Court is only a week away and we are thanking God over and over that we were able to get such a quick court date. We were told while we were in Moscow on trip one that court wouldn't be until mid to late September. One of the great things about the Moscow Region is the relatively fast turn around between trip one and trip two. I was so upset to know we had to leave Andrik in the terrible heat wave that Moscow was experiencing and then for the situation to be made worse by all the forest fires that covered the city for days with smoke. I prayed every night for a fast court date and every so many days I was told by our agency not to expect anything to happen until mid September at the earliest. But I still prayed, "Please Lord, please give us a quick court date so we can get Andrik home." And again I was told, "no court until the second half of September" and then I got an email two days later, "You have a court date...September 6th" and I just smiled and said, "Thank you God."
We have three days until we board a 6:35 a.m. flight (what was I thinking?) to Moscow! Artem and I are flying out on Tuesday and will arrive in Moscow on Wednesday to meet Randy. We are hoping to go to the orphanage on Thursday and see Andrik. I am so excited to see him again I'm like a giddy little schoolgirl.
We have court on Monday and found out we have the same judge that we had for Artem's adoption. We had already planned on bringing Artem with us to court and have him wait in the lobby with our translator and now we are even more excited to bring him and show the judge what a wonderful little boy he has become. I bought him a white dress shirt, a tie, and some brown dress shoes to wear with a pair of khakis. I can barely handle seeing such a big boy outfit layed out on his bed; I'm not sure how I'm going to breath when I see him dressed in it.
Speaking of clothes for the trip, I have one more entry for my "You Know You Are In the Middle of An International Adoption When..." You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when...you pause for a moment of silence before putting your suitcase on the bathroom scale, praying to the suitcase gods that if this bag can make it under the weight limit, you promise to never over stuff a suitcase again as long as you shall live, amen.
After court, we'll have our mandatory ten business day wait until we can get Andrik from the baby home and the three of us are taking an easy five hour flight to Abu Dhabi and wait out our time there. Randy can continue to work without using extra vacation days and it's on the same time zone as Moscow so it will easier on Artem to travel. After that time is up, we'll head back to Moscow and get Andrik on September 17th, spend a week in Moscow processing his visa and passport, take him to the doctor for his Embassy medical, and then finally do our exit interview at the US Embassy before being given our walking papers. We fly home to Texas as a family of four on the 25th of September. Whew!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A Word From Bella
To Andrik,
My blonde hair, blue eyed brother-from-another-mother, I would like to ask you for a favor. Please do everything in your power to get home quickly. I need someone else here to entertain Artem and get me out of our daily bonding sessions.
I'm not saying I don't enjoy an afternoon tea party or a rousing game of Red Light Green Light, but my recent medical exam was more than one dog should have to endure.
Sure, he loves me...
Loves me more than necessary at times...
My blonde hair, blue eyed brother-from-another-mother, I would like to ask you for a favor. Please do everything in your power to get home quickly. I need someone else here to entertain Artem and get me out of our daily bonding sessions.
I'm not saying I don't enjoy an afternoon tea party or a rousing game of Red Light Green Light, but my recent medical exam was more than one dog should have to endure.
Sure, he loves me...
Loves me more than necessary at times...
But the tea parties have to stop and with you here, I'd be left alone to find a quiet spot in the house to dream my doggy dreams.
Macaroni and cheese again? Please Andrik, hurry home!
Macaroni and cheese again? Please Andrik, hurry home!
Wait a minute...is that peanut butter?
I'm never going to be the soccer pro he hopes I'll be.
Focus!!
So Andrik, as I was saying, Artem needs a playmate...and FAST!
Because I can't get him to understand that no matter how many times he forces my leg to kick the ball,
I'm never going to be the soccer pro he hopes I'll be.
Hurry Andrik, I can't sit through another afternoon tea. Hurry home and let me return to afternoon's of sunning myself in the backyard. You are better suited for this line of work than I am.
Love,
Bella
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Court Date!
