One of the best things about bringing Grace home is having all of my friends and family come and visit. Below, my golf-buddy Laure is playing with Grace. And even better... Laure brought dinner with her! Lynn, Laure's mom, and Melissa, another golf-buddy also visited that day.

Grace likes even the simplest toys. We had a lot of fun with a brown paper grocery bag!

Here's a shout out to my fellow adoptive mom - Christy! Can't wait for you to bring Katie home! Congratulations on becoming a mom! Katie is beautiful and you two look so happy! It truly is a wonderful journey. Grace and I are still learning from each other every day. God bless!

Grace and I visited her cousin Noah and her Grandpa Piper last weekend. Everyone had a really good time! Thank you Uncle Greg, Aunt Krista and cousin Ryan. Your home is a fun place to stay!

Grace ate her first pizza and really enjoyed it. She even likes pepperoni! But, no sausage. I'm happy that she's eating well.

OK. I have to admit that Grace is definitely growing on me. There were a few tough moments last week, but this week is much easier for me. For one thing, I'm healthy again and rid of the jet lag. For another, Grace is a GREAT sleeper (with the exception of one nap) and allows me to get the sleep that I need. It seems like we're really getting used to each other. I understand her more and can anticipate some problems ahead of time. Not all of them... she has poor behavior during most diaper changes but I'm going to find a special toy to distract her.

I think that I'm falling head over heals in love with this little one. She's got me wrapped around her finger! I'm so blessed to have her.


Tomorrow we're having professional pictures taken, so we were practicing smiling tonight... it's hard to capture the exact moment on film! I'm sure the pros will do better than I did.
She really likes to mimic me. Below, Grace is wearing my shoes. If she starts babbling, I mimic her and change it slightly. We're working on all of the consonants.

Notice that she stands well below the height of the kitchen-island counter top. I hope she starts growing... that reminds me that I need to pick up a growth chart to document this.

My sister advised that Grace start using a spoon. I had already begun letting her feed herself, but this spoon business in hilarious! Yesterday, her first day using a spoon, she could scoop up the food but then turn the spoon upside down as it went into her mouth, so she would lose a lot of it on her bib. Today, she only turns the spoon part way so more food reaches the goal. However, she learned how to flick the food! AAAAHHH! :)


How can I resist these big, blue, almond-shaped eyes?? She knows that I am her slave and will do everything for her. What a drama queen! The temper-tantrums are starting, but the majority of them are due to sleepiness. We have only been home five days and her body is still adjusting. She falls asleep in the car and is beginning to take morning naps instead of afternoon naps. It's a good thing that I don't have a schedule to keep.

We went to work today to sign up for health insurance. She's a little ham and will run to anybody with out-stretched arms! She also quickly remembers me and wants to come back to me! I am truly blessed with a healthy little girl. She seems to be adjusting very well.

My baby has a new pair of shoes!

She just loves to play dress-up! She's wearing plastic Barbie-doll shoes. She really struggles to put them on and usually has to ask me for help. But once they're on, watch out! She takes off and walks in circles around the house!

Now I get to show off my angel! Great-Grandma was at my house on Saturday - here's a picture below... In Russia, Grace always seemed afraid of the bath. She complained and cried a lot. Tonight, she got to take a bath with her cousin, Alexander, who is 17 months old. He weighs 29 pounds and she weighs 19 pounds. She's 29 inches tall, and he must be about four inches taller! But, they seem to be very similar developmentally -at least from my biased eyes! What cuties!

We're home!

Sorry that I didn't post earlier, but the time change and the 18 mo. old have kept me busy! Also, my family is here and I have a head cold with laryngitis. I guess I'm worn out.

We spent two nights in Moscow at the Holiday Inn Solikini - my agency led me through the doctor's visit) for Grace and the process at the US Embassy. It was really interesting to see the 15 or so other adoptive families that were waiting with me - I'll try to write more about that later.

