Ten

Ten. The start of the double-digit years. A will turn ten this year and I am not sure I am ready to face all that it brings. Seems that not too long ago, she was just starting Kindergarten. Today, she has reached another milestone.

She is starting to look and act more like a little lady than my little girl. She now reaches my chin and In a few years, I am sure she will be taller than me.  She has begun to take an interest in clothes – not much, but enough that I have noticed. I fear that it won’t be much longer before she takes an interest in boys but I am hoping I have several years until that happens,

Ten. It has been ten years since a birth mom in Russia, who we have never met, gave birth to this silly, sweet, beautiful child I get to call mine. She never ceases to amaze me with her love and her joy for life.

Ten. Change is here and it has been creeping around even though I have refused to give it my full attention. Little changes over time have added up to this wonderful, giggling person who is developing her own opinions and ideas. I would love to keep her as my little girl but I know I can’t. For now, she still needs me in some ways and I am hoping that never changes.

As she welcomes turning ten, I know that one day I must be the one to loosen my grip on her and let her fly. All I can do is tell her that her dad and I love her and that we are so, so proud of the young lady she is becoming.  

Ten. Happy birthday my beautiful A.

Bittersweet Love

Mother’s Day is around the corner.  A day to themselves, to do whatever they want, when they want, with no one calling their name or asking them a question. It’s what every mom dreams of right?

Being a mommy is hard and it is even harder when you have had to work really hard to become one. I know how hard it is to become a mom – waiting for pregnancy tests to show yes, waiting for the doctor to tell you that you can’t have kids the old fashioned way, waiting for the adoption call that says you have been matched and waiting for the day that you finally get to meet your precious child.

I spent a lot of time waiting to become a mom (and a lot of paperwork!) and I am glad I did. When I finally became a mom, I was scared and nervous, afraid that I would break her somehow or I wouldn’t know what to do with her.

I never thought I would become a mom and now I can’t imagine my life without A. I guess it’s true that a mom’s love knows no boundaries – I become a fierce momma bear and go into protective mode when there is the least little threat to A and her happiness. That doesn’t mean I am a pushover, it just means I have learned pick my battles with my head strong, stubborn girl!

Through all the laughter, the tears, too many diapers to count, the 5-year-old drama, the thousands of puzzles we put together and countless other memories I am sure I will forget, my thoughts have been turning to the young woman who gave birth to A.

I can’t imagine what she was thinking as she made the adoption choice, nor can I imagine how she felt when she placed A in that orphanage in Russia. All I do know is that her decision has allowed me to become A’s mom.

I am so very glad she made that selfless choice and I feel a little guilty about that. I have been thinking a lot about A’s birth mom these last couple of days. What is she doing in Russia and does she think about A? I want to tell her thank you and tell her that the precious gift she gave us is turning into a smart, caring, funny and adorable little girl.

Motherhood is the hardest thing I have ever done. It is also the most rewarding, the most joyous and the most tear-filled adventure I have ever been on and I don’t want the ride to stop.

We flew into Moscow on Mother’s Day in 2008. As we drove from the airport to our gracious host family’s house, I could not stop thinking about the young woman who gave birth to A and how her journey led her to make the decision that forever changed my family. As I held A in my arms that first time, I said a silent prayer for her and asked God to comfort her.  

Our family would not look the same if it had not been for A’s Russian mom and for that I am eternally grateful. I will always be A’s mom and someday I will share with her the beautiful love her birth mom had for her.

Mother’s Day will always be a little bittersweet for me as I celebrate with my daughter and my husband and as I remember the decision of a 20-year-old woman whose unselfish act gave me my heart’s desire.

To A’s birth mom - Happy Mother’s Day to you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for the perfect Mother’s Day gift. 

What Happens Now?

I read with great sadness that our adoption agency has decided to shut down its Russian adoption program. They haven’t made a big deal about it but a quick search of their website reveals no traces of Russia at all. This makes me sad and just a little angry as well.

Russia has increasingly been making adoptions more and more difficult for the last couple of years. In December, it culminated with Putin signing into law that no more adoptions by the United States would take place. This has left many families in limbo, not knowing whether or not they will be allowed to bring their little one home.

