My longest birthday ever!

The train pulls into Moscow at 4:45am. Our driver picks us up. It is early, but there is no traffic. He congratulates us on our adoption. He tells us that making our flight will be tight. We will have to run to the airport. Our flight leaves at 6:50am.

It's 5:50am. I can see the airport! He pulls up to the curb, grabs my bag & shouts "run!" Oh, he was serious! I throw my bright pink carry-on over my shoulder & run! Corbin is in front of me with his bag & carry- on. We get through the security line & then we run again. We get to the counter to check-in. Our driver hands me my bag, points to where we go next & says "I will see you next time!" As soon as the words "thank you" come from my mouth, he is already halfway through the crowd. OK, I hope his car doesn't get towed... We get our tickets, wait through customs & arrive at our gate just as they begin boarding. As we sit down in our seats I remember, it's my birthday! It'll be my longest birthday ever. I will start the day here in Moscow, then celebrate in London during our lay-over & finally at home in Denver. What a day!

Our Day in Court!

We are thankful to have a court date today! We had to change our train tickets, extend our hotel in Kirov & cancel our hotel in Moscow, but we should still be able to make our return flight home. It turns out there was a local official, from the town the orphanage is in, who wanted to meet with us. No one scheduled this or told our translator & since a visit is not required, the paperwork proceeded without his signature. The judge called the official yesterday, told him to sign the document & send the social worker to Kirov with it. So, we try this again. We get all dressed up, arrive at the courthouse, show our passports & wait on the fifth floor outside the courtroom. If someone told me 5 years ago, when I began praying for another child, that I would be here, I'm not sure if I would have believed them.

As we are waiting, we spot the social worker walking by. Looks like we are good to go! They call us in. There is a court reporter, the prosecutor, the social worker & another woman we haven't met before. The judge does most of the talking. Through our court translator, the judge asks why we want to adopt more children if we have 3 already. He asks why we want to adopt from Russia & if Corbin's job is stable. He wants to know where our 3 kids are now & if we have enough seats in our car. He probes about adoption issues, special needs issues, cultural issues & language issues. He wants to know how we have prepared for this adoption & how much adoption education we've had. He inquires about how we discipline our kids & especially how we feel about physical discipline. He asks about our church, schools, socialization & if I'm willing to drive 5 kids to different schools every day. Lastly, he asks if we have met the children & if we like them. The prosecutor has only a few key questions for us. Then the social worker gives her report. She sites some observations from our visit with the kids. She mentions the fact the I traced their hands & feet, that Corbin played trucks with O, that I played girl stuff with L, that we bought them puppets, photos & a Skype-like video from our kids, along with gifts for L & O for her birthday which we will miss in a few weeks.

He reads their files. He asks if we have any questions. He asks if we would like to have anything reread again. He briefly retires to his chambers. He returns & grants us the adoption of L & O! He says congratulations & wishes me a happy early birthday. Our court translator escorts us out of the courtroom while he speaks with the social worker.

We were not allowed to take any photos in the courthouse. I would have liked a photo of him with us for the adoption book. As he leaves the courtroom, he stops for a moment in the hallway to shake our hands & congratulate us again.

We get back to the hotel, pack our bags & leave for the train. The next time we return to Kirov, we will be picking up our children's paperwork!

Court?

We are up early & ready to go! It was hard to sleep last night. I ended up praying & checking out Facebook at 4am since we have free Internet. Our translator picks us up at 10:30 & we get a cab. We arrive at the courthouse. The security guard at the desk asks for our passports. He remarks about Obama winning the election a few hours ago. We walk through the metal detector & another guard looks through my bag. We wait upstairs on the fifth floor. Our court translator shows up & briefs us on some of the common questions the judge will ask. She tells us that there is no need for the photos we brought with us. This judge will not want to see them. It is almost 11am & everything is set. Our translator asks the court translator if the social worker has arrived. She calls her. I comment to Corbin that many Russian people seem like they are yelling by the tone they use. We are told that court usually takes about 30 minutes. I look at the time. In 30 minutes from right now, we could be the parents of 5 children! I thank God that He has brought us here. There were so many roadblocks, so many times that I cried out to Him because it seemed like this was never going to happen! But, here we are. 

