Look Out Big Brothers...

...Here I Come!!! Miss Julia is walking!!! She went from taking 3 and 4 steps here and there over the past few days to going wherever she wants this morning!!! She is a little slow and wobbly, but next week I am sure she will be chasing her big brothers EVERYWHERE!!!

Home One Month

I know, I'm a little behind on my blogging. But, it is hard to keep up with everything with a new baby! Julia is doing great. She had a few issues at first (mostly with me). She was scared to death of her baths! She would stiffen up, scream like someone was killing her and turn purple from holding her breath! But, the past few baths have been tearless. Last night she even seemed to almost enjoy it! She is gaining weight very quickly! In only a month, she is starting to out grow some of her clothes! This makes me very happy, because I like chubby babies! Anyway, she loves her big brother Luke and usually likes her big brother Isaac.



Luke has been really great with her! He loves to help her walk! Which, by the way, she is VERY close to doing on her own! She has taken 3 and 4 steps here and there, but for the most part she still prefers to walk with her walker.



Also, she loves the animals! She loves to get one of the dog's toys and start crawling off with it to get the dog to chase her. It is hysterical!!!



AND...drum roll please...The girl loves shoes!



She likes to try to wear all shoes...her shoes, my shoes, her daddy's shoes (which she can almost fit completely into...lol). Also, all of her test results came back normal. So far, she is very healthy. We have truly been blessed with our little pumpkin!





The verse of the day says...Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

Our angel is truly God's Glorious gift!!!

Trip Three Details

I am still too busy to do this, but I figured I had better do it before I start forgetting the details. So here goes...

We made a last minute decision that my mother would go on this trip instead of Andy. We figured it would be a lot easier on the boys and it was. So, anywhere in the following that I say "we", I mean my mother and I.

On Sunday, September 6, I flew out of Charleston one last time. (And at this point, I mean the last time...I really don't care if I ever get on an airplane again!) We flew from Charleston to Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany to St. Petersburg, Russia. We arrived in St. Pete about 12:28 PM on Monday. My mother would not let me just go to bed, so I dragged myself around the streets of St. Petersburg, Russia for a few hours before we finally found a "restaurant" for dinner. Mama Mia's was an interesting little hole in the wall that served some pretty nasty food. You know how they say "If you are hungry enough, anything tastes good"? Well, I was starving and that was still TERRIBLE!!! After that "meal", I had had enough and told my mom we were going to bed. I think at this point she agreed!

Tuesday was very busy. We spent the day gathering documents and applying for a copy of the Julia's birth certificate, adoption certificate, and passport. But, we did get to see her for a few minutes.

Mom meeting Julia


Wednesday was supposed to be a free day, but due to poor scheduling by our in country staff, I only got to see Julia for about 10 minutes on Tuesday. So, we went back to the baby home to visit her for several hours Wednesday morning. But, at noon she does down for a nap. So, we had to leave her behind one more time. On the way back from the baby home, we (well, really my mother) had our driver drop us off at the Church of Spilled Blood. We shopped for several hours, then took a canal tour. It was really beautiful and I am sure we saw a lot of really old buildings, but I wouldn't know because the tour was in Russian! We were so tired, we just hopped on the first open boat. I guess we should have waited for an English one. Anyway, after the boat tour, we found a very nice restaurant and had a great dinner for the first time in days! It was wonderful!!! Little did I know that I would need every last calorie...our walk back to our hotel took 45 minutes and we weren't exactly going at a snail's pace! (Have you met my mother? LOL!) Well, after loosing a pant size, we decided to call it a night.

Church of Spilled Blood


Canal Tour



Thursday was a free day...by our agency's standards...my mom had other ideas. We walked 40 minutes to take a hydrofoil (fast boat ride) to Peterhoff Parks and Palace. We walked around there for a couple hours. Then, we took the boat back and walked back to our hotel with several pit stops into little Russian stores and a very nice restaurant. Don't get me wrong Peterhoff was beautiful, but at this point I was starting to loose another pant size and I didn't have any clothes that fit!

Peteroff Parks and Palace






Friday was the day I had been waiting for for over two years! The day I carried my angel out of that baby home for good! She was napping when we got there, so we walked around the grounds, took more pictures and video and had lunch (that I packed) in the playground area. Finally, at 2:20 they told us she was awake. Her caregivers said their goodbye's and handed her to me. I wish I knew what they told her. It seemed so sweet. Finally, I changed her clothes and carried her out of there. She was smiling the entire time as if she knew what was going on. We then went back to the passport office, and waited in line, just to find out that her passport wasn't ready yet. Come back tomorrow after three, they said. So, that is what we did.

Leaving the Baby Home



Saturday, we took it easy. In the afternoon, I left Julia with my mother in the hotel room to go back to the passport office. This time they had it ready which was a really good thing as I had already bought plane tickets to leave for Moscow on the following day. On the way back to the hotel, our driver got pulled over by the police. They said they had seen him driving in a bus lane earlier...no not in this place...someone drive where they aren't supposed to...noooooo. So, he starts to argue with the police officer. GREATTT (eye roll), just what I need. He gets back in the car, shouting what had to be a line of profanity because my translator turned 10 shades of red. She turns around and asks, "Is your mother okay with the baby, because the police officer wants him to come and talk to another police officer...the one that saw it happen?" Do I have a choice? So, we follow police officer A to police officer B. My driver gets out and into police officer B's car with police officer A. They sat in that car arguing for about 20 minutes...at this point I am about to just get out and find a taxi, but I didn't for fear of being arrested! Finally, across the street, we hear CRASH! Another car wreck, there has to be 1,000 a day in this crazy city! So, police officer B decides he needs to go check it out. Police officer A gives my driver a ticket and off we go. He told my translator that the ticket was as much as his salary for the day...whatever that was. But, honestly he deserved it! He was, without a doubt, the worst driver I have ever seen! I couldn't even bring myself to tip the guy. How do you tip someone that is trying to kill you? (I think he was over paid anyway.) So, finally I made it back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day packing for Moscow.

