The Past 6 Months

I can’t believe it has been almost six month since we returned from Russia, and 3 months since I last posted an update here. Like they say, no news is good news. And when it comes to Alex, it truly is all good. His change these past six months has been truly amazing!!! I don’t even know where to start here. Let’s see…I’ll start with his health, which has been our major concern since we got back. He was circumcised in July and that turned out perfect (literally!); I don’t think he had a clue of what had just happenned other than noticing when the band aid fell off. In August he visited a Geneticist who did intensive testing and found no signs of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The Othorrinolaringologist found his nose, ear, throat all very healthy, as did the eye doctor.

His blood tests in August did show that he still had minor anemia so he got treated with iron drops for about three months. He just got tested again a week or so ago and there are no signs of anemia. However, his iron storage (whatever that means) continues to reaqd low so more iron for the next three months. In August he was also seen by a Neurologist who also gave her blessing. His head, motor function, problem solving skills and overall behavior are at, if not above, a child his age. She recommended an MRI only to make me feel better I think. He still rocks a bit just before he falls asleep and that has had me concerned, ever since that first night with me at the Perm hotel in Russia. The MRI did show some fluid concentrated in a corner of his brain, however after her assessment, and a second opinion from Chris’s brother-in-law who is a brain surgeon, and Chris’s dad who is also a doctor, we are now confident that he is just fine – the fluid is not abnormal on children of his age and eventually it “dries-out” as someone put it.

In the past few months Alex’s vocabulary has surprised us, the doctors, and pretty much everyone that hears his non-stoppable chatter. These are all the words he can say besides mama, papa and Dudley:
No ( it is usually No No)
Oh Oh and Oh No
Time out (sounds like tamout)
Water (sounds more like wa-wa)
Come (will usually grab my hand and direct me where he wants me to go)
Up above (learned this one from the twinkle-twinkle little star song)
All Done ( says this one every time we are done with dinner)
Airplane, Open, Lyon, Cat , Light, Egg, Bye Bye , Hello, Cup, Moon ,Night Night, Apple , Apple tree,Banana ( sounds like nana), Window, Pear, Ball, Touchdown, Ball game ( learned these last two from daddy), Turtle (says this one perfect), Car, Truck, Elmo, Ernie, Big Bird, Baby ( points at himself when he says this one ), Grandma is called Gaga, Grandpa, Hi, Pipi – caca – pupu, hanger, chu chu is train and too-too is the word for tooth brush and tooth paste.

I am sure am forgetting quite a few. The cutest part is listening to him put three words together now like Night-Night Papa, Bye -Bye Moon, school bus mama, and many more.
He now recognizes the letters Y, O and U from his ABC’s computerized toy; he grabs the toys I ask him to go get, knows the button to turn the tv on and off, and the best part of all is to hear him answer correctly when asked how old he is; Point to all his body parts, how many feet do you have? How many hands and ears do you have? He throws his own diaper in the garbage when I tell him to and when I tell him his clothes are dirty he takes them right to the hamper…Absolutely amazing when only 6 months ago he understood NADA.

At the end of the month we get to go meet grandma and spend a week at her home in Florida. After that is off to Colombia to meet and spent some time with Grandpa, who by the way hasn’t been doing well at all. After Colombia, and depending how my dad is doing, we will go to Aruba so Alex can meet the rest of the aunts, uncles and cousins. I can’t wait to spend this bonding time with Alex!!!

20 to 2...Embarrassing!

The mood around the house wasn't too good yesterday. Alex decided to go with the winning team ( just for the day, of course). Different story today since the Cards redeemed themselves by winning the game 3 to 2. My dear friend Jamie...I am sure you were feeling no pain yesterday watching your Phillies. These pics are for you!


!!!

Too Adorable...

Scary Monday

Alex had his Cardiologist appointment last Monday and what I thought would be an hour appointment ended up being a whole day scary ordeal. I think it was a lot harder on me than him. The Doc knew about his heart murmur but I guess he heard more than that so they asked me to stay for an echosomething to rule out something more serious. After the echo something I was told he needed two additionals tests. Poor little guy, he looked like the bionic man with wires hooked all over his little chest.

