Trip 2 - Day 21!! Yay!

It's 10:15am in Moscow. Ilya's down for his morning nap, we're packed, and Pasha will be here within the 1/2 hour to pick us up. We're definitely ready to go home but leaving is bittersweet. We've had a great 3 weeks here and have many memories to share with Ilya as he grows. We are especially grateful for the new friends we have met who not only made this trip tolerable but down right enjoyable as well!

Next post, the good ol' USA!

Paka Paka!
Karyn, Norm & Ilya

Trip 2 - Day 20: Packin' Up

Well, this is it! Our last night in Moscow. Aside from what we'll need to shower and dress ourselves & feed Ilya in the morning, we're all set for our flight HOME tomorrow! Oh, don't worry, the boy will be clothed as well...but minus a few layers than he's been required to wear most of his 14 months!

Please pray for us to have safe & uneventful travels tomorrow. At some point during a 10+ hr flight, you're going to experience uncomfortableness and I pray we're able to make Ilya as comfy as possible.

The picture above was taken May 27, 2008 - - the day 3 lives irrevocably changed forever. The day Ilya left the only home he's ever known to join our family and bless us beyond measure. What an awesome, amazing, miraculous journey we've been on since October 2007. Our road to Ilya has brought Norm & me closer than I ever imagined 2 people already in love could be, and more importantly our relationship with and trust in God has reached a point I never knew possible.

Many people have made many comments along the lines of what a "great thing" Norm & I are doing, and what a lucky kiddo Ilya is to now have us as parents. While we truly appreciate these compliments, neither of us feel like we have done anything great. We are the ones blessed by God to have Ilya as our son. We are the lucky ones! We know that every step of this journey - the good, the wonderful, the bad and the ugly - was orchestrated by God. We hoped for children early in our marriage but in hindsight, we were nowhere near ready to be parents in all the areas that parents need to be strong...from housing, to finances, to careers, to spiritual maturity we were not ready. He chose for Ilya's life to intersect with ours at the exact timing that it did, and for that we are so very grateful and humbled, and never will we stop believing in God's great goodness!

I can't believe I blogged every day of our 2nd trip, and on some days twice! Yikes! I hope I didn't overwhelm any of my readers by giving "too much" information. In case you haven't noticed by now, I tend to ramble when I write. It was important to me, though, to document as much as possible so we can share this with Ilya as he gets older, and also to help families who are either in process or considering pursuing international adoption. If you fall into that second category, remember that no matter the frustration, no matter how many times you suffer from exploding head syndrome, no matter how many times you experience a down day as opposed to an up day, it IS do-able and your reward will be something close to the absolutely cheesy grin I have in our family photo above!

With that said, nothing really official happened today, other than Pasha going to the Russian Consulate on our behalf to register Ilya. Don't ask what that means because I'm not exactly sure, just that it had to be done. We did show up at MOE (Ministry of Education) to have our names taken off the list of prospective adoptive parents, but they decided to shut down their office for some reason so the trip was pointless...except for the flower vendor who benefited from us buying roses from him to present to the MOE staff! Our agency has a power of attorney for us, so they will stop by on Monday to have our names removed. When we returned to the apartment, we just hung out, did laundry, played with Ilya and packed. Pasha is picking us up at 11am tomorrow for our flight. We're supposed to land at Dulles at 5-something and hopefully be home a few hours after that. We don't know what to expect for Ilya's entry into the US and we're obviously hoping it doesn't take long to get through.

On March 21, 2008, the last day we spent with Ilya on our first trip, we left behind some toys for him to play with until we could return to see him again: stacking cups, a teething ring, a stuffed donkey and our family photo album. From March 22 - May 26, Ilya's caregivers would use these toys and looked at that album with Ilya to help reassure him that we would be returning as soon as we possibly could. These 4 items were placed in a plastic bag with his Russian last name written on it, and they were the only possessions Ilya ever had in his entire 14 months. When we picked Ilya up forever on May 27, his caregivers gave us those toys and that plastic bag. It brings tears to my eyes to think that this precious little boy only had 4 things to call "his." Ilya has no idea right now of how many things we've accumulated for him - - how much "stuff" is waiting for him at home. I'm keeping the plastic bag as a reminder to Norm, Ilya and me of the path that God took all 3 of us on to find each other and become a family!

