More doctor visits

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Today was similar to yesterday. More doctor visits, but by the end of the 2 days we had all 8 signatures. We went to a notary to draft up the adoption paperwork and to the bank to transfer money for the visa invitation letter. After a few more trips back and forth between the notary, the ministry of education and the ministry of foreign affairs, everything was completed. Now that we have applied for adoption, Hannah can not be adopted by a Russian family, only by her birth family, but everyone has relinquished rights, so we should be in the clear.

We had completed all the “official” business by 1 pm which left us time to drive around the town to see more of the city. We walked along the lake front and saw a statue of Peter the Great (who the town is named after) and visited a souvenir shop.

At 4pm, we went to visit Hannah again and stayed for 2 hours. We spent some time in the gym and outside. It rained a little, so keeping her under the covered area was difficult because all she wanted to do was walk around, but she was happy on Marc’s shoulders. After it stopped raining, we played peekabo in the play house and she laughed a LOT. We said our farewells at 6pm and headed for the train. We slept better on the ride home – partly from exhaustion (although all we did was sit in a car for 2 days), part from knowing it was all over and we could relax, and part from the enjoyment of finally meeting Hannah.

Visiting Elisabeth for the first time

Our 13th wedding anniversary – and what a way to celebrate by visiting our new daughter!

We didn’t sleep much on the train ride – a combination of being unfamiliar with the surroundings and excited about meeting Hannah Elisabeth. We were greeted at the Petravadosk Station by our driver, Dyotor, and immediately went to the Ministry of Education to accept the referral and received more information about the mother and father. We checked into the hotel and then went straight to the orphanage which was in the back of a large apartment complex. The building was very old surrounded by a 4 ft cement wall. Security was very lax. We walked right into the open gate and we found Hannah Elisabeth’s group in the far corner playing in a very basic, old playground with a sand box, a rusty slide, some trikes and a small jungle gym. There was an area of broken flooring (rotten 2x4 planks) under a roof, where the children played when it rained. This would never pass code in America!

Hannah was sitting on her tutor’s lap. The tutor cleaned her faced and placed her in a stroller and wheeled her over to us. We greeted her and touched her hand gently. She was very shy, at first just looking down, not making a sound. After a minute or 2, she looked up and studied us one at a time. She held our finger, but did not break her guarded expression. We walked her around the path, taking photos and video. She warmed us to us pretty quickly and we tickled her legs and shoulders to make her laugh. We went to another corner where there was a toy house. She loved the house and walked in and out repetitively, opening and closing the doors. After another 5 minutes, we were asked to return her to the group. We spent around 20-30 minutes with her in total before going inside to meet the pediatrician and the social worker.

We first went to the pediatrician who read through her medical record. Many of the issues stated on the initial medical report have gone away. Next we visited the social worker. She was very kind and provided a lot of information on Hannah’sfamily.

We left the orphanage and started our whirlwind medial tour of Petravadosk. The court requires Russian doctors to sign off on our general health. The driving was interesting. The main roads are paved, but all the side roads are full of pot holes and many are unpaved. It was an off-roading adventure. Also, there is little landscaping, so all the grass a weeds where at least waist high. The buildings were very old and in need of repair. Around 7 pm we returned to the hotel to a quiet evening to recover from the hectic day.

We have arrived in Moscow

We arrived safely in Moscow this morning. The flight was amazing. We were in business class and the seats layed flat, so we actually got a fair amount of sleep. Great food and lots of room. We could get used to it!

Thursday night was interesting. Just when we though everything was in order, we got a call at 5:30pm from the agency asking us to get some blood tests. Wished they gave us more notice, because we had to scramble to contact our doctors to authorize the tests and get to the lab before it closed, but we got it all done.

In Moscow, were greeted by a driver who took us to the hotel. We got some more rest, then went to explore the city center. We walked around Red Square, saw St. Basil's church, the Kremlin, Lenin's tomb. etc.. We are taking a guided tour tomorrow morning and will try to go inside some of the buildings.

We met with our translator this evening who gave us more details. She will accompany us the entire trip.

We are excited for what the next few days will bring. Will write more as internet access allows.

Natalie & Marc

We are leaving for Russia!

WOW, the last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. After accepting the referral we have been busy preparing paperwork and making travel plans. We’ve had a few hiccups along the way. Last week when we booked the plane tickets, there was a glitch on the Delta website and we didn’t realize the tickets weren’t actually booked until the next day when we were preparing to send the confirmation information to the agency. The price of the tickets had doubled overnight! Fortunately, we have enough frequent flyer miles for one trip, so we decided to use the miles for this trip. Marc even had a few extra miles to upgrade us to business class. So, hopefully we will be well rested by the time we get there. There have also been a couple of issues with doctor’s not being overly cooperative, but, thankfully, everything was resolved. Also, our visas didn’t arrive until today (we leave tomorrow), so were a little nervous (to say the least) that we wouldn’t be leaving on Friday, but God was in control.

Some wonderful things have also happened this week. We have received a tremendous outpouring of support and excitement from friends and family. Friends have generously offered financial support, others are praying for us, our employers have been very gracious with the short notice of our trip, and, we have even received some baby gifts (so cute!). My parents are just wonderful. My mum is flying up with little notice to take care of Emily (and my dad is looking forward to his own little vacation :o) Also, the Milford water supply has been contaminated for 8 days, and we were grateful that the boil order was lifted yesterday, just in time for my mum’s visit. That is one less thing she will have to worry about while she is here.

Emily has been great. While she is not showing a lot of excitement, I think inside she is looking forward to finding out more about here sister. I don’t think it is real for her yet since her sister is not home, but that will be soon enough. Her biggest concern is that her sister will mess up her bedroom. I think being a big sister will be a transition for her, but a wonderful experience.

We are not sure if we will have internet connection when we are there, but we will try to update the blog if we can. Unfortunately, we can’t post photos of Elisabeth, because of the agency’s internet policy. We appreciate your prayers for safe travel, Emily’s well being, and that everything will go smoothly with minimal issues.

Thanks!

Natalie & Marc

We have a child!

Last Thursday we got THE CALL! Marc called me at work and told me to call him back outside. I was worried he was going to tell me he lost his job, instead, he told me the amazing news that we have a referral! We couldn't believe we heard after only 5 months on the wait list. It was a very emotional conversation as Marc told me all the details he received from the agency. She is 18 months old and named Elizabeth. We received basic medical records which were reviewed by a pediatrician specializing in international adoptions who gave us a good report, so we have accepted.

Since then, things have stepped into high gear. We are leaving on the 1st of 3 trips on August 21st and will be there for 6 days. We should be notified of our second trip while we are there and the 3rd trip will be 10 days after the 2nd trip. We should be able to bring her home by Christmas. What a present!

We are busy applying for our Visas, making travel arrangements and completing paperwork. Everything should be done just in time for our trip.

What's amazing about all of this is we found out on Emily's 7th birthday. Also, my mum surprised us by coming for a visit on Wednesday (the day before) so she was here for all the excitement, and Emily is due to go to her friend Elizabeth's birthday party the day we arrive in Moscow, rather we are going to visit her sister, Elizabeth (although, she'll still make the party, my mum will take her). These may seem like "coincidences", but I know God has been planning this for a while.

Mum went home on Monday and will be coming back next Wednesday to take care of Emily while we are away. She'll enjoy time with her Nannie.

We are overwhelmed with anticipation and can't wait to meet her. We'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we finalize plans.

Natalie