Journey of a Lifetime

Wow! 17.5 months

2009-11-16T13:41:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since we've had any adoption milestones for Aaden but today is a big one to me. He was 17.5 months old when he was placed in our arms in Russia. Today, he has been home with us for 17.5 months. Every day moving forward he will have spent more of his life with his family than without.

I can't believe how big he has gotten now. He went from being just 17 lbs and not on the charts for either height/weight to being well on the charts. He was delayed in just about everything and now he is considered ahead in gross motors skills and some other areas according to his EI teachers. We are just still working on his speech (which he is still behind but has made so many leaps and bounds over the last few months that I don't think it will be long before he has caught up).

He will be 3 next month and we have decided to put him in preschool after the winter break in January. He is becoming so independant so quickly and mama is having a harder time with it than he is! But I am so proud of him and feel so blessed to be his mother.

Now we wait

2009-10-17T14:46:00.002-04:00

We finished all the paperwork a couple of weeks ago and then finished up our pre-adoptive classes this past week. Everything is completely done and now out of our hands. We could get a call tomorrow or a year from now that we have been matched. Very different from the process in Russia. We've done what we could and now we have to be patient. Easer said than done but having Aaden through this wait definately makes it easier. He keeps us very busy!

Officially approved! Sort of...

2009-09-23T20:51:00.003-04:00

We found out this morning from the adoption agency that we are officially approved! Wonderful, great news - about 1-2 weeks before we expected it. I'm not quite as on the ball with all of this paperwork as I was last time (hmmm... won't name any names but someone is keeping me VERY busy these days). I am still working on our profile book that is basically a family photo album the agency will show potential birthparents to help them choose a family. They can't show us to anyone unless they have this book. So we're approved but have nothing to show so no one will know we're out there! I am going to be up late night tonight trying to get it done and get it to the printer's tomorrow. So hopefully we will be done with everything and really officially waiting by Monday. So exciting!

Oh, and Aaden got his stiches out today. He was such a champ!

First ER trip with Aaden and progress on our next adoption

2009-09-20T20:32:00.004-04:00

I was determined to get the profile book done this weekend for our next adoption because I have a meeting with the agency on Wednesday for them to approve it. It contains a lot of pictures and I was trying to get some outside pictures of our house/yard on Saturday afternoon while Michael played with Aaden in the yard. I was standing in the corner of our yard that goes slightly downhill. Aaden decided he wanted to come play with me and started running towards me. Well, I was looking at the camera, he was looking at me, and neither of us noticed he was starting to run down hill. Before we knew it he had tripped. Of course he couldn't have fallen on all the nice soft grass surrounding almost every inch around us. He fell and hit his head smack on the one foot area of rock sticking out of the ground.

Poor baby didn't even know what hit him and poor mama looked down and saw blood and I have never been so terrified in my life. Luckily Michael is not as emotional in these situations and took over. I ran in the house to get some first aid stuff and by the time Michael brought him in one whole side of his face was covered in blood. I nearly (or maybe I did) flipped out. I bandaged him up as quickly as I could and we got him in the car for his first ER trip. By the time we got to the hospital it had almost stopped bleeding and Aaden was acting like nothing was wrong, so I was feeling a little better. 3 stiches and 4 hours later we had all survived the first ER trip. I know looking back now that it wasn't a huge deal, most kids get stiches for an accident at some point. But seeing him like that was the worst feeling I have ever had in my life. He was a trooper though and did so great through the whole experience. I'm so proud of my brave little boy. He even let me change his bandages today without much of a fuss.

I finally finished my draft of the profile book and pictures today and am just about ready for my adoption agency meeting on Wenesday. If all goes well, I will have nothing left to do but sit back and wait for the state to approve our homestudy in the next couple of weeks. Then we will be officially waiting for our child and making Aaden a big brother!

Quick Adoption Update

2009-09-13T20:58:00.002-04:00

We finished all our homestudy meetings on Thursday. Yay! Now we wait for them to write it up and be approved by the state. During this time we are working on our profile book of our family that the agency will show to potential birthparents. Once those two things are done it is out of our hands and we wait to be picked. We are hoping to be officially "waiting" by the end of September or early October!

Summer Fun and Adoption Updates

2009-08-20T13:26:00.005-04:00

We did our first homestudy meeting this week for adoption #2. All went well and we have the home visit next week! Here are some pictures from our summer this year:

Our Bryansk friends at Davis Farmland.

The only animal that Aaden would go near - the fake cow. He was scared of everything else!

Aaden & Michael

Some 4th of July pictures at the Lake.

Our vacation at the beach in June.

It was a bit cool and rainy but Aaden loved the ocean!

Aaden is already training to be a big brother!

Here we go again!

2009-08-03T12:34:00.002-04:00

We've been quietly gathering paperwork all summer as we made the final decisions on where/how/when/if we were going to add to our family again. We've decided our family just didn't seem complete yet and now is the time to hop back onto that adoption roller coaster. After lots of thinking, researching, and talking, we realized Russia just wasn't right for our family this time around. We loved Russia and cherish all the time we spent there while adopting Aaden but logistically now that we have a 2 year old, the travel would just be too hard.

So we have decided to pursue a U.S. domestic adoption this time. Chances are we will be placed with a newborn, quite possibly straight from the hospital. So this will be a completely different experience for us and we are very excited. I just dropped off the mound of paperwork this morning to our agency and now we wait to be assigned to a social worker to start our homestudy. Here we go again!

New Photos!

2009-07-08T14:20:00.002-04:00

We had some outdoor family photos done recently - we got lucky enough to plan a day that it actually didn't rain! I don't have web versions of them but you can see our photographer's slide show with the link below. I hope everyone is having a great summer!

http://www.photobiz.com/slideshowbiz/slideshow.cfm?slideshowID=70732&photographerID=2041

1 year and refinalization!

2009-06-03T19:34:00.003-04:00

June 2nd marked our 1 year anniversary with Aaden. It seems crazy it has gone by so fast yet I hardly remember our days with out him! Here are some photos:

June 2, 2008 - Bryansk, Russia

June 2, 2009 - Home

Today we refinalized Aaden's adoption in the US Courts. He will officially have a US birth certificate now! It was surprising how quick it was (about 3 minutes!) but it was great to have my parents there to share in the special moment:

Grandpa, Grammy, Mommy, Aaden, Michael, & our judge

After court, we brought Aaden to the park to see the ducks and ride the carousel and then out to lunch:

Aaden hanging with Papa Duck and baby

Aaden and Mommy

Aaden sitting on the duck (a fake one of course!)

Daddy and Aaden

Aaden's first carousel ride!

March 18, 2008

2009-03-18T14:08:00.003-04:00

Then and now...

