Yesterday Sasha got to experience the pool for the first time. We were pretty sure she would love it based on how much she enjoys bath time. Hard to believe that prior to two weeks ago she had never been in a tub and now she's in a swimming pool. She has the makings of a little fish based on her first impression. Good thing since we have so many hot summer days here in KS! Since we'll be spending more time at the pool I'm going to have to get another swimsuit that actually fits her. The one we picked out was way to big and not as modest as I would prefer. We are still learning her size and just when we get it figured out I'm sure she'll hit a growth spurt that will keep us guessing!

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Shoes

Tonight Sasha did something kind of interesting to me. Matt and I each have a pair of shoes that we keep next to the back door that we throw on and off as we go in and out. Tonight Sasha went and got a pair of her shoes and put them in line with ours at the back door. It was very intentional on her part and they were perfectly placed. It makes me wonder if she's beginning to feel like she belongs here and just maybe this family thing might be okay. It's hard to guess what's going on in her mind especially after everything she's been through in the past two weeks. Today we printed some pictures and I was surprised at the difference between those taken during our recent baby home visits and those taken in the past couple days. She hardly looks like the same girl. The expressions on her face and the twinkle in her eyes are noticeably absent in those first pictures. Ironically we thought those pictures we good and encouraging at the time.

This afternoon Sasha got to visit her Aunt Michelle and Uncle Zach. This was her first outing since arriving home and she did well. The reason for the visit was to experience her first swim in a big pool! She wasn't sure at first but she was definitely intrigued. By the end she was squealing and having lots of fun, although she still wouldn't completely let go of her papa. I think we'll see lots of pool time this summer given her first impression. Unfortunately the swim suit we got for her was a little big, much like everything else. You read the size information but she's so skinny that even though the weight should work, nothing stays on her waist. So, I guess we try again with something smaller. I never knew picking out a swim suit for a two year old could be so difficult. Pictures of her outing to come later once her papa gets them off of his camera! For now I'll share a couple video of her having fun with her papa and her puppies.

Update and Pics

Sasha continues to adjust to having a family life.  It seems each day we learn more about her and how she is coping and how she best responds to us.  What a learning experience this is.  While we are still trying to figure out what our new normal is going to be we are making progress.  I've included a few pictures:  (1.) The three kiddos (2) Sasha's dance move (3) Sasha and Sally (4) Sasha showing some "attitude"

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2 week anniversary

Today is our two week anniversary of getting Sasha and what an amazing two weeks it’s been. So many firsts, so many highs and some lows to go along with them. Even though it doesn’t seem possible, we’ve been home almost a week already and I think we are beginning to get into a little bit of a routine. We have a pretty good idea of what Sasha’s routine was at the baby home so we’ve tried to follow that as much as possible. Our hope is that will help Sasha’s adjustment but I think it tends to make our adjustment as parents a little more difficult. At least we are old enough to understand what’s going on and why things are different.

As I’ve mentioned before, the main purpose behind the blog is to create a journal of sorts to help us memorialize this journey to bring Sasha home. We’ve witnessed a lot of firsts with Sasha over the past two weeks and it seems each day we learn more and more about her. Here are a few of the things we’ve enjoyed learning about our little girl:

Sasha is a great eater and it’s remarkable how well she feeds herself using silverware. I have yet to use a single bib because she doesn’t make messes with her food much to Dudley‘s and Sally‘s dismay. As I’ve previously mentioned the part of Russia where Sasha is from reminds me a lot of California. There are mountains and the sea close by and there is a lot of agriculture so fresh fruit is plentiful. I’m guessing that the kids were given fruit since it was so accessible because Sasha LOVES fruit. If you give her a cookie and some fruit on a plate she will always eat the fruit first and is typically asking for more before she even touches the cookie. This is amazing since Matt and I eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s been easy to incorporate Sasha’s eating into our routine because in Russia they eat the same kind of foods as we do in the States. For example at the baby home she would have eaten mostly potatoes and rice, beef and chicken. We know to keep the seasoning bland and so far Sasha has proven to like her mama’s and papa’s cooking. We’ll see if this continues or if she becomes more picky as she gets used to having plenty to eat.

Now that we are back home Matt and I have enjoyed getting back on a regular exercise routine. Each morning we’ve taken Sasha and the dogs on a walk. The walks are the only outing we’ve been doing this week and Sasha really enjoys them. She gets just as excited about going as the dogs do. Today on our walk she was singing the entire time.

Last Friday while we waited in the Moscow airport to head home Sasha discovered something that she found very entertaining. Her first ride on an escalator proved to be the best amusement park ride she’s ever been on. To pass the time and keep her busy Matt took her on the escalator over and over and over and over….. Some time if you are curious ask Matt how many times you can go up and down an escalator in an hour and he’ll probably have an answer for you. The next day when we got back to the Washington Dulles airport and she saw the escalators there she squealed with excitement. I guess we’ll be spending some time at the mall so she can “play” on her favorite “ride”. Matt has great visions of many roller coaster rides in her future.

All in all Sasha has done well at home but it just takes time. We’ve spent 18 months adopting her but she’s only had two weeks to adopt us. It’s going to take a lot of time, love, patience and wisdom as we move forward creating a connection with Sasha. A friend put it best: adoption isn’t a destination it’s a life long journey. A journey that we are blessed to be living.

Sasha at home

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Some pictures from Sasha's first couple days at home.  As you will see Dudley is never far behind her.  Sally is keeping more distance but is also doing really well with Sasha.   

Three days ago we finally arrived back in Wichita with Sasha. The trip home was long and didn’t go as planned but we made it home and all three of us survived. Things got off to a rough start after we boarded the plane in Moscow. We sat on the plane in Moscow for two hours while they fixed a mechanical problem. That turned our 10 hour flight into a 12 hour one. Overall Sasha was quite the trooper and did well. Mama and papa did well, too. We were very anxious about the flight considering how exhausted we were the week prior after a “short” two hour flight. Sasha slept for about five hours on the plane and we managed to keep her somewhat entertained the other seven. Arriving on U.S. soil was a great feeling and I think one of the best moments for us was going through customs. The young lady who processed our papers was very nice and very excited for little Sasha. She made a big deal about putting the stamp on Sasha’s passport making her a U.S. citizen. Unfortunately we were so tired that we didn’t get any pictures of her first steps on U.S. soil as a U.S. citizen.