We made it from door to door in 26 hours. Travel was OK except for the 4 1/2 hour delay in Warsaw, with our connection on Lot Polish Airlines. Grace did so well! We arrived just at the start of her normal nap time, so she slept and I carried her around the airport - asleep! I was thinking that she would sleep through the entire lay-over, but she woke up during the delay.

We took advantage of this time off of the airplane and walked with her around our gate area. She got sick of holding my hand and liked to explore on her own. I really don't see much delays physically. I think the language delay is very small, too. But, she didn't get a chance to feed herself, so we're going to start working on that.

She did great on the airplanes. She played on the floor a lot, and was VERY interested in the duty-free magazines. She's likes to turn pages and look at the Versace perfume, cigarettes, pearl jewelry, and Congac. She has expensive taste! The plane was about half empty, so we spread out on two seats to sleep. I tried to stack our carry on bags next to the seats, but she was still able to roll off and fall on the floor. She didn't cry so I didn't notice right away - and she was still asleep.

We made it through customs and immigration at O'Hare very quickly. Karen was waiting to pick us up, and I really had to keep from melting down at that point. I was completely exhausted and could barely keep it together. Mom and I wanted to kiss the ground, because we were so happy to be back in the United States! International travel is the best way to appreciate how good we have it here. But, we weren't home, yet! IT STARTED TO SNOW. The drive was long and slow, but Grace and I slept through it. Karen took good care of us and we made it home safely. At 12:30 am Saturday morning or 2130 Moscow time. We didn't know which way was up due to jet lag.

Jenny, my friend that watched my house (etc.!) while I was gone turned the lights on for us and turned on the water and increased heat. She also left fresh cut flowers in a vase and a gift for Grace. What a nice way to come home. Thank you, Jenny!

Grace wasn't tired, so we stayed up until about 3:30 am. Sleeping was tough until today (Sunday). I think we're pretty much back to her normal schedule. At least, she went to bed at the normal time tonight - we'll see what time she wakes up tomorrow morning.

Here are a few pictures from our stay in Tver. We really had to bundle up - it was -30 C! She enjoys playing with her hat and mittens and getting dressed.

Grace was pretty good about wearing all the winter clothes... And, when she tripped, it never hurt her to fall because there was so much padding! Of course, we had to help her stand up again!
Here, Mom is feeding Grace on the sled that we bought in Tver. People with young children either had super-dooper baby strollers that completely zipped up the babies, or a sled to pull/push a toddler on . We really tried to get her to like it, but she really cried when we used it outside. I left it at the hotel for future adoptive families to use. Maybe their kids will like it.

More pictures. She's really finding herself... becoming a stinker!!! Which is good. More to come...

I can't believe how well this transition is going! Grace is easy going - as long as she's with me! We recognize that I'm the "most-familiar stranger" to her right now, but it sure feels like it was meant to be... that she knows that I'm the mom.

This picture was taken just before we went to breakfast. She's not a picky eater. She eats a little too fast, so we have to slow her down.


The picture below was in the doorway to our hotel room. We just came back from a quick trip to have her passport picture taken, and she wanted me to put her hat and mittens back on! She really likes them!

Thanks to "Aunt" Kathy for the mittens and hat! Thanks to Tammy and my friends at work for picking out the cute outfit!

Sorry that this one is blurry, but you can see that she's smiling more often!


After all the running around in the hallway, Mom helped me with feeding Grace (Sasha) lunch in our room. I laid down with her in my bed and she was asleep for her nap in five minutes! What an angel!

We did it!

Grace is now in the hotel with Mom and me. We picked her up after her nap today, Saturday, February 17. I think court made me just a nervous as this. I was really worried about Grace screaming and putting up a fight. She did cry when we arrived, but she warmed up to me pretty quickly, which made me feel better. She didn't like changing clothes, so we left on her undershirt and gave the baby home two of ours. We made a game out of putting on the gloves and hat and she didn't mind.

She was GREAT in the car ride back to Tver. Two hours strapped in a car seat. No crying. Wow. We played games and ate snacks on the ride. She learned how to use a sippy-cup in about five tries. We even got several smiles when we tickled her feet! (I had seen only one smile in the baby home.)