The good news came Monday night and after a bunch of heart tests with names I can't begin to pronounce and much less spell, everything came out NEGATIVE. Meaning he is fine!!! He can continue to run around, play as hard as he wants, dance and start swimming lessons at the end of the year.

He is doing better and better every day and still sleeping all night, taking two naps, eating, hanging out at the pool with daddy and playing non-stop. The best game nowadays is playing peek-a-boo and hiding in the only kitchen cabinet that was intentionally left withouth a lock. I never knew that tupperware could be so much fun!

Time for a change

The blog is getting a lift, a new title and the usual updates on Alex and the rest of the family. The adoption journey is a great memory and we now are moving on to LIFE TODAY. The Cards logo is in honor of the boys ( Chris, Mitch, Alex and Dudley )and with baseball season in full swing, it seemed appropiate...at least for this family of Cards Fans.

Blading around the neighborhood

This was tons of fun for the three of us. Chris rode the bike as I pushed Alex when I was rollerblading. After the one hour work-out Alex runned through the sprinklers and he is now taking his usual mid-day nap.

I think yesterday I spoke too soon. His nose is still runny but no worse than yesterday. Tough little lover boy!!!

Alex's Report Card

It has been a month since we got home and Alex is doing wonderful. His progress during this past month has been truly amazing. First and most important, he is HEALTHY AND HAPPY. He plays, bounces around, rolls, dances, makes silly faces, tries to repeat everything we say, has learned a lot, and doesn’t stop until bedtime.

Since leaving the orphanage I decided to keep a similar schedule as the orphanage and that was a real blessing. We are very consistent with meals, activities, bath, reading and bed time that he pretty much knows what to expect next and I think that has a lot to do with his happy demeanor.

He is usually up around 7:00; we cuddle for a while then head for the kitchen for breakfast. Once Chris leaves for work, he and I get ready for a stroll down the golf course path and we end up at the neighborhood park where we practice going up and down the slides and the small hills, check out the birds and play in the sandbox. We are following a special diet the nutritionist gave him so he is eating something just about every couple of hours. After the park we play around the house, do a little dancing (the second I turn the stereo on he starts his moves), I fix what I call his second breakfast, play some more, then prepare lunch around noon. He takes a nap from 12:00 to 2:30 then spends the afternoon playing, watching some educational videos or running errands with me. Once in a while he will get in the pool with Chris and dinner is usually close to 6:00, then it is upstairs again for a bath, reading, rocking, and bed time.

Rocking him before bed time is my favorite nighttime event and it appears to be his as well. He was never rocked before and he is sure making up for it now. I put him on his crib just before he falls asleep and in less than a minute he is out for the night. The best part of the schedule? He sleeps between ten to eleven hours a night, and other than a little cry here and there because he can’t find his binky, he sleeps all night.

So far we haven’t found anything he doesn’t like. He eats everything…meat, chicken and fish, fruits and lots of vegetables. We are following the high protein/low carbohydrate diet the Doctor recommended and it has worked. In the past three weeks he gained 1.5 pounds which is about 6% of his current body weight. At this rate, and according to the Doc, he should be on track in just a few months.

We LOVE HIM SOOOO VERY MUCH and are so fortunate, privileged, thankful, blessed and joyful to have him with us and, most of all, thrilled to see him so happy!!!

Oh Oh…just as I finished writing this I heard three sneezes in a row and just noticed a little bit of a runny nose…

My Boyz

Alex is adjusting well...

Nowadays it is nearly impossible to sit down and blog, return emails or do much else unless it has to do with little Alex. I am sure this will change but for now I am dedicating all my time to him and to sleep and rest when we are not spending time with him. Alex is adjusting quite well. Today he was even dancing to the beat of an Eagles song.

I should go back in time for a bit and share the trip experience. Flying from Perm to Moscow was not easy. I had to wait until I had his passport in order to get his tickets and when I did, all they had available was a middle seat in the middle of the plane. No early boarding either like they do here if you are boarding with kids. It took over an hour to get the boarding passes and on top of everything else they gave me a real hard time about my luggage and charged me a lot because I had one too many suitcases. Poor Roma, he had to run to another side of the airport to pay the fee then had to help me with Alex until I was able to get on the bus that takes you to the plane. Fortunately a couple from Spain, who I had met at the Perm hotel, was on the same flight to Moscow. They were God-sent and an amazing help trying to get Alex settled during the flight and at the Moscow airport they helped me with Alex and gathering and hauling my entire luggage.

