Sasha wants his life to be full of Balloons!

I am sorry this will be a long post. This is the first day Sasha has been relaxed enough to let me get on the computer. The quantity of balloons in his life to come in America was a major concern for him on Friday. Irina assured him there would be lots of balloons. So far so good. People at Vlad Inn have been wonderful at helping me keep him supplied in balloons. Cindy who also had court on Tuesday gave Sasha a beach ball that he found to be "very beautiful." So we work on being a family. I finally got a suite yesterday and it has made a huge difference for us. Ironically, Sasha tends to stay in the main room even with a bedroom so the main benefit to the space is that when he needs to run around like all little boys do, there is some space.

And we have a full size frig which Sasha totally adores. Of course he can go and get anything out of it he wants. He is going through serious amounts of sweet yogurt and what I can best translate as "sweet cheese." He also has his own shelf for food that he can control. That is where he has his chips, something that looks like mini-doughnuts but is a hard sweet bread and fruit. Lots of fruit.

For the most part we are getting on famously. He adores bath time. If it were up to him there would be several baths a day. :) There are moments when it is still hard for him. He misses having lots of children around. There is a playground here at the Vlad Inn that is very popular with the locals. Yesterday, we went there and he found kids to play with which seemed to help enormously. And there are so many things for him to get used to that it must sometimes seem overwhelming to him. Silly stuff that I forget about, frankly. Things like there is no negotiation when it comes to not turning on the stove. One of those things that we all learn so young. That was a difficult conversation let me tell you. My ability to speak Russian is still pretty limited but he is usually good about letting me grab the dictionary to find the words I do not know. In the case of the stove it wasn't the vocabulary, it was a fundamental difference of opinion. The stove has a light he just loved to see turn on. Me, I do not care about the light, I care about him not getting hurt. Eventually, I prevailed but he sure was mad.

For the most part he and I have worked out boundaries so now it is quieter. I feel for the people around us the first couple of days (he actually came to stay with me last Wednesday) given all the yelling and door slamming. I think that in the beginning all of it seemed like a one time thing so he was over reacting to everything. Sort of like when we went to the corner store. The first two times he was everywhere, running, poking at everything and generally being a crazy boy. The babushka lectured him severely but winked at me as we left. Today the visit to the store went beautifully. He helped to carry things and he was a jewel when we went to check out. And he knows he gets an ice cream for being a good boy.

Oh oh he seems to be getting ants in his pants so I should go.

For those that want to know more about Vlad Inn I would say to generally check out their website. The staff speak English and the menu in the restaurant is limited but American for the most part. I would, however, suggest skipping the seafood medley given it includes calamari and octopus (unless you normally eat that then go for it). There is a beautiful playground at the back of the property for the children. The rooms are nice and the suite comes with a kitchen, a baby bedroom a regular bedroom and bathroom. There is a second bed in the main part of the suite. All in all a nice place to spend time with your child. Take care, Sarah

Finally - he is my son legally

I went to court Friday, after it was moved from Thursday, and they awarded custody. Yeah!!!!! And I am one of the lucky ones, he will spend the ten day wait with me at the Vlad Inn. Of course when we picked him up from the orphanage they did not send his meds with us so the first few days were rough until they gave me meds here in Vlad. And they refused to tell me his schedule or foods that he eats but he and I are working it all out.

Just now, he opened the frig and then ran over and hugged me. He can eat anything he wants out of it and is seriously happy. He mostly sticks to the yogurt, sweet cheese, juice and fruit but every once in awhile the ham becomes a favorite. And he loves my granola bars. Yeah!!!

As for the tight connection in Moscow, it did not happen. It took over four hours to clear passport control and it was an absolute crush. When it became clear I would not make the flight to Vlad it was impossible for me to back up and get out of the crush of people. It was a bit scary. But I got through, bought a new ticket for the east and eventually found a room for the night.

Anyway, it is all good. It is time to pick up the laundry and go to dinner. Yeah!!!!

I sleep in D.C. tonight!!!!

