how legible things will be, but there are many forms to complete, and Monica had to do hers as well.
Today they picked us up bright and early at 8:00 AM to go to have Gracie checked out by the embassy-approved physician. We were there with Monica and Little M. and another family from New York with their new son. We had to wait quite a while before the doctor got there, so the kids were getting pretty impatient. Of the three, Gracie went last. The exam was pretty quick, the doctor was very nice, and spoke English quite well. But Gracie HATED that exam! She just screamed while we just had to sit there watching in the chairs we were told to sit in. She’s pretty uncomfortable around people she doesn’t know, especially men. And this man had a big bushy mustache, a white lab coat, and was holding on to her while looking in her ears and mouth. It was really hard to watch. When it was over, like ten minutes later, we went back to the van, and she went right to sleep on Kyley’s shoulder. She was wiped out!
We went for a couple of walks today around the hotel here. On one of them we stopped at a local supermarket and got more baby supplies and water. It’s only a few blocks from the Holiday Inn Lesnaya where we are staying. If you go out the lobby door, turn right, go down the street and take the second left, go two blocks and its on your right, on the corner. It has pictures on the side of produce and stuff, so it’s hard to miss.
We had dinner in the hotel restaurant tonight with Monica, Little M, and the family from New York. Kyley and I both had the Beef Stroganoff and it was very good! This hotel is so much nicer than the Korvet in Astrakhan. When we checked in, they gave Gracie a little stuffed animal. There was fresh fruit, a Kit Kat bar, big fluffy towels, and even a robe in our room! It’s nice to be pampered a little after spending almost a month in Astrakhan.
Tomorrow, we get picked up at 1:00 for our appointment at the U.S. Embassy which is our last thing to do before we get on the plane for Atlanta on Saturday. Can’t wait!
Today they picked us up bright and early at 8:00 AM to go to have Gracie checked out by the embassy-approved physician. We were there with Monica and Little M. and another family from New York with their new son. We had to wait quite a while before the doctor got there, so the kids were getting pretty impatient. Of the three, Gracie went last. The exam was pretty quick, the doctor was very nice, and spoke English quite well. But Gracie HATED that exam! She just screamed while we just had to sit there watching in the chairs we were told to sit in. She’s pretty uncomfortable around people she doesn’t know, especially men. And this man had a big bushy mustache, a white lab coat, and was holding on to her while looking in her ears and mouth. It was really hard to watch. When it was over, like ten minutes later, we went back to the van, and she went right to sleep on Kyley’s shoulder. She was wiped out!
We went for a couple of walks today around the hotel here. On one of them we stopped at a local supermarket and got more baby supplies and water. It’s only a few blocks from the Holiday Inn Lesnaya where we are staying. If you go out the lobby door, turn right, go down the street and take the second left, go two blocks and its on your right, on the corner. It has pictures on the side of produce and stuff, so it’s hard to miss.
We had dinner in the hotel restaurant tonight with Monica, Little M, and the family from New York. Kyley and I both had the Beef Stroganoff and it was very good! This hotel is so much nicer than the Korvet in Astrakhan. When we checked in, they gave Gracie a little stuffed animal. There was fresh fruit, a Kit Kat bar, big fluffy towels, and even a robe in our room! It’s nice to be pampered a little after spending almost a month in Astrakhan.
Tomorrow, we get picked up at 1:00 for our appointment at the U.S. Embassy which is our last thing to do before we get on the plane for Atlanta on Saturday. Can’t wait!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Our First Full Day as a Family!
First things first. We promised some pictures and here they are. The first was taken in the Director’s Office yesterday, Gotcha Day, only moments after they brought our Gracie (yes, that’s her name) out to us. The second was one we took the other day that we just liked.