When we got back to the hotel, I held her until she didn't want to be held. She threw the purple monkey on the floor, so I stood her up on the floor. She walked over, picked him up, and backed up so that she leaned against my leg. So, I picked her up again. We did this about three more times, and I kept telling her that I was her Mommy now and that I would always be here to pick her up.

We met Mom and Anne (another single, adoptive mom from CHI) at the hotel restaurant. They had ordered us broccoli and green beans, so we sat down and tried them. Grace sat on my lap quietly – for about 20 minutes and ate small pieces of green beans and salmon with her hands. I used a fork to feed her smashed broccoli, but she preferred the green beans.

At bed time, I tried reading her books, but she's too busy. So, she played quietly in her pack-n-play for a while, then I tried laying her down and it was going well until... I walked into the bathroom and mostly closed the door. Big tears! I immediately picked her up and got a full-fledged, both arms around my neck, HUG. And she was really holding on. It was awesome! I held her in my arms until she was almost asleep, but Mom came back to the room. So, I laid down with her in my bed. She was awake – quietly looking at the ceiling or me for about 45 minutes! Finally, she was asleep by 10:00.

I am truly blessed. I can't believe how well today went. I guess I read too many books!
Since the judge waived the 10-day wait period, we should be home on Feb. 23.

Krista and Kari: Karen is talking about everyone coming to my house on Sunday. Sounds great. Just, please plan for all of the food, etc. without me. Thanks! Can't wait to get home with Grace!

I'm a MOM!

Court went well. They said that I was "brave". The inspector (social worker) and prosecutor both recommended me. Yippee!

Now I'm in for 18 years of hard work! I can't wait!

I don't get custody until tomorrow, but at least I don't have to wait until Monday.

They're making a new birth certificate that says I'm the mother (with no father). Mom claims that it was an immaculate conception!

All is well, but I think I need a nap. I'm exhausted!

Love and Kisses: Kelly

Here's Mom standing outside our hotel. We are enjoying walking through the city center everyday, shopping, and drinking tea. It makes me wish that we could walk more in the US, but there are no little shops like there are here. Walmart is too far to walk... Mom reminded me that walking is something that I can do with Grace when we get home... I'm going to try to walk every day.

In this first picture, taken from my hotel window, you can see that small children ride on a sleigh that the adults pull behind them. The sidewalks are rarely shoveled and the roads are rarely plowed, so it makes sense to use a sleigh!



In this picture, you can see a man with two buckets. He walked down the alley from his home and is filling them with water at the public water spigot across the street from my hotel.




Here's a wider view of the same water spigot. The building behind has a roof that is falling apart, but there is new siding on the right side, near ground level. Do people live in this building?




Here, a woman fills many bottles with water.

February 15

Masha took us to visit two doctors today: a psychologist and a narcologist. The psychologist visit started in a nurses office where she took my payment of 350 Rubles (about $14) and a box of chocolates from Masha, the nurse was about 60 years old and told me that I was young and beautiful and that I should go out and have a private life. She meant that I should date men and marry a man. She wished me well and gave me a goodbye kiss on the cheek!

When we finished with the nurse, we went to see the psychologist. Here, Masha presented more chocolates and some documentation – probably my home study that had been translated. A female psychologist, about 40 years old, asked me about how I decided to adopt from Russia, plans to stay home and plans for daycare. She asked why I was not married – Mom helped coach me a little bit the night before and I decided to say that I would like to have a husband, but that the men that I've dated have had different life goals than me. (It's great to have Mom here to bounce interview questions off of her and think through the answers before it's too late.) The psychologist also asked if I was aware of any delays that Grace may have, and I said her speech was delayed five months and her development was delayed three months. These delays are not as bad as typical in institutionalized children... usually it's one month of delay for every three months of age. Grace is 17 months old – her birthday is in August 2005. (I'll give you more details via private email if you like... please let me know.) The doc wished me well and we were off to the next one.