The adoption process is long and difficult and is not for the faint of heart. There are mountains of paperwork to complete, sometimes two and three times before it is accepted. In the case of international adoption, there are two or three trips to make to a foreign country where you meet a child that you instantly fall in love with.

Every day there is a different headline out of Russia concerning adoption. These days many of those headlines are fixed on the Max Shatto case out of Texas. This precious little boy died back in January and some of the Russian government officials are now calling for all kids that have been adopted to return to Russia.

While this is just a knee-jerk reaction and is designed to get emotions going, I have been thinking what if Russia puts in place more stringent requirements for those of us who have long ago completed our adoptions. Every time I read something, I think about what is going to happen now to the thousands of children living in orphanages and those that might live there someday.

Now more than ever these kids from Russia need our help. Children are children, no matter where they are born or what country they live in. Many adoption agencies are deciding to shut down their Russian programs and this also makes me sad. Who is going to adopt these beautiful Russian children now? Russians are not known for adopting, and unless things change to make it easier to adopt, Russians will not be lining up to adopt these kids. 

These kids have done nothing wrong but are being punished as Russia and the United States engage in an emotional tug o’ war. Adoption agencies were the first to work with the children of Russia by providing humanitarian aid to orphanages. With so many agencies shutting down their Russian programs, what is going to happen to these kids?  Without the help they so desperately need, many will age out and go on to a life of crime, homelessness, prostitution, sex slavery, etc.

My heart is filled with sorrow for Max Shatto’s family and for all the families who have been told they will not be allowed to bring home their child.

My heart is also filled with sorrow not only for the children of Russia but also for those who worked tirelessly in Russia, who worked with the Russian government on our behalf and who became our tour guide, friend and most importantly family. My heart will always have a special place for Tatyana, Pasha, Sasha, Lev and Ludmila.

Thank you doesn’t seem like enough but it is all I can say at this time.  

Благодарю Вас от всего сердца

Kindergarten Blues

Today Alina started Kindergarten. I am excited for her and a little nervous if truth be told! We have been anticipating this day all summer.

This summer has been busy for our family. We have taken vacations, gone on a mission trip with our church and had a million (or at least it seems that way!) play dates with all of our friends. We have been busy.

I was one of those kids who loved going to school and I hope that Alina will love it also. I couldn’t wait for the fall – it meant new clothes, new school supplies, Friday night football games and friends.

Alina has started her journey and it’s time for my husband and I to begin letting her go. It’s hard to do but I know she will do great. My hope is that she will make new friends, laugh a lot, have fun and remember that we love her.

Today was a bittersweet day for us all but I wouldn’t change anything about it. There were tears, hugs and smiles as well as a couple of chocolate donuts with sprinkles for breakfast this morning!!

I also realized today that things will change for me – I will finally have time to do all the things I said I would do but never got around to them. I can cook from scratch more, read more, exercise and of course volunteer more!

I know that God is watching over her as he has done since the day she was born. Knowing that, it makes today a little easier to bear. This is just the beginning of her journey and we will be there cheering her on.

Russia's Decision to Suspend Adoptions

As I am sure many of you have heard, Russia has been mulling over how to react to an adoptive mother sending her child back to Russia simply with a "return to sender" note attached. Russia is now suspending all adoptions to the US until the two countries sign an agreement on the handling of adoptions.

Here is the story on AOL: http://tinyurl.com/yynawdv.

I fully understand why they are angry about this incident. Believe me, we are, too. I also understand that they are not going to just sit on the sidelines and not try to take steps to address this incident, and the future of all Russian children waiting to be adopted. Why the US hasn't already charged this woman with reckless endangerment of a child or something more serious, I haven't got a clue. But even knowing all of this, their decision is a rash overreaction.

While even one incident harming a child is too many, and regardless of how the media sensationalizes it, this is an isolated incident that is NOT the norm. They are punishing hundreds of parents & children, if not more, who are in the middle of getting their children home. Brandon and I met Alina on May 14, 2008 and we were able to see her again for a little bit the next day. We came home and didn't get to see her again until August 27th and the visit was less than 90 minutes. That is 14 weeks and likely the worst 98 days of our lives. Each day was more and more agonizing. We then had to wait another 2 weeks to see her again after the adoption was finalized and we were able to take custody of her. Let me put this in perspective for you. If you gave birth to a child in the hospital, got to spend a few hours with them on the 1st & 2nd day of their lives, and then they said "come back in 3 1/2 months and you can see them for a little bit, then 2 weeks after that you can take them home for good". Not fun AT ALL.