We had a really great day today. We put Grace to bed a little after 8:00 last night and she was asleep by 8:30. She slept all the way to about 7:00 this morning without waking up at all! First thing after changing her, we got her a bottle. She drank the whole thing without stopping! Then we all went down the hall and had our breakfast with Monica and Little M. They served these French toast-like things in the shape of small patties that were pretty good, along with the standard yogurt, cheese slices, and bread. Grace sat in her stroller while we ate but got pretty fidgety toward the end. When we got back to the room, we made her some cereal which she devoured. We were a bit worried yesterday because she didn’t seem to want the Biphodok (a thick milk product with nutrients, we think), but now we know this kid likes to eat!
Then we gave her a bath. The bathtub here is large and really deep, so we thought we’d try the bathroom sink. She had to hang on to the faucet to keep from sliding down onto her back. We were laughing our heads off and she just looked at us like we were nuts, or had no idea of what we were doing. It’s actually probably a little of both. We hope she’ll forgive us. Then we put her down for a nap and she went right to sleep. She slept for almost two hours. When she got up, we ate our lunch while she played. Actually we ended up all playing keep the bag of chips out of Grace’s reach. She was very determined to get that bag.
Then we walked down to the mall with Monica and Little M. Grace rode in the baby carrier strapped to Kyley’s shoulders. This was a test run to see how she would put up with being confined in the carrier and how the traffic and people would affect her. She did great! No crying or anything. On the walk back, she was even humming! She liked how the sound of her voice would change every time Kyley took a step. We’re planning on using the carrier for the airports. We have four of them to deal with soon and we wanted to know how she’d react. So far, so good.
When we got back to the room, it was time to eat again, of course. Grace had a jar of chicken, a jar of squash, a couple crackers, and some juice. She liked them all, especially the juice! She’s just learning to drink out of a cup. We don’t think the baby home had sippy cups, because she doesn’t seem to want to drink from one. When we use a regular cup, most of it goes down the front of her, so we just put it in a bottle. That worked much better. Then we played some more, and we put her down for a second nap. Again, she went right to sleep. We’re just waiting for her to have some kind of total meltdown since we’re in strange places, doing strange things, but so far, she’s been pretty happy and content.
At dinner time, we decided to go out to a restaurant, since Grace had been doing so well and since it is our (and Monica’s) last night in Astrakhan. Since the Chocolate Café was the only place we could think of that was non-smoking, we went there. Both Grace and Little M. were great! Grace ate a few crackers while we had our meals. She didn’t get a little antsy until the end of our dinner and wanted to grab everything on the table, but what one-year-old doesn’t do that?
So now we’re back at the hotel. Grace drank her Biphodok from a bottle tonight with no problems. She even cried a little when it was gone as if she wanted more. Now she’s sound asleep again in her crib. You know, we always hear people say how lucky the adopted children are, to come to the U.S. from an orphanage in Russia, where they’ll have more opportunities, etc. and I suppose that’s true. But we are the lucky ones. Our little daughter is just amazing.
We had a really great day today. We put Grace to bed a little after 8:00 last night and she was asleep by 8:30. She slept all the way to about 7:00 this morning without waking up at all! First thing after changing her, we got her a bottle. She drank the whole thing without stopping! Then we all went down the hall and had our breakfast with Monica and Little M. They served these French toast-like things in the shape of small patties that were pretty good, along with the standard yogurt, cheese slices, and bread. Grace sat in her stroller while we ate but got pretty fidgety toward the end. When we got back to the room, we made her some cereal which she devoured. We were a bit worried yesterday because she didn’t seem to want the Biphodok (a thick milk product with nutrients, we think), but now we know this kid likes to eat!
Then we gave her a bath. The bathtub here is large and really deep, so we thought we’d try the bathroom sink. She had to hang on to the faucet to keep from sliding down onto her back. We were laughing our heads off and she just looked at us like we were nuts, or had no idea of what we were doing. It’s actually probably a little of both. We hope she’ll forgive us. Then we put her down for a nap and she went right to sleep. She slept for almost two hours. When she got up, we ate our lunch while she played. Actually we ended up all playing keep the bag of chips out of Grace’s reach. She was very determined to get that bag.