Masha handed more candies to the narcologist, along with my drug screen results from my primary care physician in Wisconsin. I paid 250 Rubles ($10) and had a very short interview with the narcologist. She apologized for the weather and said that I was beautiful and should have a husband. Typical.

I smiled through everything and it was actually and enjoyable experience. I'm really keeping an open mind through the process. Today's inspections (medical reviews) were very interesting because we visited public doctors. The buildings were at least 100 years old with flooring that was worn through, holes in the walls, radiators for heat, and exposed piping and electrical lines everywhere. The people waiting for doctors had to wait for us. We were pushed to the front of the lines at every office. The patients seemed to come from a wide variety of economic status: some wore beautiful clothing with fur coats and hats while others were in tattered wool jackets with patches where it had worn through. The medical staff was very polite to me and kind. I believe that they all think that this is the best thing for Grace and are grateful that she is going to a good home. It's definitely the best thing for me.

Alexey will visit us this afternoon and we will talk about court tomorrow. THE BIG DAY IS TOMORROW. I am carefully reading my home study and thinking about every sentence. They judge will ask me “provocative” questions, the inspector (special social worker), baby home director and baby home staff will testify about my behavior during my visits to the baby home. I think I'll get a positive response because everyone was smiling when they were watching me at the baby home. I'm going to do my homework and be well-prepared and as confident as possible. This is the biggest interview of my life, for the most important job of my life.

Mom and I organized the hotel room to make more room for a crib. (My eyes just teared up when I typed about the crib!) :) We bought diapers, formula, wipes, and cereal at the apteka (pharmacy). We have to wait to go to the grocery store until after Alexey stops by, because we were told not to leave the hotel. We packed a diaper bag and two outfits: a 12 month size and an 18 month size – I'm not sure what will fit. (Tammy, I packed that cute Dora the Explorer outfit!) We also packed the snow suit, hat, mittens, boots and a blanket. Alexey will provide a car seat, which I'm grateful for due to the driving conditions. However, Grace has never been in a car or a car seat and will probably want to be held... it will be an interesting trip from the baby home to the hotel.

There's always a chance that we will not be able to pick her up tomorrow. Everyone, please pray for us making it back to the hotel safely, that court will go smoothly, and that I can pick her up tomorrow. Thanks so much.

Mom's having a hard time with the time change. She's not sleeping well. We got some melatonin today, hopefully that will help. She's also losing things left and right! She left her reading glasses at the baby home on Tuesday, so on Wednesday we went to the eye glass store – they checked her for the correct lenses and everything. They were about $20 and were ready in one hour.

She also lost an earing in the steam room / sauna area, and luckily the hotel staff found it later. Finally, today she lost her hat! We have to replace the hat because we do a lot of walking and it's required apparel!

We found a nice coffee house for a late lunch (very inexpensive) and bought some maps of Tver and Kashin. Masha is doing some translating for me so that I can read the historical information on the maps. That will be a nice souvenir for Grace's life book.

Paperwork!

I seem to have misplaced the document that says that my drug screen results were negative. Now, I have to get my doctor to authorize posting it on mychart. Hopefully, this will work out. Ugh! I know that I had it at work last week, but it was late at night and I was tired. I must have misplaced it. Thank goodness it doesn't need to be notarized or apostilled! Hopefully, my doc will come through today! Or else....

Mom and I walked and walked today. And shopped. I purchased diapers and wipes for me. I also bought more diapers as a donation per Dad's request. Mom bought some receiving blankets that will be donated, too.

Hopefully, we'll have dinner with Dave and Vicki soon. I hope their paperwork was completed so that they could go to meet their referrals today.

We made it! This picture is of Mom and me outside the baby home in Kashin...

Well, we finally checked into the hotel at 3:30 AM. Needless to say, it was a very long trip. We were told that today would be a free day for us – no planned outage or trip to the baby home. However, we woke up at 10:00 AM to the room telephone... Luba asked if we wanted to go to the baby home today. Of course, I said YES!

