Better Late than Never

I've been asked (or should I say "told") by numerous people that I need to wrap up our blog with an update. It's been a little crazy since we got home with Alina. Not only have we spent much of our time taking care of the baby, I have been working on the annual budget at work, so it's been chaotic to say the least. My apologies to those of you who have been waiting on pins and needles for a wrap up, but I figured you saw our baby in person, so that was enough of a wrap up for you!

Anyway, for those of you that do not know, we flew back to Russia on Sep 5, and we were there for about 2 weeks. We were in Moscow until Monday afternoon, and that evening we took the overnight train to Cheboksary with our coordinators. On Tuesday, we picked up the court documents and the Alina's new birth certificate that showed her name name, and listed us as her parents. We also applied for her Russian passport, which we received on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, we picked up her passport, then took a taxi to Alatyr (2 and 1/2 hour drive) to pick up Alina. We had a brief celebration with the doctor at the Baby House, and then we had to jump back in the car to drive to the train station (1 and 1/2 hour drive). We hopped on the overnight train back to Moscow, and on Thursday, had to take Alina to get a physical by a pediatrician (which is required to get an American Visa).

The next few days were pretty laid back. We hung out with Alina over the weekend, went shopping, and did a little sightseeing around Moscow (nothing too famous, just a few cool churches). Our coordinator filed our paperwork for us at the US Embassy on Friday, and we had an interview at the Embassy on Monday to get Alina's visa. On Tuesday & Wednesday, our coordinator filed more paperwork for us to register Alina with the Russian Embassy. Then on Friday, we flew home.

Once we landed in Chicago, we had to go through customs, and then go to Immigration. After waiting about an hour, they processed our paperwork, and Alina officially became a US citizen. We then caught the final flight in to Dallas to get home. Once we got to the airport, some of our family met us there holding a big sign to welcome Alina home. It was a great treat to see them all after being gone so long, and also to introduce them to their newest family member.

So that is the quick version of the last trip we made. I'll have to remember to come back and provide some more details because the last leg of our journey was truly wonderful.