It was one year ago today that Michael and I walked into the Klintsy Baby Home and met our son for the first time. We didn't know much about him and we had no idea what to expect or how we would feel. The first meeting was complete chaos as the orphanage director was out and they really didn't want us there. We only had about 20 minutes with him and he changed our lives forever. We fell in love with this blue eyed little munchkin that loved to hold our fingers so he could run across the room. He giggled every time Michael lifted him into the air. And he actually snuggled with me which totally surprised me. He melted our hearts and made us more sure than ever that he was our son.

It would be another 2 1/2 months before Aaden came home but this was the day he became part of our family. Now he's a very active 2 year old who loves his independence but is still happy to snuggle with his mommy or daddy before bedtime. He still has that charming personality that won us over the first time we met him and makes it hard to ever get mad at him (and believe me he's learned to use it to his advantage!). I can't believe how far we've come since that day and how happy he has made us.

Some Updates

2009-01-27T13:02:00.007-05:00

We moved into our new house the first weekend in January and time has flown since then. Aaden adjusted very quickly to the new house, better than we ever expected. He loves all the extra room to run around and places for his new toys he got for his birthday and Christmas. Here are some new photos from January:

I think he forgot we had a cat. She hid in my parents basement the whole month we were there!

We went to the Children's Museum with 2 other babies born in Bryansk. It was so fun to see everyone and catch up. Aaden had a great time!

Nicholas, Angelina, & Aaden

Aaden playing in our yard. He looks happier in the pictures than in real life. He's not really into the snow. He'd rather play in the driveway or under the porch where it's clear.

Aaden helping us unpack

2 year photos

2008-12-29T20:42:00.003-05:00

Aaden had his 2 year photo done the week before Christmas. Here are some of my favorite shots. I can't believe how grown up he looks. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T08:44:00.003-05:00

Aaden had a great time yesterday and enjoyed opening his gifts this time unlike his birthday last week. This red car that Santa brought was his favorite and he spent most of the day in it. I hope everyone enjoyed their day yesterday. Here are some photos of Aaden's first Christmas at home:

It's the little things...

2008-12-23T14:42:00.003-05:00

that many moms may never notice that strike me at times. Aaden is a child that is not easily scared or hurt. He's a brave little guy and rarely cries. One place he is always scared is the doctors, he hates anyone restraining him or poking around at him. Since I've never been a mom to a young child it seemed normal when he was scared at the doctor's that he would wiggle and squirm to get away from everyone and try to get out of the room. Two weeks ago when I brought him in for a sick doctor's visit (a cold and conjunctivitis) and then today for his 2 year doctor's visit, it was very different.

We hadn't been to the doctors for a few months now which was out of the ordinary compared to when he first came home. For the first time 2 weeks ago and again today, instead of trying to wiggle out of my arms when the doctor tried to look into his ears, listen to his heart, etc he clung to me for dear life. That may seem like a normal thing for most moms but Aaden had never clung to me for anything before. I didn't realize we were even missing that bonding experience. Yes, I hated that he was scared and I had to make him go through that for his own good. But I had tears in my eyes too because I was so touched. He finally trusts me enough to cling to me and turn into me when scared instead of trying to get away from everyone. He doesn't want to get away from me anymore, instead he wants me desperately. What an amazing feeling that I didn't even know existed. That is the best present I will receive for Christmas this year!

Happy Birthday, Aaden!

2008-12-19T19:48:00.004-05:00

Aaden turned two today. He is growing up so quickly. I can't believe he's two already. We had a birthday party for him last Sunday and he loved seeing his family and playing with all his cousins. He thought it was great that everyone sang just to him and he seemed to love the cake too. The only thing he wanted nothing to do with was the presents! Grammy and Grandpa had given him a shopping cart earlier in the day and that's all he wanted. Trying to get him to stop pushing that thing around to open a gift proved to be impossible so his cousin were nice enough to help out :) Here are some pictures from Aaden's birthday party:

6 months to be thankful for

2008-12-01T15:27:00.002-05:00

Six months ago, June 2nd, Michael and I walked into the Klintsy baby home and were united with Aaden. Our lives were changed forever and I will always be grateful that this little boy became our son that day. So for six months together, here are six things that I am thankful for:

-For his birth mother and father, who we will probably never get to meet, for creating such a beautiful, playful, creative little boy. I know in a difficult situation, they made a hard choice, and I will be forever grateful for their strength.

-For our family and friends, who got us through the hard times and shared in the good times that came along with the roller coaster ride of international adoption.

-For Aaden's health, there are so many question marks that come along with premature babies born so small and I am thankful Aaden has overcome the odds and his doctors found him in good health.

-For Aaden's smile, it brighten my day, everyday.

-For Aaden's laugh, it is never far away because he cracks himself up all the time :)

-For Aaden, how lucky we are that he was the child we were matched with. I couldn't imagine anyone else more perfect for us than him.

Here are some new photo's of our little man...

Aaden recently learned to pants himself!

All dressed up for Thanksgiving

Helping us pack

Loves to wear daddy's shoes

so sweet!

So you'll notice no glasses in these pictures. Someone's been refusing to wear them lately.

Future Gymnast?

2008-11-05T14:01:00.006-05:00

Aaden cracks himself up with this one and mommy and daddy think he's funny too. He's been doing flips for a while but this morning for the first time we actually got it on video. This was totally self taught. I think we might have a gymnast here...

5 months together

2008-11-02T21:19:00.001-05:00

Today marks 5 months since Michael and I walked into the Klintsy baby home in Russia to bring Aaden home. What big changes have the last month brought? The biggest one is "the whine". Yes, along with all the wonderful aspects of attachment going really well these last 2 months, Aaden has figured out how to whine. And how to fake tears when mommy leaves the room to really make her feel guilty. I left Aaden with our sitter for a quick appoinment I had and he screamed/cried horribly when I left. I almost didn't leave I felt so bad. I'm not even at the end of my street and I call because I'm honestly thinking of turning back around I feel so bad for my little guy. The sitter answers with no screaming in the background. How is he I ask? She said as soon I was out of eyesight he shut off the tears and began to play with her. Hmmm... is he that smart already? I think I have my work cut out for me. On the happy side, it's so nice that he now comes to me for everything and understands I'm his mom. When I do come back if I've been gone, he screams with excitement and comes running for me to pick him up and kiss him. That is priceless and melts my heart every time.

Here are some recent pictures of Aaden including Halloween. He didn't really get the concept and spend most of the time "whining" because he wanted to run into the street and didn't understand why he had to hold our hands. But he had a great time at home watching all the kids come to our house dressed up.

Autumn in New England

2008-10-12T11:42:00.003-04:00

It's been a beautiful fall weekend here and we've gotten outside a lot. Here's some pictures of Aaden getting to apple pick, pumpkin pick, and go to the petting zoo for the first time. It was so much fun!

4 months

2008-10-02T22:54:00.001-04:00

Today marks 4 months since we gathered Aaden in our arms in Russia and became a family. It seems like forever ago and at the same time like yesterday. We spent so much time in Russia during those 3 trips that I feel like we were just there yesterday. At first I thought it was crazy they made you spend so much time there but now I am grateful we did. Russia will always be a special place for us because that's where we became a family with Aaden and I look forward to a day when Aaden is old enough to understand and we can take him back to his birth country and share the experience.