Just for Becky & Keith

How pathetic is this? Our 14 month old was able to find the fountain & we needed him to guide us there! After telling him about our snafu meeting you here, he said he was surprised we made it all the way to Moscow to find him! Oh well, at least we made it even if it was almost 3 weeks late!

Trip 2 - Day 19: Goin' Green!

After everything poor Ilya went through today, I'll be surprised if he still wants to go home with us. His schedule is so out of whack at this point. He's such a trooper though and we discovered how blessed we are to have a son who is willing to just go with the flow & see what the day brings.

Pasha picked Norm up at 10:15am to visit the Notary (again...) but I'm not sure why. We've been so many times, it's hard to keep track of all they why's, but let me tell you, the Notary industry seems to be the business to get into here in Russia! E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. has to be notarized!

After the notary, Norm & Pasha swung by the apartment to pick up me & little man. We all thought the notary would take longer than it did, so when Pasha called at 10:45 to say they would be at the apartment in 20 minutes, I knew I was in trouble. Ilya's nap goes until 11:30 and lunch is 11:30-noon. That meant I would have to wake the sleeping babe and we all know that's rarely a good idea.

Thankfully, our little Trooper is just as happy being woken up as he is waking on his own. I was greeted with smiles, laughter...and jelly legs! His little body refused to do much other than smile at me, which was fine. I packed a lunch to feed him in the car and we were off.

First stop, St. Basil's for our family photo. I thought we were just getting out of the car, running up to St. Basil's, snapping a few photos and returning to the car to head to the next appointment. So, I decided to wait until after the photo shoot to feed Ilya. Norm & I also decided to leave the diaper bag (that had our passports), and all our other stuff excluding kid and the camera in Pasha's car.

Turns out I was wrong about how long we'd be gone. Way wrong! Pasha decided to take us on a mini-tour of the Red Square area as well. We got some great family photos, but this meant that not only did Ilya have to wake up early from his nap, we were now running way late on his lunch.

We left Red Square around 12:45 but it was too early to head to the American Embassy for our exit interview, so Pasha suggested we stop at Mama's Pasta again for lunch. Finally, little man gets to eat his lunch!

By the time we got to the Embassy it was around 2:15. There was a huge line of Russian citizens waiting outside for their appointments but we were able to bypass all of them & go in the entrance for Americans instead. Once we finally found our way to Window 4 on the 2nd floor, we ran into 6 other American couples there for the same reason. The process was painless but not without humor. Window #4 Lady was Russian (or sounded it) and all she said was "Give me your invitation and your money." Um, okay. That's it. No pleasantries, no how ya doin, no congrats on your new son...just give me your money! You had to hear it in her demanding Russian accent to appreciate.

We were out of the Embassy by 2:25 and had to head to the CSS office for some last minute paperwork. Ilya's afternoon nap is supposed to be from 2-4pm, and we didn't even leave CSS until 3:45 and Little Man was awake the entire time. As soon as we strapped him back into the car seat he was out, so he started his nap when he should have been waking from it.

Once in the apartment, he fell asleep & we let him sleep until 5-something. I guess we'll always second guess that decision because bedtime tonight was a big challenge. Very big. We knew he was exhausted from everything he went through today and that he needed the sleep. When h woke up at 5-something, we had him eat dinner, had a great bath, and started trying to put him to sleep for the night at 7:30, as per his schedule. Ilya said to heck with my schedule today, ya'll already messed that way up! He finally fell asleep around 9:30 and I hope he forgives us for today's craziness.

The only official thing we need to do tomorrow is return to the Ministry of Education - the place where this all started on March 17 when we received Ilya's referral. It will be strange and wonderful to walk back in & thank the ladies for helping us find our son. AND...we get to ride in the world's smallest elevator again! We need to make this visit to have our names taken off the list of prospective adoptive families. And then...we're done! After that we just need to pack and get ready for our flight home on Saturday.

Here are a few photos from Ilya's journey to Red Square today. I promise we didn't intend for all of us to be wearing green today. It just kinda happened. Enjoy!