Tomorrow I will get on the first of several planes for Russia. The first one leaves Dulles around noon. I spent the whole day today getting from the west coast to the east coast. Everything seemed to be delayed today. Once the first plane was late I thought I would miss my connection in Denver but no, that plane was late too. Which was wonderful except for the fact that the gate assignment changed every time I checked a monitor. So I went to the food court and stocked up on Paradise Bakery sandwiches. I made that plane but then the next had engine trouble and we were delayed even further. Oh my goodness. I finally made it to my hotel for the stay over in D.C.

Staying in a hotel before flying to Russia (or Europe) is an idea my dear friend Gabrielle suggested months ago. And it is a most excellent idea. Tomorrow the marathon begins. I fly straight through (more or less) from Washington D.C. to Vlad. That connection in Moscow is seriously tight with me having to go through customs and recheck into the domestic side of the airport before I reboard. I ask everyone to please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for that tight travel maneuver. I had hoped to spend a night in Moscow before catching an Aeroflot flight to Vlad but seat availability did not allow for that possibility. So now I get to sprint from SVO 1 to SVO 2 while going through customs. What fun. And the wonderful people who helped with the visa informed me that I need to register in Moscow before heading east. They are there in the airport ready to help thank goodness. Does that sound like fun or what??? :)

But you know it is all worth it. There is a little boy who still does not know if I will come back through the door for him. And he has been insisting people find her for him for years. Since my Mom has always been there for me, I can only image how he must feel. And he is such an excellent little boy it really breaks my heart he had to wait so long for his mother to come for him. Of course as many know I firmly believe that all children need a home and love. If people could have seen the children line up by my van after the second day visit they would understand and adopt at least one child.

That being said, time grows short. I will be in court a week from today. Wow. And I refuse to check anything I need for that day. No matter how many looks I get. I will not check the paperwork. And not my nice outfit. And not the photo album that I finally scrap-booked. And certainly not a change of clothing with which to bring the little out of the orphanage. Oh yeah and the Crocodile which is a friend of the cartoon character Cheburashka which the little one so loves. I lugged that thing around all day today. I was seriously tired after being a pack mule all day but I did not want to lose anything at this point. Given my lovely flight schedule tomorrow, I look forward to another "pack mule" day. Once I hit the domestic side of Moscow I am totally checking the roll on piece since it is a direct flight to Vlad. Thank goodness.

I am so looking forward to seeing Irina and Lana again. I will be sure to pass on everyones kind thoughts to them. They are such an awesome team. They really made my adoption experience something wonderful. They both work so hard to help our children come home.

Wow it is totally happening. I worked so long and hard for this day it is actually hard to believe it is here. Tomorrow Moscow! Yeah baby!

And I get to see my son-to-be in a couple of days. I cannot wait. I miss him so.
He is such a truly wonderful child. Take care all, Mame Sarah

It is all so wonderful and crazy!! :)

I was in Target finally buying clothing for the little one and it was hysterical (I think) watching me and Mom shop for little boy underwear. Mom raised three girls. We were so serious about it all - comparing all the options and my Mom thinking maybe we should also get the little undershirts and it suddenly hit me - he is coming home. I almost sat down in the middle of the store and cried. And the jammies are so adorable. And then there is the grey hoodie that Mom absolutely insisted he needed to be "cool." Me I kept wanting to get the blue-striped shirts but of course Mom is right - he is a little boy and he needs the "get dirty in" clothing. He now has cargo pants with pockets for lots of cool stuff. Yeah!

And I finally let go of taking him the log and fiddlestixs set I found months ago. It is just too heavy. Instead I will take a plastic replacement that is much lighter. And my friend ZoeAnne had gotten him a viewfinder months ago and I made sure I bought many more "films" for all those times we will wait between Vlad and home. It is a quiet game. My little one is an audio processor so I suspect I have already gotten him way too much stuff that will annoy others. Me not so much.

