Proud Parents of a Little Girl!!!

What a day...a long one and I'm still in shock that we are parents. Parents -- wow!!! I guess it would feel more real if our little one was with us here at our side but we now have to wait out the "10-day Waiting Period" which is standard for all (adoption and non-adoption) court decisions. During this time, our angel has to remain in the Orphanage but we'll visit her as often as possible.

We are exhausted and about to crash. Tune-in tomorrow for all the details about our "Court Saga." We can't post a picture of our dear K yet but I'll post some pics from after court and at the bottom of the post....a little tidbit of information that I've been holding back on.....

I caught JD doing some last minute prepping so he could "wing it" in Court. It was cool on the balcony and he was already starting to sweat!

Right before we went into Court...nerves were shakey but not too bad!

First picture as parents!!!!

Sealed with a kiss.

Our "Dream Team": R-->L: Natalia (Social Worker), Iliana (Legal Services), Olga (In-Country Coordinator, FF)

With Olga, our independent Court Interpreter. Thank you, Olga!!!!!

Tomorrow we will get to see our little girl in the morning. I just can't wait! We will finally be able to call her our daughter ~~~~

Kristina DeAnn Deary!!!!

Nerves setting in....4 hours to go!

Just finished breakfast and doing everything in my power to keep it down. Why am I so freakin' nervous?

Well, I've been given the gift of gab from my dad -- a Toastmaster for decades. Because of this, I will be opening up in court and I will be the primary speaker. (JD had *no problem* giving me this privilege!!) With the female judge, you can choose who to speak and all our agency reps as well as the translator said it does not matter -- husband or wife -- whoever does most of the talking. She just likes to hear "the story" so I'll give it to her.

I hear JD in the other room "rehearsing" so I'm off to the shower for some peace and quiet before I find my place of solidtude to get my thoughts together.

Thanks again for all the wonderful thoughts here and on Facebook. They have given me the confidence that everything will be just fine. (Now if someone could tell that to my stomach, I'd be in GREAT shape!!)

K: If you only knew how much we love you and would do anything to bring you officially into our family. You're already in our hearts, little one, and wrapped around our fingers tightly. Can't wait to see you tomorrow as our daughter!! xoxoxo

Court Tomorrow!

Have anyone ever worked with someone on a project -- whether it's been at work or in school -- and the other partner says, "I'll just wing it"? JD said that to me this evening when we started preparing for our Court appearance tomorrow and I just wanted to bop him one over the head!! UGH!!! Instead of having to explain the huge welt on his head to the judge in court, I restrained and just wouldn't let him go to bed until he could answer all the questions!

We met with an independent Court Interpreter around noon today and she was with us until after 2:30pm. She reviewed a TON of information with us and prompted us on things to say and things to avoid. I have no idea how we can get through all the information in a 2-hour court session with interpretations included but we'll just go with the flow. After all, this is **our story**: When we met, got married, tried to have a family, lived through ups and downs trying, and our ultimate decision to go the adoption route. No one knows this journey better than us, right?

When the interpeter left, we decided to see if our driver was available to take us to the Orphanage and lucky us -- he was! In 20 minutes, we were on our way and we were able to spend a few hours with K outside. The weather was beautiful --- sunny and probably in the 50s. The head doctor asked if "mama" wanted to dress her up to get her ready to go out and I jumped at the chance! K was adorable in her 4 layers of clothing which were too big. I'll upload pictures tomorrow as for now, we really have to get some sleep in prep for our big day tomorrow.

Thank you EVERYONE for your well wishes for a successful court day tomorrow.

Goodnight...as this is our last night as a single couple. Tomorrow we will be parents!!! :)

Social Worker "Success"

This was an early day for us....had to be ready by 8:30am. (I'm usually on the road commuting by 5:55am so 8:30am is already mid-morning!) Our translator arrived 15 minutes early so we had to gobble down our breakfast in record-breaking time ~ not good prior to driving in Ekat.

We picked up the Social Worker who brought a fellow SW because they needed to stop at a home prior to heading out to the Orphanage. Just out luck...we sat there in the car for 50 minutes while the Social Workers dealt with a sticky custody case on our time!! Finally, at 10am, we were on our way to see K.

When we arrived, we found Adriana and Sergio playing with Pablo in the Playroom!! They will be picking up Pablo tomorrow *for good* so it was wonderful getting to see them again. :)

We waited and waited and finally our little angel was brought in. Two pig tails today, the same black/white/red floral dress that we've seen on 5 occasions now and cautious smiles. She was in good spirits but definitely guarded probably because of the "audience". This didn't stop her from focusing on all of Pablo's toys. Gracias, Pablo, for letting K play with your toys! After almost 2 weeks of the same old toys, we think she's getting bored with them.

Just when little miss K started to open up and hide behind the lacey drapes (one of her favorite "hide and seek" games), in comes the caregiver to take the kids to lunch. UGH!! We only got to see K for 40 minutes!! We were so bummed but Lydia (translator) said we could come back in the afternoon. OK --- feeling better.