In Moscow things got better once Chris arrived. The trip to the embassy and getting through security took a lot longer than the actual interview. The consulate talked to us for about five to ten minutes and the main thing we got from him was the warning about Alex not returning to Russia once he is seventeen. He will be considered a Russian citizen until he is eighteen so he could actually be handed a military uniform and drafted for the Russian Army if he were to be in Russia at that age. No way would we ever let that happen but just the thought of it gave me the chills. I will make sure he picks Colombia or Aruba if he ‘must’ go somewhere for spring break that year =-)

The flight from Frankfurt to Chicago was something to forget and never think about again. He was on top of me for about seven of the nine hours the trip took. He spent an hour on Chris and another hour in a bassinette they installed in front of our seats. Let me just say that once we landed in Chicago we felt a huge relief. Spending the night in Chicago was the best thing and gave us the chance to be rested the following morning for our trip to Phoenix. We knew that the second we landed in Chicago Alex would safely be a US citizen. But of course he was finally sleeping at that big moment and with the camera ready to memorialize this historic occasion and a foot off the runway from landing, the plane surged up in the air again, circled and landed 45 minutes later. I guess that day really couldn’t have ended any differently.We got home right on time a week ago last Thursday and ever since our lives have been changed forever.

Alex made a grand-entrance walking on his own through the front door of his new house. I still cry when I watch the video of him with a huge smile and eyes wide open coming through the front door. Who knows what he was thinking! He made himself right at home in no time. He has adjusted quite well, he got another clean bill of health, he sleeps between ten to twelve hours a night, naps during the day, eats well, dances, hugs, kisses, laughs and giggles out loud and is beginning to accept the routine and boundaries we setting for him.

I'm Loving It!!!

I'm Lovin' It!!! We have never been so happy to see that logo. After three weeks of eating the same food at the breakfast buffet in Perm, and my regular yougurt and granola, we found a McDonals in Moscow and enjoyed it like never before. And so did Alex of course...he had a small taste of fries, chicken nuggets and milk shake.

Monday morning we were picked up bright and early to go get Alex's medical results from the previous Friday. He got a clean bill of health but the nice Russian Doctor Boris decided he would probably never be a football player...he is just a little guy but who knows...his feet are huge so maybe he'll have to settle for soccer.

We did some sightseeing after that and got to visit Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, The Kremlin, Lenin's Toomb and a few other Russian landmarks. Pretty spectacular place!!! The traffic here is really scary...if there are four lanes, people make them into eight; there are cars going in three or four different directions and the traffic jams are nuts. The day I arrived here from Perm, it took four hours to get from the airport to the hotel when it should have been 1.5 hours.

The embassy interview was a piece of cake - as soon as you show the American passport, you bypass the line of about 500 people in a line outside the building. We had an interview that lasted about five minutes and we were done. Alex will become a US Citizen as soon as we arrived in Chicago Wednesday night. He is already looking very patriotic with his red, white and blue outfit and holding a little American Flag upon entering the embassy.

He is doing wonderful, he is happy and bonding a lot with both of us. He is a great eater and the best sleeper. The last couple of nights he slept for twelve hours straight in addition to a one hour nap in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. We have taken a few walks around the area and he is well behave in the stroller and the restaurants. So long as I have a few cheerios, some gold fish and his juice handy he is a very happy boy.

We are very excited to be leaving tomorrow and can't wait to get Alex home and settled in his permanent environment. The doctors have suggested that he stays home with Chris and me only for a while and not to overwhelm him with a lot of visitors or activities. That will be hard to do but we will do what's best for him. Even though he is adapting quite well, overwhelming him could cause issues later on so for now we will be in a cocoon for a little while. Then, it will be party time!!!

Chris is back in Russia

Chris arrived safe and right on time. It is so nice to have him back here!!! I kept telling Alex that Papa was going to be with us soon and I kept showing him his picture. As soon as Chris knocked on the door I said "That's daddy" and he frozed but it only took a couple of minutes for him to be all smiles. The three of us are doing great and glad that Sunday is almost over.