Sunday was a good day. At this point, I was so tired and just wanted to go home. So, I knew getting to Moscow would get us one step closer to home. This was also the day that we discovered that in Russia, they drive planes as poorly as they do cars! We were certain that we were not going to survive the landing. But, by an act of God, we made it and I seriously almost kissed the ground when we got off the plane!

Monday was a interesting day. I was told on Sunday that the doctor doing the baby's exam for the embassy would come to our hotel between 5:30 and 6:00 AM. So, I set the alarm clock for 5. Well, at 5:25 AM, we hear pounding on the door. It was them that I realized that I set the alarm, but didn't turn it on! I jumped up, threw on a sweater, and answered the door. He says, "Did they not inform you of the time of my call?" I pretty much rolled my eyes and pointed him to the baby! He told me to undress her as he washed his hands. So, I wake a sleeping baby to make this guy happy. I really think he would have been much better off to just leave her asleep because now she was just screaming her head off...Not quite literally, but she did turn a nice shade of purple. Well, he looks at her, listens to her lungs and heart, measures her head and length, then he "weighs" her. He picked her up and said, "aw, about 18 lbs." I wanted to laugh, as I knew this was wrong, but I was paying this guy $300 dollars for this exam, so I kept my mouth shut. Well, after 10 minutes of checking her out, he handed me a receipt and says, "have a good day". Now, I am no expert, but he has to be the most overpaid man ever. $300 for 10 minutes of pretending to be a Doctor. That is $1800/hour...in RUSSIA! Come on! Well, anyway we were already up so we decided to get on with our day. We took the hotel shuttle to Red Square and saw...drum roll please...yep, more old buildings. This was getting really old! I just wanted to go home. Also, the food was 100 times worse in Moscow than it was in St. Pete. We almost did a little dance when we came across the McDonald's at Red Square. Did you know "Big Mac" in Russian is still "Big Mac"? That was really great because were getting really tired of playing charades just to order food.

Moscow




Tuesday was a day of great relief! The Embassy Appointment! FINALLY!!! It's really simple...on Monday, a representative from my agency had me fill out several documents that he added to a stack of documents he already had and he dropped it off at the Embassy with a power of attorney from me. The on Tuesday, I go and pay $400 and they have everything ready for me. Well, sort of...I did have to have an interview and swear that (in official sounding voice) "to the best of my knowledge everything listed in that stack of documents is true and accurate." They also wanted to confirm that Andy had seen the baby prior to the adoption being finalized. This is necessary for the baby to come home on an IR3 Visa. This entitles her to US citizenship the minute the little guy at customs stamps her passport. That was it! Were were officially finished with all the paperwork!!! I was ready to go back to the hotel, pack, have a early dinner and go to bed...little did I know my mother had other ideas! "Let's go to Pushkin," she says. You have to understand that when she is in one place too long she turns into a caged animal :). Well, we get on the shuttle to Pushkin Square. Then about 20 minutes later we are dropped off on a street corner...there is nothing around us! We have no clue where we are and the only thing at Pushkin is a guy on a horse...??? Come On!!! So, she decides she wants to go back to Red Square to finish up her shopping. Keep in mind there is no shuttle for Red Square at this time of day...no sir...we had to walk it with baby in tow! By the time we got there I wanted to cry and we still had to shop and turn around and go back! Well, we did get some very cute souvenirs, but I am not sure they were worth it!

Julia enjoying the new souvenirs that I almost died for.



Wednesday...Home!!! This trip was much easier than all of the others. We had a direct flight from Moscow to DC (This was where my little girl became a US Citizen.), then directly to HOME! It was still a long trip, but much better than going from plane to airport to plane to airport...

Going Home




It was a very long trip and one that took me about four days to recover from, but in the end I would do it all again...it brought me my sweet little Julia!

Home Sweet Home!

As our plane touched down, I glanced at my watch. It was 6:58, the moment my daughter is home forever! Being home never felt so good. She is doing very well. I am still exhausted, so I will give you all the details of our trip later. Thanks for all of your calls!

In My Arms Forever!

At 2:30 PM (6:30 AM ET), I changed my little Julia's clothes and carried her out of her baby home forever. She smiled the entire time as if she knew what was going on. As I hold her now in our hotel room, it still seems surreal. I have my daughter! I am already in love!

Getting Close

My bags are almost packed, our visa's are here and correct, my documents are tucked SAFELY in their proper place and I just received a confirmation email from Marriott. We are ready to go!!! I am SO READY!!! I can't wait to get my baby girl home!!!

The Case Of The Missing Document Part 2

Well, we still haven't found the document, but did receive some great news! Last night I emailed the US Embassy in Moscow, told them my situation and asked what I should do. They told me that they have it in my file and I only need to bring copies in case the interviewing officer asks for it. I am SOOOO relieved!!! I guess it doesn't hurt to ask everyone you can think of, huh? This means we are still scheduled to arrive home with Julia on September 16Th!!!

The Case Of The Missing Document...

Well, I have NO clue how it happened, but it happened...We have lost one of the most important documents needed to get Julia's visa. It is our I-171H. This is the document that USCIS gives to verify that you have been approved to adopt. I am absolutely sick over this. I just have NO CLUE where it could have went. We have called our social worker who is supposed to have a copy...she doesn't. We have sent an email to the general USCIS email address...no reply. We have left voice mail messages with the lady from USCIS that helped us expedite our last document...no response. We are going to give all of the above one more day, then we are going to start calling senator's offices. They should be able to get USCIS to move. This missing document will not stop me from traveling as Julia is legally ours. But, it will stop me from bringing her back to the US in a timely manner. So, very long story short...please pray that we will be able to come up with the replacement.

