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!

Big Day

Two BIG events today: Alex got to be out of the baby house on a bright sunny day in Perm and HE WALKED without any help! On the ride to the picture’s store he was checking out everything that moved and getting his new pair of shades on and off. The ride to the picture’s store only took about 10 minutes, but getting this curious boy to pose for the pictures was not as quick. He kept giggling and pointing at his own face in the computer screen and the photographer was not too thrilled. She was finally able to get him to hold still and took some really good pictures for his passport and US visa. I told Roma to take the longest route back so Alex could be out of the orphanage a little longer. We were only gone for about an hour.

The room we use every day to visit with Alex was busy with a new couple from the US that just arrived in Perm yesterday. The resident Doctor told us we had to use the large music/play room which is about five times bigger than the visiting room. Alex loved it and so did I. I could tell he is really familiar with this room; I walked to the far end of the room to grab some toys and Alex just got up and started walking towards me. Up to know he has been walking around holding hands or hanging on to people but today he was all over that room showing off to Mama. I wished so much that Chris was here to see him. Roma did get a great video that I will be showing to him.

We had a great time playing with the toys, the piano, and going in-and-out the play-house. Blowing and catching bubbles was definitely the most fun for him today. He would giggle really loud as he was trying to catch the bubbles. I fed him a bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch and some gold fish crackers and baby apple juice that I brought in as contraband. We had a terrific day and today he even cried when the caretaker picked him up to take him away to nap.
On the way out Roma and I ran into the resident Doctor again who told us they had installed the DVD player and the kids were having Movie Day this afternoon.

This evening I will be talking with a couple who are missionaries from the US living here in Perm, and whom I met online a few months ago. They have a Kids Club for the orphanages that house older kids. Today I am going to talk to them about bringing the show to Baby House Number 6.

Alex Riding Around Perm

Today Alex is going for a ride around Perm. Roma and I will be picking him up at 10:00 to go get his passport pictures taken. I am so excited to take him out for a car ride. He will be all bundled up and there will be no stops at the park, which I really wanted to do. The temperature dropped from 69F to a very cold 19F in just one day. Chris sure planed this trip right! He is back in AZ where the temperature will be close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

On a different note, it has been three days since our court date and I get to pick Alex from the orphanage first thing next Tuesday, so I am starting the countdown! We will have to wait until the following day to file for his passport since that office is only open M-W and Fridays. We should have the passport back on Friday. Alex and I will fly out to Moscow on Sunday where we will be meeting with Chris. Our meeting at the US embassy will be Monday or Tuesday; we will have a bit of time to check out Red Square and all the other tourist spots in Moscow.

8 days to picking Alex from the orphanage. Yeah!!!

More pics

Enjoying some sun...

Getting closer with Papa!

First Day as Mom and Dad

Boy, Oh Boy…we need a van! We don’t even have Alex with us yet and we are already hauling so much stuff. We were up early and were happy to get and read so many encouraging and supportive emails from home. Our visit to the baby house yesterday was our best one yet. To start things off we had to stop at a separate building to get our pass for the baby house that allows us to get by the grouchy guard. There were a few different couples also visiting that day, plus two from our hotel and us. We counted that a total of at least seven kids will be leaving this baby house in the next couple of weeks to become part of loving families! We arrived at the soon-to-be former casa de Alex around 11:00 and visited for about 3 hours. The work is still going on so it was loud all over the place but I thought it was great because it made it feel pretty lively. They brought Alex to us in no time at all. He looked rested and was happy to see us. We have been visiting with him in the same room every day so he is now pretty used to the toys in there and knows what to grab where.
A few minutes later my favorite caretaker came in with a tray full of warm food…a hamburger patty, rice and chicken noodle soup with lots of bread in it. We put him in the high chair and let him have a music toy he likes and started to feed him. I was told by the doctor back in Phoenix that he should have more protein that carbs right now so I made sure he ate all the meat and the chicken in the soup, but I also fed him quite a bit of the rice plus all the carrots from his soup. Today for the first time he ate most of his food and that was so great to see. A caretaker had told us a day or so ago that he wasn’t a good eater but I highly doubt they are able to sit with the kids for an hour to make sure they eat everything. They just don’t have the time.

After dinner we played for a couple of hours or so, and then it was time for a nap again. Darn! I didn’t have to ask for an additional ten minutes this time. Anastasia came by and told us we had ten more minutes before she came to pick him up, so my trick of asking for those additional ten minutes with him no longer works. Time with Alex at the baby house flies, and we can’t wait to take him home and spend more quality time with him. Yesterday he was all about Chris; he was sitting on his lap touching and feeling his face a lot. He was also imitating everything that Chris did, including putting one of the toys on top of his head; it was so cute! The difference is so obvious already and everyone at the orphanage, including the resident doctor who comes by during every one of our visits, mentioned the difference in Alex’s attitude and demeanor.

Although we want to take him home right now, this ten day waiting period will actually be a blessing. Bonding with him while the only people he has ever known are around, is going to be a lot easier on him than if we had shown-up the day after court and had taken him from the only people he knows and loves. Plus, now I get to introduce him to a few new meals while he is still eating his regular meals from the baby house.

After the baby house we went to the Central Market and bought baby Alex a pair of Russian leather boots to wear when he leaves the orphanage. We stopped at a sports stand to look for a hockey jersey and the first thing we saw was a Phoenix Sun’s Steve Nash jersey number 13. Good thing we are not superstitious! Roma drove us around Perm and stopped at a couple of malls. We bought a DVD player and some children’s CDs for the baby house then later in the evening we went out to S36 for dinner. The place was packed and the food was great. We even got to meet two players from the US who play here for the Perm Region basketball team. It was a great day and we were so thankful to God for all the blessings we have received on this trip.

We will miss Alex today and tomorrow. The baby house is closed to visitors Saturdays and Sundays. Chris and I will take it easy today; he leaves for Phoenix tomorrow at 4:00 AM which means Roma and I will be dropping him off at the airport at 2:00 in the morning. Yikes!
I hate to see him leave now that baby Alex was getting closer to him plus I won’t feel as safe here alone. I will continue to visit Alex every day and Roma already told me that his girlfriend Marina will have a couple of days off next week and is already planning to spend some time here at the hotel and running around with Roma and me. Perm is a great city and the weather now is really nice. This whole week they have had record temperatures and we love it! Yesterday it was a whooping 66 degrees! I just looked outside and it looks like another warm sunny day to be out and about.