Tomorrow morning we are doing some sight-seing then is off to our US Embassy appointment at 1:00 PM. This will be such special day for us...Alex becoming a legalized citizen of the United States...Woo - Hoo!!!! And he will be dressed for the ocassion too...Red, White and Blue!

The Zoo...

Okay, so maybe he/she was happy, but by the sound of the roaring it didn't appear to me he was having too much fun. I would wake up in the middle of the night for whatever reason and could hear him/her and I wished I could cross the street and open the cage. Nonsense, of course! I had planned to visit the Perm zoo after I had Alex with me but changed my mind after hearing that it wasn't really the thing to do...especially for an animal lover like me. Enough said I guess since this is way off the Alex subject :^)

What a Zoo!

I have a zoo across the street. When I get to Moscow and have some time I will write about the lion across the street that won't let me sleep.

Alex is here!

I no longer have any time but I have Alex, I got his adoption certificate, I got his birth certificate and I got his passport. Now all I need is to get out of Russia and get home so I can start life with Alex and share the playtime with Chris so I can shower at a decent time. It has been pretty hard these past few days but very worthwhile. Alex is precious, very sweet, and already getting attached to me. He is a typical little toddler (I don’t know why I keep calling him baby Alex…) who wants to grab everything, open it, taste it, you name it! Thank God I haven't had any mishaps but that is only because I don’t take my eyes off him. I'm too afraid to do so.

I went to the orphanage on Monday and spent my usual two hours there. I brought Anastasia the clothes I wanted Alex to wear on Tuesday and from her I got another schedule for naps, snacks, medicine I should give him etc. All in Russian and of course I can’t make sense of any part of it! What an alphabet...The P looks like our R, our X with an extra line has an A sound, and to make it even more confusing, they using a bunch of numbers as letters. I was told today their alphabet has 42 letters. Yeepers! I bet they don't have the A, B,Cs song here...

Monday Roma also had a successful trip to Kudymkar. He left Perm very early, got there at 8:30 and got back to Perm in time to pick me up to go file for Alex’s new birth certificate, which we got on the spot. Doing that saved us a couple of hours on Tuesday morning. Roma picked me up at the usual time on Tuesday and we went to the passport office. We were both trying to figure out what sad story they haven’t heard yet so we would use to convince them that we needed to have a passport on Thursday but after all that, we didn’t have to. The passport official just asked us to come back at 10:00 the next day. I asked Roma to asked her if that was for sure because they only issue them on M-W and Fridays and I didn’t go buy a ticket to Moscow then have the pick-up time be a mistake. Roma told me he wasn’t translating that, and instead he just told the woman that we would see her tomorrow, meaning Tuesday and we got out of there really fast.

We called the orphanage to let them know we were on our way but were told that since we didn’t make it by the noon hour they told us we would now have to wait until 3:30 to go get Alex as the Director had to leave and would not be back till then. Being that we had over two hours to kill, we decided to grab a bite to eat then head out to get the Moscow tickets. The travel agency was just a small desk at the lobby of a near-by hotel; she was not in a big hurry and did our tickets in between several phone call – Regardless of the Russian, I could tell they were not customers but we couldn’t say anything, not that I could, but we didn’t complaint for fear it would take longer. We had to call the orphanage and let them know that we would not be there until 4:00. That is precisely when the bad traffic starts here so I was growing very concern about getting Alex on Tuesday, and I guess it was evident to Roma that I was getting a bit ticked-off. We did get there at 4:15 and of course had a big commotion with all the caretakers. The shift that is done at 4:00 waited because they wanted to see him off.

They dressed him up and Anastasia told me to give her a few minutes alone with him and also allow her to take him downstairs so he could say good-bye to his little friends. I was in tears the whole time. Happy to get Alex out of there and tears of sadness for the woman who do get attached to some of the kids then have to see them off. I don’t know how they can do this job. May God continue to bless them and give them all the patience and strength this job demands. The worst thing for me was to see quite a few people out of the different windows, particularly the window with three little tiny kids, including the little boy who was outside once and recognized us as Alex’s parents. I can’t stand the thought of what this little three-year old was thinking or feeling as he waved good-bye to his little friend and crib buddy. Alex did not cry but I also was trying to keep him from looking at the windows or the orphanage. I tried to stay focused on Alex on the ride back, but it was quiet for Roma, Alex and me.

