Russia...part 2

I have not kept up with all the happenings lately, but I got my court date finalized last week for tomorrow. We made it safely back to Rusia today. Our flights were great. First flight we had plenty of room because it was an exit seat and an empty seat next to us. The second flight, the attendant at the desk, moved us up to two seats right behind the bulkhead so we had lots of extra leg room. Aside from our bread not coming out in a basket, it was just about as good as first class and a lot cheaper :) Max, our driver flagged us down and seemed very glad to see us. I think he might have been missing one of his pick ups. While he waited, he kept turning around and smiling great big. Maybe he thought we might wonder off??? I then talked with the coordinator for our team and found out my court time is 11:00 ot 11:30. I will be going again at the same time as the other family who was with me last trip, so that should help calm my nerves. It should be relatively short and then off to see my Noah!! There may definitly be a shot of getting him out tomorrow or at least in only a few days. I will know after court but the team is working on it so that was excellent news. I won't be able to stand myself if I get to go pick him up right after court!!!! They have the heat turned on in the apartment this time which is good. This time, I'm actually keeping the windows cracked to keep it cooler. After a hard rain fall this morning, the sun was shining until it set. I think God was just smiling down on us because last time, I barely saw it at all. On another note, mom and I had another shopping adventure tonight. I'm not a big fan of grocery shopping here. We decided to try another brand of milk since I didn't like the last kind. Remind you, everything is in Russian. We also picked up a huge chunk of cheese for crackers and some breakfast rolls that looked like cinamon for tomorrow. When we got back we broke out some good old fashion bannana sandwiches and I went to open the cheese. It was the worst smelling stuff I had ever smelled. I came really close to throwing it out the window!! It stunk up the entire kitchen and living room it was so potent!! My mom stilled braved it and tried a piece even though I warned her I had no idea how to get her to a hospital! She said it wasn't near as bad as it smelled, but I couldn't take it. I think it burned it's odor into my nose because I still smell it. Lets just say, I hate it for the poor soul who picks up the garbage tomorrow! I then went to check out the milk...it looked a little thick...we figured out really quickly that we picked up butter milk. By this point we were both laughing. Last but not least, we discovered our cinnamon rolls, are not cinnamon. Not sure what it is, but nothing a large amount of jelly won't cure. I think the best purchase of the night was the large bottle of Pepsi. I think I'll stick with what I know from here on out!! :)

Home Sweet Home

I made it home last night safe and sound. Still a little tired, but I will catch up soon. Now it's time to start getting my house ready for my little man to come home. Hopefully that will be by the end of October! Thanks for all your comments while I was gone. You hear about how nice it is to get them while you're gone, but I never knew how much I would look forward to reading them!! Thanks

Sad to say bye...happy to come home!!

I'm all packed back up and ready. I can't wait until I get back to warm weather. Aside from when I take a 30 min. hot shower..twice a day, I don't think I have been warm since I got here. Most buildings here have their heat controlled from one central location. I guess it got really cold a little early this year, so they have not turned any heat on in this building. It has been in the low 40's all week. Next time, I'll be like Noah..so many layers I can't bend my arms :) .

As of this morning, I have officaially requested to adopt him. The notary was extremly nice. Afterward, mom and I went to Old Arbat street to do some shopping and eat lunch. Around 4:00 we went to spend some more time with Noah and say our goodbyes for a few more weeks. We were able to play with him in the play room today so I got to see him crawling around everywhere. He is nowhere close to walking yet but loves to jump up and down with help. We did some measuring and he is 27" tall and about 18lbs. He should be in 12mth old clothes. His feet are 4" long, so I have to figure out his shoe size. He smiles alot and laughs, but not outloud. He doesn't make alot of noise actually. Not to worry though, I'll wear off on him soon enough!! It was a little sad to drive away, but I have so much to do now to prepare for a little boy. Clothes to buy, bedding to pick out...flower gardens to kill :( Masha said that our court date will probably be in about 4 weeks.
I'm off to take my evening shower so I can get warm before bed!

The Hand of God...

I didn't quite know what to title this post because it is not at all what I thought I would be writing. Sorry it took me so long, but it has been a long couple of days. On tuesday morning we went to DOE to get permission to go to the orphanage and meet Sveta. I wasn't nervous like I thought I would be. We went into a small office where there were three ladies sitting. One was the Social Worker in charge. They pulled out the referral page with a picture and some information on it. We talked for a few min, then left to go to the orphanage. Once there, we were carried to a play room where Masha (my interpreter) went over the medical report. Long story short, I decided, based on several factors, that I would not be the right match for this little girl. It broke my heart, but I knew without a doubt it was the right thing to do. Masha then told me about a little boy that she really wanted me to meet. I was extremly hessitant, but finally agreed. We left and went to another orphanage a few minutes away and to sum it all up...I fell in love with this little boy the second I saw him. I can't explain it, but I knew this was the child God wanted me to have. It is so clear that His hand orchestrated many things to bring me face to face with an amazing little 12 month old boy who's name will be Noah Alexey. Little Svetlana will always hold a special place in my heart, for without her, I would have never met my son.