During our together time, I glanced over a few times to the SW and knew this was not a big deal. All she was doing was talking with our translator. You'd think it was just a technicality that she had to be there. Later on, I asked what she thought and she responded with a long response. Our translator responded, "She thinks she's beautiful." I think something was lost in translation...oh, well. One step down and only a few more to go.

On the way back to the apartment, Lydia took us to the Church on the Blood, a famous landmark here in Ekaterinburg. (I'll post pics later as I left my camera in her car.) Truly remarkable. JD and I will be going back again next week when it's just the two of us.

Just when we were leaving, it started to snow --- pretty hard. That's when our translator felt it would be best that we *not* go to the Orphanage and instead, start to prepare for tomorrow's meeting with the court translator (independent person not affiliated with our agency). Heart dropped and I was sad. I wanted to go see my little girl as we won't get to see her tomorrow.

Hey - just thought - the next time we see her will be *after* we are officially her parents!! Whooooo-hooooo!!

Dress Rehearsal for Tomorrow

Today was a record-breaking day. Since there was Sunday and no traffic, Andre's driving talents got us to the Orphanage in 30 minutes. We arrived at 3:45pm and got to play with K until 6:15 --- 2 1/2 hours!

We tried to start things out real slow with mellow activities. Talking (and she's really starting to babble back to us!), coloring with crayons, and looking at books. I was hoping not to ramp her up too much because once she gets into 4th gear, there's no slowing her down! She did understand the words "wait" and "go" as we used it over and over when she was on the slide so we felt we were breaking through to her in some ways.

She's got a bite mark on one arm which looks like one of her peers got hungry. If we wanted to, we could probably I.D. the culprit by matching all the upper and lower teeth marks! But you never know, our little angel may have been the instigator...

One thing we noticed is that K loves to take labels and tape off of everything. There was tape on the little rocking horse in the Playroom and K just skirt! Oops!!!

"We see England, we see France. We see K's Russian underpants!!" :)

Which reminds me...whenever we see K in the afternoon, she's only wearing underpants. I think she's had pull-ups on 3 or 4 times, but usually not. Our coordinator said that it's probably because the Orphanage is probably out of diapers so we should go out and buy them some. Hello??? We just forked over a boatload of moola...and they need more? We'll wait until they ask us as we're not going to offer just at the moment.

Towards the end of our together time, we talked about the importance of tomorrow. We'll be picking up a Social Worker when we're on our way in at 9am who will observe us interacting with K. We pray K will be her playful self and won't challenge us too much. She was quite lovable today giving kisses, calling out Papa, and running into Mama's arms continuously. We even had to reprimand her a few times but everything went great. Oh, please -- let it be a mirror image for tomorrow so the Social Worker has good things to say in Court!!!

The Amazing Race...Ekat Pitstop

OK -- you can now tell 2 of our favorite shows....The Amazing Race and Survivor. I'm sure if Bob and Jillian were here in Ekat, I'd also have a Biggest Loser blog entry! Unfortunately, our one channel in English doesn't show any of these shows and I'm unable to view them on the internet. Thank goodness for fellow reality show buffs who are keeping me up to date (thanks mom and Andrea!!).

Being that it's Sunday, we figured we'd venture out to find St. Ann's ~ the only Catholic Church in Ekaterinburg. Our young, non-believing driver yesterday gave us some hand-sketched directions so we could walk there. Let's just say -- he should stick to driving only. JD and I started walking the streets where the street signs are in cyrillic (Russian lettering) and our hand-made map was written in English lettering. The street we were directed to go down was closed due to bridge construction so we ended up taking yards, alleys, side streets, etc. hoping that we were heading to our final destination - St. Ann's.

JD trying to understand our "clue" -- the map drawn by our driver, Andre.

I thank JD for his patience with me ~ I don't think I'd do well on the Amazing Race. I knew I was going in the right direction so I didn't listen to him. We ended up taking the longer route and ended up passing the Court House where we will be on Wednesday!

Took a detour and ended up at the Court House ~ where our illustrious Judge S resides...

An hour later, without flags indicating we were on the right path, nor Phil standing there with a Russian priest to greet us, we finally ended up at St. Ann's...low-key and plain. Very unlike the Russian Orthodox Churches found throughout the city. We went inside and were greeted by some young folks who sheepishly grinned when I asked if they spoke English. Using sign language, they directed us to an area where we were to take our coats off and to proceed upstairs where the church was. One young man hunted down a girl who spoke beautiful English and she was so welcoming. It was 1:15pm and mass was going to start at 2pm. We could only stay 15 minutes but told her we would like to return next week.

Yeah ~ we made it to St. Ann's Catholic Church! Very non-descript except for the Cross.

After saying a few prayers, we listened as a group of "kids" (probably all in their 20's) rehearsed before mass. The music was very upbeat and although we couldn't understand it, it was very enjoyable. When leaving, we saw the same girl who spoke English and she informed us that the church is shared: Pentacostal services in the am and one Catholic mass at 2pm Sundays.