Due to the delay in Moscow we missed our connecting flights so Sasha spent her first night as a citizen in Virginia. We knew when we finally left Moscow that we would not make our connections. By the time we landed the airline had all our connections rebooked, hotel arrangements and meal vouchers prepared. Even though we desparately wanted to be home, this delay was definitely for the best. As we flew across the world, our prayer was that God would work out the details and trusted that His plan was best. We did not want to be put in a position to make any decisions since we were so tired and had so many different emotions going through our heads. After the 12 hour flight I don’t think there’s any way the three of us could have handled our orginal flight schedule. We made it to the hotel by 8:00 pm EST and Sasha fell asleep playing on the bed by 9:00 EST. She slept all night so we all got some good rest.

Saturday started out okay but went down hill once we got to Chicago. The airline made a big mistake in our rebooking because Sasha was on a separate one way ticket and not on our round trip ticket. Matt and I had boarding passes for the noon flight to Wichita but to our surprise when we got to the termnal Sasha was shown as flying stand by. Because the flight was overbooked there was no way Sasha was getting on the flight. Long story short we ended up flying into Oklahoma City and driving the rest of the way home. Not the best circumstances but once again Sasha did well.

Thankfully, Sasha has not had any problems adjusting to the time change. She’s slept through the night every night since we left Russia. While Matt struggled a couple nights with jet lag overall we’ve gotten good rest which has helped the transition on our part. It’s amazing to see Sasha in her new home and she‘s doing remarkably well considering what she‘s been through. She’s quite the chatterbox and her English is shocking us all. I think she pronounces as many English words as she does Russian words. The question everyone’s been wondering is how she’s doing with the dogs. I’m happy to say that she LOVES her puppies. It took about half of the day on Monday to get them acquainted and the big turning point was when she got to play fetch with them. She loved that and realized that they listen and she can communicate with them, too. It’s hilarious to listen to her when one of them has done something she doesn’t approve of. She gets down right in their faces, points at them and begins scolding them in Russian babble. Dudley is never more than a step away from her and follows her everywhere. He also loves Sasha’s toys. Sally isn’t quite so sure about everything and keeps her distance a little more but still puts up with Sasha bothering her very well.

We have lots of pictures and lots of fun details/stories to share. Unfortunately it’s taken me three days to get this entry complete so they may be slow in coming. We are starting to feel caught up so hopefully I’ll have a chance to add some additional updates later in the week before Matt goes back to work on Tuesday. To help Sasha adjust and in an effort to keep her stress at a minimum we continue to limit visitors to immediate family. I know many are eager to meet her but right now our priority is helping her become comfortable with her home and learning who family are. Thank you for understanding and for your patience as we work through a very stressful tme in Sasha’s life.

Update: 05.20

Well,  today was our last day in Moscow and this will be the last update on the first chapter of Sasha's life story.  Now that Sasha's in bed we are getting our luggage packed and getting everything around so this will be a short posting.  Today was full of challenges.  Sasha was just a little pill.  You tell her "no" and she turns around, laughs and does it again.  As a result she spent a lot of time today sitting on the couch for disobeying.  We have to teach her that there's a consequence to her actions because right now everything just sounds funny to her.  So much of our challenge today is due to language barriers.  As soon as our facilitator arrived and spoke to her in Russian she immediately obeyed and sat nicely on the couch. 

Another part of our challenge today is that she's a very bright girl and she probably knows something is changing again.  We've started gathering things a little bit during her nap time and got our luggage back out which created insecurity and concern for her.  She tried really hard not to fall asleep very much like the first night we had her with us.  I'm sure lots of things are going through her head and she isn't sure what to expect.  She paced a lot all day and no toy or game was of interest to her.  She seemed very stressed and nervous.  While we've made great strides in developing a relationship with her she easily reverts back to those survival skills that she has relied on her entire life.

We are heading home bright and early in the morning.  Due to Moscow traffic and the size of the airport we are leaving the apartment at 7:00 am.  Our flight leaves at 12:30 and will last 11 hours.  Once in the U.S. we will have two additional connecting flights before arriving home after 10:00 pm.  Please keep us in your prayers as we fly across the world on our journey to bring Sasha home.  Once we are home and recover from the jetlag more pics and updates will be added.  

While our real journey is just beginning the ride so far has been life changing in many ways. Thank you to all for your interest, concern, encouragement, love and support over these past 18 months.           

Upate: 05.19

Another day in Moscow is coming to an end.  We officially celebrated Sasha's adoption tonight following in the footsteps of Samantha Carr's adoption celebration. We went to TGIFs for dinner.  It was so nice going some place where the menu and signs on the wall were in English, the music was American, the waitress even spoke English and the food was the same as it is in the states.  While it's definitely more expensive here it was worth every penny and the food was wonderful.  Sasha did really well at the restaurant, too.  It took awhile to get our food and she played nicely the entire time.   Once are meals came she enjoyed her hamburger and mashed potatoes more than I thought she would.  I think this will be a family favorite when it comes to eating out. 

 We are pleased that we were able to celebrate by doing something American so we can continue the tradition each year as we celebrate her adoption anniversary.

We also went to the park today and played for a little while in the sandbox.  Sasha enjoyed playing in the sand with her papa but then another lady and her son came.  Interestingly, as soon as she saw them Sasha stopped playing and wouldn't say a word.  She clung to Matt very closely and wasn't comfortable with the young woman who was friendly and tried to include Sasha in their play.  I think there's a lot of concern going around in her mind and she doesn't know who to trust and who might be coming to take her away again. 