Pick Up Trip

We are officially scheduled to return to Russia for our third trip on Sept. 6Th. This trip will be ten days long. We will leave here on Sunday, Sept. 6, arrive in St. Petersburg on Monday afternoon, and spend the rest of Monday sleeping. Then on Tuesday, we go to work! We have to gather all of the necessary adoption documents and file for Julia's Russian passport. It takes four days for all of this to be finalized. On Friday, armed with every document possible, I will pick up my daughter, squeeze her tight and never let her go!!! No more handing her back to a caregiver, no more kissing her by, and no more leaving a chunk of my heart in a tiny little Russian orphanage!!! Oh, I can't wait! We spend Saturday getting to know each other. Then on Sunday, we travel to Moscow. On Monday, Julia will be examined by a doctor for her embassy appointment and Tuesday is our Embassy appointment. Finally, on Wednesday, September 16Th, the United States of America will have a new citizen...one Julia Ann Skidmore!!!

I have spent the past few days getting together the necessary documents for this final trip. I am finished with the paperwork for our visas, but still have a bit more left for the embassy appointment. Oh, and I have been buying baby girl clothes! I just LOVE pink and purple. I had a friend ask, "Are you going all princess pink or our you getting some colors that daddy likes?" My answer, "Daddy has had 6 1/2 years of his colors...it's my turn!" She will think she is a flower by the time I am done with her, hee hee hee!!! I will keep you updated, but the next couple weeks should be pretty boring (hopefully!).

Baby, Court, and Exhaustion

Six cities, four countries and six days later, we are home as the new parents of one Julia Ann Skidmore. On Saturday, August 15Th at 11:11 AM, we left here with huge butterflies in our stomach. We had a layover in Detroit and Amsterdam, then arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia on Sunday at 3:25 PM on Sunday, August 16Th. We spent the rest of the day sleeping.

On Monday, we spent some time with our girl. We arrived at the baby home just after 11 AM. We were told that she would have lunch and a nap at noon, so we could only have about 45 minutes with her. But, we could come back after her nap at 3 PM if we wanted more time with her...uh, yes! So, we spent about 45 minutes with one tired little girl, then went to have lunch of our own. We went to a small little place just down the road from the baby home. We had some very strange, but good Armenian food. After what had to be the longest lunch of our lives, we finally made it back to the baby home. The baby home director spent a few minutes with us to help prepare us for court. She told us what questions this judge would most likely ask and what we should should and should not say. She also wanted to make sure we were fully prepared and went over Julia's file with us again. I did learn more about our girl. She was born in an ambulance at 4:10Am. Her first baby home named her because the birth mother did not want to. I really have learned more about her than I ever thought possible. I am so thankful! She asked us if we had anymore questions and seriously I could not think of anything!...They had answered them all! So, then it was time to see our girl again.

Julia was much more alert this time. They had changed her dress...it was too small, but very cute. She was still a little shy, but did eventually warm up to us again. In the room we were allowed to play in, there was this really large alligator stuffed animal. She was just mesmerized by this thing. So, Andy and I played a game with the alligator that she just loved. We rolled a ball back and forth with her. We played peek-a-boo. We did just about everything we could to try to get her to smile. There is nothing like that shy little smile she has! It's just precious! Well, after a few hours, they told us it is time to go. So, reluctantly, I handed her back to her caregiver and tried to keep my emotions to myself. Anyway, we had court the next day and we needed to prepare.

We went back to our hotel room, ate a dinner of beef jerky and pringles and got started on the dreaded speech. I had already wrote a rough draft at home so I figured it would not take us very long...boy was I wrong. The director at the baby home had given us a list of things that we should include. So, we had to add them all. Well, a few hours and a few arguments later...we had it, the perfect speech. What judge wouldn't want to give us a baby now?

Morning came WAY TOOOO early! But, soon adrenaline kicked in and we had a job to do...get that baby! We had a very American breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel, added the final touches to ourselves, and off we went! We arrived at the courthouse at 10 AM, great (insert eye roll), we were an hour early. Well, we walked in a very old building (This seems to be the trend over there.) Our coordinator explained to the security guards...Russian, Russian, Russian, Americans, court, Russian, Russian, Russian,...sigh, if only I'd learned more Russian. Oh, I forgot to mention...our agency is short staffed right now so we didn't have a translator for most of the day. (I should have asked for a discount.) Then, we were led to a common area with tables and chairs and told to sit...and sit we did! There was another couple there for court as well and until the judge called us, we had NO idea who was going first. Well, it turned out to be the other couple. They were called back right at 11 AM. Their session lasted about 1 hour and forty five minutes. The judge told them yes.

Well, at this point the judge decides she needs a lunch break. So, we were told to be back in an hour and a half. Great (insert eye roll, again), we had to wait even longer. So, here comes the fun part...the translator that works for the court took pity on us and took us to lunch with her. We walked two and a half blocks on the roughest sidewalk I have ever seen in brand new shoes to a Russian vegetarian cafe. The menu was very odd, so we ate Blinis (very thin pancakes) and water. NOT what I call lunch...this girl likes her grub and that wasn't it! So, then we walked (well, to be wearing heels it was more like a sprint) back to the courthouse using the same route (Where was that stinking driver I paid for?) I am pretty sure I will not be able to wear those new shoes again as they were filled with my blood. We were led back to that same table and chairs and told "sit". (My butt is bruised at this point from those wooden chairs.) I think this was also the point I started to feel like a dog..."sit", "follow", "come", "eat", etc... The independent translator looked over our speech for us and removed a lot of what the baby home director told us to add. So, basically , we sat up for hours rewriting our speech for nothing.