I'm rapidly shaken out of my day dream. Our translator is upset & is actually yelling. She tells us that there is a problem. I smile but, say nothing. She explains to us that the social worker who observed us on Monday is not present. She is the witness from the Ministry of Education & holds part of the documents we need. Apparently, there was a signature missing from one of the documents therefore, she didn't come. OK. There are no words. OK. What else can you say? We are here. We are ready. We are all dressed up for goodness sakes! It is quite a strange feeling to not have any particular feelings about something so important. Maybe I'm in shock? I just wear this odd smile across my face because I know there is absolutely nothing in the world that I can do. Calmly, I pray- alright Lord, how are you gonna get us through this one? I am fully aware that the judge could tell us that we will need to reschedule & that could be three months from now.

The door opens. They call us in. The judge explains that we can not proceed since the paperwork is not complete & the witness is not present. Since the orphanage is a 5 hour drive from the courthouse, there is no way that this can happen today. He tells us to come back tomorrow morning at 10am. Thank you Lord ;)

Day in Kirov

We arrived back to Kirov late in the evening last night. We're up in the middle of the night again. We chat & watch some Bollywood movies in Russian. It's a free day today. We try a little cafe for lunch & get some souvenirs. Tomorrow is our day in court!

Our visit :)

We are here! After a quick stop for lunch, we have arrived at the orphanage! It is a holiday today so all the kids have a day off school. We ring the doorbell & wait, and wait, and call, then wait some more. The Orphanage Director arrives with her husband through the gated entrance with the key. She lets us in. She makes small talk w/ our translator & the lady from the Ministry of Education, who is here to observe us, while people take turns using the bathroom. The Director points out the 8x10 photos on the wall. These are kids who have graduated her boarding school (orphanage) & have been successful after they left. Some kids have graduated college, others have gained honors in the military. The Director is very proud as she points to different pictures & speaks in Russian about their accomplishments. As I look at the pictures I wonder, do they look Russian? If I saw them in the US, would I know they were Russian?

Finally, we are ready to go. The Director leads us to the same room we met L & O in last time. The door opens & they are there waiting for us! They wear great big smiles on their faces. It's so good to see them! I can immediately tell that they have been told that we would like to adopt them. We were worried about what they would think. Last visit we were just 2 visitors, Corbin & Suzanne. It's obvious they are happy to see us & I'm so relieved. Right before we arrived at the orphanage, I feel a sense of panic set in. What if they aren't happy to see us? What if they don't want to be adopted by American parents? In that first moment I see their faces, the feeling vanishes. I just want to hug them so tight & not let go. Of course, I don't want to overwhelm them either. As we say hello (da-su-cha), I take off & hang my coat over a chair. There is a slight hesitation on both our parts until our translator says in both Russian & English "we'll, go ahead (nodding) give them a hug!" I give L a hug first & tell her how pretty so looks in her dress & oversized hair bows. Then it's O's turn. He smiles so big it takes up most of his face. I tell him how handsome he looks while I hold his hands in mine & rub on top. 

This visit I don't waste anytime pulling out their gifts! I have 2 hours & an entire list of things I need to do. The visit went so quickly last time, I don't want to run out of time. I pull 4 hand puppets out of my bright pink bag. I tell them the English names for the animals & our translator helps us repeat the Russian names for them. I decide that singing Old McDonald would be a good way to play with all the animals. I start the song & quickly realize that I am alone in the song! I should note that I am not a great singer... Why isn't anyone else singing? I figure out that besides Corbin, no one else knows the words :). Luckily, Corbin joins in soon enough. The kids laugh at all of our animal noises...apparently in Russia the animals say different sounds. Who knew? We have fun tinkling the kids & making the animals kiss. I catch a glimpse of someone watching us. I had forgotten we were being observed. This trip is different from the last time. We have made it through the first round. Now we have returned to make it official & become their parents. I'm not worried about what our observers are thinking. I'm only concerned about the thoughts L & O. Deep breath!

Next, I pull out blank paper & a pen. I show L my hand on the paper & pretend to trace it. Then I point to her hand & the paper. As she rests her hand on the paper I trace it. On her second hand, I make a small noise while I'm tracing. She looks directly at my face with big eyes. So I begin making lots of silly noises as I trace hands, then feet. The kids are laughing & pointing at the little places I made bumps by mistake. I'm purposely trying to make this fun, but honestly I need these so I can buy proper-fitting shoes & mittens. Then I will put these pictures in their adoption book. I also use a ruler to measure their arm & leg lengths. It will be very cold when we return in December & I want to be sure that the pants & shirts are not too short.