On the flip side, Aaden has changed so much that it seems like forever ago. He was still very baby like at 17 months old, just starting to walk and very wobbly, just starting solid foods and learning how to drink from a sippee cup, he didn't give kisses/hugs or wave hello, he didn't quite grasp what to do with toys yet so he just threw them and then ran around as long as he could exploring his new world until his little legs tired out, he couldn't fall asleep on his own - in short, he was the cutest most lovable little man ever but exhausted his mommy and daddy! Now he has gained 6 pounds, grown 1 inch, and has turned into a little boy of 21 months. He runs and loves to play chase instead of wobbles, is a champ at eating almost any foods, is generous with his kisses and loves to wave hello & goodbye, can sit and play with his toys instead of just throwing them (although he still does that too!), and can fall asleep on his own without any problems. It is amazing to me how much he has learned and absorbed in such a short amount of time. Oh yeah, and he can say a handful of words, do some sign language, and comprehend what we say to him on a typical 21 month old level. The cute, lovable baby we held in our arms in June has turned into a cute, lovable, energetic, and happy little boy.

Aaden - June 2008 & September 2008

Is anyone still there?

2008-09-23T14:22:00.004-04:00

It was my intentions to keep this blog going after Aaden came home but motherhood keeps you busy. I imagined so but had no idea! So I will do my best to update here and there for those few still dangling on - I wouldn't blame you for giving up on the blog by now :)

Aaden has changed so much and is doing so much more. He says a select few words: "more" - usually meaning more food, "fishies" for his fishy crackers, and yesterday he learned to say "No!" and he thought that was fabulous. Mommy said no and he looked right back at me and said, "No, no, no, no" with a great big smile on his face. He was very proud of himself and so was I but I think I may be in trouble now. He can also do some sign language for more, all done, help, and open. He is basically understanding what we say - to the point any 21 month old would. I'm sure more words will follow soon. I am hoping he will say mama and dada next.

He learned to wave good-bye on my birthday a couple of weeks ago and that was the best birthday present ever. He now dances when he hears music. The funniest is when we are out in public. When we pass by loud music coming from a store he'll stop whatever he is doing and look at you like "Do you hear that too?" and then start wiggling around right there in his stroller. He thinks it's a blast.

Attachment is so much better now too (for better and worse). Now when he falls or bumps himself he comes to his mommy for kisses even if he isn't really hurt. At playgroup last week, he realized I was not in the room for the first time and cried for me - although I want him to be independent it's nice to know he misses me, the first week there he kicked and screamed at me when I tried to take him home and wanted nothing to do with me. Like his basic understanding of language around 1 month home, his attachment really started to show around 3 months home and just snowballed from there. On the not so fun side, he is much more comfortable acting out and not listening to his mom and dad now. That has become a challenge lately but we are working on it.

Overall, Aaden is still amazing us every day. He is such a sweet little boy and we are so lucky to be his parents. I'll leave you with some recent pictures:

A little late but

2008-08-11T15:16:00.006-04:00

here is the video of trip #3. It's been hard enough keeping up with pictures since we've been home so getting this video together took forever. It's a bit long like the second one but how can you condense the most important trip of your life into a few minutes? I did the best I could! It's also very shaky at times but we were so excited and nervous we weren't thinking about how bad some of it would come out. So I apologize in advance ;)

New Pictures

2008-08-03T12:43:00.012-04:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. The little guy is keeping me busy! Here are some new photos from the last few weeks:

My first boat ride

Hanging with Daddy

Spooning mashed potatoes all by myself!

Watching Barney on my new Elmo couch

Getting into Mommy's cabinets

Aaden got glasses last week and boy do we think he looks super cute in them! He's been a champ about keeping them on too which we were worried about. He has gained another pound which means he's gained 4 pounds since he's been home. The doctor is very excited about that and so are we. He is no longer scrawny and his pants stay up :)

He's learned to climb on couches, go up and down the stairs (with help), and dance to his favorite show Barney. He's even starting to understand some simple words like eat, ball, kitty, night-night, block, outside, toys, and some others. But he still does not know what mama and dada means. He learned kitty in no time so I guess we know who he likes best in the house!

The First Kiss

2008-07-23T09:54:00.002-04:00

There are many benefits to international adoption but one of the harder parts of it is that your baby is older when you bring them home. In our case, we missed Aaden crawling, his first steps, his first smile, his first laugh, and so many other things.

When we first visited him in March. I tried to have the teddy bear I brought him give him a kiss. He looked at it kind of funny and then tried to bite it's nose off. I asked our translator what the word was for kiss in Russian so he would understand what I was doing and she just looked at me like she didn't want to be the bearer of bad news and then said quietly, "It doesn't matter, he doesn't know what kiss means. No one has taught him."

This is something I thought about constantly for those 2 months while we waited to go back for our court hearing. No one had ever kissed or hugged my little boy. So you can imagine that since we've had Aaden with us Michael and I have kissed and hugged him at every chance we get trying to make up for this. But I'm not sure he ever really got waht we were doing.

Well, this past week, I not only kissed Aaden, but I got a kiss back! His first kiss. It took 7 weeks of persistance but he finally understands what kiss means. I can now say kiss and he pushes his little face out and touches his lips to me and then smiles. He doesn't quite understand to pucker his lips yet but he is getting there. It melts my heart every time he does it. He's still a very active and not very cuddly little guy but I am learning to cherish these little "kiss" moments with him and they are worth everything.

Summer Fun

2008-07-07T09:39:00.007-04:00

Aaden has been loving being outside this summer. Here are some of our favorite shots:

Doctors, Doctors, Doctors

2008-06-28T10:20:00.002-04:00

We've been so busy this past week with doctors visits. Aaden has been cleared as a very healthy little guy but all they had to do was a bit overwhelming. 4 doctors visits, bloodwork galore, 7 vaccinations, & stool samples in less than a week made him a bit of a cranky boy and I don't blame him. He ended up with a rash and low grade fever for 3 days after the vaccinations. The doctor said it was a heat rash but it happened on the coolest 3 days and started the day after all his shots so I'm skeptic that it wasn't related. The good news is he gained a pound in 4 days! The doctor was very proud of him for that. He is still very little between being premature and in an orphanage setting but he is thriving now :)

Now we have 6 more appointments in the next couple of weeks. I guess this is the usual when children first come home from Russia but I didn't realize it until we got into it. He has to go to 4 specialists just because he hasn't had much medical care and he was in an orphanage setting. All his tests came back normal so we don't suspect anything but they want to make sure. Then we have Early Intervention and another peditrician appointment too. The poor little man is getting sick of being dragged around and poked and prodded all the time but we should be through most of it by the third week in July. Luckily his rash and fever finally went away yesterday and he has been feeling better.