It only took 35 minutes to walk back to the apartment giving us 30 minutes to get ready for another visit with K. By far, this was the most beautiful day in Ekat - weatherwise. Brisk and cool but the sun was out and no sign of snow on the horizon! That's a first on this trip!

Maybe not so much an Angel?

It was a quiet Saturday at the Orphanage. We were the only couple there. As it turns out, we're there so often that as soon as they see us now, they don't even ask for which child anymore. We simply hear "K" and know they're on their way to get her.

We decided that JD was going to be the one to greet her today and I would be off to the side so she would see him first. Mission accomplished --- she went up to him without a whimper or boo-boo lip as he lifted her up and gave her a hello hug. As soon as she saw me, she stretched out her arms so I gave her kisses and immediately we started to play as a family.

The entertainment today consisted of hoola-hoops, rubber balls thrown and retrieved, and plastic dowels that she waved like a light saber as she verbally made "wooshing" sounds. (Hmmm, Papa is pleased to know we may have a Star Wars fan in the making!!) From the get-go, we had lots and lots of giggles and laughter. In fact, the entire 2 hours were completely filled with laughter!

But, we saw a side to our Angel that we hadn't seen before. Yes -- the 2-year old has emerged and she had us running from one end of the room to the other to prevent her from putting her hand through the mirrored doors on the cabinets or flipping herself and the chair backwards to the floor. She even started throwing things (books, pens, etc.) and finding it extremely amusing. I would swear that the caregivers had injected her with a good amount of sugar prior to our visit just to see how we'd handle her!

We have alot to learn but we couldn't let a thrown object just lie there. I made her pick it up (even if it meant I had to guide her hand to do so almost every time!) and then hugged her with appreciation for doing so. Spasiba (thank you's) and moladietz (atta girl's) really do come in handy and are given generously.

And how did our playtime end? K started to bawl when the caregiver came in. Yep -- our little Angel who gave us a workout didn't want to leave us. Truly, our mission today was accomplished!!

"These boots were made for walkin'......gonna walk all over you."

Friday: First Kisses

It was 7 months ago today that we met K for the first time. When I think back to that day, wow -- what a difference 7 months make. I remember JD and I meeting K under (what we felt was) the watchful eye of our agency translator, the Orphanage Doctor, and Dr. Victoria Khouloudis -- the pediatrician from Moscow who we flew in to examine K.

Having never been a parent or even worked with children, I wasn't sure what to expect from a 20-month old. So we just played. We let K guide the playtime and all went well.

Today, she continues to lead the playtime but we have learned her likes (scribbling with pens, anything that makes noise), dislikes (balloons being blown up!) and how to re-direct her when she tries to do things she shouldn't (i.e. try to empty my purse).

She doesn't appear to be hypersensitive as she'll touch JD's newly grown-in gotee. Towards the end of our time together, I was able to massage her back and arms only to have her massage my arms right back. [ sigh, :) ]

But today was an extra special day --- definitely worth waiting 7 months for. Everyone remembers their "first kiss" and that is what we got today. K not only received kisses, but leaned in to give kisses. I was falling in love over and over again with this little girl. As I held her, she looked at my lips and kissed them not once, not twice, but atleast 6 times in a row. To her, I'm sure it didn't mean much but to me, it was the world.

This was day #9 in a row that we saw K and we will see her again both Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the Social Worker from Social Services will be going with us to the Orphanage to watch JD and I interact with K so she can report in court to the judge. Ahhh!! Now I'm starting to feel the pressure....but as long as the days go 1/2 as well as today, we'll be in great shape.

K's caregiver leading K and her friend back to Grupa 4 at the end of our playtime.

Thursday: A quick visit...

Andre was our driver today and he's a fast driver. Fast, but safe. When Andre drives, this usually means more playtime! As we got closer to the orphanage, the snow began to get heavier. We figured it wouldn't be an outside day.

While waiting in the entry area downstairs, Andre came back from the Director's Office and said "I have bad news. We can't see K yet. The auditors are here so they want us to leave and come back in 1/2 hour." Whew - when he said "bad news," I thought he was going to say we couldn't see her at all. After discussing cars, politics and vodka in his car for 50 minutes, we were allowed in but had to play in a tiny little room downstairs so as not to cross the paths with the auditors. No toys in this room....just a couch, us and our own "bag of goodies."

It was a good visit but one of those days when she took to me but didn't want to sit with JD. When engaging in scribbling, organizing cards into a baggie or pushing noise buttons on her book, K just wanted to sit on my lap. If I placed her on JD's lap, she'd crawl back into my lap. It was hard for me to see because I so want her to take to JD with arms stretched out like she does for me. I know it will take time and this is common. But still...it's hard.

Having said this, JD is able to get the biggest smiles out of K. It's usually when he's flying her like an airplane or holding her as she was jumping up and down on the couch. I'm sure the auditors would have really enjoyed seeing that!

Overall, a very good visit. Only 45 minutes long but quality over quantity is what we're looking for. Right???

Sweet little K teaching us some Russian. Da-doo is her favorite word. ???????

Internet Challenged!