Just a quick note to let you know that we have a court date and it's much sooner than we expected. We have to be in Moscow by September 1st so we can get our 8 Doctor Medical completed and see Andrik a few more times before court on Monday September 6th!! Which means we should be able to get Andrik on the 17th.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
You Know...The List
Y'all are the best! The comments you left on Passing Time were hilarious! And as promised, here is the list...
"You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when..."
Jeanette and her husband said,
...you hand your driver an envelope full of cash and don't get a receipt.
...you worry about volcanoes erupting.
Wendi and Terry said,
...you set your alarm for 5 a.m. every morning so you can read the news out of Russia since Moscow is 9 hours ahead, hoping the two countries are still getting along.
...your emotional highs are so high, and the lows are oh so low
...you have a peaked interest in the lunch conversation in a Virgina hamburger dive between Obama and Medvedev
...you spend your nights reading about FAS, FAE and ADHD
...volcanoes impact your court date
...you believe everything you read on FRUA and it can make or break your day
Denise said,
...when you stare at your phone willing it to ring.
...eat ramen noodles for the 4th time this week because you are saving money.
...you get excited when you get mail from the Immigration office, even though you are a citizen.
Mama Fish added,
...the people at your local police department know you by name even though you've never committed a crime.
...you've had more medical exams in the months leading up to the adoption than you have in the last 5 years.
...you actually WANT your husband to travel more for business so you can earn some more Marriott points.
Katie said,
...your luggage was lost somewhere between Detroit and St. Petersburg and you spend $125 on a pair of Wrangler jeans
Ouch!!
My husband Randy said,
...you take a job halfway around the world to pay for it all, then stick around a few more years because you want to do it again.
...you actually thought you could teach your child their native language by surfing the Internet one word at a time.
...when it is easier to explain the meaning of life than the international adoption process.
...when you get excited to go to court.
...when you can sign your name on official documents in a foreign language, in a foreign country, without understanding a word, and feel good about it.
So true! You really have to have complete faith in your translator!
Amy says,
...you know the definition of Apostille.
...the Fedex guy knows more about your day to day life than your Mother.
...you can recognize the Secretary of State's office on caller I.D.
Change that to Fed Ex lady and that's me!
Jenn said,
...when you have a new-found sense of patriotism and it's not for the USA.
...when you scan the google news reader for headlines with the word "Russia" or "Russian" in them.
...when you park in the "expectant mother" parking space at the mall and, while not pregnant, don't feel completely guilty!
...when you research flights to your region, just to get a feel for the trip that will take place only God-knows-when.
I cheered for the Russian team during the Winter Olympics this year! And I also have a shirt that says, "Adopting: Bump Not Required"
Melissa said,
...you check your email every five minutes looking for an update.
...walking to the mail box gives you butterflies in your stomach, then when you don't find mail from USCIS, you hop in the car and head out for some retail therapy.
...a blurry picture of a child in strange clothing becomes your most prized possession.
...you sew hidden pockets on an undershirt for you husband, so he can carry 15 grand in cash through 19 hours of flights and a 12 hour layover. (I know this one doesn't apply to most countries but it sure did us since wiring money to third world country is foolish at best)
Omigoodness...$15,000? And I thought $5,500 was bad, but you win!
Joy added,
...when you get left alone in the middle of Russia in a car with 10,000 dollars while your driver is taken away by the police. Then you are relieved to see he left the keys then realize you have no idea where you are. When your driver is returned about an hour later you could kiss him even though he is married.
Oh my Joy, I had no idea you had to endure that!
Stacy joked,
...you know you are in the middle of an International Adoption in the Siberian wintertime when you can't figure out why there are people lined up on the side of the road in the middle of the night only to find out that it is 9:00 am and they are waiting to catch the bus for work!
Jodi said,
...you exchange thousands of dollars with some random guy on the street and don't blink an eye.
...you are so anxious to give someone you barely know your hard earned cash just because you don't want to carry it and risk losing it.
...you are in Siberia and you feel like you are the only person not drinking outside at 5pm on a Tuesday.
...you sign a contract that says you will do pretty much whatever someone tells you to do.
