Sightseeing This Weekend

This weekend we went sightseeing and did some souvenir shopping. We took pictures near the Griboedov Canal (and as you can see, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is in background above Michael's head). We toured St. Petersburg's subway system, which happens to be run under their rivers. You must take escalators down to the train levels, of which some have a ride of 3 minutes long! And if you are afraid of heights, this is not an easy feat for you. It was hard for me not to get motion sickness - as I am finding out I may be getting when flying on planes. I have been feeling sea-sick after all the flying we have been doing.

Anyway, after looking like the tourists we are, we continued on our walk to the souvenir market "nab kanala Griboedov" street. We picked up a few things for "D" to remember her heritage, but also to play with as well.

Today (Monday), we are heading to the orphanage to play with "D" all on our own. We won't have our coordinator, nor translator with us to help us along. We are looking forward to playing with her by ourselves, but know there will be challenges ahead.

More on our playdate later. :)

Paka!
Mel 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 4:24 AM

She Remembers!!!

"D" is for Darling!

Today we had our play date with Deeana. Though we had some work to do beforehand... it gave us something to look forward to. We've been waiting this long, what's another hour, or two?

We started off early and headed out to pick up our translator. She helped us a tad today with Deeana, but mostly she will be here to help us with court and such. On Monday, we are on our own! :) Afterward, we went to the MOE and got permission to visit the orphanage again, and received her blessings. :) Easy Peasy.

Then we went to play. It was so comfortable to see all the familiar buildings we had seen just 3 months ago. The same roads we took on our drive to D's home. And when we pulled up, it felt like we had never left.

Once inside, we had to wait a bit... but that was ok, because we got a chance to meet and speak with another family that was adopting and currently on their 2nd trip as well. They are a Russian family, but live in Washington D.C. and are adopting a 3yr old boy. We chit-chatted a bit until the director came in and called us all into her office to sit, sign some forms and wait for the children to come.

First down the hall was Deeana. No problems when she walked in the door... They said "Mama, Papa" and she looked right at us. We called her and she walked, slowly, to us. No crying, nothing. We were shocked! Our translator insists she remembers us, recognizes us... and I believe it.

We went outside to play, where Daddy carried her down the wet steps. We pulled out her favorite "O" ball and played catch with her. She was so happy and all smiles! She loved it! Shortly after that, I took her to the swing, which we aren't quite sure if she cared for or not, and gave her a push. She looked around a lot and didn't seem very interested. We did some more playground stuff... but overall decided to pull out something from our bag. When we mentioned it to her (translated), she got very excited. She remembered our bag of toys I think... So we pulled out a magna-doodle, finger-puppets, coloring books, etc, all of which she thoroughly enjoyed. Eventually, the rain and the mosquitoes got the best of us and we headed inside.

We ended up reading the CareBear book she liked so much previously and a new puzzle. Deeana and I even got some alone time while Daddy and Marina (the translator) had to run an errand. It was tricky to communicate with her, but we still had fun.

At the end of our time together today, we practiced High 5's and then gave each other big hugs and kisses (and even blew each other a kiss). We will see her again on Monday after nap time and we plan on bringing her some Goldfish (Hayden's favorite) and some apple juice.

When we were done playing, we had to go finish our "business" part of the day. More paperwork, the medical, went over some court questions and dropped off Marina, and then stopped off at a real grocery store. Thankfully our driver, Andrey, came in with us and read the packaging for us. He is such a riot and it is great to have such good company while we are here. We couldn't be more thankful.

This weekend we are totally free and plan on doing some exploring.

Paka for now,
Mel 1 comments

Posted by Mel at 1:00 PM

We Made It!!!

Wow, it was crazy the week before we left town for Russia!  We frantically finished our last round of paperwork,  and awaited on our visas to arrive the day before we leave. Then two days before our flight a huge storm blows through and knocks out our power for almost two days.  We spent the day before leaving for Russia doing laundry at Michael's mom's house and when we arrived back home figuring we'd be packing by flashlight and candles, but thankfully our power had been restored.  We (and by "we" I mean mainly Mel) quickly and efficiently packed up for Russia.