Also during this time was the idea that something, ANYTHING, could go wrong and throw all this off-course. You just never know because you are dealing with a very bureaucratic process in another country. It's simply an unconscionable decision to do this. The other thing to remember here is that no one knows when this will change, so the families who have already met their children may not be able to adopt that child any more if this isn't resolved almost immediately. We would have been emotionally devastated if this happened to us, and I simply cannot fathom how badly these families who are waiting for their children are hurting right now.

I cannot imagine our lives without our baby. She is simply a miracle. There is absolutely no other way to put it. Every day she does something new, or does something funny to make us laugh. There is no better feeling in the world to come home and have her run to me yelling "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" I would give up absolutely anything in my life, or my life itself for her. I can't look at her without thanking God for allowing us to be her parents, and if you see her and don't believe there is a God who directed this to happen than you are delusional. And while the process was inordinately expensive and stressful, we would do it all over again in a split second without thinking about it.

Please write your elected officials to let them know that you support adoptive parents rights, that you believe that Tory Hansen should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and that you want them to push that the US acts swiftly with Russia to get an agreement in place.

A Letter of Thanks

I am writing this letter today to say thank you to Russia and to Alina’s birth mom. Without her courage and sacrifice, our family would not be the same.

The news from Tennessee is heartbreaking and is only one side of the story. Parenting is not easy nor should it be taken lightly. To be a parent is to love your child unconditionally. Sometimes that is hard to do, most of the time it is easy.

My heart is filled with sorrow for both Tory Hansen and her son Justin (Artyom)– no one but the two of them will ever know why the adoption was not a good fit nor why it ended the way it did. I am not going to speculate on what caused her to think sending her son back to Russia was the best way to handle the situation. I’ll let the experts decide that.

Cases such as the Hansen’s are the exception, not the norm. Our adoption experience has been wonderful. We have had our ups and downs but I feel those are to be expected from anyone trying to keep up with a 3 year old!

It hasn’t always been easy, however Alina is our forever child and Phil and I can’t imagine a life without her. Alina has adjusted well to living in Texas and has become a sweet, funny, smart and charming three-year old. She became a part of our family from the moment we first saw her in Russia.

We are very lucky to have the opportunity to parent our extraordinary daughter Alina. We had great experiences in Moscow as well as at the Baby House in Alatyr and are grateful for the privilege of raising this beautiful little girl.

My hope is for anyone considering adoption not to rule out Russia. We can’t thank Russia enough for the precious gift they gave us as Alina’s parents. She continues to touch the lives of our families and friends daily.

From Texas with love - thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Gotcha Day

Today is the one-year anniversary of the day the Rice family traveled to Russia and picked Alina up from the baby house. Today is the day she became our daughter forever. Today is also the day that Alina “got” us as parents and we began our life as a family

Many families who have adopted call this day “gotcha” day. Many disagree with that terminology and call it something entirely different. To us, September 10 will always be Alina’s “gotcha” day, a day to celebrate as a family. To us, this day will always be the day we “got” Alina from the baby house and started the journey back home. As Alina gets older, I am sure the name of her special day will change but it will continue to be a day of celebrating our family, no matter what it is called.

Little did we know as we traveled to Alatyr just how much our lives would change. As soon as we arrived at the baby house, we saw Alina and she held out her arms to me almost as if she knew she was coming home with us. We had a brief celebration with the staff at the baby house –they were all happy to see Alina go home with us but also a bit sad that she was leaving them. That day was an emotion-filled day for all of us.

This year, with Phil’s crazy travel schedule, we are not going to celebrate Alina’s gotcha day in a big way. She and I will do something special to mark the day. Perhaps next year, we will have a bigger celebration with family and friends. We brought back several items from Russia for Alina that we plan on giving her throughout the years as a way to introduce her to Russia and its culture.

Our journey to Alina, for that is how I think of it, was full of ups and downs and what ifs. It was also full of hope, joy and love. Love for a little girl in a country that neither of us ever thought we would visit. Every day that we spent in Russia meant that we were one day closer to bringing her home forever.