FINALLY, at 2 PM, the judge is ready for us...I wonder what she had for lunch? I bet it was better than vegetarian Blinis and water! Anyway, we walked into a room that couldn't have been larger than 10' X 8'. There were eight of us inside...the baby home director, the social worker, the prosecutor, the court reporter, the translator, us and eventually the judge. "This was going to be interesting." The judge's chamber door buzzes and we all rise. She sits and we sit. My poor husband took the brunt of it. He had to petition the court to add the photos of our visits with Julia to our petition to adopt, give our speech and answer a ton of questions from both the judge and the prosecutor. I only had to answer three questions, which was probably a good thing as I seemed to be really emotional. The judge's questions were to clarify a few of our documents, about the boys, if we fully understood her medical diagnosis, and if we were sure. (Yeah, flew to Russia twice, but wasn't sure...hummmm??!!) Then the director of the baby home read Julia's file and said she recommends the judge grant our petition. Hearing Julia's file read out loud in court was harder than I thought it would be. To hear that her family didn't want her and four other Russian families didn't want her was enough to have me crying yet again. I was sure they were going to say no just because I couldn't turn off the waterworks. Next, the Social worker said she recommends the judge accept the petition and gave her supporting evidence. The prosecutor then said she supports our petition. Now, the judges read through our ENTIRE dossier. Keep in mind, this stack of documents was so thick that I had to send it to my agency in a large box! No envelope in the world would have held that many pieces of paper. I was getting really bored with this!...just give us your verdict already!!! So, after an eternity of reading, she says she is going to take a break to make a decision. Everyone in the room breathes a sigh of relief. After about five minutes she returned. There we stand in the tiniest room in St. Petersburg, Russia about to hear the verdict. She read the entire petition, including the baby's new name, Julia Ann Skidmore. At 3:35 PM (7:35 AM ET), and said, "I accept this petition, you have ten days to appeal this decision." Then looks at me and said, "Enjoy your baby girl, Mama!" If she didn't think I was crazy before, I'm sure she did then...I was sobbing! Two years of emotions were coming out of me in that one moment. Oh, the relief and joy!

Well, everything that happened next was quite a blur. The director of the baby home hugged me and nodded. I guess a hug is the same in any language! We went down the street and signed a document at the Ministry of Education's office. She told us that she would remove Julia from the waiting child list and congratulations. Then our driver (the same one that was missing earlier) took us to a souvenir shop. I went crazy! I bought a painting, a hand made Russian doll, a Russian Fairy Tales book, and much more! "New mommy syndrome" I guess! Finally, we went back to the hotel, packed and crashed!

At 7:20 AM, I cried as our plane left the ground. I knew I would be back very soon to get her, but I still really hated leaving her there. So, I tried not the think about it and started making plans for our pick up trip.

Oh, I can't wait to have her in my arms again! The next time I hold her, I'll never have to let her go!!!

Judge Says "DA"!!!

"Da" is Russian for yes!!! At 3:35 PM (7:35 ET), I offically became a new mommy again!!! I am so happy, I can't stand it! I thank God for finally bringing us to the end of this journey! Thanks to everyone for keeping us in your prayers! I could feel your love all the way in Russia. Right now we are scheduled to pick her up on September 6Th. I am emotionally spent right now, so I will give you the details of our trip when I get home.

Court in 12 hours!

As Andy and I sit here amazed that we are half way around the world adding the finishing touches to our court speech, I start to get really nervous... Will I answer the questions properly? Will I seem confident enough? (They are really big on that!) Will I this? Will I that? You know, "mind rambling". So, I decide to do some farming on facebook and check my email and blog. Well, I open my blog and the verse-a-day says, " Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "...I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."" I know it's just a silly computer generated verse that pops up once a day on my blog, but I have tears rolling down my face as I write this. If it has happened once, it has happen 100 times...God has given me the perfect verse and the perfect time! That is how He is, huh?...Perfect!

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we finally bring this adoption to an end! I can't wait for my little Yulia, to be Julia Ann Skidmore!

Ready Or Not...

...Here we go! Tickets, check...Hotel, check...Court documents, check...and I just received word that our visas will be here in the morning. Ready or not, we are Russia bound once again! I can't wait to see my baby girl.

The Last Document

It is with a huge sigh of relief that I announce...drum roll please...Nancy from CIS just returned Andy's call and we will have our last required document tomorrow morning! Keep in mind, CIS usually takes weeks to do everything. Thank You Lord!!! He gets ALL the glory for this one! We are in the home stretch!!!

One Week Until Court!

I really don't know how I feel. Court is only one week away! I am really excited, nervous, almost paranoid...Did I fill all of our documents out right?, Did I forget anything?, Will the judge say no?, What if I say something stupid?...I know, I'm loosing it! But, I have never had butterflies like this before. So, I did some research on how often the judge says yes...99.89% of the time! From this point it pretty much takes document fraud or admitting that you are crazy to get the judge to say no. So, I guess I will just stay focused, make Andy do most of the talking, and walk out there a new mommy! Oh, that sounds so good to say!

We are scheduled to leave on Saturday at 11:36 AM and finally arrive in St. Petersburg on Sunday 3:25 PM. We will rest on what's left of Sunday, spend some time playing with Julia on Monday, then spend the rest of Monday being prepped for court by our in country coordinators. Tuesday is court and documents chasing and Wednesday we come home. We will leave on Wednesday at 7:20 AM and get home Wednesday evening at 5:49 PM...Another one of the longest days of our lives and still home in time for dinner! Now, there still is a slim (very slim) possibility that the judge could waive the Ten Day Appeals Period and mess this entire schedule up royaly, but in the end that would be a great thing!

So, keep us in your prayers for the next week. I pray that we will receive our last document in time and for a safe, uneventful trip. I pray that the judge won't make it too hard on us. I pray for my stinking nerves and that jet lag won't kill me. But, most importantly I pray for our little angel as she waits for us to finally bring her home.

Document Update

We just received word that our social worker now has one of the two documents that we have been waiting on in her hands. YEAAAAAAA!!! So, now we are waiting on her to rewrite our home study report which should be finished for us to pick up either this evening or in the morning. Also, we were able to get in touch with the officer that is in charge of our case with CIS. She is willing to overnight our approval form back to us as long as we include the overnight envelope. So, we should have everything in hand with a day or two to spare! This is GREAT news as I figured I would be standing by the mailbox on Friday waiting on the last document. So, long story short...more prayers answered!!! Thank You Lord!!!

Court Date Confirmed!!!