Shortly after checking some e-mails yesterday (Thursday), ~~~ poof!! No more internet. Ugh. This is a horror to those of us in a foreign land with our only link to family/friends/blogger pals being the internet!

Here in the apartment, we are paying $10 per day for internet access. In hotels, they can charge something like $26 per 24-h0ur period or even more if in Moscow, for instance. For that amount of moola --- we expect to be able to update our blog!! Come on, priorities in life. :)

But alas -- today, our internet access guru -- a stunning girl with red hair, short dress, fishnet stockings and high-heeled boots came to our rescue. Apologies to those who are avid readers wondering "hey -- why no update?" I know I worried my mom to no end... From now on, please know that if we don't return an e-mail, call via Skype or MagicJack or at the very least post an entry to the blog....then you know we're looking for our pretty internet guru to get us back online!

JD checking on the stock market as soon as we got back online!

She's definitely all girl!

It was another cold, snowy day in Ekat so playing indoors at the orphanage was on the agenda. When they brought K in, she was wearing the same pretty black/white/red floral dress that she wore the first 3 days of our visits. Guess it came up in the rotation again! But today, her hair was adorned with a typical Russian hairclip...not a huge bow that is common to see but a big round thingy made of toulling (you know, that lining found under prom dresses to make it poofy!). It didn't take long before she saw that I was wearing a headband and she much preferred to wear that over the poofy clip. She pulled my head band off delicately and put it on herself -- ah, much better!

Also, she's very much into jewelry. She saw the bracelet I had on (thank you, Jimmy and Andrew) and she just had to have it. That, and my watch! We kept a close eye on her to make sure they didn't go back with her to Grupa 4 -- nice gifts for the caregivers, eh?

Another good day with K that left JD and I content when she was taken away. She really wants to get out of this place as you can see from the picture below...and we can't wait to take her away!

Countdown: 6 more days of waiting and then COURT!!

"Let me go home with my Mama & Papa, pazhalsta!"

First Hearty Giggles

There is nothing quite like the laughter of a child...something we never heard before from our little angel. We've been able to get a quick giggle, a smile, or "that look" -- but not a true belly laugh. Until today.

Papa was rocking her back and forth in a red laundry tub and then he found her spot --- both sides of her abdomen. She buried her head in her lap and LAUGHED continuously. I was blessed to get it on video and I'm not sure which is funnier: her laugh or JD's laugh in amusement!

After than, she bawled her eyes out when the caregiver came to get her: truly some wonderful family time.

Here's a picture of K wearing her new packback that we put her books and coloring pens in. We want her to become familiar with it for the plane ride.

Thank you, Uncle Sauchuen, for my Kangaroo backpack!!

Little girl likes big girl toys!

We were expecting the "honeymoon" phase to have lulls, but just not so quick. When K was brought into us today, she looked absolutely adorable --- in a summer-like dress with her hair up like Pebbles from the Flintstones. She came to me with arms stretched out but just didn't feel like playing.

She'd take a toy out of our bag, play with it for 30 seconds and neatly put it in a baggie and put it back in the giftbag. One of the only "toys" that she found very intriguing was JD's cellphone. JD set the music on but unfortunately, he had only downloaded some rock music from "Muse" --- not for a little girl to dance to. But she did anyways and held onto the cell phone with a death-grip.

Her dainty little fingers were able to figure out how to unlock the phone and download some text messages. D'oh!!! Not here in Russia --- cha-ching!!!! When JD would take the phone from her, she would sit there with her bottom lip sucked in, eyes filling up with tears, face turning red, but not a sound. We know she can wail -- we've heard it when she's been taken away from us in the past, but for now...a silent cry.

We took very few pictures today and focused on just being with her. In fact, I tried to keep her with JD as much as possible so she can really warm up to him. We still have over 3 1/2 weeks so there's still time.

It was a fast 1 1/2 hours and then the caregiver came in at 6pm to take her for dinner. She let out a cry with tears streaming. No blowing of kisses today but she couldn't take her eyes off of us as she was taken away.

We capped off our day with a trip to McDonald's. Oh, no --- you can't order by numbers here!! The cashier said she spoke English but to no avail, our order was not correct. JD missed out on fries but did get a bonus hamburger! It was a little touch of home which was nice --- but this is our home for now and we are content! :)

K dancing with Papa's cell phone. Little girl needs an IPod, stat!!!

Survivor ~ Ekat Island

It's definitely humbling to be in a land where you cannot read anything, don't understand a word that is spoken, and you're missing the comforts of home that we so take for granted.

I equated our first 36 hours as "Survivor ~ Ekat Island" because we truly felt lost and stranded our first day here. We arrived around 5:10am and were brought to the apartment around 6:30. Our translator, Lydia, introduced us to Olga, our apartment manager, and made arrangements for breakfast to be delivered at 9am each morning. OK -- we were set with some food -- that's cool. Lydia said she'd stop by later on to make arrangements for the next day, Thursday, to see K. In the meantime, someone would be by to hook up the internet.

