No Photo Today... :(

It was a rough day for Deeana today. We met her at the playground, which is unusual. But only because we detoured around construction, got stuck in traffic, got stuck in more traffic because of construction. Huh... it was a mess. But we were only 15 minutes late.

Anyway, she was already sad when we met her outside. Maybe it was because she knew she was going in a car, or they had put her in a diaper, which she normally isn't. Maybe it was because we were late... or maybe all 3 threw her into a funk. Who knows... but still, the caregiver took her inside for a quick outfit change (as she needs to wear white for the passport photo) and brought her back, she was a bit reluctant to come me. Me - Mommy, ouch!

So, we head outside to our driver's van. As I set her down on the bench seat in the back, she starts crying, slowly turning to a wail. I climbed in, but her reaching arms and her scooting bottom meant Daddy needed to grab her - fast! By then we were both in the car, and it didn't look good. We were doing everything we could think of, her ball, Goldfish crackers. Nothing worked. And then we got word that a caregiver would NOT be joining us today as they were too busy. Ummm... time to reschedule. Crying toddlers do not make good passport pictures.

A little background info on why she didn't like the car. Most children in orphanages don't like cars (from our driver's perspective). Reason being because usually the only reason they are being put in a car is to go visit a doctor. And what happens at the doctor? Kids don't like to be poked and prodded.

So we are hoping to try again tomorrow if a caregiver is available. But we have a few days, so we aren't in too much of a hurry.

After that, we headed to the park. But Deeana was in no mood to play. She didn't want to be consoled, tickled, shown her favorite toys... nothing! Eventually we went to sit on the bench (immediately before this Deeana had let me pick her up and hold her, she started to snuggle. Once at the bench, she molded her body into mine) and we tried again. Ball? No. Magna-doodle, No. Photo Album... Eh, Let's practice saying Hayden again... She is getting better, she is starting to say "Hay" in a quiet whisper.
We then moved onto snack. Michael held the snack bowl there for a few minutes and then she slowly stuck her hand out and ate. And ate and ate and ate. Then we took out her sippy cup. And drank and drank and drank. This is when she perked up. She eventually sat up and she said "thank you" in Russian - nice and loud. Well, hello! Nice to hear your beautiful voice!!! All we've heard before were whispers.

Later on we played bubbles, and before we knew it, it was time to go. Unfortunately, because our hands were so busy with Deeana - we didn't get a chance to pull out our camera. Not even once. :(

Paka, until tomorrow! 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 1:14 PM

One Week, One Day

We had another fun and exciting day with Deeana. It's amazing to think we have been here a week and a day. We have gone through so much and done so much since we got here. And now we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Deeana was brought down the stairs and taken outside by a caregiver in a very pretty yellow dress today. We, meaning all three of us, made sure we kept it clean or brushed it off.

We started our playtime in a quiet mode. We aren't sure if they wake Deeana up for our visits, or if she is just naturally sleepy in the morning. But she is quiet and timid... and we have never ever heard her get loud. Anyway, we sat on the bench in the playground in the front of the orphanage and started to read her a Care Bear book. She is learning from Daddy to follow the words with her finger when you read, and when we are finished with the book, we count stars or hearts or bears. We kept things simple and relaxing since it is a very hot day here today.

Eventually we moved onto something else (we have many toys in our bag and by now, I can't even remember what came next!). We figured she was thirsty, sitting on Daddy's lap and playing in the hot weather. So we pulled out an apple juice box. Her eyes light up brighter than the morning sun. She must have remembered this from our earlier visit and was eager for me to open it. She guzzled and guzzled while we talked to her and read more books.

We are learning that Deeana is very aware of her surroundings. At first I thought it was her having trouble concentrating, or being easily distracted. Don't get me wrong, she still plays with us, she's happy and content. But every once and awhile, she will turn her head and "poof" she's not paying attention anymore. But we now think she is just watching the strangers that are around - being overly cautious. Sometimes it's hard to get her attention when we are playing with her outside if other children are out as well. She is on constant watch, and we are always calling her name. We hope that once she comes home, we will have a calmer environment and she can relax and let her guard down.

Once all the children went in, we had about 30 minutes of Deeana all to ourselves (this is common). We played more sandbox. She almost rode the Cozy Coupe again, etc. We got a lot more hugs today and she realized that Mommy will pick her up if she puts her arms up in the air - Mommy has to be careful about that one as we don't want to spoil her. ;)
We also confirmed that she doesn't like heights - as Daddy tried to put her on his shoulders, she had a fearful look on her face. I had to lift Deeana off very fast and calm her down with hugs. She got over it quickly.

Anyway, we have a 4 day break and have to put up with a little Russian heatwave ourselves. We go back to the orphanage on Tuesday, and Deeana will most likely take her first car trip with her Mommy and Daddy to get her passport pictures taken. That should be interesting.

Until then, here is a little something to hold you over:

This picture slideshow personalized with Smilebox

*There are 5 videos in all... use the arrows to scroll through to watch. 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 10:16 AM

Peek a Boo...

We started our day today by being picked up by our driver at 9 AM to visit our daughter (so nice to say now that it is official) Deeana at the orphanage. When we arrived we were led to a new playground behind the orphanage. As we were waiting outside, Mel was the first to hear her footsteps approaching down the stairs.  We entered a little playground and took out the infamous O-Ball.  We all enjoyed a rousing game of catch, spinning the O-Ball, kicking the O-ball and let's throw the ball as far away from daddy as possible!

Then the O-Ball played peek-a-boo in the sandbox. Deeana loved burying it and then digging it back out again!  Soon a caretaker gave us a pail and shovel making the job much easier. We learned Deeana loves digging in the sand, putting it in her pail, and dumping most of it back in the sandbox (some of course landed on her shoes and pretty dress). We even brought out the My Little Pony and the brush, a couple of times she brushed her own hair.  Soon the brush and pony were playing peek a boo in the sandbox!