Today I was able to see Noah twice and spend several hours with him. He is such a good little boy. He just turned 12 mths on the 11th of this month and he is full of energy and very alert. I believe that bonding will be very quick. He was born a preemie, but still weighed 6lbs. I can't wait to get him home and fatten him up a little :)

Tomorrow we will go to the notary to have my petition to the court notarized and then in the afternoon I will be able to spend 2 more hours with him. Then Friday morning we will be back on a plane for the long flight home back to the much missed USA. I love my country!!! :)
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.

Hi from Moscow City

We made it in safe and sound. What a day!! Our flight was really good. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. We stood in line about an hour to have our passports stamped and then saw Vlad holding our sign. We were able to stay with Sasha so Vlad carried us straight there. Vlad is very nice and speaks very good English. Sasha is also very nice and funny but his english is not as good. It was a struggle once Vlad left to communicate but we made it. Sasha was so funny because as he was showing me around the apartment the things I would need to know, he kept saying...come here...you have test! He would show me something and then make me do it again for him....several times. He then walked us to the market a couple blocks away and we bought a few items for the apartment. On the way back he said..."I walk slower" which meant he wanted me to find my way back to the apartment on my own. He just smiled the whole time, but I made it just fine and remembered all the locks, keys, and passcodes it took to get back into his building to boot :) Mom and I have the apartment to ourselves which was very nice of him. It is in walking distance to alot of shops so tomorrow, we will be busy. We ventured out tonight to find the Marriott to get an american map. We decided to have a cup of coffee and relax since we had gotten lost and wandered the streets for about an hour :) She brought us our ticket and we left her money to cover it and guessed on the tip. It seemed a little high to us, but we still aren't familiar with the money here. Jena (another lighthouse family here) called me tonight and when I told her how much it was, she informed me that we just spent about $17 on two cups of coffee (probably only 4oz each) I will say it was the best coffee I have ever had, but it will be the last time I visit the marriott in Moscow!! On a sad note, We found out that a Russian plane crashed yesterday just outside of Moscow. There were over 80 passengers and no survivors. I am so thankful the Lord has had His protective hand over us so far and pray it continues!

It's hard to beleive that my baby girl is somewhere only min. from me. I can hardly wait until Tuesday. We are having a bit of trouble with the phone card right now, so hopefully tomorrow I can get it figured out and make a couple calls. Until then, thanks for the prayers and we will update tomorrow.

Next stop....Russia

I can't believe it's here! I leave tomorrow!!! I've been packing now for a week. Going over my list, and over it and over it. If there is any question as to how excited (and nervous) I am, then realize it is 2:00 in the morning and I am wide awake. :) Guess I'm getting a head start on loosing lots of sleep!
So here is my agenda. My mom and I will fly out of Raleigh at 12:30, layover in Atlanta and arrive in Moscow at 10:30 their time. That will be about 2am our time. We will be picked up by our driver at the airport, who will be holding a sign with our name on it. How fun..I've always wanted my name on one of those signs :) We will be staying with a host. Hopefully Shasha. He has an apartment and lets adoptive families stay there. I really want him, because I hear he cooks for you alot and I can't wait to try some authentic Russian cuisine. We will be able to relax Sunday and Monday. Probably get to do a little sight seeing. My appointment at DOE is on Tuesday morning. It should be brief. They will go over her medicals with me. Then, depending on the orphanage's schedule, we will go to meet her!!!! yippee. I'm not sure how much time I will get to spend with her that day or the rest of the week for that matter, but I will get to see her everyday. That is really it for this trip. When we are not in the orphanage, we will be traveling the city. This is the best trip to pick up souvenirs since the next trip, my precious "souvenir" will take up all the extra space. Not because she comes with alot of stuff. It's like my mom said, she will come just like she was born, not a stitch of clothing...just a naked little baby:)
I am going to try and post each day. It all depends on where I can get computer access. We will be flying home on Friday and get back to Raleigh on Sat. at 7:00.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Please pray for our safety in traveling on the plane and in country and that all will go well and Hannah will adjust well to all the changes she is about to go through!

Confirmed

I found out yesterday that I have an appointment date of the 16th. Yay!! I'm a little sad that it was postponed a week, but it's for the best. I had so much going on this week!! Speaking of..I'm writing this from my brother's couch and he and my parents just left to take my sister-n-law to the hospital to deliver a my little nephew. I'll be meeting him in the morning when my niece wakes up. Very exciting! As for me, I will be boarding a plane next Saturday the 13th headed to meet my little girl. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind, so I know the next week will fly by. I'll post details as soon as I get them.