Mom and I scrambled to get ready. We hadn't even opened our suitcases the night before, because we were so tired! I got ready first and walked to a nearby supermarket for the necessities: diet coke (coke light), bottled water, fruit, bread, salami and cheese. We made little sandwiches quickly and hit the road. Mom slept most of the way this morning because she didn't sleep last night on the long drive to Tver.

During the ride to Kashin, we heard that there was heavy snow in Tver... more on that later. We arrived at about 2:30 PM with Masha and Alexey. The staff brought Grace into the office quickly and she started to whimper. I picked her up and she stopped pretty quickly. She wanted to be on my lap the entire time. She woke up from her nap just before we got there.

We played with the purple monkey immediately! She loves it! It looks like it was kept in the director's office in between my first and second trips, and she gave it a big hug when she saw it and immediately began pressing the paws to make the music start. Mom and I had packed a few bananas for a snack in the car and we asked if we could feed it to her. They said yes, that she often eats bananas.

The inspector was at the baby home for this visit, so most of the time I was answering questions in preparation for court. I am concerned about court and am not taking it lightly. She asked if I own my home and I said that I own just over 20% and that I pay the mortgage monthly. Apparently this is not well understood by Russians, since no one owned property during communism. In Moscow, our guide said that mortgages were just starting to become available. So, I'm going to call the CHI St. Louis office and ask them the appropriate way to answer that question. I keep thinking to myself that I wouldn't be on my second trip if I wasn't qualified to adopt. I think court is just a formality, but I will take it seriously and do my best. Alexey said that my judge is male and can be provocative. Simply put, the inspector said that I need to work on my answers and be more ready for court! Mom said she would help me, too. Yikes!

Grace was quiet and never smiled during the visit, which is the same as Trip One. She made a lot of eye contact with me and Mom. She really liked that banana and ate a whole thing – slowly. She took some pretty big bites and chewed slowly. I couldn't get her mouth open to count her teeth, but she only had six teeth a month ago so we need to make sure to give her soft food. She wouldn't let me put her down on the floor. She didn't really like being the center of attention but she never hid her face.

I think she is an inch taller and her hair has grown since the first trip. I wish I would have brought some clothes to try on, but we'll make due with what we have. We're planning on shopping tomorrow, anyway. Dad asked that I buy some diapers in his name and leave them at the baby home – I know that the baby home will need and use the diapers quickly.
We also played with some soft, fabric, stacking toys and with a fabric book that my nephew, Ryan, let me borrow. Grace really liked the book because it has velcro pieces that she can pull and a buckle to play with. Thank you, Ryan!

Just like the last trip, one of the hardest things is letting go of control. We are at the mercy of our hosts and cannot choose our schedule. For example, I was hoping to go to the baby home to visit every day this week – except Friday which is my court day. We visited today for a little over an hour. I know that I shouldn't have been, but I was surprised when they took Grace from me. Of course, I kept an outward smile and said “paka paka” (bye-bye) in order to keep Grace from sensing my frustration.

During the journey home, I immediately asked when we would be coming back to visit and Alexey said Friday after court. My heart sank and I was very hurt. I couldn't beg for more visits because he had just rescued us 12 hours before and I didn't want to look like an over-bearing American. (I think the reason that they took us to Kashin today was to make up for their late pick up last night.) Now I regret that decision and am coming to terms with the lack of authority. Mom often reminds me that I need to develop patience and this is just one of the many reminders that I will have in the next 18 years. I'll be OK. I'm working on my deep breathing exercises!

Another example of lack of authority is which day we will pick up Grace and which day we travel to Moscow. Of course, I want to pick up Grace immediately after court, but there is a possibility of bad weather, late court appointment, or the baby home director may think that we would arrive too late in the day. If that is the case, we'll have to wait until MONDAY to pick her up! DEEP BREATHS! Mom keeps telling me to go with the flow – EVERYTHING is very different here due to culture and economy. This trip is character building and I am building patience – even if I vent about my complaints in this blog.