As soon as we got to my very small room at the hotel, Alex took over. I had some of the toys that I had been taking to the orphanage during the past ten days laying around my room just to have familiar things around for him. It was like he had been here for a week and I made sure he was having fun. It is such a wonderful feeling to having with me now and knowing we are getting closer to going home.

Bedtime was a whole different story – I could tell he was missing his previous surroundings. It was too much to give him a bath on the first night here, especially after he had just had one earlier in the day. I changed him into fancy pj’s he got from grandma Kaminski and I played the lullaby CD I got from my friend Julie at work. What a God-sent and thoughtful present that was! He was rocking himself and stopped right when I started the CD. A few hours later he woke up screaming at the top of his lungs, just as I was dosing-off and I think I levitated from the bed.
Oh my Heck…can this kid scream?

Today was a whole different story. We got up early, went to breakfast and he had a feast! We played at the playground, I changed several diapers, Alex took a three hour nap next to me which means I watched him for three hours straight. He just so precious! Tonight, as well as last nice, he was pretty active until the phone rang, then he lays down and starts dozing off. I wondered if they had some sort of a ring at the baby house that they rang when it was time to go to sleep. I have asked Chris to call me at the same time tomorrow, it works! He is sleeping now so I get to take care of my stuff and pack.

The last part of this journey starts tomorrow!

Two Days Away!

I have a crib in my room! I just need the baby now. It is 10:40 PM on Sunday, and I just woke up from a two hour nap. Last night I went back to S36 and had a nice dinner, but today I haven’t left my room other than going to the buffet this morning to have some breakfast. It was loud in there today. The Russian soccer team is in town and they were all there this morning, sitting in a table right next to mine. Their food plates were gigantic and they each got up for more at least two or three times. I think some of them may be also staying on this floor. It was extremely loud during the night and I kept hearing people walking pass my room late and talking really loud late into the night.

Getting a crib was a bit of a fiasco. The girl at the reception desk who speaks English was alone at the front desk and couldn’t come up to the floor to translate so I managed to communicate with the floor housekeeper myself, and asked her show me the crib. She showed me a small play-pen that would hardly stay open and only had a very thing pad for a mattress; something that would probably be outlawed in the US and a hotel there would never offer for fear of the liability. I told her to forget it and I went down to the second floor to look for the crib Meghan used. I remember her telling me that she thought it was pretty good. The very few Russian words I have learned didn’t help me any with her. All I understood her say was that she was from Hungary. I finally said Bambino and right then she knew exactly what I was talking about…must be a global word - I thought it was just Italian. In any case, she got it and a few minutes later she brought to my room a really nice and colorful crib along with a nice thick pad, baby sheets, and a baby blanket. I put it together and set it up right next to my bed. I doubt I will sleep the first night little Alex is here. Instead I will be keeping guard all night and watching him every second to make sure he is fine. New Mom you know…

3 Days and then is GOTCHA DAY!

Saturday is almost over for me, then Sunday, Monday and then is Gotcha Day! I can’t wait. It has been hard these past couple of days, especially today since I didn’t go see little Alex. I tried to stay busy all morning packing some things I know I won’t be using the rest of the time I am here, returning emails and organizing Alex’s stuff. Gee…I even did laundry today! I have a homemade clothes’ line I put together myself and I used the bathroom sink to hand-wash a few sweaters to wear again in Moscow. It is getting warm here but it looks like the temperature in Moscow is still in the low 50’s and a lot cooler than that at night. Next Tuesday when Alex leaves the orphanage, it will be a sunny and warm 71 degrees.

Right after breakfast today I talked to a couple from St Louis who had court here a couple of weeks ago. They went home for the ten-day waiting period and just got back here last Wednesday. Nice people who just adopted two very adorable little boys. They and Megan leave for Moscow tonight and have embassy appointments next Monday. Boy! Do I wish I was leaving with them??? I am so happy for them and for the three kids they are taking home.

This afternoon I am going back to Banana Mama – the Babies R Us of Perm – to shop for some baby food and formula. After that I am going to stop at a Museum just a couple of blocks from the hotel, then I think I will be checking out an acrobatics show I read about in the English Perm paper. I am not doing anything tomorrow outside the hotel, and Monday I will be going back to see my boy.