We enjoyed our time in Russia and are looking forward to visiting again. Gladney is arranging a heritage trip next year which would allow us to visit Alina’s baby house again. Even though she won’t fully comprehend the trip to Russia, we can’t wait to take her!

Phil and I have spent the last year thanking God for bringing us Alina. I hope when Alina is older, she will also thank God for bringing us to her. Gotcha day indeed!

Almost a Year

The saying goes “time flies when you are having fun”. Well, let me tell you the time has certainly flown since we brought Alina home from Russia last year!

This year has been anything but ordinary. Alina started a Mother’s Day Out program in January and has done exceptionally well. She has grown so much and gotten so tall – she doesn’t look anything like the baby we brought home in September. Our Russian tsarina has changed so much in a year.

We have celebrated Alina’s first birthday here in Texas, taken her to the circus, on a business trip to Seattle with Phil, had countless play dates with her friends and have enjoyed every crazy minute of it.

I have been thinking a lot about our adoption journey and how when we started, Phil and I didn’t really know what to expect. All we knew for sure was that at some point down the road, we would be the proud parents of a child. Little did we know that we would end up with the sweetest baby tsarina from Russia!!

I think that we were lucky to have adopted Alina when we did, even though we missed some of those firsts. Sleepless nights, bottle feedings, first steps, first teeth, etc. – sure I miss not having those experiences. We have had our own firsts since we brought Alina home –her first words, the first time she said momma, etc. We also had many experiences that not many other families will have.

Alina has learned English quickly and is beginning to talk more and more each day. Every day I am amazed at what she does or what she says – never a dull moment with her! We always seem to get someone who asks us if she speaks Russian and we laugh and say not yet! Perhaps one day she will want to learn Russian and visit where she was born. I hope she does.

Alina loves to look at books and play with puzzles. She has also developed a love for shoes (not quite sure where she got that from, although for those who know me it is only natural). She carries around her favorites – a purple purse, complete with car keys, cell phone and lipstick and her green stuffed frog named Froggie.

Forgive my ramblings – as I have been looking back on the greatest year of my life and thanking God every day for the little girl he gave us. I am not sure if anyone is still reading this – if so, I hope these thoughts make sense. For me, I just felt the need to express some of my feelings about this last year.

We love her so much and are truly blessed that God chose us to be her parents.

The First 100 Days

Since everyone calls attention to the First 100 Days of any incoming President, I thought I would provide an update on what happened during our First 100 Days of being home with Alina.

Pediatrician Visits
Alina has seen her new pediatrician 3 times since being home. The first visit was a couple days after we got back so that doctor could assess her overall health. Generally speaking, she passed with flying colors. One unfortunately incident though was they had to collect a urine sample, so they put this baggie over her little girlie area (trying to be PC here), and we had to wait for her to pee in it. She wasn't being too helpful, so we took her next door to a place where they could collect a blood sample. At this point, the appointment had lasted a while, and I had to go into the office for a meeting, so I left. Well apparently, Alina didn't like getting stuck by the needle, so she preceeded to cry and released all the urine in her little 23 lb. body: some of which the bag caught, the balance of which ended up on Brandon's lap. The second visit was for routine shots, and the third visit was because she had the croup around the holidays. Alina has deemed the pediatrician's office as an unpleasant place given that she always gets a shot when she goes, the poor baby.

Holidays
We've been able to share Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with Alina, and they were all a lot of fun.

For Halloween, she was a monkey, and greeted everyone that came to the door with a big grin. She was quite a hit! Brandon also took her to a pumpkin patch, and she kept trying to deadlift different pumpkins of varying sizes.

For Thanksgiving, she was a bit on the fussy side given that my side of the family all descended on her territory at our house. But after a nap, she was right as rain and enjoyed some tasty turkey.