Otherwise, Aaden is still doing great. He loves getting out of the house and actually cries to go out the front door at least once a day. Again, the reading I did said the opposite of this. I was prepared to have to stay home most of the summer while he adjusted but he just can't get enough of going for walks, going to the mall/shopping, and even restaurants. He loves to visits our friends and family too as long as it's not too much of a crowd. We are looking forward to visiting Grammy & Grampa at the Lake for the first time next week!

Happy 18 months, Aaden!

2008-06-19T18:55:00.004-04:00

Today Aaden turned 18 months old. Our first milestone together. I'm sure he didn't get a birthday cake for his first birthday so we decided to give him his first piece of cake today. Boy did he love it ;)

Happy Days Again

2008-06-17T13:15:00.005-04:00

We had a rough few days early in the weekend with Aaden. Everything you read says that the children will go through a grieving/loss period but it always says around the first few days with you. We thought we had passed that since Aaden had been so happy but I think he just had a delayed reaction. He was inconsolable on Friday and Saturday. He was a sad little guy and no matter what we did we couldn't get him to smile for more than a minute before he pouted or cried again. But he seems to have gotten through it just in time for Father's Day. He had a wonderful day with his Daddy. Here are some new photos from the last few days:

Aaden's first few days at home

2008-06-13T13:21:00.009-04:00

I've already told you how great he's been. Here are some photos of Aaden at home:

With his big brother Ryan

1 week and 1 day

2008-06-10T13:40:00.003-04:00

Well, I wanted to do a 1 week post but yesterday came and went and I somehow never found the time. It's amazing that Aaden has already been with us over a week. We are starting to settle in now at home and we are all getting more used to the time changes and getting on a schedule. He really is a good sleeper so that helps. He has learned so much in a week and you can really see the changes now. Just to brag a little, here are all the things my little guy learned in under a week:

-How to eat solid food. He had only had soft food but is now a champ at eating cheerios, goldfish, animal crackers, and bread. We're still working on the fruit, he's not really sure about the textures and tends to spit them out.

- How to zoom around the room without falling all over the place. We were told he couldn't walk but he started the second we put him down in our hotel room although he was quite wobbly and got tired after a half hour or so. Now he runs around for hours in the morning and barely falls down and never seems to tire.

- How to sleep on his own. At first he would only fall asleep in our arms but now he is able to fall asleep in his crib after being home only 2 days! His parents are really proud of him for this one because it means we get more sleep too ;)

-How to hang on when being carried. At first it was like carrying a stiff board. He would keep his legs straight and not hold onto you. We had some sore backs from carrying him those first few days. Now he has gotten the point to hook his legs on you and hold onto your arm. My back thanks him!

- How to high five. This is one of his favorites and makes him giggle all the time.

- How to stack things. He loves to stack his cars, plastic cups, anything he can get his hands on. He is quite good at it too.

-How to drink out of a sippee cup. He thought it was a toy at first but now loves it.

It's so amazing to see his confidence now as he explores his new home and the world. His eyes are brighter, he is much stronger, and he laughs even more now (maybe cries a little more now too but that's okay). He has really opened up and adjusted very well to all this change. Better than I could have ever imagine. We are so lucky to have him.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

2008-06-09T06:51:00.018-04:00

The Big Day - June 2, 2008

5 minutes later while waiting in the car...

First Night with Mommy & Daddy

Nap Time

Hanging in Moscow

U.S. Embassy Day - June 6, 2008

Finally - Coming Home! June 7, 2008

Home Sweet Home

2008-06-08T04:41:00.004-04:00

After a long day of traveling we are finally home with Aaden! He did really well for a 1.5 year old that was woken up at 2am to go to the airport and then travelled all day. The 8 hour time difference is throwing us all off (if you wondered why I'm posting at 4:45am) but he slept from 5pm-1 and then I just got him back down again at 4. Hopefully tonight we can get him to sleep at a later time so he can start sleeping during the night.

It's so great to finally have him home with us and try to get ourselves into a "normal" life. Hotel living with a baby is not always fun. Yesterday Aaden met 3 of his grandparents (my mom & dad, and Michael's mom) and he was charming them already. Later on today he will get to meet his big brother, Ryan. I can't wait to have us all together. I know Aaden will just love him. Ryan is just like his father. They are both kid magnets. All Ryan's little cousins just love him so I know Aaden is going to be quite taken with his big bro too.

Hopefully I will be able to download pictures of Aaden from this last trip later today and get them up on the site. I will do it as soon as possible because I know many of you are dying to see them. It was just too hard to do in Russia this time because I never had enough time. I was too busy chasing after my son :)

Saying Good-bye (for now) to Russia

2008-06-06T12:19:00.003-04:00

It is 8:30pm here and we will be leaving the hotel in 6 hours. Michael and Aaden are upstairs fast asleep. They already make a great pair ;) We had the US Embassy appointment and got Aaden's Russian passport today so we are all set to travel. Our flight takes off in Moscow at 5:30am and we arrive in Boston about 16 hour later. It's a long way for a 1 year old that didn't get a whole night's sleep but I hope he does okay. It's been good just the three of us as we get to know him but we are ready to be home and to see everyone. Saturday afternoon can't come soon enough now!

Russia has been a great experience and I loved both Bryansk and Moscow. We have spent so much time here in the last 2 months that I will miss it. The people and the towns are beautiful. Getting to know our son here was amazing and Russia will always have a special place in my heart. But we will be back when Aaden is old enough. And maybe that time we'll get to see St Petersburg too.

I'm going to try to join Aaden and Michael and get a little sleep before our flight. I will see you all soon and I can't wait to introduce Aaden.

Back in Moscow

2008-06-05T00:54:00.004-04:00

It's been a long 2 days but everything is still going well. We had to wake Aaden Tuesday night at 11pm to take the midnight train back to Moscow. We arrived here at 5:30am on Wed. He did well and slept most of the train ride but was a little off yesterday because we couldn't get him back on his sleep schedule after all that. He had a few minor melt downs but who can blame him with so little sleep and his whole world turned upside down. We just hung out in the hotel room yesterday with him and played. He is starting to trust us a lot more now. It is amazing how you can start to see the change in him. When he would get upset yesterday his little lip would quiver and he'd start to wimper, then he'd come to me and sit in my lap and suck his thumb for a minute or two. Then he'd get up and play and be okay again. He had a little more trouble falling asleep yesterday but Michael has the magic touch and was able to sooth him to sleep each time.

The doctor came to the hotel this morning and checked Aaden out for the US Embassy. Everything went fine except he came at 6am so we had to wake Aaden again. Luckily, he fell back asleep on Michael's chest when the doctor left. He does love his sleep ;) It's suppose to be rainy today in Moscow but we are hoping to get outside with him for a little while. There is a park next door to our hotel. Then we have our US Embassy appoint at 2pm Friday and we leave here very early Saturday morning. We can't wait to get home and see everyone!

Together. Forever. At Last!