We met another couple from CHI: Dave and Vicki are from Missouri and here on their first trip. We ran into them while they were on the common PC near the lobby – I said “hello” and they replied in English! Yipppee! A taste of home – it's great to share with fellow Americans! Alexey said that a single woman and another couple would be arriving later in our visit, too.
Dave and Vicki said that they were told that the children in their orphanage (not Kashin) don't get fruit very often, so I'm glad that Grace was getting bananas. The director also said that she eats smashed apples.

I mentioned the snow earlier in the post. The drive home from Kashin was slow because there was about four inches of snow on the roads. I didn't ask about snow plows until we got to Tver. Alexey said that there weren't very many snow plows and they don't use salt on the roads. Suddenly, we saw three big, beautiful, new snow plows driving in a echelon pattern on the main street in Tver. Alexey said “Look! There are all three of our snow plows – the only three in Russia!” It was pretty funny! He is a very good driver and I trust him completely, however, it's still pretty scary watching the on-coming traffic weave across the center line and squeeze in between us and a trolley on rails. Very exciting!

The forecast is for more snow on Wednesday, February 12. I guess it's a good thing that Mom and I have a free day – it's a very long trip to Kashin, and we need to rest. We'll walk, explore Tver, and shop. We have an appointment in the hotel's turkish bath and sauna at 4:00 PM. That should be fun. And, we'll have dinner again with Dave and Vicki. I hope their day goes well and their long drive to their baby home is safe.

I also hope that all of our friends and family in the US are doing well. We are thinking of you often during our trip and miss you. Take care... Cheryl and Kelly

There is no room in the inn...

We arrived in Moscow a few minutes late (8:30 PM), but our flights went fine. BUT, no-one picked us up at the airport! Mom and I are stuck in a hotel near the Moscow airport! Ugh! We waited at the airport (SVO) for an hour, fending off the taxi drivers the whole time. Then, we took a free shuttle bus to Novotel, a hotel about two blocks away. The rooms here are $500 per night! We would have checked in, complimentary of CHI, but there are no rooms available! Can you believe it?

The CHI representative in Moscow was very sweet on the phone, but she didn't have all of the information. The driver from Tver never made it to the airport, they think his car broke down and that his cell phone battery is dead. But, they don't know for sure, which makes me worry about Dima. I hope he's OK. Alexey is on his way to pick us up now. Hopefully, we'll be at the Osnabruk in Tver by 2:30 AM.

Mom says that this delay is a test of my patience. I admit to being frustrated at first, but I'm not that tired and I got wireless access in the hotel lobby... so all is well.

No news yet about tomorrow - we may or may not make it to the baby home in Kashin. I hope so...

To you Wisconsin folks: heard about the snow.... 4 inches already and more on the way? I'm glad that someone else is shoveling my driveway! Thank you Jim, Jenny, Tyler and Eric. You guys rock!

Traveling on Monday, February 12...

Mom met a handsome, 30-ish year old man while we were squished like sardines in a bus that was taking us from the terminal to the airplane. I asked, in English, if we were on the bus that would take us to Moscow. He replied in English and was laughing at Mom and my conversation. We never caught his name, but he was a foreign exchange student in Kearny, Nebraska. His English was perfect and he is going to Moscow to a Food Exposition in order to learn about exporting from Poland to Russia. He was very kind and wished us well.

Mom took a good, long look at the jewelry – mostly amber. So, to those of you thinking that you might receive a souvenir or two, it's a good bet that we'll be bringing home some bling-bling! I had to drag her out of the art gallery / jewelry store in order to get on the plane.

We flew from Chicago O'Hare at 10:00 PM Sunday night. We arrived in Warsaw, Poland at 2:30 PM local time. Because we flew during our natural sleeping time, we both got about 5-6 hours of sleep during the nine hour flight. That certainly makes the trip go faster. Now we're on a two hour flight to Moscow. Our lay-over was cut down from two hours to 1.5 hours, so we hope that our luggage made it to the second aircraft.