Creating a known family circle is going to be a priority once we are home.  We have video and pictures of family members that we have been showing her each day.  She really loves watching the video.  This afternoon I think we watched it three times in a row.  Hopefully this will help her learn the different people who are going to be a part of her life.  It's important that she learns to differentiate between family who are safe, friends who are safe and strangers. 

Sasha did great in the car today.   She whimpered a little bit but almost as if she was humming to herself more than anything.  On the way home she even began chatting away.  The past couple days she's done very well with her afternoon nap, bedtime, bath and potty.  The other thing she's really helpful at is brushing her teeth.  Tonight I think we actually got them brushed vs me just making a mess of her face!  She's come a long way in only a few short days.  Actually we've all come a long way in only a few days.   

Update: 05.18

We made it to our appointment at the embassy today which was kind of different than what I expected and only took about half of an hour.  There were two other families there for visa appointments and we all waited together.  They called us up to the window individually and asked us to swear that the information provided was true and to review the information as it would appear on Sasha's visa.  Then we sat down and waited for the visas to be printed.  In the mean time a lady came out to talk to us about what to expect when we land in the U.S. and to answer questions.  Considering it was an embassy appointment it was much more casual than I thought it would be.  It was also interesting talking to the other two families.   Surprisingly, each family there today was adopting a girl.  Our facilitator told us that prior to the current situation between Russian and U.S. adoptions it was normal to see 10-15 families with appointments at one time.  In prior years it was up to as many as 40+ families.  Considering the large number of children needing families, it's sad that there were only three families there today. 

We left the embassy with Sasha's passport and visa in hand.  She officially is ready to return to her new home in the U.S.A.  This probably has been the most excited we've felt since we've been here.  She not only is ours but she can now go home.  For some reason we find a lot of peace and finality with today's appointment.  When we get off the plane and go through customs they will put a stamp on her passport.  This stamp officially makes Sasha a U.S. citizen.  Interestingly, she will have dual citizenship her entire life.  It's up to her once she's 18 to renounce her Russian citizenship if she so chooses.  If she ever wishes to return to Russia to visit she will need to apply for and travel on an updated Russian passport.

Up to now I would say each day has gone pretty good and we are establishing a family relationship with Sasha.  However each day this week we would start watching the clock after dinner and anxiously waited for bed time to arrive.  Today was the first day that I think I can say we actually enjoyed her.  It was fun watching her play and playing with her.  It was fun doing our typical bed time routine and watching her anticipate what comes next.  It was nice taking her to dinner and  listening to her squeal and giggle at herself in the mirror next to our table.  It's encouraging when we hear an English word come out of her mouth.  We were proud "showing her off" in a sense to the other couples at the embassy.  It was comforting to begin to anticipate her next moves.  I think with biological children the firsts come along over time and you can cherish each one.  For us today was an opportunity to cherish some of Sasha's "firsts" in a sense.  I think we actually felt like her parents today and not just some couple from the states that came to Russia to get a child.     

I must admit that the morning started off with a bit of a disaster though.  We went to the cafe for coffee and Sasha was doing great.  I had some stickers that she was playing with while Matt and I sat and enjoyed our much needed coffees.  We were just about finished when it happened.....she got moving around and knocked my coffee over.  It spilled right into my purse and of course I didn't have the zipper closed.  Needless to say we came back and I wiped down my purse as best I could but I think it will forever have the scent of caramel syrup from my latte.  I'm sure this won't be the last time we experience a moment like this either. 

   

Update: 05.17

The main event for today was Sasha's medical examination first thing this morning and of course we had to go by car. Sasha still isn't thrilled about the car but she is doing much better. Instead of a scream it's more of a wimper which includes moments of quiet and peace. I think before long she'll be much more comfortable with it and begin associating it with more happy thoughts. Anyway, she did well with the doctor (Boris), too. We weren't sure how she'd respond not knowing what kind of experiences she's had with the baby home doctor. Dr. Boris spoke good English which we really appreciated. The exam wasn't as detailed as I expected and we felt pretty comfortable with the whole thing. From the doctor's office we went to the U.S. Embassy to file paperwork for her Visa. Thankfully we just waited in the car while our facilitator went in and filed everything. Tomorrow afternoon we have our actual appointment with the embassy officials.

While we waited in the car at the embassy we had some great entertainment. The traffic in Moscow makes NYC or LA look like a nice Sunday drive. Watching all these cars move between eight lanes of traffic is crazy and then watching someone parrallel park a huge Lexus SUV in a tiny spot in front of us was very amusing. I still don't know how they made that happen without hitting the car we were in.

I would say overall the day was pretty relaxing and ordinary. We try to keep Sasha in the apartment with as little extra stimulation as possible. So far we've been able to keep a somewhat consistent bedtime routine and part of that is sitting and watching a bedtime video. Tonight after Sasha had her PJs on she went and got on the bed and set there waiting for the video to start. Apparently she's already learned the routine. The other thing we noticed today was some English that she's picked up. We asked her where mama's nose was and she pointed to my nose then we did papa's and Sasha's and she knew what we were asking. We did the same thing with ears. Another thing she does is give her mama and papa a kiss when we ask for one. The one other thing she knows how to say is Dudley. Whenever we look at photos of the dog she likes to repeat his name. She's also starting to use some common words like hi, good morning and bye bye.

We were able to get the details worked out on our tickets so we will be coming home on Friday which is a day earlier than planned. We are very excited that worked out and are already counting down the days. What a blessing that is to know we are down to only a few more days before we are home with our daughter. We've only been waiting for that day since November, 2008.