2008-06-03T04:55:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we picked up Aaden and he has been amazing. We were prepared for some major meltdowns given that he didn't really know us but he has been such a brave little guy so far. He slept most of the 2.5 hour car ride back to the hotel on me but kept reaching his hand out to put on Michael's arm too. It was the sweetest thing. I wish we could have gotten a picture of that.

He was giggling within 5 minutes and really hasn't stopped much since. He really has been all smiles. He also slept from 10pm-7am last night and then took a 2 hour nap today. We are both amazed at how well he is taking this all in. I hope it lasts :) The best part is the orphanage told us he couldn't walk yet because he was too weak. Well, we no sooner got into the hotel and put him down and he was running around. We weren't expecting it so we were shocked but of course so proud of him. He was very proud of himself too as he had a great big smile on his face as he ran around exploring.

Tomorrow we leave for Moscow and have appointments on Thursday and Friday. Then we will head home on Saturday. I will post more in Moscow because we will have internet in that hotel. Bye for now!

2 days!

2008-05-31T11:42:00.003-04:00

And we are getting ready to leave. Our flight is at 6pm tonight. We should arrive in Moscow tomorrow and then take the overnight train to Bryansk and arrive there sometime Monday morning. Then hopefully not long after we will be making the trek to Klintsy and have Aaden in our arms forever!

We won't be near internet again until at least Monday sometime so I'm not sure when I'll post again. Depending on how busy things are, I may be able to walk down to the post office (the only internet in Bryansk) and share the good news on Monday. I will do my best. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and love.

3 days...

2008-05-30T20:17:00.002-04:00

and I've been too busy packing to post. But we are so excited, the time is almost here :) We leave for Russia tomorrow!

4 days....

2008-05-29T12:47:00.002-04:00

and I think we are about ready. The house is baby proofed, the carseats are in, and all the baby gear is put together. We are stocked with diapers, baby food, and other necessities. All that is left is to pack and get over there to meet Aaden on Monday. Time to relax (or at least try to) and enjoy these moments for what they are. Hmm...the house is so quiet and peaceful right now. Will I miss this? Nah, I don't think so ;)

The Countdown Begins! 5 days

2008-05-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

In 5 days we will have Aaden in our arms. It's hard to believe it is finally here. Today I woke up and did laundry. It was my first time folding tiny clothes. So many mothers do this on a daily basis but for me, today, it seemed miraculous. I am finally able to do these things for my son.

As I leave to run some errands I turn back in my car as I back out of the driveway, there is a baby seat strapped snuggly in the middle of the back seat. As I come home from errands, I open my door to find a cabinet full of toys, a basket of baby books, a changing area, and a new stroller waiting for its little rider to come home next week. I drop off my bags in the kitchen and there’s a high chair and my cabinets now hold baby food and tiny plates, bowls, and sippy cups. I go upstairs and there is a baby’s room. Yes, it has been there for 2 months but this is the first time I am really feeling what it means. I have a son and he will be in that room next week.

Wow, how amazing is that.

Trip 2: The Movie

2008-05-24T21:52:00.006-04:00

As promised, here is the video from our second trip. I apologize that it is so long but utimately it is for Aaden and I want him to see everything. If you want to skip to the really good part - our time with Aaden - just forward to about the 4:30 mark. Enjoy! :)

P.S. - I have to defend my little guy here. He is a MUCH better walker than he looks in this video. His shoes were 2 sizes too big, rock hard, and went up over his ankles. But he was still trying hard :)

We're Home

2008-05-22T07:08:00.010-04:00

As promised, here are some new pictures of Aaden:

Unfortunately these are about the only new photos we had time to get. It was a 2.5 hour drive from where we were staying & the court to his baby home. We were hoping to visit him after court but the social worker for the baby home insisted that we had to see him before court (that is protocol for that area but sometimes they make exceptions). Since court was at 11am the first morning we arrived in Bryansk, we had to leave at 5:30am to get out there and then had very little time with him before we had to turn around to make it to court on time. I did get video this time since our video camera was working and I will post that this weekend once I have it all downloaded.

Here are some pictures of the city of Bryansk. This is where our hotel was and the court, Aaden is staying in Klintsy.

The Court House. We wanted to get a picture of Michael and I on the steps after the hearing but we were told you are not allowed to take pictures of the courthouse at all because everything that happens there is suppose to be secret. We got this quick shot of it though when nobody was looking :)

Bryansk Center with statue of Lenin:

The city park:

Our hotel:

It's Official!

2008-05-20T04:33:00.002-04:00

We are Aaden's parents! We had court this morning and the judge declared us his parents. Tomorrow starts the 10 day waiting period when they will do all the paperwork and we will pick him up for good on June 2nd.

We got to see him briefly this morning too and he was all smiles :) Although I'm sure he doesn't know who we are yet it sure seemed liked he did. We are looking forward to getting him home and starting our life with him. We're not in a good place to post photos so it will have to wait until Thursday when we are home. Sorry!

Besides all the long travel these past few days, everything else went very smoothly. The medical exams in Moscow yesterday were a breeze. All they did was ask a few questions, listen to our hearts, and check our reflexes. Today, we were in and out of court in about 30 minutes which is very quick we were told. They asked Michael most of the questions so it was even easier for me.

We leave Bryansk tomorrow and will fly home tomorrow night. I promise to post new pictures of Aaden on Thursday.

On our way to Russia

2008-05-17T08:14:00.003-04:00

In a few hours we'll be leaving here and heading to Russia! I can't believe the time is finally here. I'll be able to post on Sunday and/or Monday when we are in Moscow but I'm not sure after that. Our time is tight in Bryansk and the only internet is at the post office so I don't know if we'll get there. Then we go straight back to Moscow and hop on a plane home.

Our court date is on Tuesday in Bryansk at 11am (3am EST)so please say a little prayer for us before you go to bed Monday night that all will go smoothly. We are told this is mostly a formality but it's still makes us a little nervous. After court, we'll get to visit with Aaden - the best part of the trip. And then we'll get the train back to Moscow and go straight to the airport to fly home. See you next week!

2 days and counting...

2008-05-15T20:48:00.003-04:00

This time on Saturday we will be over the Atlantic on our way to Russia! We FINALLY got our Visas and passports today. The Visa is glued into your passport so you have to send them to the Russian Consulate in NYC. It's a little nerve wracking to send your passports out via Fed-Ex and hope you get them back on this end. They were supposed to be in yesterday but Fed-Ex arrived early and they missed the shipment. Luckily they finally arrived tonight and were in our hands by 7:30pm. Good thing we paid extra to have them rushed so they would arrive Wednesday instead of Friday. We would have been in trouble if they missed Fed-Ex on Friday! Now I just need to finish packing...

Plane tickets...check

2008-05-13T09:52:00.003-04:00

Hotel reservations....check. Paperwork...check. Still waiting on Visas.