Then we walked down to the mall with Monica and Little M. Grace rode in the baby carrier strapped to Kyley’s shoulders. This was a test run to see how she would put up with being confined in the carrier and how the traffic and people would affect her. She did great! No crying or anything. On the walk back, she was even humming! She liked how the sound of her voice would change every time Kyley took a step. We’re planning on using the carrier for the airports. We have four of them to deal with soon and we wanted to know how she’d react. So far, so good.
When we got back to the room, it was time to eat again, of course. Grace had a jar of chicken, a jar of squash, a couple crackers, and some juice. She liked them all, especially the juice! She’s just learning to drink out of a cup. We don’t think the baby home had sippy cups, because she doesn’t seem to want to drink from one. When we use a regular cup, most of it goes down the front of her, so we just put it in a bottle. That worked much better. Then we played some more, and we put her down for a second nap. Again, she went right to sleep. We’re just waiting for her to have some kind of total meltdown since we’re in strange places, doing strange things, but so far, she’s been pretty happy and content.
At dinner time, we decided to go out to a restaurant, since Grace had been doing so well and since it is our (and Monica’s) last night in Astrakhan. Since the Chocolate Café was the only place we could think of that was non-smoking, we went there. Both Grace and Little M. were great! Grace ate a few crackers while we had our meals. She didn’t get a little antsy until the end of our dinner and wanted to grab everything on the table, but what one-year-old doesn’t do that?
So now we’re back at the hotel. Grace drank her Biphodok from a bottle tonight with no problems. She even cried a little when it was gone as if she wanted more. Now she’s sound asleep again in her crib. You know, we always hear people say how lucky the adopted children are, to come to the U.S. from an orphanage in Russia, where they’ll have more opportunities, etc. and I suppose that’s true. But we are the lucky ones. Our little daughter is just amazing.
As we mentioned, this was our last night in Astrakhan. We have mixed emotions because our little girl will be leaving her birth place and her country, but we so desperately want to come home. Our flight leaves tomorrow evening. Our next post should be from Moscow.
Monday, September 29, 2008
GOTCHA DAY!!!
The day started with breakfast at 8:00 with Monica. At 9:00 they picked us up to go to the registry office for the birth certificate. We went right in, no waiting. They did some things on the computer and had us sign our names in a couple of places and that was it! They gave us a nice little folder with the Astrakhan 450th anniversary logo on the cover to put the birth certificate in. Galina hung on to the actual birth certificate along with Greg’s passport so that she could go get our little one’s passport. Then they took us back to the hotel to wait until this afternoon when it was time to go get our little one.
We were picked up at about 2:30 for our very last time at the baby home. We stopped at a grocery store to buy three cakes for the staff; one for the doctors, one for the caregivers, and one for the director. We also bought a bouquet of red roses for the director. Then we headed to the baby home. We met in the director’s office and a doctor came in to go over her medical information with us. We had a chance to ask questions and we had to sign more papers. Meanwhile, we gave her clothes to a caregiver to get her ready to go. Soon they brought her into the director’s office. They took some pictures of us with their camera and also with our camera. They escorted us to the door and all waved good-bye to us as we left. That was it, we’re parents now and she’s our little girl. All the waiting, wondering, worrying, the sleepless nights, the laughing, crying, and every other emotion culminated in that moment when we could call her ours. We can hardly believe it.
She did great on the drive back to the hotel. We went up to the room and we played with the toys. She had to walk around the room to make sure she saw and touched everything. Then we bundled up and went outside for a little walk in the stroller. We just went around the courtyard area of the hotel, just for some fresh air. We decided it was best to eat right at the hotel. We took her biscuit and Biphodok with us. She loved and practically devoured the biscuits. However, she wasn’t too fond of the Biphodok. Tomorrow we’re going to ask if there is a special way they give it to her, so that she’ll drink more of it. Then we came back to the room, washed up, put on her pajamas, put on some lullabies and she went right to sleep. We woke her up about 10:00 PM for her bottle, since the baby home schedule said that’s what she usually does. She was half asleep, but devoured the whole thing. Now she’s sound asleep again right here next to us. This is awesome!