Five hours passed and no one showed up. Directions on using the phone were near the phone...in Russian. Directions were over the stovetop...in Russian. We kept checking the internet and no connection. We checked and in the cupboard we had 2 small plates, 2 small teacups, 2 forks, 2 spoons, and one small pot that was chipping away on the bottom due to being left on the stove way too long. We had no water except for a full teapot from breakfast so we rationed it. (You don't dare drink the water in Ekat...no one does. The water system here is so old that the City puts a ton of chlorine in the water so no one trusts it.)

Thank goodness we brought some nuts and trailmix from home - that was lunch. After noon -- we both collapsed from exhaustion and were awakened at 8pm by another apt. manager, Luba. All I could understand from her was "VISA, %^^&*#, #%^&*, VISA". OK, I guessed it...she needs to register us here in Russia and needs our VISAs: check! She handed us a note from our translator who apparently stopped by earlier but didn't want to wake us. D'oh!!! But we needed contact with the outside world!! We haven't been able to reach our family to tell them we're alive! We later broke down and called my parents with JD's cell phone. Ugh -- that will cost a bundle ~ but we'll just lump it into the rest of the adoption expenses. And toilet paper? The partial roll on the holder was it...so rationing of squares was a must. I did, however, break out my Russian Dictionary and can now say "toilet paper" quite proficiently!

The next day, Olga (apt. mgr) made our day -- you'd think she was Jeff Probst awarding us with a luxury challenge prize! We got a skillet, new pot, more towels, and more toilet paper. We learned how to exit the building and more importantly, how to re-enter (secret code to be buzzed in). We were directed to a grocery store and with Russian Dictionary in hand we made our first purchases.

NOTE to future Ekat shoppers: Do not assume that milk in a carton is milk --- it may be Keefer, definitely not what you want in your coffee. And take bags to bag your groceries with you! After we made our purchase, I took a plastic bag on the grocery check out stand and immediately had it taken out of my hands by Security "Nyet -- 3 Rubles". Yep -- almost got arrested for shoplifting a plastic grocery bag.

But to be serious, our stay here has been wonderful. We really tossed between staying in a hotel or apartment but the length of stay really dictated an apartment - 1/2 the price of the hotel. It's very clean, separate bedroom, kitchen and sitting area, as well as a little living room. There is no washer/drier in this unit so I was hand washing everything in the sink earlier. I don't think most of the locals have driers...I see all their clothing hanging out on the porch. So our clothes are now out there, too. Luba and Olga are here everyday and they sweep the apt., take the garbage away, and "Febreeze" us.

And the bonus? No matter what challenges we're up against during our long 5-week stay, we are the winners overall. A blonde little girl with bluish/gray eyes needs us....and we need her. She's our prize to treasure for a lifetime.

Христос воскрес! Happy Easter!

This morning, one of our apartment managers brought in our breakfast which usually consists of eggs, cheese, toast, bread, kasha (oatmeal), yougart, OJ, coffee and tea. Sometimes we have "bangers" as well to add more protein to the mix. She (Luba) doesn't speak a word of English and my "good morning, how are you?" in Russian only goes so far. She speaks to me as if I really understand everything she's saying and today it was about the eggs. I noticed how beautifully they were decorated (almost too pretty to eat -- but we were hungry!). We just didn't understand why (left over from last week?). Later, when our driver came to take us to the see K, we learned it was Easter! Apparently, Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter according to a different calendar than Western Christians. Somewhere in my 12 years of Catholic education and a college course on Religious studies...I missed that discussion.

Holiday or no holiday --- we still got to see K. And the weather was beautiful in the 50's (farenheight). For the first time, I got to dress K up in clothes -- albeit it was a ski jacket, knit pants, boots, scarf and hat --- but hey --- I'll take anything. Definitely almost bundled up like the kid in "Christmas Story"... although K could atleast move her arms.

We had fun on the see-saw, slide, blowing bubbles, scribbling on paper, and playing with a ball. She's definitly like the energizer bunny and keeps going and going. No wonder JD falls asleep by 8:30pm latest each night ~ and that's only playing with her 1.5-2 hours per day. A truly wonderful visit. We're just sad when it's time to "give her away."

A sight we never get used to....as K is taken away to her Grupa.

Since we went to visit K in the morning from 10-11:30am vs. our usual 4:30-6:00pm, we had the afternoon to ourselves. We walked the city and grabbed dinner at "Gordon's Doctor Scotch Pub". A few glasses of beer and 2 tasty Scottish dishes and we were HAPPY. Dad: I think you would have loved this pub...we'll definitely be back! I look forward to venturing into a Russian restaurant soon but it is so hard when we don't speak the language that the servers speak, nor do we understand the menu.

In front of Doctor Scotch Pub...good beer and good food!

K: You bring us so much joy that words cannot even describe. When we knew we couldn't be with you for your birthday in January, we hoped for Easter on April 12. Last week, we were bummed that we just missed that day as well. But little did we know that we really would get to spend Easter with you!!! xoxoxo, Mama and Papa

Third Day's the Charm!