I ran into an old friend who is a bit older last winter who is now married with a young boy. The little one was everywhere and my friend was so patient at entertaining the boy while we waited in a really long line at Petco for our pets. I finally told him as we rounded the corner of the second hour how terrific he was with his son. He smiled at me and said that when we become parents at an older age we more generally tend to have things figured out and may have slowed down enough in life so as to be there for, value, and spend time with our children. I hadn't thought about it before but he might have a point. My life is wonderful and full but aches for a child to be home. And I did finish the orange trim in his room.

And being there for him will be the highlight of life for me. I will be one seriously lucky duck if I am to be a Mom that can be there for him. He is really one cool dude. :)

So now onto the icky things. I do not want people to think I only paint rainbows in the sky because life is not like that. I will do everything in my power to make sure my little has nothing but opportunity and joy in his life but then of course life happens. Even in this glorious time in our lives.

United Airlines (I knew, just knew I should have gone with Aeroflot!!) almost missed ticketing my flights from Portland to Dulles. That was a serious moment of panic tonight. And there was the jaw-dropping behavior of my supervisor last Friday when he denied my leave request under the Family Leave Act. Hard to believe he is an attorney. Anyway the boss changed his mind over the weekend and "granted" the leave request. What a jerk. But it is not like I listened to him anyway. This is my son (maybe) and I will be there no matter what.

And I am getting on a plane to Russia (eventually) on Friday. I cannot wait!!!! Thank you God.

I am going to get My Son!

So I fly out on September 19th and will eventually arrive Vlad on the 23rd (I think). My court date is the 25th so one way or another I will be there. I am so looking forward to seeing my son before then. His home is so far from Vlad that may not happen but I hope it does!!! :) :)

And I hear that maybe my court date coincides with a family who may be adopting the most wonderful youth I met during my first trip to meet the little one. Everyday I was in the little one's home a child would enter the room and simply glow and smile. I learned from the Assistant Director and my translator his story. When another family came to adopt he eventually asked them if they would adopt him. That family said yes!!!!! When I was on my first trip the home was still waiting to hear that the family had started processing paperwork.

To think that I might have the same court date with that most amazing young man brings joy and then tears to my eyes. I was so worried I would go back to Spaack and see him still waiting. He had such peace and joy because people loved him enough to come back for him. I did not want to now see him hurting. It is such a blessing to have my court date with the family that gave that young man such joy.

I want to thank everyone for takng time to read this posting. I want as many children as it is possible to have a permanent loving home. When I was getting into the van from my second visit to the little one in March all the older male children jumped the orphanage grounds fence so as to run across road and visually "confront" the van. I never saw so much hurt and pain in the faces of children. They stood in a row. And the raw pain hurt me so much. I would ask anyone who can to please find these children and give them a good home. They are so wonderful in their own way. And I get to maybe have a court date wherein the child I saw in March, a child so full of hope and peace, gets his forever family. Life is never better than this. :) :)

Thank you eveyone for your kind thoughts and commnts. Take care and God bless, Mame Sarah

I have tickets for me and the little one!

At least part of the way. I still need to book Aeroflot for the Moscow-Vlad run. I so love United Airlines. I just spent several hours with them, off and on (and when I was "off" I so was not "happy"). Now have tickets in and of Moscow for both me and the little one. What a struggle. First there is one person and then there are two. But the United people were wonderful. Each one worked so hard and then wished me luck. And then they helped me to the next step even though they didn't need to - afterall who would know but me. Not once did anyone ask me to give them something for helping me get the litttle home. Each step was hard won. But they did it!! Not me but them. And that is why I fly United. United is bringing my little one home. Thank god! Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. Take care, Mama Sarah

I HAVE A COURT DATE - YEAH!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness - it finally happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get to go and bring my little boy home. Yeah!!! Of course now I have to get myself to Russia in a little less than 10 days. Wow. That makes one head kind of spin. :) :) In a good way. I guess. Maybe not. So far I got a plane trip out of Moscow for me and the little one. The rest will come.