Yesterday in our blog comments, Sara requested that we post the list of our little one’s diet that was provided by Baby Home #2. Here it is:
6:00 a.m. Nutrilon Comfort – 200
10:00 a.m. Cereal with Milk – 180
Curd
Biscuit – 10
Fruit Juice – 100
2:00 p.m. Meat Puree – 70
Vegetable Puree – 180
Crouton – 10
Yolk - .5
Fruit Juice – 100
6:00 p.m. Biphidok – 200
Biscuit – 10
10:00 p.m. Nutrilon Comfort - 200
Boy, what a special day! We’re as tired as she is, so we’re going to wait until tomorrow to post a picture. Sorry! Tomorrow, we’ll also let you know how she sleeps tonight!
We were picked up at about 2:30 for our very last time at the baby home. We stopped at a grocery store to buy three cakes for the staff; one for the doctors, one for the caregivers, and one for the director. We also bought a bouquet of red roses for the director. Then we headed to the baby home. We met in the director’s office and a doctor came in to go over her medical information with us. We had a chance to ask questions and we had to sign more papers. Meanwhile, we gave her clothes to a caregiver to get her ready to go. Soon they brought her into the director’s office. They took some pictures of us with their camera and also with our camera. They escorted us to the door and all waved good-bye to us as we left. That was it, we’re parents now and she’s our little girl. All the waiting, wondering, worrying, the sleepless nights, the laughing, crying, and every other emotion culminated in that moment when we could call her ours. We can hardly believe it.
She did great on the drive back to the hotel. We went up to the room and we played with the toys. She had to walk around the room to make sure she saw and touched everything. Then we bundled up and went outside for a little walk in the stroller. We just went around the courtyard area of the hotel, just for some fresh air. We decided it was best to eat right at the hotel. We took her biscuit and Biphodok with us. She loved and practically devoured the biscuits. However, she wasn’t too fond of the Biphodok. Tomorrow we’re going to ask if there is a special way they give it to her, so that she’ll drink more of it. Then we came back to the room, washed up, put on her pajamas, put on some lullabies and she went right to sleep. We woke her up about 10:00 PM for her bottle, since the baby home schedule said that’s what she usually does. She was half asleep, but devoured the whole thing. Now she’s sound asleep again right here next to us. This is awesome!
Yesterday in our blog comments, Sara requested that we post the list of our little one’s diet that was provided by Baby Home #2. Here it is:
6:00 a.m. Nutrilon Comfort – 200
10:00 a.m. Cereal with Milk – 180
Curd
Biscuit – 10
Fruit Juice – 100
2:00 p.m. Meat Puree – 70
Vegetable Puree – 180
Crouton – 10
Yolk - .5
Fruit Juice – 100
6:00 p.m. Biphidok – 200
Biscuit – 10
10:00 p.m. Nutrilon Comfort - 200
Boy, what a special day! We’re as tired as she is, so we’re going to wait until tomorrow to post a picture. Sorry! Tomorrow, we’ll also let you know how she sleeps tonight!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday - Walk Day!
Well, tonight is our last night before we go to the baby home and take our little one with us forever. Yes, tomorrow is “Gotcha Day”. If you’ve been following our blog, you’re probably thinking, “yes, we know that already”, but we like to say it just the same. And we’ll say it again tomorrow, but then we’ll be able to tell you how it went. It will be a huge change for our little girl who has spent the majority of her little life in the same place, surrounded by the same few people. We’re praying that we can make this as smooth as possible for her.
Tomorrow they pick us up at 9:00 AM to go get her birth certificate. That would be the one with our names listed as her parents. Should be exciting in itself, but then in the afternoon we go pick her up and take her with us. Finally! We’ll need to bring clothes with us to dress her in for her big adventure. Kyley is working on a perfectly matching outfit right now.