Today was our 3rd day visiting K and it left me in tears after she was taken away for dinner. It was such a wonderful visit that I fail to describe it justly in words (me? at a loss of words?).

Shortly after K was brought in, one of her friends in Grupa, S, was brought in, too. We had asked to see S as we have become friends with her parents-to-be in the States. Trish and Tony did us the wonderful favor of taking pics of K last November when they were meeting S for the first time.

The girls sat with each other for a few minutes and we have priceless pictures that we will be able to share with the girls when they are older. I was so excited later in the day when I finally got the chance to share the pics of S with Trish and Tony. I remember clearly how excited we were 6 months ago and knew it would mean so much to them.

The visit was K was exhausting (we ran around lots, went up and down the slide many times, pulled her around in a "train" [laundry basket], etc.). Towards the end, K just melted into my body as Papa read a book to her. It was such a wonderful moment that I have it engrained in my memory. We didn't get to go outside but that's the plan for our next visit as the weather is supposed to be good.

Sidenote
I've received e-mails with numerous questions about the apartment, orphanage, etc. Feel free to ask away and on a down-day this week (a day we don't go see K), I'll try to address all FAQs.

K on the left (yes...wearing the same dress!) and her friend, S, on the right. Wait 'til they see these pictures when they are older!

Change is the only constant...

View from our apartment this morning! BBBrrrrrrr!

It's 10:30pm and I'm exhausted...from playing! I know, I know --- all you parents out there are thinking "You don't know what you are in for!" I agree.

Unlike the "warm" weather from yesterday, today started out with a blanket of snow. BBBbbbrrrrr. Snow in Ekat means pretty snow on trees and lawns but dirty slush everywhere else. We got a call from our Translator, Lydia, around 3pm (our pick-up time to go to the orphanage) and she informed us that our Russian Coordinator, Olga, would be coming to meet with us prior to leaving. We learned more about K's birth mother and her family and the health in the family. All is good for K and us ~ just a sad situation in which K's mother could not take care of her.

Olga also informed us that the judge has moved our court date from 4/22 to 4/29. (!!!!) There is no way that I can be upset about it because nothing changes with the fact that we continue to see K as much as we want. Because of all the May holidays (May Day on May 1 and Victory Day May 9th), our 10 days will still be counted within the same timeframe and we will depart to Moscow May 13th as originally scheduled. The only crux of the date changing is that we paid for airline tickets with one week notice (cha-ching!) and we're paying for an apartment when we could have waited another week to come to Russia. But how can I even think twice about it? What's done is done and had we waited, I wouldn't have gotten to hold K yesterday and today, hear her call me Mama, and listen to that cute giggle of hers. Definitely priceless moments.

When we arrived at the orphanage today, fellow bloggers Adriana and Sergio (from Spain) were there playing with their little boy, Pablo. Truly a blessed day as they survived Court today and are officially Pablo's parents!! CONGRATS!!! It was fun to play with K and see her interact with a fellow groupie (both are in Grupa 4 --- which means K recently changed Grupas AGAIN).

It was heartwarming to hear K call us Mama and Papa, even though I think she called a piece of paper Mama, too. She's quite the babbler and we look forward to her opening up even more as the days pass by.

As for the weekend, we've been given the OK to come in both Saturday and Sunday and we feel it's important to keep the momentum going -- so we'll be there both days. In the meantime, I think we'll have to make a trip to a local toy store...we have so many days to see K that I'm afraid our toys will run their course!

Still trying to catch up on lost sleep ~ off to get some rest so we can keep up with "our" 2 year old tomorrow! :)

Finally holding our Angel, again!

We woke up at 5:30 am Thursday after pretty much sleeping away Wednesday, our first day in Ekat. It was great -- sitting on a tiny couch comfortably made for one but we squeezed together and talked about the day that was about start. We saw the sun rise and before we knew it, it was 9:00am and breakfast time (delivered by our apt. manager each morning at 9am ---more to come on the apt. in a later post).

We're staying in an apartment in the heart of Ekat and we're on the 16th floor. From our balcony, we can see for miles and miles with church steeples and gold domes scattered throughout. The weather is BEAUTIFUL --- probably around 50 degrees F. My ski jacket is more than enough but Jon is doing fine with a sweatshirt.

Around 3:45pm, we were picked up by our translator, Lydia. It took 25 min. just to get out of the City (ugh -- Ekat traffic is still horrendous) and then about 40 minutes more to Orphanage #6 in the country. When walking through the yard, kids were playing in the "huts" for lack of a better word. We could hear them calling out "mama" and "papa" repeatedly but could hardly see their little faces peering over the hut fences. We were brought up to the 2nd floor playroom which we know very well and awaited K to be brought to us.

It was a looong few minutes but then we heard a little girl's voice say "mama" and the door opened. She was carried in by her caregiver and set down to walk towards us. She opened her arms for me so I could hold her. It was a wonderful moment but I could tell she was unsure as she watched her caregiver leave and close the door. Her tiny bottom lip started to quiver but within a few seconds, JD and I were able to engage her with some of the toys we had brought back from our last visit. Whew --- Operation Tears Diversion successful!