For Christmas, is was the DFW tour, as we went to Cleburne 3 times in 1 week to visit Brandon's various relatives, Keller to visit my brothers, and polished off the holiday with Brandon's extended family coming to our house the Saturday after Christmas. All the celebrations were fantastic, and Alina loved each of them (obviously so because she got a lot of attention and was spoiled with presents). We thought she might get a little cranky with her naps being cut short on Christmas Day, but she showed us her extra gear. We got home about 10pm that night after an hour drive from Cleburne, and laughed because she talked/jabbered the whole way home. Well, that is until 5 minutes before we got home and she fell asleep. Sadly, she doesn't make the transfer from car to crib quietly, so when we put her to bed, she talked for another 20 minutes before drifting off.

Growing like a Weed
She has gained about 5 lbs. since coming home, and continues to get taller. She went from 9 month clothes being "just right" on her, to being slightly undersized for most 18 month clothes.

Our Pets
Alina loves our dog Bailey and our cat Rasta, even though they are all still trying to figure out how their relationship is supposed to work.

Bailey is our 3 year old, 70 lb. English Pointer & Hound mix. She does not realize that she is so big, solid, & strong, and believes that she is a lap dog. When standing on all fours, she is slightly taller than Alina, so it's a bit intimidating as you can imagine. Alina usually runs to the safety of one of us when Bailey starts running around the house, or barking. But when she is laying like a sweet dog on the couch, Alina likes petting her nose. The cutest thing though is that Bailey has taken to getting up most mornings and waiting outside Alina's door for us to get her up in the morning. She'd go right in her room if we didn't have a baby gate up to keep her out.

Rasta is our 15 year old, 8 lb. Blue Russian. She is a bit of a scaredy cat by nature, so she doesn't take too kindly to guests, new people, or other animals. She spends most of her day in our bedroom lounging around as most cats do. When she hears an Alina high pitched, excited shrill (which is what Alina usually lets out upon seeing Rasta), Rasta immediately begins looking for the escape route to the closet. On occasion, she lets Alina per her, but it usually doesn't last long.

Food & Fun
Alina loves to play at the mall playgrounds. Brandon will meet friends who have kids around her age, and let her go nuts. The great part is that the things the kids climb on are super squishy, so she doesn't get hurt in case she takes a minor spill. Granted, the biggest thing to watch out for are the crazy kids running around nuts without their parents paying close attention. There should be sign that says "ADD on display" outside each one of these areas.

Food wise, Alina loves chicken, peas, fish sticks, potatoes, carrots (usually), yogurt, oatmeal, and apple sauce. In fact, she loves apple sauce so much that she is saying the word "apple" almost non-stop on some occasions. We try to get her to say momma, dada, or the other couple words she knows, but she responds with "apple". It's quite cute.

She loves music, and dances or sways her head when she hears it. She's not a huge fan of TV shows, but does like the Backyardigans - not so much for the story, but the music. I have a video of her dancing to the intro song in front of the TV, and it's a riot. Just imagine this tiny little thing throwing her hands in the air (and yes, waving them like she just don't care), spinning around, crouching and jumping up all in one swift motion. Just brilliant.

To sum it all up, it's been a great adventure, and we are so thankful to have a beautiful, smart, fun little girl in our family.

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.

I Hate Airlines

The first big issue we encountered on our latest trip hit us right off the bat. Our flight was to leave Dallas at 1pm, land in Chicago around 3:15, and then we had a little over a 2 hour layover until we caught our connecting flight to Moscow. We boarded the plane, and a few minutes after 1, Brandon commented that we were already running late.

A minute or so later, the pilot came over the PA and said that the maintenance crew was replacing the radar in the nose cone and that we'd be there for at least a half hour. A half hour came and went and the pilot then announced that they were still working on it, and that he wasn't sure how long it would be. Likely another 25-30 minutes, he said.

Yet another half hour came and went, and then the pilot announced that they had put a new nose cone on, but that one of the brackets that holds in on was broken. They were going to get a new bracket to put on it, and it shouldn't be too much longer. Meanwhile, we watched the maintenance crew outside load up what must have been the old nose cone on a truck. It was in a large box that was falling apart, and they used a forklift to basically ram it into the back of the truck. This made me a bit nervous, considering that seemed to be a fairly fragile piece of equipment that they could have easily punctured with the forks from the fork lift, but I digress.

Another half hour went by, and the pilot announced that they had the bracket there, and that they were just bolting it on. He said that since it only had 6 bolts to screw in that it should only be like 5-10 more minutes. That was the kiss of death. Finally, about 20 minutes later at 2pm, he said that they were pulling everyong off the flight and that the gate agents were waiting to help rebook us on other flights.