Great news...our court date was just confirmed! We will be in Russia again from August 15Th to August 18Th...another whirlwind trip. We still haven't gotten the last two documents we need. So, please pray hard that we will. I am so nervous, I can't stand it! I have never been in a courtroom before and my first experience will be in Leningrad, Russia...great! (Insert Eye Roll) Anyway, it will all be worth it in the end...when I get to bring home my baby girl!

Paperwork is Finished!

Well, almost. I have spent the last week and a half gathering the last few documents necessary to secure our court date. I have done everything I can, but I am still waiting on two that are out of my control. One is from USCIS and the other is from the WV State Police. So, I am praying they will be here very soon! But, the good news is my part of the job is done and I have been declared sane! Yes, I even have the documents to prove it. Some crazy psychiatrist said I am still sane. Well, actually he said I am sane enough to be a parent, so I am not sure what that really means...? So, now I am just waiting on the last two documents and counting down the days until I get to see my Julia again.

She's a doll...

...Details about our Julia!

She is truly a doll! When we first received her referral we were worried about her weight. But, she has gained several pounds since she was moved to the new orphanage and is even starting to get little fat cheeks. She looks much healthier now than she did in her referral photos. When we first met her, she seemed scared and confused. But, the longer we were with her, her confusion seemed to turn to fascination. I don't know if she really had a clue why we were there, but she seemed to enjoy our company anyway. I kind of hope she didn't as she has been "shown" to several Russian families and they rejected her. She wasn't healthy enough for them. If she knew why we were there, then surly she could since their rejection. I can't imagine how that would feel. No child should have to endure that. I told her I would be back soon, but again I don't think she understood.

Her hair is a "dirty" blond and her eyes are grey with a bluish tint. They look a lot like Luke's eyes. Her head and eyes are shaped just like Andy's, but she looks nothing like me. I don't mind. I think it's cute, she looks like Daddy's girl already. Her biological parents were 5'10" and 5'7", so she probably won't be as tall as us, but she will fit in with the rest of my family. My mom is only 5'3" and my sister in somewhere in the middle. Julia actually looks like she could be my sister and Andy's child...hee hee hee. She is very sweet and kind of shy. It took her about an hour or more to even crack a smile and even then she tried to hide it from us. You can tell by the way she holds on so tight when you are holding her that she hasn't been held a lot. She grabs on for dear life. I actually had a wrinkled spot on my shirt where she squeezed it so long. When I got back to my hotel, the wrinkle made me sad.

There was a pregnant cat running, well waddling around outside the window while we were there. She loved to look out and watch her. We started making cat noises. First, she thought we were crazy. Then, she started to like it. I really think she thought we were nuts! But, at least we got her to smile. There was a family in the room next to us meeting their child. This child cried the entire time. Julia was very concerned for this child. She kept looking toward that door with a very concerned face. Julia's cry is very weak. It is more of a whine. This is a sign that the caregivers in her old home didn't answer when she cried. She cried so long, she eventually gave up. What's the point if no one answers. I have a feeling though, that she will get her voice back very soon once she is home. One of her caregivers peeked in the window to make sure we were doing okay and her face lit up. This is a good sign. She has clearly attached to several ladies at her baby home. This means she will be more likely to attach to us fairly quickly. We will just have to convince her that we are permanent. She will not have to attach to anyone else ever again. (Other than a husband one day of course, but she isn't allowed to date until she is 25 or 30, so I won't have to worry about that.)

I sat in the floor with her several times to see how well she can walk. She can't, but is very close. She supports herself and knows to take steps, but the balance and muscle tone isn't quite there yet. I know she will be walking soon, but selfishly, I kind of hope she doesn't until she is home. I want to see her first steps. She is more of a rocker, than a walker. A lot of babies in orphanages will sit and rock back and forth out of boredom or to sooth themselves. Julia does this. It is cute, but sad. Her old home was truly neglecting her.

Her birthday is July 9Th. We missed it by one day. If I had known ahead of time, I would have planned on staying one day longer. So, today I pray for my angel. Happy Birthday my love! I am sorry I missed your special day!

Home Sweet Home!

When the guy at customs said "Welcome Home" as he handed us back our passports, I almost cried. Not because we had a bad trip, just because the trip itself was SOOOOOO long and yes I was glad to be home.

Here is a day by day...

Saturday-Excitement. We excitedly stepped onto a plane that was taking us to our girl....then another, then another. Well, over a full day later we arrived.

Sunday-Sleep, sleep and more sleep. We arrived in Russia so tired that we couldn't even communicate. Our words were slurred, our eyes were red, and we started bickering with each other...so we gave up and went to bed.

Monday-It's still daylight? We woke up at 4AM unable to sleep any longer and yes it was already daylight. Not just dawn...full blown sunshine. We were really excited to meet our girl (and we went to bed just after lunch). So, we had breakfast and waited. Finally our driver and translator came. Off we go! We drove to pick up another couple who was there for their court date. They were visiting with their little boy who was in the same home as our girl. As we start chit chatting, we found out that he too graduated from Marshall. So, now it's official...every time Andy and I have been out of the country we have met someone from Marshall. It truly is a small world!

Our first stop of the day was the Ministry of Education's "office." We walked into a really rundown building. Our translator mumbled something to the guard. Then we walked up several flights of stairs. We walked into a room that couldn't have been larger than 8" X 8". There were five of us shoved inside! She told us they had received our documents and found a child that fit our requests. She showed us the picture I had found online weeks earlier and asked us to sign two papers. We were done....that's it??? I had heard so many stories of interviews gone bad, terrible treatment, and committees of people interviewing couples extensively. All we did was smile and shake our heads yes a couple times. Really????...Could it be that easy???

Next, the drive to the baby home was about 25-35 minutes from the city center. We just about died at least 20 times! The drivers there just go. They don't obey any laws, they don't avoid people and the lines on the road are more like suggestions. They constantly swerve back and forth...I think to help ensure that they hit every pothole in road.