As for today, we walked a lot again. (We left the hotel at 11:15 a.m. and returned at 5:15 p.m.). After breakfast at the hotel, we went back to the souvenir shop by the Kremlin where Monica got a couple more things. Then we walked over by the courthouse, looking for a museum that Vala drew us a map for. We think we found the place, but it appeared to be under construction just like most buildings in the area. A nice woman who spoke very little English tried to give us directions to where the museum was now located. We did end up finding a museum, but we’re not sure it was the one she was referring to. The one we found is right across from the park near the Kremlin. We think it was the World War II museum that Jamie mentioned in her comment on our blog. It was pretty interesting, but with everything being in Russian, it was a little difficult to tell what things were. There was a very sweet older woman there who, even though we explained that we only spoke English, followed us around and described everything in Russian for us.
After that, we were getting a little hungry so we headed to the Megastore, which is close to the Victoria Palace Hotel. Its kind of a Home Depot meets Best Buy, with several floors of merchandise. On the top floor off the lobby is a Subway where we had lunch! You know, the sandwich shop just like back home. They didn’t have an English menu, but there were numbered pictures on the wall from which we could order. The BMT is called the same thing in Russian so that helped as well.
After that we walked along the river back to the big church with the green roofs and headed to the Astor Mall to pick up a few things, and then back to the hotel for about an hour’s rest. Then we headed out again, this time to Camilla’s for dinner, because we noticed that Amy William’s blog mentioned that they had an English menu there. It’s right along the river, close to the Krem Cafe. When we got there, we asked the gentleman that met us if they did in fact, have something in English. He disappeared for a minute and came back with a menu that showed both Russian and English for each item. However, they were having some kind of private party and he apologized but we would have to come back some other time. He spoke very little English, but we somehow figured out what he was trying to tell us.
So from there we walked to the Chocolate Café, one of our standard places, and not very far away. We had a nice dinner and when we tried to look over the desserts, our waitress brought out a really nice fruit plate with chocolate fondue that she said was on the house, because we were such good customers. So if you ever want a free dessert, just visit the same restaurant every three days or so over several weeks and you just might!
Tomorrow’s blog should have all the highlights from Gotcha Day! Hopefully we’ll sleep tonight but we’re not counting on it.
Tomorrow they pick us up at 9:00 AM to go get her birth certificate. That would be the one with our names listed as her parents. Should be exciting in itself, but then in the afternoon we go pick her up and take her with us. Finally! We’ll need to bring clothes with us to dress her in for her big adventure. Kyley is working on a perfectly matching outfit right now.
As for today, we walked a lot again. (We left the hotel at 11:15 a.m. and returned at 5:15 p.m.). After breakfast at the hotel, we went back to the souvenir shop by the Kremlin where Monica got a couple more things. Then we walked over by the courthouse, looking for a museum that Vala drew us a map for. We think we found the place, but it appeared to be under construction just like most buildings in the area. A nice woman who spoke very little English tried to give us directions to where the museum was now located. We did end up finding a museum, but we’re not sure it was the one she was referring to. The one we found is right across from the park near the Kremlin. We think it was the World War II museum that Jamie mentioned in her comment on our blog. It was pretty interesting, but with everything being in Russian, it was a little difficult to tell what things were. There was a very sweet older woman there who, even though we explained that we only spoke English, followed us around and described everything in Russian for us.
After that, we were getting a little hungry so we headed to the Megastore, which is close to the Victoria Palace Hotel. Its kind of a Home Depot meets Best Buy, with several floors of merchandise. On the top floor off the lobby is a Subway where we had lunch! You know, the sandwich shop just like back home. They didn’t have an English menu, but there were numbered pictures on the wall from which we could order. The BMT is called the same thing in Russian so that helped as well.