We got to the top of the jetbridge to find ourselves about 30 people deep in a line that eventually had well over 200 people in it, with only 3 agents to help rebook them all. While waiting in line, I called the reservations desk and asked them to rebook our flight. At this point, I knew the only way we could get to Moscow the next day was if they flew us to London, and connected us to another airline, so that is what I told them they needed to do. Because our original flight had not yet been officially cancelled, the reservation agent informed me that she could only get everything set, and that the gate agents would have to finalize it.

We waited in line for about an hour before getting to an agent. At that point, the agent that started helping us left 5 minutes later because apparently he got off at 4pm. He didn't tell us he was leaving, mind you, he just left, and his supervisor proceeded to take over (even though he was in the midst of helping other people). A few minutes later, another agent came over to lend a hand, and the supervisor passed us off to her. By the time we brought her up to speed on what we needed, the supervisor from the London flight came over and said that we needed to come with him in order to get on that flight. Considering he was now be the 4th person to help us, we weren't too pleased.

As this guy finally started getting us booked on our flight, I asked him if our bags would be retagged since we were no longer going through Chicago. He said that they would simply write over the tag. Not sure how that would make anyone else feel, but I was a little skeptical. The good news is that the guy put us in business class since we had been jerked around all day. Not sure if that made up for the fact that we were now getting into Moscow 8 hours later, and that our bags wouldn't make it there until 2 days later (causing us to wear the same clothes for 4 straight days), but it was a decent gesture.

The Best of Times & The Worst of Times

Our week in Russia was extremely stressful and trying. There certainly were way too many things that happened to cover all in one entry, so this entry will be a summary of events, and we will follow up with a couple more entries to provide details.

First, the good news:
1) Our adoption petition for Alina was approved on Thursday, August 28, so we are officially parents. There is a 10 day waiting period after the court date to allow for any objections (thus why we are back home this week without the baby).
2) We had a brief visit with Alina on Wednesday. When Brandon went over to get her from her care giver, Alina saw her and got a huge smile and her face. I wish I had my camera ready because it was beautiful.

Second, the bad news:
1) Brandon's car died the night before we were flying out.
2) Our flight out was to be from DFW to Chicago to Moscow. Our flight from Dallas was cancelled after 2 hours, so we couldn't make our connection in Chicago, so we had to fly though London.
3) Our luggage got lost/didn't make it to Moscow the same day we did.
4) We had to pass a medical review in Moscow on Monday as part of the process. This usually takes about an hour and a half, but ours took 4 hours.
5) We have to take a overnight train from Moscow to get to the region where Alina is. There was a mixup on our train tickets, and we had been issued tickets for the wrong day.
6) Our short 90 minute visit with Alina was sidetracked by the doctors and the inspector getting us prepped for what court might bring the next day.
7) Court proceedings, including a lunch break, lasted the better part of the day on Thursday, including getting grilled for about 2 hours by the judge.
8) On our layover in Chicago, we checked our voicemail to find that the A/C in our house went out (FYI - for those not in Dallas, it's been in the upper 90's this weekend).

So this by far was one of the worst weeks in our lives, and at the same time, one of the best because we became Alina's Mom & Dad. It certainly will be memorable for many reasons, but I guess this adds to the story we will be telling her some day.

We'll add a little color around all our travels in the next few posts, for those who are interested. I'm sure you'll get a kick out of at least some of it.

The Baby Olympics vs. The Beijing Olympics

We are halfway through the Summer Olympics in Beijing, and I wanted to point out a few differences between the two so that there is no confusion out there.

1) All judges in the Baby Olympics (namely, the two of us) are American. In the Beijing Olympics, the judges can be from many different countries.
2) The age limit in the Baby Olympics is under 18 months, while there is no age limit in many of the sports in the Beijing Olympics (with the exception of women's gymnastics where they have to be at least 16).
3) In order to win the Baby Olympics, the scale is slanted toward being cute, vs. having natural athletic ability.
4) The prize in the Baby Olympics is a family vs. a medal.
5) The official languages of the Baby Olympics are Russian and English, vs. French and English.

But don't worry folks, because there are a few similarities.