Finally we arrive.






We were invited in by a very warm little woman who just keeps saying "welcome, welcome" (in Russian, of course). She had a very genuine smile and warm eyes. It instantly made me feel better. We were then directed to her office, she was the orphanage director. That made me feel MUCH better. After much conversation with our translator (not us) we were directed to a small room back by where we came in. Then, they all just left us alone. No explanation, no grunt, nothing. Andy and I just looked at each other, shrugged and had a seat assuming they were getting the baby. About 15 minutes later, in they came. Our girl! That is all we saw. The director mumbled something about mama and papa and tossed her at us.



She was so small and scared. It made my heart break. The director smiled and left the room. I guess she approved of us. The baby whimpered for a minute, then started checking us out. I would love to know what she was thinking. These two huge people (and we were huge compared to everyone we were around) were speaking gibberish and just oohing and awwing at her. We showed her some toys and some pictures of her family waiting at home...



...and the outside...




We carried her and held her. She wouldn't utter a single sound. Then, we tried to put her down to see if she could walk...whimper, whimper, whimper. Oh, she didn't want put down. She was already getting used to this being held business and oh, she liked it. So, we just held her. We held her together on the couch. We held her on the floor. We took turns holding her. All that mattered was that she was being held close to some one's heart. Finally, after a couple hours the director comes in and says she is ready for us. So, they take the baby back to her room and off we go to the director's office.

First she interviewed us. She asked us about our life, our jobs, our family. Then she asked us why we wanted another child if we already have two of our own. I guess we answered everything to her liking because her next question was "Do you like Yulia?"...Um, yes, of course. So, she goes on. We were seated around a table, learning all we could about our little girl's life before we met her. We were told about her birth parents and brother, her medical issues, her current measurements. We were shown a birth picture (the one from the MoE) and told we could have it after court. We were shown her birth parents passports...they looked sad. We were told everything about her...much more than I expected anyone to know. She was given up for economic reasons. Her parents couldn't afford and didn't want another child. They already had their son, so the daughter had to go. It was all I could do not to cry right then and there. (Trust me, I have since then.) Then in the corner of my eye I see something scurry by. My translator just nods and keeps on going. Then the director sees it too...a baby mouse looking for lunch. "Oy!, Oy!, Oy!,Oy!, Oy!" she screams with her feet in the air. Oh, this was much needed comic relief! The poor mouse ran for it's life, we all laughed really hard and then we left.

We spent the rest of the afternoon, running around town, trying not to throw-up from the car sickness, and signing necessary documents.

Tuesday-Play Time! All we had on our schedule was playtime with Julia and I loved it! We were up early again as we never did adjust to the new time zone. So, we had a very American style breakfast at the hotel and just waited for our driver and translator. We went straight to the baby home and waited in the same little room again. After about ten minutes, they brought her to us again. Yesterday we left the clothes we donated to the orphanage with the director. Today, Julia was wearing one of those outfits. It was too cute! She loved playing with the photo book we brought for her so we left it with her for her caregivers to read to her. I loved this time with her! But, it was sad that it was so short lived. I can't wait to have her home with us for good!!! On both days she would act a little bashful. Whenever we get her to smile, she would turn her face. So, I finally started holding the camera to the side to trick her. I did finally get a few good photos of her smiling!

Wednesday-Take off your shirt! Yes, you read it correctly. We had our medical exams. We drove up to this very old, rundown building. Here is the states it would have surly been condemned. We met the lady running the clinic. She was very sweet and funny! She told us "Welcome", and that "She respects our mission", along with a slew of other things in Russia. Oh, if only I'd learned to speak more Russian. Anyway, first up were the blood tests. I was told that we were to be tested for STD's and a few other things. Well, this lady draws SIX tubes of blood! SIX! I nearly fainted...literally! Then we went to several different specialists. A lung doctor, an infectious disease doctor, a neurologist, a cardiologist, a psychiatrist, a dermatologist, a general practitioner and an oncologist. I had to undress from the waist up for two of these...both in front of an open window. I was not impressed! Several hours later, we are finished and waiting for lab results from that morning's blood tests when the phone rings and the little lady I described earlier says "I have bad news...you don't have syphilis...ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!" She thought that was really funny! We didn't get it as she said it in Russian and our translator told us after the fact. But, the good news is we passed. So we did a little shopping, had an early dinner, and went to bed.

Thursday-Home Sweet Home!-We got up at 1:30AM to leave for the airport. We were staying on one of the islands that had bridges that stayed up during the night for boats and were only open for about 15 minutes in the middle for cars. So, we had to leave a little early. We weren't concerned. We figured this would just give us a head start to get through customs...laugh, laugh! "Customs" was one line with no one in it. Three, what had to be teenagers, shoved our luggage through an x-ray machine and told us have a good trip. We had to sit at the airport for hours. Then, we boarded our plane to head home...and then another and another. Finally, after being awake for over 28 hours straight, I was able to lay my clean (for the first time in 5 days) body in my clean, soft bed. I didn't get up for 14 hours!

After such an exhausting trip, I was able to come home with great news! We are tentatively scheduled for court on August 18Th! This is really quick for this region, this time of year. So, I am now praying that the last two documents we need that are out of our control will arrive in time. Thank you for all of your prayers during our travels! It feels great to be home!!!

We made it!

We are finally in Russia. Yesterday was terribly long, but we are here. Everyone we have met has been nice so far. We are going to go meet the baby today...YEA!!! We have been awake since about 4AM as we were so tired yesterday that we went to bad at 4PM. We were so tired that we couldn't even communicate. Andy woke up in the middle of the night looking for someone...neither of us have clue who. Anyway, I will let you know more as I can, but it will probably be after we get back as the internet access in our hotel costs about $6/30 minutes. We don't want to pay for this if we don't have to. Pray for us as we go about this exciting day!

VISAS!