We played a few other things in between, but the moment we knew her attachment was becoming more real to us was when she climbed in mommy's lap and gave hug after hug after hug, and blowing kisses to both of us. We are looking forward to playing with her again tomorrow, and three more times next week.

Our next steps in the adoption process is a 10 day court mandated waiting period.  During the first week of August, we apply for her passport and her name change on her birth certificate. After we apply, it takes about 5 days to become official. Once that occurs we will most likely travel by train to Moscow (the airport is undergoing construction so we hear).  It will take 2 full days to apply for her visa and her last medical check-up, and then it is a nice long plane ride back home, where she will meet her big brother!

To round off our afternoon, we traveled to The Fountains of Peterhof. It was a gorgeous day to walk through the beautiful gardens and take pictures of the magnificent fountains adorning the grounds. Thank goodness for shade as it was a warm day by St. Petersburg standards.

And finally, the moment you all have been waiting for!!!

No more peek-a-boo little "D".

2 comments

Posted by Mel at 1:17 PM

And Then There Was Four

Phooey, Mel's eyes are closed :(

First off, pictured above are the proud new parents of one little "D"!

Last night after filling our bellies on McDonald's (we tried a new Russian restaurant that opened below our apartments, but they were so new they didn't have an English menu or one with pictures yet) we came back home to cram for Court.  I practiced my speech, but fortunately, did not have to have it memorized.  I made sure to write notes on the various classes we took 3 years ago, thanks to my Home Agency refreshing my memory in a very timely fashion via e-mail.

Quizzed each other on various questions that might come up in Court...we figured we would get the "Will you treat her any differently since she is adopted?" or "Describe your visits with her".  So we focused on the types of classes we took as that was a while ago.  I made sure I knew my financial numbers really well. We studied her background info, her medical info and what they mean in laymen words. Also,I  made a list of her personality traits and reasons why we think she bonded with us. Feeling as prepared as we could, we went to bed with the alarm set for 7:00 AM.

Mel had a bit of a restless night, I slept fairly well. Showering, dressing, making sure we have all the appropriate documents, passports, visas, speech, notes, snacks, umbrella, camera, pictures, mints and water (85 degrees in St. Petersburg). We met our driver right on time at 9:30 AM and headed into traffic, at one light we were stuck for 10 minutes before it turned green. Our driver told us a police officer is in control of the light at the intersection and usually at this time he doesn't wait 10 minutes to change it.

Even with that delay we still arrived right on time, meeting our coordinator outside the Court building.. After flashing our passports and accidently blocking our judge in line...we headed up to the Court room. We met our translator, saw the orphanage director (such a nice lady!), and some governmental official.  And in we went, sorry, but we can't say much about what happened as it is a "closed court session"...but we came out happy as can be as the Judge agreed that we would be great parents for little "D"!

For now we can rest...though on August 1st we start preparing more paperwork to bring her home.  In the meantime we'll have 2 visits each week and have some time to do more sightseeing.

Thanks for all your love and support!
Paka,
Michael 2 comments

Posted by Mel at 6:48 AM

Little Lady In Blue

We enjoyed our day with little D. We played outside again, and less mosquitoes were available for the filming. The weather was cool for the most part, but the sun did beam down on us for a bit making us roast like chickens. "D" didn't seem to mind, as long as we supplied entertainment, she was happy.

We walked her down the drive to the smaller park and asked her if she wanted to play on the swing. Knowing she had NO IDEA what we were saying, she still didn't seem keen on the whole "swing" thing and headed to the bench. We set our bag down and pulled out her fav - the "O" ball, of course. We tossed it back and forth for a few minutes, telling her she was doing a nice job and slapping "High Fives". What was so adorable, was if she gave Daddy a high five, she needed to give Mommy one too... and vice versa! :)

We also brought along a "My Little Pony"... which immediately caught her eye once we opened the bag the next time. She insisted on opening the box herself - not a surprise. Michael keeps telling me she and I are going to butt some heads when she gets older. Eh, like I'm not used to it now with Hayden? Anyhoo, she knew exactly what to do... she brushed the pony's hair, and even let Mommy had a crack at it. Once.

While she was playing "brush the pony" it gave us the chance to have her try on some shoes we bought in the U.S. She was an awesome customer. And if we would have let her down off my lap, I wouldn't have doubted for a second that she would have modeled them as she loved both pairs!

After modeling, it was snack time. We wanted to see if she would like a drink and some fish crackers (as they are a staple in my house, even though Hayden is 8). She couldn't have devoured it more! And if we would have let her keep going, I think we'd still be there. Though at first we kinda had to let her "know" it was food by doing some "mmmm mmmm" and chomping noises. Michael was worried at first she might choke. I had no fears.

Little D is very fond of our bag. So much so, she is starting to "help herself. So after snack, she decided to find herself something to play with. And she chose bubbles. Man, what were we thinking? I felt horrible letting her play with bubbles on her gorgeous blue dress, but there is no stopping her! So we tried to be careful. She enjoyed them so much, she said her 1st English word: Bubbles. Did u hear me? BUBBLES!!!

After that, nothing could compete. She tried coloring, it didn't last. She tried playing pony... it just wasn't enough. Magnadoodle... eh, that was so Friday mom. So we walked around and waved to Daddy. It was a fun game. To bad it had to end - it was time for us to go.

I picked her up and gave her kisses and hugs and she noticed I was wearing her favorite necklace. She played with it a tad and then we all three walked hand in hand back to the front of the orphanage. Ahhh, what a great day!

Tomorrow is court, wish us luck!!!
Mel 0 comments

Posted by Mel at 1:45 PM

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