1) Russia and the United States are both powerhouses.
2) Coordinating and colorful outfits (thanks in large part to Brandon).
3) Very emotional for the participants and the people connected to them, ensuring tears being shed (especially by the Moms).

So I hope this little lesson helps to more clearly define these two wonderful events.

How much fuel does it take to fly a baby from Moscow?

Assuming all goes well at court and the medical reviews on our upcoming trip to Russia, we will have to make another trip shortly thereafter to finalize everything and bring Alina home. The good news is that we scrounged up enough miles to cover our airfare (plus the applicable taxes & fees, etc). So I started checking on how much that next trip will likely cost us, and called the airline's customer service desk.

One thing that we now have to consider is the idea of the "lap child". Well, flying domestically, apparently you don't have to pay for a lap child. However, for an international trip, you have to pay 10% of the base ticket price of an adult ticket. In our case, from Russia back to Dallas, that will be like $75. Not bad, right? Well, that's not all.

The customer service agent said "you will also have to pay for fuel surcharge, and as you know, fuel has gone up a lot in reason years, and the fuel surcharge has gone up like 300%." Well, can't say that I follow the gouging that is the "fuel surcharge", but I do follow regular gas prices (which, for the record. have only gone up like 200% during this same time frame). I'm thinking, okay, that will like double the price maybe. Oh no. It will be an additional $385!

So I start trying to rationalize this out. People can load like 40 lbs or more into a carry on bag and get charged nothing. You can load 50 lbs into the first bag you check and pay like $15 (I think), and yet transporting our little 20 lb. baby, who will be eating only food that we bring with us mind you, will cost nearly $500 all-in? Holy cow! She's not even getting a seat! Will that extra 20 lbs actually burn THAT much more fuel? Crazy.

Russia Trip #2

We found out today that we will be heading back to Russia on Aug 23 for a week. On Monday and Tuesday, we will go to Moscow first to be seen by 8 doctors for various medical examinations: a requirement for the adoption. Tuesday night we will travel to Alatyr to see Alina on Wednesday before going to court in Cheboksary on Thursday. Thursday night we will travel back to Moscow overnight, and we'll be there until we come back on Saturday.

The reason we will be coming home is that there is a 10 day waiting period after our appearance in court before the adoption can be finalized. If all goes well, we will be headed back to Russia about a week later to go to court again.

So awesome to see things continue to progress.

Did we mention the waiting?

We heard today that our paperwork has made its way to the court in Russia. Now the judge has to review our dossier (all our documentation), and determine if everything is in order. Once it is determined that our paperwork is good to go, then the judge has 2 months to set a court date. Since the month of August in Russia is the main time that many people take a vacation, we assume that we will not travel until September. But there is certainly no guarantee because we have no idea how long it normally takes a judge to review the paperwork.

In the meantime, we continue to prepare our home for Alina's arrival. The wonderful folks at my office held a shower for us today. We continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family.

Everything about this experience has ended up being a learning experience and a journey that we will never forget. Not only have we been reminded of how great a support network we have around us, we have found out more about ourselves. When we feel that we have just about run out of patience, God grants us a little bit more to get through another day.

I am usually a fairly happy go lucky person, with very few things in life causing me to worry too much that I don't know what to do with myself. But this is something that has tried my patience and my perseverance more than I have ever been tested in my life. I've found myself praying more, and asking God to watch over our little girl, and that he grant us more patience.

We know He has chosen Alina to be ours, and it's dumbfounding to think of the wheels that had to be set in motion to bring this all together. There apparently was a couple just ahead of us on the waiting list in Chuvashia, but the week prior they decided to focus on a different region (they had been listed in two regions, while we were listed in just one). Knowing that we were matched at the exact time so that she would be the one we would meet reminds us that we will go back at the exact time that is right for us and for her.... in other words, on God's timing.

We put this in His hands and ask Him to protect and keep her because we cannot. All we ask for ourselves at this point is to make it through each day until we get the call that we are going back. Giving this worry up to God has been difficult, but it's the only thing that has helped us not to stay awake at night worrying about her to this point.

We'll Miss You, Bob!