I got the call on my cell while I was biking to work from the gym. I cried in the shower with tears of joy. And then I got to work. There are so many people who are supportive where I work and today was a day where I tried to work, tried to figure out what to do first so that I can leave for Russia in 10 days and then deal with everyone being so happy for me. I actually kicked my beloved secretary out of my office this morning when she came to ask me why I wasn't in a meeting. I did it because I was busy calling the adoption agency and trying get moving. And then people kept walking me to coffee. (I do love a good latte!) At one point my mother observed that there was no way I should be having any more caffeine because I was already so over the moon.

My mom is so cool. She went to my house today to get my passport so that I could express mail it off to get the business visa I need to return to Russia. She is so way cool. I hope to be at least as half as good of a mom to the little one as she is to me. If I can pull that off he will be one lucky child.

Anyway, I need to go and try to get something more done. I just called United and they said to call back in an hour to see if they can give me a seat from Portland to Moscow. I certainly hope so!!! So far I have a ticket for me and the little out of Moscow so one way or another I will get there. I just really wanted to use all those frequent flyer miles I have been saving for this day!

I am so happy I will probably not be able to sleep! I miss the little one so and now he can come home. Life is Good.

I know everyone always talks about asking to waive the post court ten-day waiting period but I think that is an excellent time to bond with your child. I don't know about everyone else but my life kind of moves at very fast speeds. If nothing else, I have all these people that cannot wait to meet and love the little one. And help me out. And hang out while we work on being a family. Wow - I didn't even know I knew so many caring people. That being said, I think having that time in Russia with just me and the little one would be a good thing. No getting him up early for school before I rush off to my day. No kitties or dogs to ask for their personal quality time. Of course the little one loves animals but maybe just a few days where he and I spend time together would be nice.

He and I have a lot of catching time to do. His lifetime in fact. Spending that extra time in Vlad with him would be a blessing. That assumes that the director of his home would release him to me during the waiting period. I did not meet the director when I was there because she was sick. I had a wonderful time with the assistant director. What a totally amazing woman. Yet, I did not meet the person who can agree or disagree to the ten-day wait happening at the Vlad Inn so I do not know what to expect. The home is so far from Vlad that if the director will not release him, I will not spend too much time with him.

But you know the children I saw there were well cared for and well loved by those who have been charged with their care. If it is thier determination that it is in the best interest of all for me to wait alone, I will. I have been so totally impressed with the dedication and love of this staff I will of course agree with them about all of this. So there is the judge step and then the director step. I see my doctor Monday and have no intention of asking for the 10 day medical waiver even though my child is bilateral cleft for the reasons alluded to above.

It will all be as it needs to be and I will not worry this further. I have plane tickets out of Russia!!!! One with his name on it!!! I suspect I have gone on too long once again so I will let you go. I have a court date - yeah!!!!!!!

Nine More Documents Needed!!!

Argh!! Getting a travel date this month is pretty much out. And not my fault. Now I am starting to get a bit sad. I so just want to put my arms around the little one and let him know someone loves him. For those who know me personally I am pretty sure I told you this is the hardest part - him knowing that I am out there, somewhere, and then waiting for me to come back. And I know he knows. Every day he wakes up hoping. Every door that opens might be me. Maybe. When he saw me for the first time it was exactly like that - they suddenly opened a door and then told him I was there. Even though children at his age still believe in magic, they still seek order and reason to their world, hence by that kind of formula it may be he thinks I will just one day pop back up in his life. Adopting a older child who understands what is going on is so much harder.

As his mom I hope with all my heart he is not living life that way - in day-to-day anticipation. Knowing him it is probably exactly like that. As that last day showed me, when he knows that something he wants will happen (like a last visit with me) he will do all he can to maximize and control that moment. I love him so much more because he did not attempt to impress me or exhibit fawning behavoir. Rather he tried to soak up every nuance so that he would remember some of them. Some I know he stored away for later so that he could think about them and puzzle it all out. That self-soothing behavior our children learn in institutionalized care makes them champions at latching onto the emotional rafts they need for survival. So I miss him and keep the faith. And he and I will deal with it all at the back end.