Next we bring out the photos we brought. It's a small photo book with pics of us, Tommy, Jake, Hannah, our pets, our house & both their beds. We tell them the names for everyone. We have brought 2 photo books, one for each of them. When L puts hers down, the Director asks to see it. Although she is not making much conversation, she is much friendlier than on our last visit. She smiles at the photos. I imagine her thinking of what their lives might hold as they grow up in our family. I know we are not the parents she imagined when their referral went out. But, for Americans, I think she has decided that we are not too bad. :) We tell them we also have a few short videos from their new sister & brothers. Corbin gets the IPad. Tommy, Jake & Hannah say "hello" to L & O in Russian, then say "my name is..." in Russian. The kids love it! O wants to press the arrow (play button) over & over again! L tries to stop her brother from taking over the IPad. The Director is very excited to see the videos. I move over on the rug to make room for her. When it finishes, she excitedly tells us that she has been teaching the children some English. Of course, we can't whip out the IPad fast enough, as any parent does when you are sure that your child is about to do something absolutely amazing! We get a short video of L & O saying in English "my name is..." Ahhh, priceless!

Before I know it, both kids are drawing on the backs of the paper. O waits patiently for L to hand over the pen. She draws a girl centered in the middle of her paper. She wears a shirt, skirt & has big rosy cheeks. To the left is a big house with windows, which is the same size as the girl. To the right is a small cabin, some flowers & a mushroom. Along the bottom is grass & at the top is a bright sun! O draws a house with windows, mushrooms, grass, raindrops & a larger cabin with legs. Our translator mentions that he often copies what his sister does. He explains to the translator that the cabin in his picture belongs to Baba Yaga. There are Russian fairy tales of this character who lives in a cabin with chicken legs in the woods. She is like a witch & eats small children if she finds them. Fairy tales really are terrifying!

The kids get bored, so we move into the adjoining room to play. I play w/ L while Corbin & O play with cars. I grab my short list of Russian words I wrote down to practice on L while she arranges the dolls & prepares the tea party. I tried to think of all the words I'd use for the next trip when I want them to get dressed for the day. I go down the list trying my best to pronounce the words for shirt, pants, shoes, etc. as I point to the items. She smiles & nods as I say each word. I get to the word for underwear...yeah, I'm just going to skip that one. I'm sure by now she's thinking that I'm just a little strange & I don't want to reinforce that :) 

The Director asks L to help O walk to the bathroom. She does but, mutters something in Russian quickly. The ladies giggle after they leave the room. I wonder if she's telling him to hurry up. She is the big sister after all. We get our five minute warning that our visit is coming to a close. I take a moment to confirm that we will have time to ask more questions when we pick them up. I have a whole list of questions that would be helpful, but not essential. I'd really like to talk with their primary caregivers. We will see. The director tells me that there will be time. She is able to answer the question on bathing. They shower every night, no baths, & have some type of sauna once a week. Ok, this is helpful info. The other questions will have to wait. 

I look at my list quickly. What else do I need to do? I grab my bag. I hand the director 2 disposable cameras. I ask her if someone could take photos of the orphanage, their friends, teachers, etc. for their adoption book. These are probably the only real photos they will have from here. We have seen very little of the other rooms in the building. We have seen few children except those walking in the hallways. I want them to have more than memories of their life here. 

Lastly, I discreetly take out a card & 2 small chocolates wrapped in birthday paper. L's birthday will come before we see her again. I ask if the Director would give these gifts to L & O on her birthday. I am unsure if they celebrate birthdays or not. I am prepared to hand it to them now if its not possible. The director looks pleased & flashes a small grin.

I hate this time. I know we need to say goodbye. Why can't we just take them? Maybe we can just stay here? We all know it's not possible. This is what must happen. As it goes with life so often we say we are ready. We think we are, but maybe not fully ready. God says wait. And that's hard to hear. I hug them each tight. I tell them that we will be back soon. It won't be as long as last time. We are going to prepare a place for you. We watch them as they slowly walk out of the room, their arms filled with puppets & photos. Their faces show big smiles, but their eyes are glazed over. This is where they need to be right now. They will go through the next days & slowly process all this information. There is a reason why today is not the day we take them home. We will be back soon. I promise.

As we walk outside there are children playing on the playground. This seems like a nice orphanage. I'm thankful they have be taken care of here & will be taken care of until we return. Next step- court!

Almost there...

We arrive in Kirov bright & early. We have just enough time for a quick breakfast at the Centralya Hotel. I am not particularly looking forward to the long bumpy ride since I know what to expect this time around. But, I am eager to get this show on the road & see L& O so, off we go!

Can't Wait!