We are getting there! 4 more days until we leave for our court date in Russia and a short visit with Aaden. I still have all the packing to do but that should be the easy part. Running around getting the paperwork from everywhere, making sure there isn't one little thing wrong with it, getting it notarized and then aposilled was the hard part. Now that it is done I am breathing easier. Just keeping our fingers crossed that the Visas and passports come back tomorrow as scheduled.

Two trips to Aaden

2008-05-08T20:44:00.003-04:00

We've decided to break it up to two shorter trips instead of one long 3 week stay in Russia. We were orginally planning on staying during the 10 day waiting period between the two court dates but we have been told we won't get to visit with Aaden during that time. Since the incentive for staying is no longer there, coming home for those 10 days in the middle will give Michael 7 vacation days back to take some time off this summer and it will give me a chance to do some last minute things around the house like baby proofing & putting all the baby gear together. We were not prepared to get a call this early (not that I'm complaining!) so this time back home will give me a chance to knock off a few more things on my to-do list.

The court is requesting extra paperwork so I've spent the last 24 hours figuring that out and am working on getting our Visas. Plane tickets are booked for the next trip and hotel will be next.

We are getting there! 9 more days and counting...

We got THE call!!!

2008-05-07T19:39:00.002-04:00

Who knew how wrong I would be when I posted yesterday we would not be traveling this month? I am happy to say we got THE call today and will be leaving for Russia on May 17th! We were told we wouldn't hear anything until June so it took us by complete surprise. But what a very good surprise. Of course, we are completely not ready but he's got a room to sleep in and two very excited parents who love him so I'm sure the rest will just work itself out. Looks like we'll probably be taking 2 short trips instead of 1 long 3 week trip because we won't be able to visit Aaden for the 10 day waiting period. We should be bringing him home on or around June 7th. I'll post more details before we leave.

What's been keeping us busy?

2008-05-06T12:12:00.004-04:00

We've had no updates from the adoption agency, so how have we kept busy. Finishing Aaden's room, of course! It is all set now so I thought I'd post it for you to check out. Here is the first video of Aaden's room starring Zoe the wonder cat ;)

Some of the video got a little dark so here are some photos:

Getting the room ready was the fun part for me. Now we have to start thinking about baby proofing the house - not so much fun. We may hold off for another week or two since it doesn't look like we'll be going to Russia this month.

A Blog Over

2008-04-23T14:23:00.002-04:00

My friend, Jackie, had her blog redone and it looks awesome. Then when she told me about who did it, I couldn't resist doing my own. Blogovers with Love is a group of wonderful designers who donate their talents in exchange for a donation to a children's charity. For a small donation, you get a beautiful blogover and get to help a worthy cause. You can't beat that. So I thank them so much for doing such a great job on this blog and I encourage anyone else who may need a blogover to check out their website. Thanks Jen & Sarah!

Some videos of Klintsy

2008-04-18T11:37:00.002-04:00

One of the moms on my Bryansk Adoption Yahoo Group posted her and her husband's videos on You Tube of their trips to pick up their little girl. Their daughter was in the Klintsy baby home with Aaden and these videos are from this past December and January. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Aaden but we weren't that lucky. But since our video camera broke while we were in Russia and we didn't get to video it, this was such a blessing to find. These videos give you more of sense of what it's like in Bryansk and Klintsy than just the pictures I took:

This first half of this one is in Moscow. Once you see them on the train (it's the same train we took), that is Bryansk and Klintsy. You see them walk into the orphange and then it's back to Moscow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhH_glzjRrA&feature=user

This one starts out in Moscow with the Kremlin all lit up for the holidays. Then it changes to their daughter in the Klintsy orphanage and you get to see more of the inside and where the babies play and sleep. We didn't even get to see this when we were there. After the credits there's more of the inside of the orphange.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDE_4I9zlVc&feature=related

This one starts out as they drive into the town of Klintsy on the way into the orphanage to pick up their daughter. It's a great example of what the town looks like and the outside of the orphanage. The hotel they go to after they pick up their daughter is where Michael and I stayed in Bryansk. At around 2 mins 15 sec they switch to Moscow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcdWzPtr70s&feature=related

I hope you enjoy these. We really did :)

What a wonderful day...

2008-04-14T19:32:00.003-04:00

We were so blessed yesterday as our friends and family got together to throw us a baby shower. It was so much fun to finally be able to celebrate with everyone and share our in our joy as we prepare for Aaden to come home. It was a very special day for us. Thank you to everyone that shared in it.

I can't even believe all the gifts we recieved! I think we got just about everything we need plus more (thanks to the experienced moms out there that thought of things I never would have!). Now I have plenty to keep me busy for a while as I go through it all and start to put Aaden's room together. It's already starting to look like a little boy's room. As we get closer to finishing it I'll make sure to post some pictures. Thanks to everyone for sharing in our excitement and making our shower an extra special day!

One little step closer

2008-04-10T08:59:00.003-04:00

We found out late last week that all our paperwork has officially been submitted to the Bryansk courts and they have not asked for anything else. Of course things can always change in this process but we are told this is one of the points where you can hit delays if they ask for more paperwork. Since they didn't, we are taking this as a good sign. One step down, a bunch more to go! Now it will be at least a couple more weeks (or more) before we hear about a preliminary court date, which is the next step before we get the date to travel. We are hoping things continue to go smoothly so we can bring Aaden home sooner rather than later.

A little more about our boy...

2008-04-03T16:19:00.011-04:00

Sorry this took so long but things were so busy when we got home. This is Aaden when he was only 5 months old. It is the only baby picture we have of him and we feel so lucky to even have this. I got it off of the Russian Children's website before they took it off.

Aaden was born on December 19, 2006. He has blond hair and blue eyes and was about 30 inches tall and 20 lbs when we were there in March. He was born premature at 30 weeks so we are quite impressed with how far he has come. He was the sweetest little guy, he came right to us and didn't have a problem at all. He was so close to walking - if you let him hold your little finger he would take off running and he could stand and play with his toys without losing balance. I know when we go back, he will be walking so I guess we'll have to childproof the house now :) We were told to expect him to be a bit delayed so we thought we'd get a few months before we had to do any of that but we are so happy that he is healthy and on par for his age.

Now begins our next wait. We need to get a court date before we can go back to Russia and the average time is about 1-4 months. We will spend about 3 weeks there - going to court to start the finalization, then they'll be a 10 day waiting period, and then Aaden will officially be part of our family! We'll have custody of him only the last few days we are in Russia and then we'll have to run around getting his passports and going to the US Embassy to officially make him a US citizen. It's so exciting to finally be this close and to have met Aaden and know what an amazing little guy we have waiting for us on the other side of all this.

Until then, we are keeping busy trying to get the house ready. We hadn't done anything because we wanted to wait to find out the age & gender so now I'm definately in nesting mode. I hope the wait is short but if not, I think I have plenty to keep me busy for a while! Here's a few more photos we took during our trip (there was a flu epedemic going on so they made us wear those masks):

Introducing Aaden Michael!