What we noticed is that she hasn't really changed in the long 7 months since we saw K in September. She's still little and I think the 18 mo. clothing will fit. What is noticeable is that her hair is definitely longer...I could almost braid it in the back -- if I knew how!! (he, he - gotta learn these things FAST!) She was wearing a pretty white dress with lots of red/black tiny flowers, blue socks and matching blue shoes. We only got to play for about an hour but it didn't take 3 days to get grins, smiles and giggles this time! She's saying some words but since they are in Russian, we have to rely on our translator to try and make out what it is she's saying. She's using both hands to stack items, she waves "paka" (good-bye) and even blows kisses (ugh, heart melted when I saw her blow kisses...).

It was comforting to say "Das Zaftra" at the end of our playtime, meaning "see you tomorrow". She didn't cry when having to leave us but we hope that after she gets to know us again, that she'll start crying like last time when they come for her.

So, today we're off to see her again. We were hoping to go play outside since the weather has been so beautiful but go figure....it's now snowing! Fingers crossed that we get to go outside...we've only seen her in the same room for all visits and it would be fun to take her outside to the play area and let her run loose.

Chances are we won't be able to see K this weekend so I'll get the opportunity to elaborate on our adventures here on "Survivor - Ekat Island". It's actually getting easier and my pocket Russian Dictionary is coming in handy (thanks, Dawn!!). But we still feel like fish out of water at times - that's for sure.

We completed a wonderful day by celebrating our 15th Anniversary by going to The Old Dublin Pub for dinner. The food was delicious and the beer a great accompianment. We know these days of quiet evenings out at a nice restaurant are numbered but that's ok...we spent the majority of the evening talking about K and looking at her pictures. She might as well have been there!

Celebrating 15 years of wedded bliss...and now ready to be parents!

Time to get ready for our second visit ~ but in the meantime, I'll share some sneak-peek pictures of our angel. Thank you, EVERYONE, who happen to be following our journey, posting, sending e-mails, or just lurking. We feel the support literally from all over the world and it means the world to us.

K playing with a Winnie the Pooh book. K said "Pooh" but we're not sure if it was in context or just a babble!

привет from Russia! (Hello!)

We are so happy to report that we have made it to Ekaterinburg safe and sound. We just got internet service up about 15 minutes ago after being without it for more than 24 hours. Oh - those were a tough 24 hours!!

We are staying in an apartment on the 16th floor in the middle of Ekat. We are equating this experience so far as "Survivor - The Ekat Island" -- but more of that to come in future posts.

In a few hours, we will be traveling to the countryside to see our little girl and we just can't wait!! We are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary today by seeing K for the first time in almost 7 months. Cameras and toys are ready - and so are we. Right now, we're heading out to a local supermarket to load up on some necessities.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. My sincere apologies for not e-mailing or calling you back -- the days leading up to our departure on Monday are a blur. Both of us worked everyday through Saturday, spent Easter Sunday packing up and Monday freaking out. More on all of this soap opera drama to come.

But we are here and our arms and hearts are ready to welcome this little girl who we will officially call our daughter next week. Dasvidanya for now!

Next time we come home, we'll be parents!

Arriving in Ekat 24 hours after leaving home. Need sleeeeeeep!

Showered at Work

At work (Occupational Therapy in an inpatient rehab unit), I'm used to assisting patients with showers on a daily basis. But today -- I was showered! The staff at work threw a baby shower that was just incredible. There was lots of yummy food, delicious sweets (had to have some...it was a special occasion!) and the gifts --- truly generous. I was touched by all those who attended ~ even those coming in on their day off!

I've been at Cedars for almost 10 years and can honestly say that I love my job. The commute absolutely stinks (2 hours a day) but it's the people at the end of the commute that make it all worth it. Everyone has been so supportive throughout this adoption journey and it has meant the world. (Although I must be driving everyone crazy by now as I've been so scatter-brained this past week!)

I'll post some pictures this weekend but just wanted to take a second to say "Thank You" from the bottom of our hearts. K is loved and wished so much happiness --- and I can't wait for her to know that.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Book 'em, Danno!

OK -- if you don't know the phrase...then I'm showing my age!

Today we officially booked our airline tickets to/from Russia. We'll be flying on Aeroflot which will give me plenty of time to practice my Russian. It was a wild experience to get our e-tickets and see an e-ticket for K Deary...I just cried. I mean -- it's really, really happening after all these years!

One thing that is stressing me out....we're leaving for Russia one day earlier than initially planned -- we're leaving Monday! At this point, I need every hour/minute/second so this was a little kink that we'll just have to work through. Turns out Aeroflot only flies the direct route on Mondays and Wednesdays (plus other days...just not Tuesday - the day we were told by our agency to leave). If we were to leave on Wednesday, we'd arrive early Friday morning and go directly to the orphanage. But turns out the judge won't allow that since we won't be in Region the 5 days prior to Court and we'd have to change our court date if we arrive Friday. Won't go there!!!!!!

