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.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, September 1, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, August 18, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, August 8, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, August 4, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