Beth wrote,
...you constantly check the time and then count backwards in your head to see what time it is where your child is.
...you are fingerprinted continuously....and have never committed a crime.
...people you have never met AND in some cases do not speak the same language know more about you then some of your family and friends.
Fingerprinting...I can't even talk about it!
Lisa said,
...you are in a vehicle your husband refers to as the "terrorist van," holding (no car seat) your new baby while giving him milk (at least they said it was milk) from a glass bottle with a nipple stuck on the top, breathing in disgusting exhaust fumes while driving on terrible roads for 3 hours and thinking this is the best day of my life!
Definitely your best day!!
Heather said,
…when you go to your bank and ask for brand new $100 bills in sequential order and swear you are not doing anything illegal with them.
…when you know how to pronounce the words dossier and apostille
…when you notice every time the word adopt is used (adopt a road; adopt an animal; adopt a new law)
I'm cracking up about the brand new $100 bills!!
Sharon from my mommy board said,
...when - you have hundreds of people who don't even know you follow every tweet, peep and update you post about your situation! :)
Aww, thank you Sharon. True story, Randy and I are sitting in the restaurant at the Moscow Courtyard Marriott two weeks ago for Andrik's adoption and this couple walk up to us as they are finishing their meal and say, "You guys are Randy and Susan from Texas, we read your blog!" Very cool!
And finally, Laura said,
...you've worn the same three outfits for twenty-two days in a row and have to do the laundry in the bathtub.
...it takes everything you have to NOT climb over the Marriott check-in desk to give the English speaking receptionist a hug.
...your flight from JFK to Moscow is cancelled, so you somehow end up flying to Rome, Italy with no promise of getting on a flight to Russia. You'll figure it out once you get to Italy. And you do.
That is so true about the clerk that speaks English!
Since my original post, I thought of a couple more to add to the list,
...you stop counting at the $42,000 mark because you can't stand the thought of how much this is costing.
...you know what it's like to give your heart away to a child they just brought in the room 30 seconds prior.
...you walk by a picture on the refrigerator each day and stroke a little cheek and whisper, "Mama and Papa are coming back as fast as we can, believe in us!"
"You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when..."
Jeanette and her husband said,
...you hand your driver an envelope full of cash and don't get a receipt.
...you worry about volcanoes erupting.
Wendi and Terry said,
...you set your alarm for 5 a.m. every morning so you can read the news out of Russia since Moscow is 9 hours ahead, hoping the two countries are still getting along.
...your emotional highs are so high, and the lows are oh so low
...you have a peaked interest in the lunch conversation in a Virgina hamburger dive between Obama and Medvedev
...you spend your nights reading about FAS, FAE and ADHD
...volcanoes impact your court date
...you believe everything you read on FRUA and it can make or break your day
Denise said,
...when you stare at your phone willing it to ring.
...eat ramen noodles for the 4th time this week because you are saving money.
...you get excited when you get mail from the Immigration office, even though you are a citizen.
Mama Fish added,
...the people at your local police department know you by name even though you've never committed a crime.
...you've had more medical exams in the months leading up to the adoption than you have in the last 5 years.
...you actually WANT your husband to travel more for business so you can earn some more Marriott points.
Katie said,
...your luggage was lost somewhere between Detroit and St. Petersburg and you spend $125 on a pair of Wrangler jeans
Ouch!!
My husband Randy said,
...you take a job halfway around the world to pay for it all, then stick around a few more years because you want to do it again.
...you actually thought you could teach your child their native language by surfing the Internet one word at a time.
...when it is easier to explain the meaning of life than the international adoption process.
...when you get excited to go to court.
...when you can sign your name on official documents in a foreign language, in a foreign country, without understanding a word, and feel good about it.
So true! You really have to have complete faith in your translator!
Amy says,
...you know the definition of Apostille.
...the Fedex guy knows more about your day to day life than your Mother.
...you can recognize the Secretary of State's office on caller I.D.
Change that to Fed Ex lady and that's me!