I REALLY - REALLY MISS HOME!!!

Four Days...And T G I F!!!!

Thank Goodness is Friday!!! I am getting a little anxious and ready to get back home. Perm is nice and the place where I am staying is great but it is getting to be a bit much. I can’t put into words how much I am looking forward to Gotcha Day and flying to Moscow with Alex to meet Chris.

The plan is still the same; Roma told me today that he will be leaving to Kudymkar really early on Monday morning, probably 7:00 AM. That means he will be able to get to the courthouse before lunch and get back to Perm around 4:00. Perhaps a bit too late to take the court decision to the passport office so the plan is to deliver that paperwork first thing Tuesday morning and right after we get his birth certificate from the department of Vital Statistics.

After that is off to the baby house to get my precious little boy. Yahoooo!!! Anastasia told me that the reason Alex didn’t want to eat again today is because he senses he is leaving the orphanage. I personally don’t think he has a clue. I did tell her today that it probably wasn’t a good idea to give him two full cups of juice just before lunch – he drinks that stuff like is going out of style so when we try to feed him the lunch, he is too full to want to eat much.

I feel a lot better today but Alex is about the same as he was yesterday. He did play more today, we walked the hallways, he didn’t cry out for Anastasia when she came to check on us, and today he was infatuated with my necklace and hair. He is so curious and wants to grab everything in sight. I can already tell that I will be able to do absolutely nothing other than to watch him when I get home…and I can’t wait!

Today he got a hold of Roma’s cell phone, he put it to his ear and made a noise like he was saying hello in Russian. At first I thought it was just in my head but when he did it a second time Roma thought that perhaps he has watched the caretakers do it so he is just imitating them. Very possible I guess. I saw two of them today on their cells when Alex and I were strolling down the hallways of the baby house.

I still don’t know about this weekend and Roma won’t be here to take me to the orphanage on Monday. I offered to call a taxi from the hotel but he recommended against it. Today he will try to contact someone he knows to see if they can take me there and pick me up a couple of hours later. On Monday, I will deliver the clothes he will wear on Tuesday when I pick him up. I am sure Anastasia will have him looking really handsome on his last day at the baby house.

I know Anastasia is happy to see him become part of a family and have a much better life and future, but I could tell today that she is already very sad knowing he is leaving in just a few days. I can tell they are very attached to each other and I feel very sad for her. It also breaks my heart to think that Alex will be confused and will wonder about her for the next few days. I am sure it will be a day filled with a lot of emotions for everyone. I have a picture of her and Alex that I took just a few days ago and I plan to frame it and give it to her to keep as a memory. Baby Alex will soon forget all about this place but for me, I will NEVER forget the place that gave us our son, or Anastasia the wonderful woman who loved him and cared for him the first fifteen months of his life.

Still Thursday...

It is almost 5:00 PM in Perm. Today was not such a good day for Alex or me. I went to breakfast and shortly thereafter I started to feel sick and nauseous. I ‘m not sure why because I ate the exact same breakfast I have been eating since I got here: Cheese and boiled potatoes in sauce and two cups of coffee. We got to the orphanage around 11:00 and Anastasia had Alex all ready for us in the big music room and told us that he too was getting a cold and had had a bad night.

It was easy to tell that our little boy was not feeling well at all, but fortunately he did not have a temperature. The resident Doctor seems to think that he could also be feeling a bit nervous due to all the attention he has been getting lately. Something I am sure he is not used to at the baby house. I am not stopping of course, but I am also being very careful not to overwhelm him.

Next on my list of icky things: today was fish-day at the orphanage. They brought the usual soup with carrots, potatoes and bread, and some sort of fish concoction that he didn’t like. It also didn’t help my nausea. As soon as the tray shows up, he goes right for the cup of juice and doesn’t stop until it is all finished; although today I took the cup away from him when it was half full and refilled it with the water and juice that I bring every day as contraband. Getting him to eat was impossible. I assumed it was a combination of the yucky fish and being sick. He had a toy in one hand and his cup on the other and kept hitting the table pretty hard which I took as ‘I don’t care what you say or do; I am not eating this chow’!