Ilya is standing on the center of Moscow!

Trip 2 - Day 18: How to tell if Ilya's had a good nap!

When Ilya woke from his afternoon, we walked into the bedroom to find this (for the full effect, click on the photos to enlarge!):

We were both dying laughing when we first saw this "do" and I still am. I know Ilya will be VERY upset with us someday for posting this. But really, how could we not? I promise you we did not stick Ilya on the end of a pencil & rub it between our palms to get achieve this look!

Two official things took place in regards to the adoption today, and we were only directly involved in one. Dr. Boris came by the apartment at 7:45 to do Ilya's outprocessing physical and Pasha picked up Ilya's passport this afternoon.

Ilya had a few more firsts today...first visit to a restaurant (2 in one day even, first Mama's Pasta and then TGIF), first stroller ride down Arbat Street, first time in an underground crossing tunnel, first trip to a toy store, and first trip to a grocery store. Yeah, I know that last one's not exactly what a baby dreams of doing, but he was such a trooper the entire day. Norm & I are so impressed with how well he has handled all of the changes we're throwing at him. He is truly a blessing to our family and we fall more in love with him each day!

This evening we met Ron, Dana, Aaron & Kaden for dinner at TGI Friday's on Arbat. It seem so surreal that nearly 3 weeks ago we met everyone for the first time at the same restaurant. Kaden is a little cutie and he has found his way into a very special family! Dana & Aaron are wonderful parents & I am really looking forward to continuing to follow their journey once we're all home. I hope our boys have a chance to meet in person again some day.

Tonight was bittersweet because it may be the last time we see Ron, although I hope that we are able to meet up with him again before we leave. I wish we had a chance to meet his wife, Dinia as well but I truly believe that our paths will cross at some point State side. I know that Dana & Aaron appreciate EVERYTHING that Ron has done for us during our 3 weeks in Moscow, as do Norm & I. I hope Ron doesn't mind but when we speak of Ron and Dinia to Ilya, we'd like to refer to them as Uncle Ron & Aunt Dinia. We honestly feel like they are members of our family now and treasure/value the friendship we have formed with them. Thank you just doesn't equal the amount of gratitude we feel right now.

Here are a few photos from tonight's dinner! The one of Ilya by himself is a full out belly laugh, not a cry.

Trip 2 - Summary of our 1st day together

Pasha picked us up at 12:15 yesterday (May 27, 2008). I completely understand now what Susan is referring to when she says she felt like they were in the Pasha 500 the day she & Randy picked up Artem. Ohmygoodness! I was worried about getting carsick myself, much less Ilya if Pasha maintained the same pace and taking corners on 2 wheels once Ilya was with us. I've been scared by Moscow drivers a few times but never by "our" driver. Yesterday, I was! I think Norm & Pasha were having a great time. Me on the other hand, I was turning as green as Norm's shirt! Please don't think anything bad about Pasha, he was just trying to keep us on schedule and traffic was horrible for him once he left the Vital Statistics office on his way to pick us up. He was trying to make up for time because we needed to be to the Passport Office at a certain time, and he was afraid we were cutting it a little too close. I've never been happier to get out of a car as I was when we finally made it to the orphanage.

Oh, we also had to stop along the way to make copies of our passports, and then at a grocery store to get the traditional cakes, candies and tea. The caregivers celebrate the "sweet life" the adopted children are about to embark on. How precious!

We arrived around 1:15 and gave our gifts to the director and Ilya's caregivers. I wasn't sure what to expect from the orphanage as far as a sendoff for Ilya. I've heard some children are brought to their parents totally naked. Seems a bit humiliating to the children, doesn't it? Other accounts report that the child was at least wearing a diaper but nothing else. In either case, the parents provide their own diapers, clothing, shoes & socks to redress the children. I'm happy to report that Ilya was brought to us completely clothed, even had on the infamous PINK TIGHTS AND PINK SHOES! Ugh! So, Norm held Ilya on his lap as I started to undress him from the orphanage cothes:

Pink girlie shoes with daisies - absolutely gone!

Light Blue Fleece Pants with PINK FLOWERS- gone!