Update: 05.16

First I want to thank everyone for their reassuring comments after my post on how difficult yesterday was for us. It's good to hear that we are normal and not alone in our fears. As you all indicated some sleep and food made the world a much better place this morning. Thankfully all three of us were able to get some sleep last night which made for a much better day. We had a slow start to the day and then this afternoon did a little sight seeing and took some family pictures in Red Square. We spent the evening back at the apartment to avoid anymore stimulation for Sasha today. Unfortunately the internet connection where we are staying in Moscow is dial up and we have no way to upload pictures. So, everyone will have to wait for more pictures of our sweet Sasha and of our time in Moscow until we return home. Red Square was abosolutely, without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. The buildings in Moscow are either modern or centuries old and just amazing. The detail of the masonry work is fascinating and so ornate. I'm thankful we had the opportunity to see it today.

Sasha was a real trooper and I would say we all had a really good day. She still didn't like the ride in the van but it was nothing like what we experienced before. I think a few more "positive" outings and she will be a little more comfortable in the car. When she is at the apartment Sasha chatters nonstop. As soon as you take her outside she's silent. This is her way of shutting down and coping with all the stimulation. Seeing the dramatic difference in her personality confirms that we will have to be very careful about outings and having people around once we return home. Seeing this difference in her after three days is great. It shows she is bonding with us and building up trust but it also helps us know how to provide her with the best possible environment so she can adjust well.

Today we had several successes in parenting 101! The first is we figured out the whole potty thing. We left a diaper on her today but she didn't have to use it because we made it to the potty each time she needed to go! The biggest help was having a little potty chair for her to use once we got to the apartment. Apparently that's more like what they used at the baby home. We've also picked up on her cues that indicate she needs to go. Second, Matt got her to take a nap late this morning. Up to now it seems like she's been afraid to fall asleep during the day. Also, as she would go to sleep she did not want to be held. She would lie in her bed and rock herself back and forth. I'm sure this is how she put herself to bed each night at the baby home. Today we noticed a big change in that behavior. Matt was able to pace the room, in a sense rock her until she relaxed and fell asleep. This was how her nap came about but then tonight when we put her down as we had the past couple nights, she cried and didn't want to be left alone. We returned to her and Matt once again paced the room with her falling asleep on his shoulder. Third, at the baby home if Sasha fell down or bumped something she would get up and brush it off without a single tear. In an orphanage setting kids are not coddled or attended to when they are hurt. In fact often times a parent has to teach them what hurt feels like and how to properly express it. Today was the first time that Sasha came to us when she got an owie and allowed us to comfort her.

Some other new things for Sasha today included:

1. Her first happy meal from McDonalds! She loved the french fries.

2. She learned a new game with mama: ring-around-the-rosy! She was even going around the apartment a little later trying to sing the melody and we clearly heard the all fall down part!

3. Not only does she like her mama's shoes, she also likes mama's socks. Tonight she put on a pair of my socks and had them pulled all the way up like a pair of tights. Too cute!

4. We continue to play peek-a-bo games with her and she does well making good eye contact with us during these times.

I know we have a lot of challenges lying ahead of us but we are encouraged by the steps we've made in bonding with Sasha during our visits and after these first few days with her. Maybe we are just being naive and overly hopeful but it definitely boosts our confidence that we are at least doing some things right.

Update: 05.15

Well, Sasha slept through the night and was up at her normal time of 6:00am. Unfortunately we were all three sleeping in one bed so not all of us feel as rested as little miss Sasha. I recall the nights when my niece would sleep with me so I was prepared for the thrashing and kicking and all the movement but Matt wasn't. Today was a big day for Sasha...her first plane ride. But first I must address the car ride to the airport....she hated it AGAIN. She cried as soon as she saw the car and continued crying the entire way to the airport. In her histerics she often refers to a man so our best guess is that she has some bad association with a doctor and going by car to see him. As soon as we arrived at the airport she calmed down and we were able to bet through security with no problems. Surprisingly, Sasha did very well on the plane and subsequent bus ride into the terminal. She was a little unsure of the plane at first but we kept her preoccupied during take off and landing. She did amazing with her ears which we could tell bothered her a little bit. I at least knew enough to save some juice and a snack so she could eat and drink during the descent. During the flight we had about a 10 minute time period where she got restless and bored. Based on yesterday and today it seems like she really fights falling asleep for naps. We could tell she was tired on the plane but when she was just about to fall asleep she started really acting up. Thankfully we got her calmed down for the remainder of the flight and we didn't force the nap any further. Once we landed we immediately began dreading the next step which was another car ride. To our surprise she responded quite well. We had about an hour long comute to where we are staying and she had bursts of crying but nothing like we experienced with our driver in Krasnodar. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the type?/color?/size? of the car. In Moscow our driver has a van and she didn't freak out at the sight of it at all. Once we arrived at the apartment where we are staying Sasha immediately began to make herself at home and was chatting up a storm. I know I mentioned it yesterday but she is quite the little chatterbox.

So Sasha did well today but I must be honest and say that her mama and papa didn't fair so well. We didn't get lunch before we left for the airport so we were both tired and hungry by the time we landed in Moscow. Both of us really struggled today and I must admit we both had some feelings of regret. We absolutely adore Sasha but today we were very overwhelmed and missing the freedom we had when it was only the two of us. Once at the apartment where we are staying we both had a melt down. I honestly think homesickness is the motivating factor but when you're tired and hungry everything is just that much more difficult. We are trying to learn how to parent our first child and to make it even more difficult we are in a country where we can't communicate with anyone. Today was really hard but the best part of it is that Matt and I were both feeling the same way and were able to share those feelings with each other. Just one more time where we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable and communicate in a way that doesn't come easy for us. Sasha is great and we grow closer to her each day. We desperately want to be home with her so we can begin to find our new normal.

Tonight we figured out Sasha's bed time routine a little bit more and she fell asleep without any kind of struggle. Now we are off to bed and thankfully at the apartment Sasha has her own bed to sleep in. Tomorrow should be a much better day for us. We plan on going to Red Square and doing some sight seeing so we are looking forward to that. Good night from Moscow!