2008-03-20T00:23:00.001-04:00

We are very happy to share these first photos of our new son, Aaden. He is 15 months old and is already running if you let him hold your finger! He loves to laugh when his daddy picks him up and raises him in the air and to snuggle with his mommy when he wakes up from his nap. The hardest part now will the wait to come back and get him. Here is our first photo with Aaden:

We are in Moscow!

2008-03-17T07:45:00.000-04:00

We've been in Moscow now for a little more than 24 hours and we are getting ready to leave and head to Byransk. We spent that time touring the Kremlin and Red Square. It is cloudy and cold but it is still beautiful there. We haven't seen anyone from the adoption agency yet so no news or information on the baby. We leave here in 2 hours for the train station and should arrive in Bryansk sometime in the middle of the night. We'll have a little time to pop over to our hotel before we are off to the Ministry of Education to get our official referral. And then to the baby home to meet our little one. How exciting! I'm not sure if we will have internet access in Bryansk since it is far out from the city. If we don't, we will be back in Moscow Thursday morning and can post something then. I can't wait until the next post introducing the newest addition to our family :)

Leaving on a Jet Plane!

2008-03-12T21:35:00.000-04:00

What a crazy day! We got a call at 3pm that we are leaving for Moscow on Saturday evening. It's been a whirlwind trying to get all the paperwork ready and make reservations. We are excited, nervous, happy - all at once. The little girl we were matched with last week has been adopted by a Rusian couple during our delays. So we know we have been matched with a new child but our adoption agency wasn't given any information. So we won't know gender or age until we get there, but we are up for an adventure and a suprise. I'll post more details tomorrow.

Another delay

2008-03-11T13:58:00.001-04:00

We were told again today that the person in Russia was out of the office and we could not get our paperwork. At this point, I don't even know what to write as this has happened so many times that it is unbelievable to me. I am not going to post the new date they gave us as I don't believe them anymore. I guess it will just happen when it happens. I do promise to post once we get some good news though.

One more week

2008-03-04T18:10:00.000-05:00

Yes, another delay. I know this is starting to seem unbelievable because that's how we feel too. But we got another call today that our paperwork can't be ready. The new day for everything to be ready is March 11th and our tentative date to travel is March 16th. So we start another countdown and another wait. What else can we do but dig deep and try to find some more patience? The right time will come and we'll finally be able to meet our baby. I'm just hoping it's soon.

One more day

2008-03-03T15:15:00.000-05:00

Today wasn't "the" day. Seems that someone was out of the office in Russia and we weren't able to get our travel visas. Our adoption agency still thinks we should be able to leave on March 10th though. So we are crossing our fingers. Tune in tomorrow for some better news...

It's a...

2008-02-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

GIRL!!!!!!

Yes, pink is our new favorite color :) We got the call on Friday so I apologize for the delay in posting but I needed to tell some family first before they all read it on the Internet! It was so unbelievable to finally get that call and it's indescribable how happy it made us. I wrote the following on Friday in the newness of it all because I wanted to capture that pure joy to someday show our little girl. So here it is:

It's a Girl! We think. Here's the situation. There is a baby girl in Bryansk that will be off the domestic adoption list on March 3rd. So between now and then there is a slight possibility that she could be adopted by a Russian couple like our last match but at this point, that doesn't happen very often. So what are the chances that it will happen to us twice? I'm choosing to think positive here.

For some reason I never felt confident about the last match and never felt in my heart I was going to get that call. I DESPERATELY wanted that call but I didn't feel it. This time is totally different and I have tears in my eyes as I'm writing this because I just feel so thankful for this and I truly feel like this is the right one for us. That this is our baby girl. So please keep us in your prayers that all will go as planned this time and we will get the paperwork on March 3rd and be traveling to Russia around March 10th to meet her. I still can't believe I am writing this. After 3.5 years of trying to build our family one way or another I am finally letting my guard down and am so truly happy that I am going to be a mommy really soon.The look in Michael's eyes when I told him we were going to have a little girl was so priceless. I've waited so long to see that. Okay, now I am crying, but it's a good cry :)

Thanks to everyone for sharing in all our ups and downs until this point. We are so happy to finally have some great news to share with everyone! I'll keep you posted.

We got some news about our delays

2008-02-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

I spoke with the adoption agency this morning and here's the story. They did have a child matched with us in Rostov-on-Don and they were waiting for him/her to come off the domestic adoption list (every child in Russia has to be availabe domestically for 8 months before an international adoption). That's why they felt so sure to give us the date. But when this child came off the list, the person who gave out Travel Visas was out sick for 2 weeks. During that time, a Russian couple met this child and started paperwork to adopt him/her. So when the Travel Visa contact came back to work, they could no longer issue a Visa to us because the child was no longer available for international adoption.

We are told there are already children available in Bryansk for international adoption so that is why we were moved to that region. We should get info very, very soon about this. Maybe tomorrow and we might even find out if it's a girl or boy before we leave. So, I feel much better. First, that child in Rostov-on-Don was adopted by a family AND gets to stay in their birth country. How could I be upset about that? That is a wonderful thing. And second, how can I argue with fate? Obviously, that person was meant to be sick for 2 weeks so that child ended up with the Russian family. Now Michael and I will be able to adopt another child in Bryansk, possibly a child that may not have found a family otherwise. I am feeling at peace today that this was what was meant to be.

Goodbye Rostov, Hello Bryansk

2008-02-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

Looks like we have to say goodbye to Rostov-on-Don before we even get there. I'm not sure what to make of all this. We were told today there are not as many available children in Rostov-on-Don as they had anticipated. Therefore it was still going to be a wait so they moved our paperwork to the Bryansk region. They believe we will have travel dates to Bryansk on Friday but given our current situation I am staying caustiously optimistic about that.

In the meantime, I have a whole new place to learn about so of course I've been googling Bryansk all afternoon. Like Rostov, it is on the Ukraine border, but it is further North. Here's what I've found out so far:

-A city in western Russia, southwest of Moscow. It was part of Lithuania until the 16th century.

-The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146. Local authorities and archaeologists, however, believe that the town had existed as early as 985.

-Today Bryansk is an important center for steel and machinery manufacturing, and is home to many large factories. Railway wagons and locomotives are important products. Bryansk also has two universities, three theatres and a technical academy.

That's the update for now. I'm going to go google some more :) Friday can't come soon enough and hopefully I'll have some concrete news to share about our travels.

Still Waiting...

2008-02-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

I guess February will not be our month to travel to meet our child. We were told last Friday that the person at the Ministry of Education that gives out the travel dates had been out sick. Now I just got a call today that they are still out sick and won't be back until Monday the 18th. Since that is a holiday in the U.S. and our adoption agency is closed, the earliest possible time we'll hear now is the 19th.