Pink thermal Tights - GONE FOREVER! I promise!

First top layer - a super thick WOOL sweater - gone!

Second top layer - long sleeve thermal onesie - gone!

Third top layer - another long sleeve (but not thermal) onesie - gone!

Fourth top layer - short sleeve (thank goodness) onesie - gone!

FIFTH TOP LAYER - sleevelss tank top - gone!

Sheesh! The poor kid was wiped out after struggling with peeling off all those layers - not to mention his new mama! The funniest thing was that the temp. yesterday was just over 70 degrees. They wanted us to put Ilya's fleece jacket on him as well as a hat. Pasha said "NYET" to the jacket and Ilya said "NYET" to the hat! It was funny but we are so thankful to Pasha for stepping in. Little guy would have baked alive had we kept that jacket on him.

There were actually quite a few caregivers in the orphanage director's office to see Ilya off. They all kissed and hugged him and allowed us to take a few group photos. They also gave us some momentos that we will share with Ilya later in life, one of which is yet another (and different!) photo that was taken of him the day he was born. We feel so privileged to have these 2 photos now. It's rare that adoptive parents get photos from this early in their child's life. His send off was very touching to all of us, and Pasha told me that the caregivers and directors all "like our family a lot and are thrilled that Ilya will be with us forever." So are we!

There was LOTS of drama putting Ilya in his carseat. He did NOT like that at all and we actually had a flow of crocodile tears for a couple minutes. He eventually calmed down and then enjoyed the rest of the ride. I was prepared for projectile vomit, lots of screaming, lots of tears but we had none of it once he accepted the carseat. We were so proud of him! About 15 minutes into the ride we got stuck in traffic & Ilya started getting fidgety. Pasha told me to take him out of his carseat & let him sit on my lap to fall asleep. It was his naptime and he was exhausted. So, I did as Pasha directed and little man was OUT in a matter of seconds. He slept for 2 hrs straight and didn't wake for anything - - not getting out of & back into the car at the Passport Office, not the hideous clanking that happened when we got a flat tire, not the car being jacked up, things being tossed around in Pasha's car, nor the actual tire change itself! Nothing waked him at all!

He finally did wake once we pulled up in front of the apartment building. Good timing! He had a lot of fun exploring the apartment and we were so excited to finally be able to feed him ourselves. He had a pretty good size snack but we're having trouble getting him to drink enough. He at a ton for breakfast this morning and seems to really enjoy his rice cereal and pureed pears.

When it was time for his bath last night, we weren't sure what to expect either. A lot of kids are terrified of the water and it takes some time to adjust to this new idea. Norm took a pair of shorts & sat in the bath with him just in case there was a freak out episode. The first time those little baby feet hit the water he got the cutest little expression on his face of shock, but once he realized daddy was in the water & had survived, he started to settle down. Then the splash fest began and we all had a blast!

Bedtime should have been 7:30 according to the schedule we were given, but Ilya wasn't even giving sleep a second thought until about 7:50. He seemed uncertain about falling asleep in this strange place, so we ended up laying in bed with him until he was out at 8:15. Given his new surroundings and everything he had been through yesterday, I think getting to bed within 45 minutes of his normal time is pretty good! He slept until 3:30 this morning and we could hear him fidgeting around in his bed. He didn't cry, but it was light enough in the room to see that he was confused and maybe frightened about where he was. We brought him to bed with us again to try to help reassure him, and he slept until 6am. We had the big breakfast I mentioned above at around 6:45 and then waited for Dr. Boris to come to the apartment for Ilya's physical. Which, by the way, was no big deal at all.

So, our first day as parents to this lovely 14 month old went pretty well I think. Ilya seems so far to be at ease and having a blast with his new found freedom. Norm & Ilya are sleeping right now, and we have some afternoon activities planned which I'll post about later.

In the meantime, here are a couple glamour shots of our boy's first bath!

Day 17 - Introducing Ilya (take 2)

I tried to post this earlier today. Whacky things happened & for some reason it's showing up at the bottom of the blog, so we're giving it a second try.

I'll post more about our first day with Ilya tomorrow, but just know it was amazing! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy our little presentation!

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