I also booked our apartment in Moscow where we will be for the last week of our journey. Our agency rep in Ekaterinburg will handle making the hotel and apartment arrangements in Ekat...so thank goodness that's one less thing I have to do.

I'm about to collapse from exhaustion but the silver lining is that I'm sleeping solid (albeit 3-5 hours!) and having sweet dreams of K. So off I go!

Moving Forward

Our heads are spinning. I'm making lists but can't seem to check things off fast enough. I spent all day trying to make flight arrangements and hope to have that finalized tomorrow. The top contender right now is Aeroflot Russian Airlines as they have a direct flight Moscow to Los Angeles for the way home.... We won't have the luxury of our own personal TV set but coming home, we'd prefer a direct flight of 13 hours without adding 4-6 more hours with a toddler by having a layover in New York or Chicago. (Nothing against you New Yorkers or Chicagoans....!) An added benefit: Flight attendants who speak our child's language!!

One big task completed today: getting the car seat that we got from Aunt Sadie and Bob into Jon's truck. Geez --- took two college graduates over an hour to figure it out! No wonder Babies 'R Us offers free "Child Restraint" classes.

Georgie the Bear is keeping K's carseat warm until she gets home.

This reminds me...I better get Georgie out of Jon's truck before he goes to work and the guys at work see who's in the back seat!

Tomorrow's task at hand is to also finalize the hotel and apartments we'll be staying in when in Ekaterinburg and Moscow. Of course we will be in Moscow the one week the Eurovision Song Contest is being held. Have no idea what it is but Cha-ching!!! All the hotel and apartment costs skyrocket for that one week. Go figure!

K: Here we come for you!!!

While at work --- right before noon --- I did my usual e-mail check. Sitting next to me were two co-workers and friends, Dawn and Karina. With my gasp "OMG --we have a Court Date", all 3 of us just started screaming!! (Thank goodness the door to the "dictation room" was closed as screaming in a hospital is usually not a good thing...)

I couldn't even read the e-mail filled with lots of dates and information ~ my head was just spinning! It was a moment I won't soon forget because all my co-workers/friends were thrilled as well. Boy --- word spread fast, too! I called JD and he had already heard the news directly from our US agency coordinator. He's a pretty proud papa-to-be! :)

The scoop, as it is right now:

Tuesday, April 14: Depart Los Angeles

Thursday, April 16: Arrive Ekaterinburg, Russia (our 15th Wedding Anniversary!!)

Friday, April 17 - Tuesday, April 21: Visit K at the orphanange

Wednesday, April 22: Court Day!!!!

April 23 - May 4 (approx.): "10-day" waiting period

Week of May 4: Welcome K into our arms forever and hang out in Ekat to get p/w done

May 13: Travel to Moscow for medical exam/K's VISA/etc. (not sure why so long in Ekat yet...)

May 16: Travel home!!!

I just spent several hours filling out numerous VISA forms, getting passport-type pictures, money orders, etc. just so we can get our VISA info out in the FedEx tomorrow. They need a week and if they receive it Monday -- we may get it the day before or the day we are leaving! Geez -- cutting it close!

Anyways -- I've been wanting to e-mail everyone individually about our good news but time just doesn't permit it. I now have to figure out scanning on our printer, get the initial info off to the VISA office in NY via e-mail, and then be up for work by 5am. Another evening with about 3-4 hours of sleep! But I don't know if I could sleep anyways--- I'm so excited.

Good Night, our sweet, K --- we'll be there with you soon! xoxoxox

Geeky pic...but this is me the moment after reading the e-mail (in the background) about our court date. Yes, I was carrying around my iPhone waiting for the infamous call! NOTE: Photo is HIPAA Compliant!!

Happy Dance!

Finally! DHL notified me this morning that at 5:41pm Thursday (Russia time), our package was picked up!!!!

Our family is notorious for doing the "happy dance" (and have even suffered through some sprained/broken ankles doing it...) ---- today, I am doing the happy dance and I don't care if anyone is watching!! :)

Court Date?

So JD comes home from work and gets on the computer. I was watching TV and he says "Hey, there's an e-mail from Michelle [our US agency coordinator] entitled 'Court Date'." I literally jumped up then realized --- it's LATE....Michelle has been gone from the office for hours. Hey - that's not a funny April Fools Day joke!!!

{sigh}

The truth of the matter is...there is no news. I received the DHL tracking number and have been checking the status of our p/w regularly -- sometimes hourly. Like I mentioned in my last post, delivery was attempted Tuesday but our Russian Coordinator was not available. Wednesday: "Awaiting pick-up as requested by recipient." The package sat at the DHL facility all day Wednesday.

It's after 10:30am Thursday in Ekat and our p/w sits there still. I have faith that our Russian Coordinator will pick it up today, review it and bring it to the judge Friday. If not, it will be a loooong weekend.

Note to other PAPs (prospective adoptive parents): Don't ask for the tracking number unless you don't mind driving yourself CRAZY!!!!!! :)

This is me....if only I was blonde!