Update: 05.14

Today started early for us. We left the hotel at 5:00am to go pick up Sasha. When we arrived she was having breakfast so once that was finished they brought her to us. We changed her into the clothes we brought and then we were able to go see the area where she plays and take some pictures of that space before leaving. She wasn’t happy about getting into the car and she cried for the first twenty minutes. But from that point on she did amazing. I don’t know any two year old that can spend four hours in the car much less a child that has never been in a car to speak of. Of course about 15 minutes away from the hotel she fell asleep. That was just enough time to mess up her normal nap routine. So we went to the café around the corner and got some lunch. All in all the day was great. There were a lot of wonderful moments today and right now we are still taking them all in. For our first day as parents we managed to feed her, bathe her and we got her to sleep at her normal bed time so I think that makes for a pretty good day. Now how long she sleeps may be another story. She speaks a lot, not that we can understand much of it. Now that she’s away from the baby home I’m surprised by how verbal she is. She proudly takes our hand everywhere we go and definitely knows who her mama and papa are. Bed time was a challenge. She was overtired since nap time was shortened by the car ride, she’s in a strange place and she’s overwhelmed with the new toys in the room. As tired as she was, she really fought going to sleep. After a slight power struggle between Sasha and mama, she calmed down and I was able to get her to fall asleep. Now we are praying that we all get some sleep tonight. The best news of the day is that we have in our hands her passport and tickets to Moscow!!! We leave for Moscow tomorrow which is earlier than originally expected. We should know by the end of the weekend when we will be flying home for sure but there’s a chance we could get home Friday instead of Saturday.

Still so many things running through my mind about today and I’m not sure how to really sort them out. So for now I’ll share some other random comments, praises and thoughts from today but in no real order:

1. Praise - When we left the baby home they gave us the photo album that we left with her on our first trip. It appears the caregivers kept it for her and looked at it with her.

2. Praise - We got her passport today which means we can head to Moscow now instead of waiting until Monday.

3. Sasha is wearing 2T bottoms and 3T tops. The first little skirt I put on her was a size 3T and it fell right off of her. Thankfully I took a smaller pair of pants along! She’s a skinny little thing with no belly to hold anything up!

4. She loves my shoes and my socks! I don’t think we were in our hotel room more than 10 minutes and she was putting on my shoes! Sasha is very good at dressing herself, too. She makes it easy on us which is nice since we need a learning curve.

5. One of her favorite toys is a play cell phone. She loves “talking” on it!!

6. At the café a gentleman commented that we have a beautiful daughter. That piece of encouragement came at just the right time.

7. We are still amazed that we have a daughter. Other couples continue to wait a long time for the referral of a girl. Just this week we got an e-mail from our agency that stated families could only be considered for the Russian program if they want a boy of any age or a girl older than 5 years of age.

Oh, and did I mention we are leaving for Moscow in the morning!!!!! That is a specific answer to prayer this week. Yesterday we were told there was probably a 70% chance this could happen. Today it’s a 100% guarantee. Please pray for us and Sasha as we prepare to travel to Moscow. I’m sure the airplane ride will be a real challenge for her not to mention we aren’t used to traveling with a 2 year old!

Update: 05.13

We originally thought we would be able to get Sasha’s court documents sealed this morning and then pick her up today. However, we had to wait until later in the day to get the documents officially sealed. Due to the current circumstances regarding U.S. and Russian adoptions, the court was very specific about when they would stamp/seal the documents. In the past it was common to basically post date them or seal them a day early but not anymore. Unfortunately that did not leave us enough time to get to Armavir to pick up Sasha today. Instead we will travel to Armavir very early in the morning to pick her up so that we can return to Krasnodar by mid-morning to get the papers filed for her passport. We are praying that her passport will still be ready by the end of the day tomorrow so we can fly to Moscow over the weekend. If it isn’t ready then we will spend the weekend in Krasnodar and pick it up on Monday and head to the airport.

At 4:10pm Russian time the documents were sealed and we officially and legally became Sasha’s parents! Our facilitator came by the hotel around 5:00 to show us the documents and congratulate us. Officially her “gottcha day” will be May 14th. We have had some great authentic food here in Russia, but today we celebrated with dinner at Subway!!! It was truly one of the best meals we have had since leaving the states. I think mostly because it was familiar and reminded us of home. Next we went and bought Sasha a little hat. In Russia all little kids keep their heads covered. You will notice that in all her outdoor pictures Sasha is wearing some kind of hat.

While we were somewhat disappointed today when we learned we couldn’t go get her, we are also very thankful and rejoicing that she is legally our daughter now. Considering all that could have happened given the current situation if the only delay we have is in picking her up we consider ourselves very fortunate. I don’t think we will ever know what transpired so that we could finish Sasha’s adoption at this time. We have learned some details since we’ve been here and are praising God for the favor he has provided to us, our facilitator and through our agency. CWA has a good reputation with the Russian officials and our facilitator has been working with adoptions for a long time. She knows a lot of people and isn’t afraid to push her own agenda at times. She has a great deal of mutual respect with the officials and definitely knows when to push and when to accept the answer she’s given. We’ve seen her do a lot of great things on our behalf and are so appreciative of the extra mile she’s gone to bring Sasha home.

We now know that our court date was cancelled the week before we came. Our facilitator worked diligently and exhausted all her resources to get the courts to keep the date we were given and hear our case. It was unbelievable that we ended up having our hearing and that there were no further delays or problems with the courts. We were prepared for them to make additional requests for information or something just so they would have a reason to postpone and in effect cancel it. That never happened and our court hearing went very smooth. Our facilitator has since learned that no other court hearings have been held in the region and there aren’t any scheduled. Currently they are all being postponed with no time estimate given. In addition, the judge originally assigned to our case was switched the morning of our hearing and we ended up with a judge that had worked with our facilitator previously. The prosecutor and judge went through our home study thoroughly and asked us very specific questions. We are so thankful that our home study provider did a great job with that and nothing he wrote could be disputed. Our facilitator said she had never seen them refer to the home study so much. A lot of prayers have been answered throughout our adoption journey and we continue to see God’s hand leading and guiding us and going before us.