I'm feeling really good. I don't feel anxious (YET). I'm not tired. I feel pretty content about the whole adoption experience. Packing was easier than I thought, because I used lists from CHI (Children's Hope International) to help with what to pack for Grace. I didn't pack a stroller for several reasons: carrying her is better for attachment, it's impossible to push a stroller through the snow or up and down the stairs at the airports, and if needed, I could purchase an umbrella stroller in country.

I did bring a simple little back-pack carrier that my friend Michelle found for me. It's perfect for traveling because it fit inside the suitcase – Mom just packed the rest of Grace's things around it. Michelle, thank you so much, it's just what I needed.

And, I want to thank Michelle for the fabulous reference letter. Since it wasn't in an envelope, I read it. You are so sweet! Thank you for saying such nice things about me! I hope the Russian government doesn't find out about the real me! Just kidding! Anyway, your letter is critical in this adoption proceeding and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to write it. Michelle and I were college roommates, so we have shared much over the years.

The same is true for Elaine and Linda, except the letters were sealed and I didn't open them! I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that you kept out the really bad stuff!!! But seriously, Linda and I were friend back in Paducah, Kentucky, when I was working as a co-op at Air Products. I think it was 1991? Those were GOOD times! Linda and a few other women introduced me to Country Western Music and I've never looked back. Thanks!

I worked with Elaine at Huntsman in lovely Ringwood, Illinois. People often mistook one of us for the other one. We had similar hair and dress styles, but Elaine was always thinner than me. Elaine introduced me to Stampin' Up and I'm still making cards today. I had the best-going-away-party EVER in Ringwood. So many people came to Barry's Bar on a snowy night in January... it was amazing and a very excellent event! And, I know that Elaine is a blog-addict, so enjoy the personal shout-out.

A post from Cheryl... To Kathy, Jenny, Sharon, and Anne: We've almost made it! I've been traveling for 28 hours and I'm veryexcited about my new granddaughter Grace! Dosvidanya! (Good-bye for now.) I will keep in touch. Don't work too hard! - Cheryl

Travel begins. We're at O'Hare – the International Terminal this time. We're really early, since we took the Van Galder Bus down. But, it's better to be early than late.

I probably won't be able to post this until we reach Tver, so it may seem like a late post.
I want to thank several people that has helped me get through the past month...

Tracy, who adopted from Russia last year. We met and talked and you seemed so confident and self assured. You're doing a great job parenting, which makes me think that I can do it, too.

Christy, who just made her first trip to Russia last week. You met your daughter and agreed to adopt her. We're going through the same stuff about single-parenting. Today on the phone you said that the judge was giving you a hard time because you are single. I will probably run into the same thing, but it's just another of the many hurdles to get to Grace.

Tammy, my back up travel buddy. You rock! You've been kind and patient during the decision making process. I would have liked to travel with you, and hopefully we can travel together in the future. AND, you hosted a surprise baby shower for me at work! Thank you for the gifts, I really appreciate them!

Jenny, thanks for letting my cry on your shoulder two weeks ago. It was a difficult week for me – I was struggling with insecurities again. You pointed out similar struggles when you were a “beginner” parent and made me feel better. Thank you so much.

Krista, I was lucky to stay with you last week. Spending time with you and your boys really grounded me and kept me from getting on the pitty potty. I really needed it. I wish I could have spent more time with you, but the long hours at work gave me some assurance that my programs would continue in my absence.

Bobbi, Marilyn, Sara and Barb: Thank you for the lunch on Friday and the THIRD baby shower! The gifts will be well used. The blanket with “Grace Aleksandra” stitched on it will be well-used.
I can't believe all of the well-wishes and gifts and smiles that I've been getting in the past few weeks. Everyone is anticipating this adoption just as much as me! I hope that I don't let anyone down. It's going to be tough for a while. A HUGE adjustment for me and Grace. Both of us have some gi-normous life changes ahead of us. My family is planning a get together when we get home, and I'm worried about disappointing everyone. Grace will probably be shy and reserved, if not scared of all of the strangers coming to my home. But, I want to share this joyful time with everyone! I'm torn because I really want to see everyone. My plan is to take it slow and take cues from Grace's body language. We'll probably take lots of breaks and hopefully she'll want to cuddle with me!