I guess I will hit the gym before work tomorrow for an extra distracting class. I ask everyone to please, please pray for us. I know it will be what it will be but it is so hard to wait quietly, in faith. I had so wanted to get the little one home for his birthday (which is next month) but time now grows short. If not for his birthday maybe for Christmas. Caring about his birthday seems so trite in amongst everything but there you have it - I wanted him home for his birthday.

I keep you all in my prayers and I ask you all to take care. Have a wonderful rest of the week, Sarah :)

And so there it is - I wait.

I loved the training but I missed my dogs. They are such good babies. And tonight has been wonderful, they were so happy to see me and they have been being extra well-behaved. Of course I missed them so much that even if they had chewed holes in the walls I would have been happy to get their kisses. I love being home and basking in all the love abounds in its walls.

Of course I met a lot of wonderful people at the training but nothing compares to being home. And Seattle made me kind of homesick for Russia. I hadn't really expected that. The hotel I stayed at was the same type of Marriott I stayed in while in Moscow and the decor was almost entirely exact since the hotel put me in a newly renovated room. So when I stepped into the room my heart thought for a second I was back in Russia. Every time. Every single time. I guess the heart just wants what it wants. Anyway ...

Seattle is a city built on a sound much like Vladivostok so there were moments when it was like I would see a sort of echo in the way an alley would angle or how steep the street would suddenly climb away from the bay. Ironically both are located on sounds that are on the Pacific Ocean side of their countries, though in the case of Vladivostok one has to skip onto the Sea of Japan so as to hop over Japan itself before landing in the pond called the Pacific Ocean. :)

That being said I would like to be headed back to Russia soon (but not in the insane speed sense of two weeks since it really messes with good airline prices) so as to go to court and petition for the little one. From the beginning I have always been okay with this process because I know the people want to make sure, make doubly sure, that the families the children go to are the right families. I would not have it any other way. At the same time my heart hurts for my little one as he waits. He was ready to go home with his mother (me - in his mind) in March and I think that each day after that last meeting is hard for him. I wanted to introduce the little one by way of our the first meeting but the last part of the last day fits best at this time so please bear with me.

Of course I knew from the beginning I would accept him no matter the particulars. On the second day I asked Lana to work with me to explain to the little one how I was going to ask to adopt him but after our visit the following day I would have to leave for awhile after before I would be able to come back and take him to his new home. I wanted to give him the ability to know what was going on and if, when I came back tomorrow and he was mad, I wanted to give him that opportunity to tell me how he was not happy about it all. Or any part thereof. One of the things is that seems to happen to adopted children is they are not given enough "off ramps" for their emotions about thier situation so I totally wanted him to have that to the extent possible. Frankly I would have taken more time on the first trip to do that but the process does not bend to that change of pace.

He was so stoic. Such joy and then a punch to the gut. He was so hurt while being so stoic. You could see it in his face. As much I never want to hurt him, I wanted him to know how it would go so that he could have some sense of understanding and control over his situation. And if he wanted to say no he had a chance. A small possibility but I wanted to give him that opportunity because this is a life choice for both of us. After a small pause he indicated it would be okay if I adopted him.

On the last day, we got there early. The assistant director took me to her office and we chatted becasue the little one's group was still down for a nap. The teenage boy who had asked another adoptive family to adopt him (and they agreed!!) joined us and just stood there and glowed. The familythat is adopting that young man are seriously blessed. He is such a wonderful child and he was so happy to be adopted. The assistant director's happiness at my understanding Russian was so uplifting and soothing to my frazzled nerves at being in a country where I sometimes understand the language perfectly fine and at other times I get totally scrambled because I cannot understand my food choices you cannot image. :) She is such a dear, dear woman.

Anyway, someone came into the office and told us the little one was awake and had been asking if his mother was there yet! Wow! Lana and I had been very clear to tell the little one he did not have to call me mother or consider me such. There is no way I am in this for that surface ego stroke, rather I am here to get the little home for family and love. Titles are ultimately meaningless but of course love abounds.