Today we find it amazing that there was a judge in Krasnodar that was willing to put her job on the line (her exact words) and award us the adoption during a time of such uncertainty. She then followed through with everything by sealing our documents today. As excited as we are about this it also makes me a little sad. There’s a little guy in Guatemala who belongs in our extended family, too. Yet he continues to live in an orphanage because there hasn’t been a judge willing to sign off on his papers and take responsibility for his case. We continue to pray for Vanny and that his paperwork will move through the right hands and God’s faithfulness will once again be obvious to all.

Update: 05.12

Well, tomorrow is the day we've been long awaiting.  We child proofed our hotel room tonight and spent the morning at the store getting things Sasha will need.  I'm not sure what to expect so I thought I would go ahead and post some pictures of our journey for everyone to enjoy just in case internet is not an option tomorrow once we are back at the hotel.  Thank you for the continued prayers and support for our family. 

A digital scrapbooking design by Smilebox

Update: 05.11

We took our next to last road trip to Armavir today to visit Sasha. I must say that the ride home was kind of sobering knowing that the next time we make this drive she will be with us. Trying to picture her in the car with us and wondering how she will handle the car ride were things we were all processing on our way out of town today. The reality of this long journey becomes more evident with each day that goes by. I would be mistaken to say that this is just a great, joyful day for us when actually there are a lot of confusing emotions swirling around in our heads and hearts. At times we almost feel guilty. We look forward to becoming a family of five (we always include Dudley and Sally!) however there is a part of us that selfishly wants to go back to life as we knew it before. The thought of having a child depending on us is definitely as scary as it is exciting. I’ve shared this with a couple friends before and they lovingly assured me that every couple expecting their first child feels the same way. I guess whether your first child is two or a newborn, the fears and the joy are both present. I would also compare this second trip to the ninth month of pregnancy. By then the mother is ready to do whatever it takes to get the child born. After nine days in a foreign country I think we are ready to do whatever it takes so we can get our child home. I don’t think we will feel comfortable until we are in our own home around our own things and establishing a new routine.

It was rainy and cooler today both in Krasnodar and Armavir. Regardless they still had us spend our time with Sasha outside on the playground. There were a couple covered gazebo type places but keeping a two year old contained to a place like that is next to impossible. Let me add that rain equals mud and like all little ones playing outside, Sasha found the mud on more than one occasion. At one point I turned around just in time to watch her put a clump in her mouth. I’m sure many of our mommy friends are grinning at the thought of this because you’ve all experienced it before….aaaahhhhh, the joys of parenting!

All in all today was another pleasant visit with Sasha. Our facilitator has commented to us on something she has observed the last couple of visits. When other kids and caregivers come around, it seems as if Sasha begins boasting or showing off her parents. Her actions around the others are interesting to say the least and when a caregiver refers to her mama and papa she always looks at us with a big smile on her face. Hopefully that smile continues to appear once she is outside the walls that confine her now. We look forward to many years of laughter as she experiences life and all the opportunities that lie ahead for her.

Update: 05.10

After a restful day yesterday we were up early for the long drive to Armavir. When we arrived the gate was closed going into the baby home and we realized it was another Russian holiday. Thankfully our facilitator was able to go in and visit with a caregiver and work out a visit. Since it was a holiday there were no administrators on the grounds today, just caregivers with their individual groups of kids. Interestingly, it seemed Sasha new the administrators were gone today because she wandered around the grounds more freely and explored areas more than she has on previous visits. Just like last week she was excited when she saw us and came right to us. The expressions on her face are priceless and she is very animated at times. Our facilitator says that’s what she will miss most and how she will remember Sasha once we leave Krasnodar.

Last Thursday we took some little gummy snacks with us and taught her how to use sign language and words to ask for more. Matt kept the little package of fruit snacks in his shirt pocket that day and would pull one out for her when she used the correct word/sign. Well, today one of the first things she did was go to him and look in his shirt pocket. It appears that she remembered where he kept those yummy little snacks and she was ready for more! We waited a bit and then when he pulled another package out today she immediately asked for more using the proper sign and word. When he said okay she giggled and wiggled and her face lit up. This was a common response every time she would get another one. When the package was empty we were able to show her that they were all gone and used words and sign language to explain. She took a minute to observe and consider what we were saying and then accepted it, gave us the empty trash and did not ask for any more. We were very pleased with this exchange because between words, actions and signs we communicated with her and she understood us well. The result was a content little girl who was ready to move on to something else.

I think the funniest thing that happened today was when Matt started dancing and she copied him. She loves music and loves to dance. Unfortunately she will be sad to discover that her mama and daddy have no rhythm or dancing ability whatsoever. Nonetheless, it was awfully cute watching her interact and copy Matt’s actions. Another fun activity we’ve been doing with her is picking dandelions that are at the white fluffy seed stage and she blows them. Today she had a pail so we went around collecting “flowers” and putting them in her pail. It only took me putting a couple in her pail before she knew exactly what to do and we went on a mini adventure to see how many we could collect.

Today we saw some good indications of her beginning to trust us. In addition, there were a couple times when she turned to us for help with something rather than just trying to take care of it herself and becoming frustrated. Up to now that has been the more common practice. While it was difficult to leave her after the first trip and the drive to Armavir is a long one, these visits have really helped us begin to connect with her in an environment that is safe and comfortable. I think that will definitely help ease some of the fear and anxiety she will be faced with leaving the baby home in a couple of days. We will spend one last day tomorrow just visiting her before we all leave together on Thursday. Continue to lift Sasha and these last couple days that she has at the baby home with her friends and caregivers up in prayer.

Update: 05.09

On our first visit to Krasnodar our facilitator told us that this is a city that doesn’t sleep. After another week here, I can tell you that is an accurate description of Krasnodar. In addition we seem to be staying in a popular area of the city where people come to shop and “hang” out. The past couple of nights have been extra noisy and warm so we haven’t slept that well. Thankfully last night was somewhat quiet and cooler which resulted in a good night’s rest.