We originally reserved a towncar to bring us to the airport on Wednesday, only to have a stretch limo pull into our driveway, which turned out to be perfect for our 6 bags of luggage and an umbrella stroller.  Although the ride made us a bit motion sick as the steering was faulty, but we arrived in plenty of time to check in.  We thought for sure we'd be paying for two extra bags, but perhaps the empty stroller or the story of us adopting put the girl behind the counter into a generous mood, as she did not charge us extra for anything!

Nothing too exciting about our flights...although there was a slight delay on our connecting flight for the pilot to have a new seat put in, we arrived in St. Petersburg right on time. We were so happy to be met by Andrey, the driver we had during our previous visit. He drove us back to our same apartment, entertaining us with more stories and our itinerary for Friday. Shortly after unpacking our belongings, we walked across the street to the "UFO"ish mall and enjoyed our 10th Wedding Anniversary dinner at Chile's Pizzeria.

Afterward we walked across the street to the grocery store, picked up some staples and headed back to the apartment. Tired and fighting sleep, as it was too soon to go to bed...we called Hayden and had a very nice video chat with him on Skype. It was so good to see his smiling face! As 21:00 (or 9pm for all you Americans) arrived we slid into our bed and fell fast asleep to the sounds of St. Petersburg's traffic and the bright sunlight outside our windows.

Next up...play date with Deeana!

Paka!
Michael 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 12:22 PM

A Reason to Celebrate!

This year our anniversary couldn't be more special. Yes Michael and I have been married a long time... 10 beautiful, enjoyable years. In July, we will have the luxury of celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in Russia, with our daughter.

This news came yesterday, a belated birthday present for me, and now we have a a little over 2 weeks to prepare our family for the biggest step it has taken in a long time. The Judge has asked for some more paperwork... (because there is never an end to that is there?). I will put the finishing touches on "D's" room and of course start the travel preparations.

More details will be coming shortly... but we couldn't wait to share the great news with everyone.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

<3 Mel 2 comments

Posted by Mel at 10:35 PM

To All Our Faithful Followers...

Dear Family, Friends, & Followers,

Something wonderful is about to happen in our home! We have nearly completed an adoption of a little girl from Russia! In the week that we met her, our hearts have been yearning to bring her to our loving home.  She is smart, friendly, independent, funny, full of personality and so much more. However, she will require some special care once she comes home as "D" has a growth delay and Pectus Carinatum, which is an overgrowth of cartilage causing the sternum to protrude forward. We can’t wait to learn more about her when she comes home to us. We hope she will be home forever with us by this summer.

You might wonder what made us decide to do this and all we can say is that it was God who put this desire into our hearts. We are excited about the opportunity to offer a child a family to love. We know God chose a special child just for us and we are eager to be completely faithful to what He is calling us to do. We are excited to see how He completes our adoption process.

We started our journey 3 years ago in Kyrgyzstan, our paperwork on their desk and awaiting our referral, only to have an unusual “bump” in the road. So we started the process over again in Kazakhstan, once again we had all our paperwork on their desk and awaiting our referral, only to have yet another “bump” which led us decide to change countries again.  Finally, God led us to Russia… is it a coincidence that "D" was born in May, 3 years ago; the exact same time we made the decision to adopt?  We think not.

Adoption is a wonderful way to build or add to a family, but it is not an inexpensive venture. Our adoption expenses include document preparation and translation, program fees, orphanage donations, fingerprint fees, travel and lodging expenses, passport and visa fees and misc. costs in the U.S. and Russia. These fees may cost us in excess of $40,000. We have faith that God will provide for her, but we need some help along the way. 

                Unfortunately, the previous two countries have put a strain on our adoption budget, as the money we saved and spent was not refundable or transferrable.  We have tried grants, but with the economy the agencies are not able to provide for everyone who applies, and we did not qualify. We are praying to God to help provide for us, and know we have a great support system with our families and friends.