Our passports are back with a brand spankin' new visa glued to the inside! I was starting to think that Russia really didn't care that I wanted to come this Saturday. I still don't think they care, but like it or not HERE I COME!!! ;)

Weather Forecast

Apparently, I lied about the weather in my last post. Really, it changed this drastically overnight. Notice some of the windchills...burrrr. Anyway, it still isn't to bad, but I think I will now pack a jacket and some longer pants. Apparently, I only thought I was packed and ready to go.

Sunday: Chance of Rain. Scattered Clouds. High: 57 °F . Wind North 8 mph . Chance of precipitation 20%.

Sunday Night: Chance of Rain. Partly Cloudy. Low: 44 °F . Wind WSW 8 mph . Chance of precipitation 20%.

Monday: Chance of Rain. Overcast. High: 62 °F . Wind West 11 mph . Chance of precipitation 30%. Windchill: 41 °F .

Monday Night: Chance of Rain. Overcast. Low: 50 °F . Wind WNW 2 mph . Chance of precipitation 50%.

Tuesday: Chance of Rain. Overcast. High: 62 °F . Wind NNE 8 mph . Chance of precipitation 20%.

Tuesday Night: Chance of Rain. Partly Cloudy. Low: 41 °F . Wind ENE 6 mph . Chance of precipitation 30%. Windchill: 35 °F .

Wednesday: Rain. High: 66 °F . Wind SE 11 mph . Chance of precipitation 80%.

Wednesday Night: Chance of Rain. Overcast. Low: 51 °F . Wind SE 4 mph . Chance of precipitation 20%.

Visas are on their way!

It is official! We are ready to go. Our visas are in transit and will arrive at Andy's office by 10AM tomorrow. I am mostly packed (just a few things that can't be packed yet because I need them everyday.) I have made lists for all the baby sitters. I have sorted documents in the order that we will be needing them. Basically, I have ran and reran everything in my head 100 times. OH MY, am I excited!!! I can't wait! The weather is being forecasted at mostly sunny and 60 to 68 degrees...perfect! Please pray that we will have a safe and wonderful trip! (Oh yeah, and that the Russians like us and get us back for our court date very soon!)

Nervous

Trip one is getting very close and I am getting very nervous. I know I will be fine but ohhh the knot in my stomach. So many things are running through my head. How do you prepare to meet a child in hopes that she will be your daughter and not have a knot in your stomach? I guess when God asks you to step out of your bubble, you have to trust him to take care of you while you are out there.

More travel details...

Okay, since I was so panicked yesterday, I will share more details now. We leave on Saturday, July 4Th. Our flight leaves at 10:10AM and we arrive in Russia on Sunday, July 5Th at 1:20PM local time. We will spend Sunday getting settled in our hotel. Then on Monday we will officially receive the referral of Julia and go meet her. Tuesday, we get to play with the baby for most of the day and have a little time to do some sightseeing. Wednesday, we will have our medical exam and sign our intent to adopt at the courthouse. Finally, on Thursday, we are free to come home. We should arrive home Thursday evening around 7:30PM. Thursday will be the longest day of our lives! We have to be at the airport at 4AM local time, then fly from St. Pete to Frankfurt to Washington DC to Charleston and still arrive home in time for dinner! WOW! I just realized how much that scares me! Anyway, I spent most of today preparing our visa applications and everything that goes along with those. Also, in the past 24 hours, I have booked our flights and hotel, bought clothes, went to a Dora Live! show with the boys, attended a fish fry at the in laws, sent out our visa stuff and now I will have a stroke!...or at least a nervous breakdown. Now, I get to spend tomorrow, updating documents and calling doctors to arrange the last few pieces of our dossier. Anyone know a psychiatrist that will do our exams for a decent amount of money? The only guy I can find that is local wants to charge us $3000! All he has to do is sign one document and give us a copy of his license...I don't think that is worth $3000. I found another guy that charges less, but he is in Fairmont and we would have to make two trips to him. I could really use your help, if you know of anyone!

Give me a ticket for an aeroplane...

We leave on July 4Th for Russia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited and overwhelmed I don't even know what to write. I will let you know more after I calm down a bit. Just pray that all goes smoothly for us!

Had To Share...

I just read this and had to share. It really touched me.

Psalm
17 You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 10:17-18

Cheaper Travel

I just did some checking around and I have great news! We can afford to travel to Russia in July. (This is extremely good news as we have to go whenever they tell us to whether we can afford it or not!...I would hate to sleep on the street while we are there.) Hotels drop considerably. There are two hotels I am watching closely, Courtyard by Marriott and Sokos. Airfare is up a bit when compared to this spring, but down a little when compared to June. Also, as time goes by it will continue to get cheaper. So, hopefully our second and third trip will be even less. Speaking of which, I am REALLY praying we won't have to make the third trip. Would you join me in that prayer? It is rare these days, but the judge has the power to wave our 10 day appeals period. If she were to do that, we would be able to bring Julia home on the second trip. It would make our second trip longer, but would save airfare and travel time of the third trip. But, I think you all know that I will do what ever I have to (I was willing to make the four trips that our first referral was going to require). Anyway, it would be a wonderful blessing and a great surprise ending to this journey.

Bump

We have received word back from our IA docs that the bump on Julia's head is most likely a benign juvenile thing that should resolve itself. Great News!

More info...

I have received several questions that I forgot to answer in my previous post, so I will answer those now. First, our agency is estimating travel for the first to middle of July. Which is great as that is her birthday. We are hoping to be able to celebrate it with her. Also, regarding her pictures, she does have a "growth" on her forehead, in her hairline. We are still waiting for the dermatologists that work with our IA docs to give us a guess on it. The Russian docs are calling it a "fatty growth" and say that she is fine, come and get her. (I thought that was funny.) We hope it is just some type of noninvasive cyst that can be removed at some point in the future. (Like the one I had.) We aren't too worried about it. Anyway, if you have any other questions that I forgot to answer, just let me know.

Julia...