We called for Anastasia to see if we could get something other than fish, but this is no restaurant and she was busy so I kept on trying. She showed up just a few minutes later and pretty much just shove-down a few tablespoons of the soup and bread while talking to him really fast, but she too gave up on feeding him the fish. Every time she tried, he would close his lips really tight…it was actually cute and funny. Whatever she was saying to him in Russian included the words Mama and Arizona and he just starred at her. I want to bring her to the US with me. He sure listened to her!

I had planned to meet Meghan (the lady from Seattle) and her son at the pool at 1:00 PM but I didn’t make it back until closer to two. I went down anyway and hang with them until a little bit ago. I didn’t want to miss the chance at the pool, sauna and steam-room. Weirdly enough, it is by reservation only plus you have to pay to use it. The nice thing about it is that during your reserved time, no one else is allowed in there so we shared the expense and had the entire Wellness Center to ourselves for almost two hours.

My last mishap of the day? I accidentally broke a big bottle of Pepsi in the bathroom as I was trying to throw it in the garbage can. I called housekeeping and they did a good job cleaning it up and making sure there wasn’t any glass left but now I am paranoid, especially since little baby Alex is going to take over this place in five days.

I have been taking medicine all day and still don’t feel very good. I will be skipping dinner tonight, keep on drinking a lot of mineral water, continue to take more medicine and will pray that I feel better in the morning. I am looking forward to a nice and long visit with Alex tomorrow and hopefully he too will be feeling a lot better. I don’t think I will see him Saturday or Sunday, although Roma told me today we were going to try but I am not sure what he meant. Who knows, maybe we are sneaking-in the back door…

Five Days Now

It is Thursday at 8:15 AM. This thirteen-hour difference from Phoenix is confusing but trust me, in five days Alex moves from the baby house to my arms!

The internet was down all day yesterday so I was not able to write on the blog or returned any emails. Alex and I had another great day; I think they are preparing him for AZ...he was in shorts and a T-shirt during most of our visit. I really love this little guy and he knows it! Yesterday he was doing all the entertaining and showing off to Mama big time. Anastasia told me they have started to call him Alex and he has been responding. I call him Alex at the same time I pronounce his Russian name--hopefully he will make the connection.

The Opera House was incredible. The celings were all hand painted by some Italian artist and the decor is all in white and gold. Pretty amazing place. The play was the Silfida Ballet from Sweeden and it was also wonderful. After the show Marina and I met Roma at Coffe City for a late snack and coffee, then I came home and went to the business center since the Internet was down and I was not able to use my laptop. Overall, it was another good day in good 'ole Perm, Russia.

7 Days to Getting Alex

Today when I went to see Alex Anastasia, my favorite caretaker, was there and she and the doctor gave me Alex’s daily meal menu and nap schedule. I am thinking this is what HE SHOULD be eating, but no necessarly what he eats right now, otherwise he would probably be a few sizes bigger. I did find out yesterday that he is still on formula and not having any milk yet. I also got a long list with all his immunizations.

He has been doing great; today he was VERY active and enjoyed digging through the backpack I bring with me every day. He has figured out that’s where I keep some toys (…and Goldfish, cookies and juice. Shhh). Today we played with stickers. I wanted to see if he would be able to peel-off the stickers and put them in a blank piece of paper, which he did and had fun doing. He also took out his sunglasses from my bag and put them on, and then took my sunglasses and put them on me. We took a long walk up and down the orphanage hallways, both of us wearing shades. It was quite the sight!

In the afternoon I ran into the single woman from Seattle, who has been staying here a week longer than me waiting for her new baby. She and her adopted son, also from Russia, were bowling so I joined then for a little while. She is really nice and her fourteen year old boy is a lot of fun! Later in the afternoon the three of us went to the mall and visited the Russian version of Babies R Us; we had dinner at Southern Fried Chicken, which is just like KFC, then walked to another mall, and them home.

Tomorrow night Marina, Roma’s girlfriend, and I are going to the Opera House. The show is a Turkish play with a title I can’t pronounce. I am more excited and interested to see the inside of the three-hundred year-old Opera House than I am on the actual play. They just had Romeo and Juliet and La Traviata here a couple of weeks ago; that would have been great to see but we have to settle for the Turkish romantic opera; I am sure it will be great!