After that we walked along the river back to the big church with the green roofs and headed to the Astor Mall to pick up a few things, and then back to the hotel for about an hour’s rest. Then we headed out again, this time to Camilla’s for dinner, because we noticed that Amy William’s blog mentioned that they had an English menu there. It’s right along the river, close to the Krem Cafe. When we got there, we asked the gentleman that met us if they did in fact, have something in English. He disappeared for a minute and came back with a menu that showed both Russian and English for each item. However, they were having some kind of private party and he apologized but we would have to come back some other time. He spoke very little English, but we somehow figured out what he was trying to tell us.
So from there we walked to the Chocolate Café, one of our standard places, and not very far away. We had a nice dinner and when we tried to look over the desserts, our waitress brought out a really nice fruit plate with chocolate fondue that she said was on the house, because we were such good customers. So if you ever want a free dessert, just visit the same restaurant every three days or so over several weeks and you just might!
Tomorrow’s blog should have all the highlights from Gotcha Day! Hopefully we’ll sleep tonight but we’re not counting on it.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Our Last Visit!
Today was our last regular visit to the baby home. We stopped on the way and picked up her passport and visa photos that were taken yesterday. She has quite a worried look on her face as it was such a new (and a little scary) place for her. Our visit was in the morning this time and lasted fairly long – about an hour and a half. Time flies when we’re with her though – it always seems like less than it really is. During the week things are very strict at the baby home, with lots of rules we have to follow. But on Saturdays, things are more relaxed and we have a little more freedom to do what we want, and for her to do what she wants. Our little one was pretty good today. We played with toys mostly on a blanket laid out on the floor. At one point, there was a little crying for no apparent reason, but she got over it quickly and we went back to playing.
After our visit, we went to BananaMama, a children’s store, to get things for her that we’ll need until we get her home. Things like tights, mittens, food, diapers, etc. We found some tights, and some baby food of the meat variety there. We had to go to the big grocery store (the one like Sam’s Club – blue front, big yellow letters) to get the rest. We never did find any mittens. Shopping for food was pretty tough. The list provided by the baby home was fairly generic so we had lots of questions about exactly what foods she is used to. There are many choices on the shelf, but with our interpreter’s help, we did the best that we could. Hopefully, everything we picked up will agree with her.
Since tomorrow is Sunday, we don’t get a visit. But Monday we get picked up at 9:00 to go get her birth certificate and then in the afternoon, she becomes ours for keeps! It should be quite a day for all of us.
For dinner tonight, we walked to the Krem Café. This was our only walk for the day. We brought a taxi back to the hotel because it was dark by the time we finished our meals. Tomorrow is Sunday and we are on our own. I’m sure we’ll make up for our lack of walking. The temperature is supposed to be cooler tomorrow – high of 58 degrees. We’ll have to walk fast to keep warm!
Andy and Kathy flew to Moscow today on their way home. I know we said it yesterday, but again, we wish them safe travels and a short wait to come back and make their journey complete.
After our visit, we went to BananaMama, a children’s store, to get things for her that we’ll need until we get her home. Things like tights, mittens, food, diapers, etc. We found some tights, and some baby food of the meat variety there. We had to go to the big grocery store (the one like Sam’s Club – blue front, big yellow letters) to get the rest. We never did find any mittens. Shopping for food was pretty tough. The list provided by the baby home was fairly generic so we had lots of questions about exactly what foods she is used to. There are many choices on the shelf, but with our interpreter’s help, we did the best that we could. Hopefully, everything we picked up will agree with her.
Since tomorrow is Sunday, we don’t get a visit. But Monday we get picked up at 9:00 to go get her birth certificate and then in the afternoon, she becomes ours for keeps! It should be quite a day for all of us.
For dinner tonight, we walked to the Krem Café. This was our only walk for the day. We brought a taxi back to the hotel because it was dark by the time we finished our meals. Tomorrow is Sunday and we are on our own. I’m sure we’ll make up for our lack of walking. The temperature is supposed to be cooler tomorrow – high of 58 degrees. We’ll have to walk fast to keep warm!
Andy and Kathy flew to Moscow today on their way home. I know we said it yesterday, but again, we wish them safe travels and a short wait to come back and make their journey complete.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