Please consider being a part of guiding our daughter to her “Forever Family”. If you choose, our blog offers several ways that you can contribute to bringing "D" home. If a fundraiser isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to contribute any way you feel comfortable. Any money raised will be used toward adoption expenses or caring for "D". Should you choose to donate, we will keep you updated on our progress and send you specific information about our new daughter as it arrives.

Please post comments or email us with any questions you may have regarding our situation. We would be happy to talk about this wonderful adventure with you.

God has provided us with the strength, the love, and the willpower that in the end will lead us to this child. The process is long and not without obstacles, and though we have already hit some road blocks along our journey, we will not finish until we bring our daughter home safe and sound.

When our child arrives home to us, we will post with our happy news. Thank you for prayerfully considering our situation in your giving this year.

Warmly,

Michael, Melissa & Hayden 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 1:34 PM

Celebrating 3 years!!!

This month marks a huge celebration for our family. Not only will we be celebrating "D"'s 3rd birthday in our hearts (will have a huge bash when she gets home) at the end of this month, but 3 years ago this month, we started the paperwork for our adoption.

It has been a long journey, but we know God had this planned... The timing and her age couldn't be more coincidental.

We are almost done with our paperwork and can't wait to head to Chicago to get it apostilled and then to our agency for them to ship it to Russia.

Meanwhile! Happy 3rd Birthday to Little "D", our adoption, and our blog!
Thanks for reading!

Melissa 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 3:04 PM

Undergoing Maintenance

Over the next few days *crossing fingers*, you may notice some changes with our blog. Our page may have some links missing and the background might be different. There may even be some loading problems.

But please hang on tight while I work to get the blog back in order.

Thank you for your patience!

Melissa 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 2:33 PM

Hayden's Happy #8!

A brand new bike!!!

On Sunday, we celebrated Hayden's 8th birthday with family and friends. We all headed out to one of his favorite places to play games and eat pizza, cupcakes and ice-cream. Though the weather was windy and chilly, we were glad everyone could make it to spend the day with Hayden!

On Tuesday, he was tickled pink to have his principal announce his name over the loud speaker at school (some kids would be embarassed, least I would have been). He also got to hand out treats to his class and to the other 2nd grade classes in his school. Once he came home and told us about his day, he helped choose what he wanted for dinner; he picked strombolli and mac n' cheese. After dinner we had some quality family time. First we both watched, then I watched, Hayden and Daddy dance to songs (I video taped some for blackmail later *wink*).

And to continue on with our busy week; Hayden proved how much of a big brother he already is. He completed his adoption physical yesterday with Michael and I by his side. He did a TB test, peed in a cup and gave two vials of blood. He was very brave!

It has been two weeks since we received our packet of adoption paperwork and it seems like we are almost finished completing it. Once it is all finished being previewed, we will get it notarized and apostilled and then send it off to our agency. It won't be long after that, we hope, before we receive word of a court date and we get to see Little D's beautiful face again.

We want to send Happy Easter wishes to everyone. May you have safe travels if you are visiting family.

~Mel 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 1:02 PM

Where Do We Go From Here?

If you have one that we can borrow, bring it on over!

We have been crazy busy this past week. And it has really blown by - I can't believe we were just in Russia last Sunday meeting our daughter! How time flies...

With that, many people have been asking "When do you go back?". And we would surely like to give you an exact date. But unfortunately, as we well know by now, adoption is unpredictable. However, we were told to get our paperwork in order while our little one's medical is done in-country and they do things on their end. Our in-country coordinator said she needs a least a month... and that's what we are banking on when it comes to a deadline for our paperwork.