I appologize for not updating the blog in three weeks. Sorry! But, time really does file in between trip one and two. I'm taking an extended leave from work (seven weeks total) and needed to devote a lot of time to my job. I'm looking forward to 40 hour work weeks when I return to work.

I've posted pictures of Grace's bedroom. Since I am required to bring them on the court trip, I thought y'all might like the see them. I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

Mom and I leave tomorrow - which is actually today since I'm still up and can't sleep. It's 1:30 am Sunday, Feb. 11. We start heading to O'Hare at 2:30 pm today... court is Feb. 16 in Tver. I have all the documents, toddler supplies, and electronic gadgets ready. (Thanks Dad, for letting me borrow the laptop!) Since I already survived Trip One, I know the travel part of this trip will be easy. I'm just worried about the parenting part of the trip.

I saw my pediatrician yesterday. She’s a great doc and I feel lucky to have found her. I asked about vaccinations and she recommends repeating them. She also recommends completing a newborn panel, a referral to the birth-to-three program, and frequent visits. She has experience with several internationally adopted kids over the years, but if I question her decisions, I know of other pediatricians that special in post-institutionalized children.

I asked about giving Grace milk or formula, and she recommends formula because of the extra benefits of vitamins, minerals, etc. In addition, she needs to write the letter to ask for the 10-day wait to be waived and have it notarized, along with a copy of her license. There’s plenty of time to get that done before Trip #2.

As for my medical report, CHI says that I will have the eight-doctor medical review done in Moscow at an American medical clinic. However, I still need to see my psychiatrist and my primary-care doctor for the third time. They both need to provide notarized documents that say that I am healthy enough to raise a child.

All of this scrutiny is really making me think about my health. I usually live in denial about my weight, but am now very concerned and am watching what I eat. The trip to Russia last week left me a little bit lighter, but I have a long way to go. Now that I am responsible for another human being, keeping healthy is more important.

I'm HOME! Just so every one knows.... We made it home at 12:30 am CDT.

Dad and I made it home safely. It was about 24 hours from door to door. The snow on the car ride home from O'Hare did not make it any easier! We're both pretty tired.

I want to thank Karen for driving us and doing a great job in the snow. And Dad for being such a trooper!

It was a fantastic trip and I can't wait to go back on February 12!

How do you like this picture? A Brett Favre matryoshka doll... in Moscow! If you open him up, they have five more players... Green, Driver, etc. What a hoot! They also had a Wisconsin doll with the quarterback's name on the outside... Stocco!
The picture below is a 200 ton bell that fell from a bell tower in the Kremlin. An 11 ton section broke off after one of the many fires that Moscow endured.

The picture below is a monument to Peter the Great. Kinda looks like Columbus, too.

The picture below is one of the gate that the Communists used to charge the Kremlin during the revolution.
A nice park and lake near a "nunnery".
The Russian Orthodox Church, that was just rebuilt after the fall of Commuinism. Dad and I went in. Men take off their hats. Women must wear a hat.

Moscow Site-seeing

Here's a picture of us at St. Basil's Cathedral. It was built in the 1600's for Ivan the Terrible. He was so impressed with the architect, that the had the architect blinded so that he could never build another structure more beautiful.

It's in Red Square. Red means beautiful in Russia.

To my Aunt Gayle: Dad hasn't worn his long underwear, yet. It's very warm here. It's been cloudy every day and it is usually mists or rains every day. There is no snow on the ground.

When I am introduced to a Russian, they usually start the conversation by apologizing for the weather. Everyone wants snow. They think this humidity is bad for your health and the weather makes you sick. They dress VERY warmly, even though it's around 40 degrees F. Our guide today told us that the flowers and trees are beginning to bloom and that the bears at the zoo are not hibernating!!