Wednesday's Visit

We had a great visit with Alex today. We got to the orphanage at 11:00 and stayed until 1:00. They had him dressed very cute and he seemed pretty relaxed and happy to have us there. After a couple of hours playing and one-on-one attention that he is probably not used to, he started to rub his eyes and we took that as a hint that it was nap time and we had to go. The caretaker took him upstairs and stood by the window with him for a few minutes. He was really jumpy, smiling and waving Pacah, the Russian word for Bye-Bye, several times. We loved seeing him happy and enjoying the time we spent together.

On the way into the orphanage this morning, there were some small kids enjoying some outside time with a few of the caretakers. A little three years old pointed at us and said out loud, ‘there come Alex’s parents again’. It was so cute but sad at the same time. We were later told he is an orphan with a major medical issue and would probably never be adopted. It is heartbreaking to think about him not having a family of his own and we will be praying that perhaps someone out there does find it in their hearts to bring this beautiful little one into their family.

Tomorrow we will miss going to the orphanage to see baby Alex. However, tomorrow is a very BIG DAY for us. Court is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM and we are supposed to arrive at the courthouse at 1:00. The town of Kumdikar, where the court is located, is four hours away which means this will be a whole-day event. We met with Roma this afternoon and prepared our court statements, reviewed all the documentation and read our entire home-study several times. I am very nervous about being in front of a Russian judge but I’ve heard that although they seemed pretty tough, they understand what we are trying to do and all we have done to get to this point. We also know they are doing their best to ensure the integrity of the process and their main focus is what’s in the best interest of the children. That is something we definitely admire and appreciate, and one of the reasons we decided to come to Russia to adopt our son.

Thank you for all the support, prayers and good wishes!