To make a long story short, in his mind - and my heart - I am his mother. I am just there because I love him but it was never my intent that I absolutely be his mother. Of course he has a large part of my heart and the current main focus of my life is to nuture and love him. If he is okay with thinking about me as his life mother I am just more happy. Ultimately I am just happy to be able to be there for him. On to the story.

Throughout the final visit he pulled everything out of my bag and held as if it was the last time he would ever see it. Even though I told him (in Russian with the new taranslator confirming) I would be back, he did not believe at the gut level. It is hard to dissuade children from that level of response. The Cheburashka doll I had brought he just kept squezzing and playing (a first day story!) because it was clear it would dissappear with me.

Of course the toy did not disappear with me but that entire last day for him was an emotional tug-of-war about having a mother and then her leaving. In his mind the mother left despite having caught me close and telling me she loved me in Russian. And there were gifts that touched my (little one's) heart and soothed my (the little one's) need to have someone try to provide that soothing. Now she is gone. How awful. Even more awful is the wait.

So that is what I live with. I am grateful to be back home after doing something to distract me from worrying about my little one waiting. And to my little one any thing less than me showing up with a ride to take him home is not acceptable. Everyday I wait to hear that I can finalize the approach take the little one home.

Personally, my Mom has always been there to soothe even a momentary bump in the road of my life. I still wait to be there for my little one so as to soothe the bumps in his road of life as he needs them to be for balance.

Maybe it is harder adopt an older child but I would say the markers on the path are so much clearer. I do not have to guess so much. He indicates so much clearer his emotional and ego nurtureing needs so that I am less likely to miss them. I see the pain and if I miss others fill in the blanks. Even the other children. Children are not blank slates there to be reinvented, rather they look to us to just be who they are.

So there it is - I wait.

Dusting and Tidying up some last minute issues on the list ...

I traveled to Seattle this week for training since I am still waiting to go to Russia. It is kind of a cool class about leadership styles and techiques. It was on my list of things to take if I had time and seemed to be a good time. Two weeks ago I recertified for First Aid and CPR. It is interesting how things change over time and there is a lot of new and good information out there. The EMT who taught the class was fantastic and because he has two small children and was able to give the class additional tips about first aid for children which was a nice bonus. He also had an infant dummy to practice CPR with and it made a world of difference to experience what that might be like. I have read about the procedure but had never really had a chance to practice it. I personally was really happy to discover my my hands would comfortably span a baby thereby allowing me to use my thumbs for CPR while supporting the little one. Of course I am adopting an older child but I feel so much more comfortable about giving CPR to a little one.

Ironically, on the way to that class a cyclist crashed into the back of a stopped car right in front of me. As I learned in the class we all did everything right. Apparently, stopping was the first thing. Calling 911 as we were running to the downed man was another. The book from the class also listed the Russian equivlant of 911 and it is totally getting put on my phone before I go back. I so love my cell phone. Thank goodness the cyclist was conscious and the emergency people got there super fast. It made me a few minutes late to class but as the EMT said during introductions - what is being a little late to something if you save a life? At the break I told him why I was late and he just smiled.

Anyway, I am getting things done. The cross stitch project is almost done but for a few more rays on the halo. Unfortunately the orange trim awaits for my return home. Believe it or not I pretty much took the summer off from my Russian studies. Yes, I listen to Russian music and the Cheburashka CD but for the most part I took a break. Okay for I practice conversation senarios when I ride into work in the morning but I think that may not count.


That being said, I have spoken with the universty department and they are willing to work with my need to be in Russia for the little one so back to class I will go. They want me to also take the phonetics class this year to help with the little one's speech issues and I am thinking about that. I both look forward to the language class itself and dread it at the same time. I love it because I love the language which seems so lyrical to me. I love the flow of the words. I love writing it. At the same time I think all Russians must be very smart because it is such a difficult language to learn. I remember my first quarter. During finals Galina our teacher left the room (it is not as if we could cheat from one another) and one of the student finally started banging her head on the table. Literally. It made us all laugh.