It has been nuts getting our court/dossier paperwork started. We need to complete medical forms (getting a physical again). We need to get a copy of the deed of our home, mortgage papers, a Realtor or a mortgage broker to fill out a real estate verification letter, a letter from a congressman (are you kidding me?) and a list of our finances again. And so much more!!! :)

So after we finish our paperwork (it gets notarized and apostilled), it will be sent off to our agency. And like usual, translated and sent to Russia for approval. Russia will then set a court date for us to return. Once we are in Russia for court, we will get to visit little "D" for a few days and we will then meet with a judge. We will also undergo our 8-doc medical during this trip. After we finish all that, there is a waiting period... usually 10-14 days. We can either stay in country or go home (which we would rather not do to save money on highly expensive over-priced airfare). Technically Russian adoptions are done in 3 trips, but if you stay in between the 2nd and 3rd trip, you can count it as 2. So after we finish the waiting period, we need to travel to Moscow with little "D" to get her visa and tie up lose ends before flying home with a toddler - Yikes!.

Now, I'm no expert on this... so this may or may not work out as planned. If I only had a crystal ball...

Regardless, we are hoping to be Forever Home by early summer. Wouldn't that be grand?

Happy Spring,
Melissa 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 1:22 PM

Saying goodbye...for now, but we'll be back!

Thursday was our last day with Little D.  But first, we did some sightseeing around town, taking pics of beautiful St. Petersburg with our son Hayden's traveling bear. I highly recommend visiting, it is rich with history, architecture, art, and it has 2 IKEA stores! Then we did some Russian souvenir and gift shopping in the shadow of the Temple of the Savior of Spilled Blood.  A great place to do souvenir shopping in the winter, we bartered down the prices, a "game" the shopkeepers enjoy.  Mel had a traditional Russian lunch, Borscht and Russian style raviolis (sorry not sure of the Russian name).  But our interpeter told us that the ravioli meal was popular with families, they would make the dough, the meat, another layer of dough and cut, pinch, boil and viola dinner for several days.  Plus, her brother would always make one with peppercorn and they would enjoy seeing who was the unlucky one to have that ravioli.

Finally, our last ride, for now, to the orphanage to visit with Little D. We were back in the room that started it all.  Today she had star pants and a top with beaded birds. She enjoyed showing off to us as soon as she walked in with a cute pony tail on top of her head.  So cute!  This time we let her choose which toy she wanted to play with first.  Her choice, the Disney Princess puzzle cubes, which she enjoys building towers of two.  She did build a large tower with them all, and this time she knocked them all down, we enjoyed a good laugh.  Her favorite part of the toy, the clear plastic piece, which she used as a mirror to look at herself, so we quickly dubbed her a Princess.

While she played a little more of that, Michael took out the new toy we bought for her (and Hayden) at the market...a wooden pink bird whistle (Hay's is a blue bird whistle).  Her first attempt succeeded in a clear whisper and we were presented with one of her classic cute "aha" looks.  Soon she was a one woman band, blowing on the whistle and playing the xylophone.

Her next choice from our "toy" bag, was her baby doll.  The "moment of the day" occurred, shortly after Michael helped blow her nose, she took a kleenex to blow her baby doll's nose and then deposited the tissue into her pants pockets, such an observant little girl.  Then she wanted a new kleenex to do it all over again, Mel and I tried tricking her by pretending to give her a new one, when in fact we gave her the same one...but no fooling her, she knew we were sneaking it behind her back.  Her imagination showed with that single piece of kleenex, it was then used as a towel to bathe her doll, then a blanket for sleeping, and lastly a bib for eating.

And before we knew it our visit was over.  We did get to walk her up to her playroom, we were allowed to let her keep her baby doll.  As soon as she entered the room, all the kids ran up to her to see her new toy.  All the girls wanted her doll, one girl "stole" the potty, and Little D showed some spunk and took it right back.  The caretakers were quick to let the kids know this doll was Little D's.  We also asked them to go through the picture book with mom, dad, Hayden, and the kitties, which they said they would.  All the kids once again were oohing and aahing over the kitties.  Lastly, we left the donated clothes that some friends gave to us to donate to the orphanage.

The look in her eyes as we left...set our hearts aching,
But have no fear Little D,
We will return.

Michael and Melissa 2 comments

Posted by Mel at 8:06 PM