Today is a day of celebration in Russia. As best I can tell and understand it would be similar to fourth of July for Americans. The street outside the hotel is blocked off for at least three or four miles and people are everywhere. It began with a military parade about 9:00 this morning and it appears they are setting up for a concert of some type this evening. There are artists and vendors up and down the street selling balloons, flowers, cotton candy, etc. The days events ended with a full fireworks show that took place right outside our hotel.  What a nice mother's day surprise!  Since today is a free day with no appointments or plans we enjoyed a couple good walks among the crowds. We brought back lattes and pastries which is what we intended to order so I guess that makes our outing a successful one! Even though it wasn’t Starbucks, a familiar latte and nice walk really helped the homesick feelings subside.

Thankfully starting tomorrow we will be busy visiting Sasha so that should help as well. Then the big day is Thursday when we actually get to bring Sasha back with us. Continue to pray for that day throughout this week. While it is a happy day for everyone else, it is a sad and traumatic day for her. We do know that her caregivers have been working with her on having a momma and daddy and we have begun talking with her about going on a car ride. Hopefully having a couple more days to introduce these ideas will help reduce the anxiety and uncertainty she feels leaving the baby home as well. Pray that we find the words, symbols and actions to communicate well with her as she begins to find ways to cope with this big change.

Update: 05.08

Today we traveled to Novorossiysk (Nav-ra-seesk) to visit the town where Sasha was born. Our desire is that by having some pictures of her birth town she will be able to fill in some gaps and know her complete life story. Hopefully the pictures and just knowing we actually walked the streets of the place where her life began will provide Sasha with some closure and an understanding of what her first two years of life were like.

The town is a port town on the Black Sea and is more industrial than other port cities. People tend to visit the other cities for vacations but people visit Novorossiysk because of work. The city is the number one exporter of grain in the Krasnodar region. I’ve included a link to a website that has more information and history on this beautiful city. The area is surrounded by mountains and the sea and just outside of town are vineyards. It actually reminds me of the northern California coast area that we visit often. I look forward to being there with Sasha in summers to come and telling her that this is what the town she was born in kind of looked like.

The city has a really nice pier and boardwalk area where we spent most of our time. There’s also a neat amusement park a short ways from this area and to our surprise it was free to get in. Walking around the park I wondered what Sasha would think of such a place. It’s kind of surreal walking around where she was born and watching and wondering about the other people. Are any of these people a relative to her? Did her birth mom bring her to any of these places when she was only a couple months old? Lots of questions that have no answers. I wonder if God allowed this opportunity so we can better understand what Sasha will be thinking and wondering about when she reflects on the early months of her life.

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Update: 05.07

Today was a day to catch up on some much needed rest. The drive to and from Armavir is long and those days tend to be mentally exhausting for us as well. We spent most of our time today relaxing in our hotel room which isn’t easy to do since it is a very small room Hopefully we will only have a day or two at this hotel once Sasha is with us. The place we are staying in Moscow is an actual apartment so she will have more room to move around there.

We were beyond tired last night when we did our posts on FB and the blog. So with a rested mind I can think of some additional things to share about yesterday’s visit. The primary purpose of these comments is to create a journal for us to look back on but I hope you enjoy reading them as well.

1. She likes music and dancing. The cell phone belonging to our facilitator rang during our visit and when she heard the ring Sasha began to dance around with a smile on her face.

2. It appears Sasha will need help learning how to be gentle. We’ve been told that at the baby home the children often fight. They have to fight for a toy, fight for attention, etc. So she’s used to being a little more aggressive with things overall. When she was playing with Matt and exploring his facial features she pinched at times and I also noticed she tried to bite at times. Obviously being gentle and patient is not how a child survives in an orphanage setting.

3. When we arrived for our afternoon visit there was another American couple there visiting their child as well. We were all standing in close proximity when Sasha came out. She immediately came to us and was again very excited to see us. The other couple was of no interest to her and she didn’t even acknowledge that she saw them. The encouraging thing about this is that it shows she is connecting with us and not just looking for attention from anyone and everyone around her.

4. Oh how she loves other babies! In a book or in person she doesn’t miss a young child. Interestingly in one of the books we took for her there is a page with pictures of several babies. She kissed and pointed to all the pictures except one. Even when I pointed the other picture out she wasn’t interested in that particular baby. As we talked about it later we realized that picture was of a colored baby. In Russia you don’t see people of various ethnic backgrounds so she’s never seen a black person of any age. On occasion you may see an Asian or Indian person in Russia but our facilitator told us that these people would be students here studying at one of the medical schools. It will be an experience for Sasha to see people of varying color and looks once outside of Russia.

5. On that same note, our facilitator told us that at court the judge and prosecutor commented on our appearance. They thought we looked like we were Russian and not like the Americans they typically see. We wondered why and our facilitator said it was because we dressed neatly, the way I wore my make up and that we were both thin.

Hard to believe we’ve been here almost a week. The time has gone fast and I’m sure this next week will fly by as well.

Update: 05.06

Today we had a great day with Sasha. We met with the baby home pediatrician first and then went outside to wait for Sasha. It was a really nice day so we were told that we could spend our time with her outside. As they brought her to us you could tell from the expression on her face the moment she realized who we were. She came to us right away and it appeared that she recognized us; we picked up right where we left off five weeks ago. Since we were there during playtime, there were other kids playing outside as well. We weren’t sure how Sasha would respond to this and to our surprise she wasn’t interested in the other kids this time. She was happy and enjoying her time with us today. This was quite different from the first visit when she cried when separated from the other kids. Typically our visits are for about an hour to 90 minutes. Today when our visit was over they asked when we would want to visit her again and Matt replied “this afternoon”. He said this more as a matter of how much we want to see her rather than actually requesting to see her again today. To our surprise they said we could come back at 3:15. It seems the head doctor is on vacation this week so the caregivers were willing to be flexible and allowed us another visit. So we had a wonderful opportunity to come back and spend a couple more hours with her in the afternoon.