We received some sad news this past weekend. Our neighbor, Bob Yum, passed away after a heart attack. He was just 59 years old, and he is gone way too soon. He was such a kind man and a wonderful neighbor, and we were blessed to know him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his brother Art and their family as they deal with this loss.

For those of you that may not know, or remember, Bob was our pharmacist for the last 3 years (ever since we bought our house). If you have followed our blog from the beginning, then you also know that he wrote one of our recommendation letters for our adoption. We are very sad that he won't get to meet Alina when she comes home.

Our dog, Bailey, will also miss barking and jumping on him when he hand delivered some of our prescriptions to the house. He always laughed, and was amazed at how big she was.

Hurry Up and Wait

The first 6 weeks after getting home from Moscow was a flurry of activity. We pulled together paperwork needed to send to Russia and had it notarized. We saw our doctor for another physical, and even saw a psychologist, so that we could have reports from them saying we were physically and mentally fit to be parents. We've met with our new pediatrician, and in the next couple weeks we will be researching and finding a part-time daycare for when Brandon has meetings outside the house. Finally, we've also spent time pulling Alina's room together, having baby showers, buying stuff we needed, and getting rid of any items in our house we no longer had room or any use for. So now, it's just waiting.

Our paperwork got to Russia early last week where it has to be translated, notarized, and authenticated. That process usually takes about 3 weeks, so we are nearly half way through the average time for that. Then it goes to the court so that they can set a hearing date. If I had to venture a guess, I think we should know a little more by the beginning of August, but don't hold me to that timeline because I honestly have no clue. What I do know is that we are on pins and needles until we hear something.

One other thing, keep your fingers crossed for my Mom. She has a out-of-town vacation planned for the second week of September, and if Alina comes home during that time, she will be beside herself!

Baby Shower #2

Yesterday we had a couples' shower with several more friends and their kids. Our friends Jennifer and Lisa hosted it for us at our house, and we very much appreciate all their hard work to pull it together. One cute thing happened to Lisa when she went to pick up the cake. She had them write "Welcome Alina" on the cake. When she went to pick it up, the woman at Tom Thumb in a very thick Russian accent asked "Is the baby from Russia?" Lisa smiled and answered "Yes she is." We are so very proud that Alina is from Russia and we hope to learn more about her country and culture when we travel back there.

We had a great time sharing stories of our Russian travels at the party, and we fielded questions about the adoption process from our guests. One thing is for certain, when you decide to become an adoptive parent, you will instantly become an advocate for making the entire process easier on deserving families. We certainly cannot complain, because the length of time for our adoption was shorter than we anticipated, but it certainly has had its bumps in the road. We thought the wait before getting matched to a child would be hard, but we had no idea that the wait to return to get our little girl after we had met her would be a thousand times more difficult.

We also were able to show off Alina's room now that it is finished. With its green walls and cherry wood furniture, it has become a very peaceful and serene part of our house and we find ourselves drawn in. We have a couple pictures of her in the room so that we can see her beautiful face every time we walk in. We can't wait to bring her home and spend time with her in her new room. Very soon we will know what it is like to be parents day-in and day-out, and we look forward to the day when we can't remember what it was like without her in our lives.

You Look Fabulous!

Yesterday, Brandon and I swung by Target to get one thing fixed on our registry. Because we had registered there for our wedding and used the same e-mail address, they still had her maiden name on the baby's registry. We tried calling their customer service line, but the person we got must have been incompetent because they didn't fix it even after assuring us it had been done.

Upon arriving at the store, we went to the Customer Service desk to tell them of our plight hoping they could help us. Unfortunately, they told us that it could only be done online or by calling the customer service desk. When we told them we had tried both with no luck, they offered to call customer service for us while we waited.

Rather than stand around having both of us stare at them, I decided to walk around a bit. As Brandon stood with the lady from Target, the woman looked and saw that the baby due date on our registry said August 1st. Assuming Brandon was 8 months pregnant, she did a double take at the registry, and then at Brandon and exclaimed, "Your baby is due August 1st? My God, you look fabulous."

Brandon then had to explain to the woman that we were adopting, and that their system would not allow us to put Alina's birthdate in since it was in 2007, so we were forced to pick a random date. However, Brandon thanked her for the compliment anyway. As we later walked around the store, I think there was still a spring in her step from the the misled compliment.