It is not an easy language quickly learned. But is rewarding. Recently, at work someone introduced me to a city police officer working with my agency who was from Russia. We talked briefly and someone asked him - could you understand her? He said yes, she speaks Russian. That is good enough for me.

So as I sit and try to be patient (I was such a wiggler on Sunday mornings) I reflect on being thankful that I still have time to fuss with details in getting ready for the little one to finally be home. From the beginning it was my intent to give the child I adopted the very best life I could. I mean that from every level. Since life is never perfect I continue to find little bits I want to fuss with. Once he gets here everything will change I will have no time for all the fussing which is how it should be. Once he is here that is when it all begins and I cannot wait. Of course until then I will I just need to stop wiggling and fussing :) I hope this posts finds everyone well. I keep you in my prayers and I hope that you will keep me in either your prayers or thoughts. Have a fantastic Tuesday and take care, Sarah :)

Yeah - today was not the day ...

I want to thank everyone for keeping me in their prayers and thoughts. I treasure all that outpouring of love and support. And it will happen when it will happen. There are a couple of documents still needing to be dealt with before the date will issue from the court. I hope it all gets taken care of soon. And I will have to update the medical certification because it expires at the end of the month. Kind of a bummer but then there are still lots of stuff to take care of before the little one arrives.


My realtor was really sweet and emailed me this week wanting to throw me a shower for the little one. People at work have already insisted on throwing one so I was totally speechless. I had never even thought about it. I think I have already bought too much stuff for him. If you asked Lana, my translator in Vlad, she would definately agree. I really do not need anything other than maybe some clothing but I was kind of waiting until I was about to get on the plane because kids can grow so fast. I am actually of half a mind to wait until I get there so that I can buy stuff that will reasonably fit him.


Also, I can continue to save for what I call the SUV of the bike world, which is a nifty bike from the Netherlands and can be seen at this link http://clevercycles.com/store/?c=web2.68. I currently commute to work by bike year round. So even while there is a train just around the corner from my house that takes all of nine minutes to deliver me to work, I still insist on suiting up in the cold and rainy dark of winter so that I can bike to work. That being said, I am not inclined to subject the little one to the same extreme conditions, hence my intent to buy this SUV. It comes with a severe weather cover and the front section is roomy enough so that serious gear can be added to keep him warm. Even though he will go to the Russian elementary school immersion program in our public school system (the only one of its kind in the country - check out the link! http://enrollment.pps.k12.or.us/.docs/pg/11139) I will still use the SUV bike for commuting for the family. And fun family weekend outings with the little one and my Dalmatian Louie. The Labrador Gabrielle would never come - she might have to expend energy getting in and out of the bike. :)


I ended my week with friends. My friend Maggie suggested we take another friend, Dolena, out for a late birthday celebration. A few more friends joined and it was a wonderful time. The place we picked to meet was hosting a Red Hat Society gathering and it was an amazing experience. Some of those hats are way too gorgeous. I want one!!


So the day ended on a sweet note. That is good enough today for me. I hope that everyone has an awesome weekend. Me I will probably be painting that orange trim. A greater love has no Mom. Take care, Sarah

So it is 6 p.m. in Vlad ...

And I cannot sleep. At this moment I am not sure if I am more ready to be joyful or terrified. Oh my goodness, my son may almost be home. I guess I should really finish the orange trim in his room. (His idea not mine!!). It is moments like this when I am grateful God is in charge of it all. It is all so amazing. Take care, Sarah

Maybe I go to Russia Soon!!!

I may get a court date by the end of the week! Please keep us in your prayers. Pretty please. :) :)

And I keep working on the little one's room. The last thing to be done was the trim. When I was in Russia he indicated orange was his favorite color which is a hard option during room decoration. That being said I finally decided to use colors that match (unintentionally) the artwork on the book "The Most Precious Thing" by Gill Lewis and Illustrated by Louise Ho. :) :) :)

So I keep working on drafting a how I first met the little one but I also just sent out an email to another family who is considering adopting a cleft child. If anyone thinks what I may have said is interesting just let me know and I will post my silly thoughts on the matter. Take care, Sarh