We prepare for our visit w/ the kids tomorrow. We will have only 2 hours to visit, ask questions, get measurements, show pictures & video. I've got to make a list of everything we need to do while there. The next time we see them, we will be bringing them home. This will be the first time we see the kids as perspective parents. Last time they saw us, we were only introduced as visitors. Since then, they have been told that we would like to adopt them. We are unsure how they will respond to us & exactly what they understand. We finish & board the night train to Kirov. We never sleep well on the train, but am thankful we have a sleeper car none the less.

Flexible? Oh Yeah!

We arrived in Moscow, meet w/ our Russian coordinator & then check into our hotel. Plans have changed. The driver who is supposed to take us to the orphanage on Monday & back again on Tuesday morning, can not stay the night as planned. Another driver who can take us is requesting more money since oil prices have gone up since the last time she used him. By law, we need to visit w/ the children at least 3 separate times before the court date. The new plan is to make the 5 hour drive to the orphanage, see L& O only on Monday for 2 hours, then make the 5 hour drive back on the same day. What are we if not flexible? We will still get to see the kids & still be back to Kirov in time for court, just all in one long day. I think we can deal. :)

I Love NY!

We arrive at JFK. My ever faithful friend meets us w/ passports & visas. Thank you A! I'm not sure if she will ever truly understand how grateful I am. What I was not able to do on my own, no matter how hard I tried, she has just done for me out of the goodness of her heart. We are able to chat for awhile, I'm sure talking her ears off.

Too soon it's time for us to say our goodbyes & check in for our next flight. The lady at the desk huffs a bit while she is trying to get our tickets in order. "They were supposed to print this out at Denver for you. I don't know why they didn't, blah, blah, blah."  Corbin & I just look at each other smiling w/o saying a word. She has no idea...

As boarding begins, I call my Dad quickly to let him know that all is well, we are boarding the plane to Moscow. As if on que, as soon as I hear his voice  my eyes well up. It's real for the first time. We are really going to Moscow.

God is Good!

We wake up & get to the airport. We get through airport security w/ our driver's licenses- 1st step down! We arrive at the gate ahead of schedule. We discuss whether we should ask the desk if we can board this plane w/ only our driver's license or if we should just wait until board begins to try to board. Before we come to a decision, our names are called to see the desk attendant. Here we go! We explain the situation & are told that we can not board w/o a passport. We explain that this flight from Denver to JFK is a domestic flight so a valid driver's license should be acceptable. She calls someone to discuss our dilemma. After 10 minutes she calls us back up. Her supervisor says that they will let us on, but we take full responsibility that we can not continue onto the 2nd flight w/o our passports. We agree & sit back down relieved. They call for boarding. As Corbin approaches the counter & hands over his boarding pass, it won't scan. She tries again. The scanner beeps & flashes a red X. She asks him to step to the side. My ticket does the same. We stand next to the door watching the line shrink as people board the plane. Corbin interrupts the woman we spoke w/ earlier to see what the problem is. She explains that the computer won't accept our tickets because it wants her to scan the passports. Does she remember that we just spoke w/ her about this? She said it was ok. She tells us that there's nothing she can do. We explain again the situation. Finally she asks if we want to speak w/ a supervisor...uh, yes! We wait as the last of the line fades. When the supervisor arrives I don't dare speak a word because I know that I will not be able to hold back the tears. Corbin explains the situation again: the storm, the passports, the visas, the Russian Consulate, the flooding, the friend, the court date- all pending on us getting on this flight. We can not delay! We have used up all of the extra days we planned in case of something going wrong! There is no other flight that will get us to Moscow in time w/o missing the court date which means L& O will have to spend another Christmas w/o a family! Thank God this man has sympathy for us & overrides the system by manually checking the box that says he saw our passports. As Corbin returns I can see a smile on his face. The supervisor looks at me & explains good friends of his just returned several months ago from Russia w/ 2 new kids. He smiles & says "Congratulations, you have a good trip." I can barely utter the words thank you & the tears come. We have literally spent days upon days trying to redo, replan & reroute every part of this trip which had fallen apart bit by bit over the last week. And at the very last moment God touched the heart of one person to make all our efforts be fruitful. Thank you Lord, You are an amazing God!

Preparing...

We pack, clean house & make sure everything is ready! We pack only 2 small bags & 2 backpacks all to be carried on. We check into our 1st flight to JFK online so we can bypass the front desk. The system tells us that we will need to show our passports when we arrive at the airport. We have asked tons of people to pray that we will be able to get on this flight. We try to sleep.