Jenn said,
...when you have a new-found sense of patriotism and it's not for the USA.
...when you scan the google news reader for headlines with the word "Russia" or "Russian" in them.
...when you park in the "expectant mother" parking space at the mall and, while not pregnant, don't feel completely guilty!
...when you research flights to your region, just to get a feel for the trip that will take place only God-knows-when.
I cheered for the Russian team during the Winter Olympics this year! And I also have a shirt that says, "Adopting: Bump Not Required"
Melissa said,
...you check your email every five minutes looking for an update.
...walking to the mail box gives you butterflies in your stomach, then when you don't find mail from USCIS, you hop in the car and head out for some retail therapy.
...a blurry picture of a child in strange clothing becomes your most prized possession.
...you sew hidden pockets on an undershirt for you husband, so he can carry 15 grand in cash through 19 hours of flights and a 12 hour layover. (I know this one doesn't apply to most countries but it sure did us since wiring money to third world country is foolish at best)
Omigoodness...$15,000? And I thought $5,500 was bad, but you win!
Joy added,
...when you get left alone in the middle of Russia in a car with 10,000 dollars while your driver is taken away by the police. Then you are relieved to see he left the keys then realize you have no idea where you are. When your driver is returned about an hour later you could kiss him even though he is married.
Oh my Joy, I had no idea you had to endure that!
Stacy joked,
...you know you are in the middle of an International Adoption in the Siberian wintertime when you can't figure out why there are people lined up on the side of the road in the middle of the night only to find out that it is 9:00 am and they are waiting to catch the bus for work!
Jodi said,
...you exchange thousands of dollars with some random guy on the street and don't blink an eye.
...you are so anxious to give someone you barely know your hard earned cash just because you don't want to carry it and risk losing it.
...you are in Siberia and you feel like you are the only person not drinking outside at 5pm on a Tuesday.
...you sign a contract that says you will do pretty much whatever someone tells you to do.
Beth wrote,
...you constantly check the time and then count backwards in your head to see what time it is where your child is.
...you are fingerprinted continuously....and have never committed a crime.
...people you have never met AND in some cases do not speak the same language know more about you then some of your family and friends.
Fingerprinting...I can't even talk about it!
Lisa said,
...you are in a vehicle your husband refers to as the "terrorist van," holding (no car seat) your new baby while giving him milk (at least they said it was milk) from a glass bottle with a nipple stuck on the top, breathing in disgusting exhaust fumes while driving on terrible roads for 3 hours and thinking this is the best day of my life!
Definitely your best day!!
Heather said,
…when you go to your bank and ask for brand new $100 bills in sequential order and swear you are not doing anything illegal with them.
…when you know how to pronounce the words dossier and apostille
…when you notice every time the word adopt is used (adopt a road; adopt an animal; adopt a new law)
I'm cracking up about the brand new $100 bills!!
Sharon from my mommy board said,
...when - you have hundreds of people who don't even know you follow every tweet, peep and update you post about your situation! :)
Aww, thank you Sharon. True story, Randy and I are sitting in the restaurant at the Moscow Courtyard Marriott two weeks ago for Andrik's adoption and this couple walk up to us as they are finishing their meal and say, "You guys are Randy and Susan from Texas, we read your blog!" Very cool!
And finally, Laura said,
...you've worn the same three outfits for twenty-two days in a row and have to do the laundry in the bathtub.
...it takes everything you have to NOT climb over the Marriott check-in desk to give the English speaking receptionist a hug.
...your flight from JFK to Moscow is cancelled, so you somehow end up flying to Rome, Italy with no promise of getting on a flight to Russia. You'll figure it out once you get to Italy. And you do.
That is so true about the clerk that speaks English!
Since my original post, I thought of a couple more to add to the list,
...you stop counting at the $42,000 mark because you can't stand the thought of how much this is costing.
...you know what it's like to give your heart away to a child they just brought in the room 30 seconds prior.
...you walk by a picture on the refrigerator each day and stroke a little cheek and whisper, "Mama and Papa are coming back as fast as we can, believe in us!"
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