Some specific things we enjoyed from our day with Sasha:

1. We took a simple puzzle along today and she figured it out very quickly. We played with it several times and often for extended periods of time.

2. At one point she became fascinated with my shoes so I slipped them off and she responded as any other two year old would. She put my shoes on and began clumping around in them. The other caregivers that were nearby smiled, laughed and joked when they saw her. They enjoyed watching her interact with us like that and it definitely made an impression on them (in a good way).

3. We also took along some fruit snacks and she really enjoyed them. The first one took her awhile to eat. She spent a lot of time exploring it in her mouth but with each one she ate she got quicker and quicker. Using this as an opportunity we taught her the sign for more and she picked that up very, very quickly. We also played peek-a-boo and she started repeating the word “boo” during our play. We were very encouraged with how quick she picked up on some words and interactions with us today.

4. Another thing we noticed today was the increased amount of babble and words that she was speaking along with her desire to copy us.

5. She interacted well with both of us but especially with Matt this time. She played with him and ran to him and explored his facial features. She was very interested in his face because he hasn’t shaved in a few days. Her expression when she touched his face was so cute.

6. We began talking to her about a car ride and going with momma and daddy. We walked out to where the car was so she could start getting used to the idea of leaving the baby home. The interesting thing was that when she saw our driver who was standing by the car she didn’t like him and looked to us for direction. The fact that she knew the difference between us and a stranger is great and that she looked to us for a reaction to him is a very good sign. It shows she is beginning to identify who we are and establishing a connection with us.

Before we left Armavir we got the paperwork completed for her passport. Tomorrow is another paperwork day and then we aren’t able to visit the baby home on weekends. So, we plan to go back to see her Monday and Tuesday of next week before we pick her up on Thursday. After today I think spending these two additional days will make it a little easier for her to leave with us. It’s hard to believe that a week from today we will be bringing her back to Krasnodar with us.

Update 05.05

This morning we awoke to a marching band and lots of activity outside our hotel window.  It was very interesting to watch and we were trying to piece together what we were actually watching but nothng seemed to make a lot of sense.  To us it was kind of reminiscent of the cold war era.  Later we asked our facilitator about it and found out that they were practicing for the parade.  On Sunday there is going to be a big parade which will go down the street right in front of our hotel and in the square on the corner.  It will be interesting to watch this parade.  Apparently this week is a significant week in Russian history going back to WWII.  I sure wish I would have paid more attention in histroy class!

Today we were able to go and get Sasha's official adoption certificate and a new birth certificate.  Her birth certificate now shows that we are her parents and that she was born in Krasnodar.  Today I think it's starting to sink in that we are really going to bring her home.  In all honesty I think we were more excited today getting those papers than we were yesterday at court.  There was so much tension and "drama" surrounding our court date that we really guarded ourselves and were expecting the worst.  It takes time to let that all sink in and sort out in our minds.   I thnk in another week when she's with us the reality of everything we definitely hit us like a big truck. 

We also found a local bakery today and got some of the best danishes I think we've ever had.  Not sure if this will end up being a good or bad thing for us!  The other great thing is that I had Russian chocolate for breakfast this morning!!  Not the most nutritonal but I was so happy we got some more that I couldn't wait any longer.  I love the Russian chocolate.  Hopefully we will have some restraint and will bring some back to share with others but I'm making no promises.  Kind of odd since I typically don't even like chocolate. 

Update: 05.04

Thankfully we arrived in Russia on time and without delays on Monday evening. Our travels were long and we were definitely tired but everything went well. We were met at the airport by our facilitator and she immediately began to prepare us for our court appointment scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 3:00. Over the past week she spent a lot of time visiting with officials and others who work at the court offices trying to gain some perspective on how court may go. She seemed rather uptight and nervous about what lied ahead. I guess she was anxious enough for all of us because once Matt and I got settled at the hotel we both fell right to sleep and actually slept very well considering court was only hours away.

Nobody really knew how court would go given the recent developments in Russian adoptions. There was also some uncertainty about whether or not a decision on our adoption would be delayed or postponed by the judge. Apparently there was a time last week when our court date was in question so anything was possible today. We were preparing ourselves for the worst and our facilitator was prepared for a battle. Thankfully our court hearing was nothing close to a battle. It appeared all the legwork our facilitator did leading up to now was beneficial because our court hearing literally lasted 10 minutes and was nothing like what we expected.

Court was rather informal. We spent most of the time waiting in the hall and when they were finally ready for us, we went into an office where the judge, a secretary and a prosecutor were all seated around the judge’s desk. Her desk was a typical office desk, nothing fancy or formal and definitely not like a judge’s bench you would see in a movie or on TV. The only somewhat formal thing was that the judge did have a black robe on that reminded me more of a graduation gown than a judge‘s robe. We sat down across from the judge and she opened up by asking us if we had any intentions of sending Sasha back because she didn’t want to lose her job if we did. After that the questions were normal inquiries about our first visit to meet Sasha, our home, our jobs and our understanding of Sasha’s medical history. Next the judge thanked us for being willing to adopt a child with a medical condition and then formally approved our request to adopt Sasha. Then we left and headed back to our hotel. Not quite the massive ordeal we were anticipating or the celebration we were envisioning. I think the plan is to find some place nice for dinner to celebrate but that may be more difficult than it sounds since we only know of two places to eat in the area.

We will sign some documents to process Sasha’s birth certificate in the morning so it’ll be Thursday before we can go to Armavir to visit Sasha. We are really anxious to see her especially now that she is officially our child. As many of you know, we have to wait 10 days before the judge will “seal” our adoption papers and during those 10 days we can only visit her. These next 10 days will seem like the longest days of our lives. Pray that we can enjoy them and use this time to learn more about Russia and Sasha’s heritage.