It stinks but, what can I do? At least I know now and won't be jumping every time the phone rings over the next few days. It's a small thing to be thankful for but it helps :)

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

2008-02-04T21:55:00.000-05:00

and my phone is still silent. So many have asked us for an update and unfortunately we don't have any news. We were told we should know by the end of January but that obviously didn't happen. I last spoke to the adoption agency on Friday and they said we should be getting travel dates to Russia "really soon". When exactly is "really soon"? No one seems to know. So we sit and wait. And hope and pray for that fateful call. But I promise to post as soon as I know anything. I'll be too excited not to share.

We are back!

2008-01-24T18:53:00.001-05:00

Our trip to Mexico was amazing and we enjoyed every minute of it! Now back to reality and the cold weather :)

Not much of an update on the adoption front. The good news is, our agency confirmed again with the Russian Government this week that they are planning to schedule our first trip to Russia in February but the bad news is no firm dates yet. We will just sit tight and see. I'm feeling good that it will happen in February since they have been telling us that for over a month now and it hasn't changed but of course I would feel even better if we got that travel invitation with firm dates so we could apply for our travel visa. Keep your fingers crossed that we get the call soon!

The Last Hurrah! :-)

2008-01-14T10:06:00.000-05:00

Bright and early at 5am on Tuesday morning, we will be leaving for our last trip as a couple for many years :) We'll be in Mexico until the 23rd to attend a friend's wedding. We are looking forward to relaxing with some cocktails on the beach because this will probably be the last quiet vacation for a long time!

Our adoption agency still thinks we will be getting a match around the very end of January so we will be looking forward to coming home to some good news. If it does happen then we will probably travel on trip #1 to Russia sometime in February and then bring our little one home late spring/early summer. How exciting! We will keep you all posted when we get back.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

2007-12-23T13:44:00.000-05:00

Well, it is going to be a white Christmas here. Our house looks like a winter wonderland!

I wanted to thank everyone for checking out our blog but looks like we won't have any updates until mid-January. I talked to our agency on Friday and they had been on the phone to their conterpart in Russia talking about our case, we are not matched yet (we weren't expecting it this early anyway) and the Russian winter holiday is the first two weeks in January so everything closes down. They will be back mid-Janaury and then we should get another update. Then hopefully a referral and invitation to travel on our first trip to Russia not long after that. We are wishing for Christmas that we'll have our baby home for the summer. It should be an exciting 2008 for us! I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and safe Christmas & New Year's Eve.

Rostov-on-Don Link

2007-12-05T17:31:00.000-05:00

I found a great website all about the Rostov Region if you are interested.

http://www.donland.ru/english/content/info.asp?partId=6935&infoId=7459&topicFolderId=7450&topicInfoId=0

Rostov-on-Don

2007-12-05T14:30:00.000-05:00

Last night we had our class at the agency on Russia. Lots of information to make your head swirl but exciting too. Although we won't know anything for sure until we get a referral, it is looking more and more like Russia is going to work out for us instead of U.S. adoption. With our agency's reaccreditation we are only looking at maybe a two month wait now for a referral to Russia.

We found out that our dossier has been submitted to Rostov-on-Don in the Rostov Region of Russia. Rostov-on-Don is in the South Western part of Russia right on the border to Ukraine. Most likely this is where we will be traveling to meet our child. Things are always subject to change but usually they don't at this point. I am trying to learn as much as possible about this region now. I have always wanted to visit Ukraine since my ancestors are from there so I hope we get the chance. Since one trip will probably be 3 weeks we will hopefully get to do both. Now I'm off to google more about Rostov-on-Don and see what I can learn!

Reaccreditation!

2007-11-29T16:45:00.000-05:00

I just heard from our agency that they are reaccreditted in Russia! We weren't expecting this before the end of the year so this is great news. And today just happens to be Michael's birthday so I'm wondering if this is a little sign that we might be going to Russia instead of adopting domestically. Only time will tell but I am excited about the idea of either!

What does this mean for us? We're not 100% sure but we know it means wait times for referrals should be shorter but we don't know how short yet. We were orginally told 6 months and it's only been one month so far. Maybe we'll get a referral early next year? That would be perfect. So we are off soon to celebrate Michael's birthday and the idea that our little one might be home sooner than we thought :)

Some Updates on Russia

2007-11-20T08:10:00.001-05:00

We spoke with the agency last week and it looks like things are moving along with their accredidation. They are in the final stage and hope to have it back by the end of the year! We can adopt through them with or without it but having accredidation means they can work in twice as many regions and it is very likely our referral will come quicker then. So very good news :)

As for the domestic side. Nothing going on there. We have been told that potential birth parents tend to wait until after the holidays to make these decisions if they are not due now. So we are not expecting this will work out before the New Year anyway.

So we will wait and see what happens. For now we are plenty busy with the holidays which I am thankful for. It makes the time go by quicker.

Lightening Fast!

2007-10-29T13:44:00.000-04:00

Wow! This has been a crazy but very GOOD week. We dropped off the completed dossier on Friday to the agency and were told it would be 5-10 days for them to review, approve, and send off to Russia. Well I got the call today that it was reviewed and approved and being sent off to Russia and it's only been 1 business day! With all the problems we've had with paperwork so far I am thrilled this last big step in the dossier went so easily. I hope the rest goes this fast and smooth ;)

I600A approved!!!

2007-10-23T15:21:00.000-04:00

After only 2.5 weeks we got our immagration approval today! They told us 4-6 weeks so I was shocked when I got the email today from my agency that we were approved. And then I got home and it was in the mail waiting for us. We will be getting it notarized tomorrow and dropping it off in Boston to be aposilled. We should have the completed dossier into our agency by the begining of November and should definately be on the waiting list for Russia by Thanksgiving. We are so excited!

Starting a little late...

2007-10-21T21:21:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to start this blog for months now and here it is October and I am just starting. Life has been calm for the moment on the adoption front. We are fully approved for domestic adoption in the U.S. and our profile is with the agency waiting to be shown to birthparents. Now we are just hoping and praying that we get chosen.

The Russian adoption is a little more complicated. The dossier paperwork has been MUCH harder than I imagined. But after spending almost 2 months running back and forth from 3 different doctors, our accountant, town halls, DSS, police station, and many other places I finally have all the paperwork needed and it has been notarized. Now we are just waiting to get our I600A fingerprints back which were taken on 10/4. They say it will take about 4-6 weeks until we get them in the mail. Once we have those we can get them notarized too and then send all the paperwork to get aposilled by the state. That should take another week and then we will be able to submit the dossier to our agency. We are hoping to have that done before Thanksgiving and hopefully be a waiting family in Russia too soon after that.

I get asked a lot why we are applying in both Russia and the U.S. Basically we were planning to only apply to Russia and do an international adoption. During the end stages of our homestudy we were made aware of some delays and issues with adoptions in Russia right now. We are hoping for everyone that adoptions start going smoother again in Russia soon but in case they don't we wanted to have another plan. We will just wait and see and take whichever referral comes to us first. So we could end up going half way across the world to meet our child or somewhere nearby. We may end up with a newborn (if U.S.) or a toddler (if Russian). We are up for anything and can't wait until our child finds us!