We have accepted our new referral!!! Her name is Julia, pronounced Yulia in Russian. We obviously haven't had much time to think about it, but right now are leaning toward keeping it. I really like the name Julia (with a J not a Y). She is still having some growth issues, but we are planning on taking care of that!!! (Enter southern fried, home cookin' and of course Old McDonald's!) She has bright blue eyes like Andy and Luke and either dark blond or light brown hair (I can't decide which.) Either way, she is a doll!!! I have already found a baby picture of her on the MoE website!!!...priceless!!! The only thing that bothers me...she has that same "come and get me outta here" look that most babies do in an orphanage photo. I hate that! Anyway, we have made peace with the loss of our little Hope and know that God will take care of her. So, from now on, I will focus on Julia and our future with her. Thanks to everyone for your concerns and prayers and please continue to pray for our journey!

New Referral!

We have our new referral info. She is tiny, but within normal growth ranges. At first glance, she seems healthy and beautiful! Until last month she was in an orphanage that was underfeeding her. But, she was recently moved to a new orphanage and they said she is already starting to gain weight. (BTW, they are closing her old orphanage!!!) I have sent her info. on to our IA docs and will let you know what they say and what we decide ASAP. Please continue to pray for us!

We Have News...

I haven't posted sooner because I really don't know what to say. We have lost our referral. On Thursday, our agency called with some very disturbing news. They said as they were getting the paperwork together for us to make our first visit (this includes a medical exam of the baby) and the neurologist diagnosed our baby with Cerebral Palsy. They called us with this info. and our options. Well, on Friday all of those "options" went out the window. They said our coordinators in Russia, thinking they were doing the right thing, went to the MoE and got us a new referral as we didn't sign on for a "special needs child." Well, since this was a special case the MoE granted their request. In Russia, you can't have two referrals at the same time when you only requested one, so obviously this means the old referral is gone. Our little Hope is now longer ours. I guess the good news, if you want to see it that way, (I really can't right now.) is that we have a new referral. However, I know nothing about her. Our agency wants us to take the weekend to basically grieve, then they will give us the new info. on Monday. But, we will still, once again, have to send this new referral info. to our IA doc (who I am sure is getting tired of hearing from us by now, but loving the "donations" we have to keep making). Our agency is saying that if we accept her, she is paper ready (no waiting another 5 1/2 months) and we should travel the first half of July. Please pray for Hope. I hate the thought of just leaving her there, but it is out of my hands now. She is in God's hands. Silver lining...God's hands are much better than mine.

St. Petersburg Web Cam

I don't know why it hasn't occurred to me sooner to post this here, but anyway here it is...

http://www.livecam.ru/huge.php

The above link will take you to a web cam overlooking St. Petersburg. I like to look at it several times a day. Keep in mind they are eight hours ahead of us (Eastern Time). It should be interesting to watch next month as they will be having "white nights". This is when it is daylight all day and all night! This seems so strange to me...I hope to get to experience it in person!!! Enjoy!

New Picture!!!

I checked the MOE website today (like I do everyday) and found that our region had updated it's info. This includes a new picture of our girl!!! I am really excited to see her, but also sadden by how much I have missed of her growing. She could be home by now. They also updated some info. about her. They say she is very calm, pulling up, crawling well and she really likes musical toys. Her picture was the only one that had changed, so I am really praying this means things are moving on that end and I will hear something soon!

No News

I still have no new news, but I should be getting close! Maybe I will get travel dates for Mother's Day??? Some of my friends were getting antsy since I hadn't posted in a while...so here you go...I posted. Sorry it's not more exciting. Please keep our baby in your prayers.

Russian Economy

It has been two weeks since my last post and as I have no new adoption news, it is time for another lesson on Russia. Today's topic...Economics. I know most of you will probably not even read this one, but I have a minor in Economics, so I find this interesting. (If most of you quit reading my blog from now on...I'll understand. :) )

Economy Overview-

Russia ended 2008 with GDP growth of 6.0%, following 10 straight years of growth averaging 7% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Over the last six years, fixed capital investment growth and personal income growth have averaged above 10%, but both grew at slower rates in 2008. Growth in 2008 was driven largely by non-tradable services and domestic manufacturing, rather than exports. During the past decade, poverty and unemployment declined steadily and the middle class continued to expand. Russia also improved its international financial position, running balance of payments surpluses since 2000. Foreign exchange reserves grew from $12 billion in 1999 to almost $600 billion by end July 2008, which include $200 billion in two sovereign wealth funds: a reserve fund to support budgetary expenditures in case of a fall in the price of oil and a national welfare fund to help fund pensions and infrastructure development. Total foreign debt is approximately one-third of GDP. The state component of foreign debt has declined, but commercial short-term debt to foreigners has risen strongly. These positive trends began to reverse in the second half of 2008. Investor concerns over the Russia-Georgia conflict, corporate governance issues, and the global credit crunch in September caused the Russian stock market to fall by roughly 70%, primarily due to margin calls that were difficult for many Russian companies to meet. The global crisis also affected Russia's banking system, which faced liquidity problems. Moscow responded quickly in early October 2008, initiating a rescue plan of over $200 billion that was designed to increase liquidity in the financial sector, to help firms refinance foreign debt, and to support the stock market. The government also unveiled a $20 billion tax cut plan and other safety nets for society and industry. Meanwhile, a 70% drop in the price of oil since mid-July further exacerbated imbalances in external accounts and the federal budget. In mid-November, mini-devaluations of the currency by the Central Bank caused increased capital flight and froze domestic credit markets, resulting in growing unemployment, wage arrears, and a severe drop in production. Foreign exchange reserves dropped to around $435 billion by end 2008, as the Central Bank defended an overvalued ruble. In the first year of his term, President MEDVEDEV outlined a number of economic priorities for Russia including improving infrastructure, innovation, investment, and institutions; reducing the state's role in the economy; reforming the tax system and banking sector; developing one of the biggest financial centers in the world, combating corruption, and improving the judiciary. The Russian government needs to diversify the economy further, as energy and other raw materials still dominate Russian export earnings and federal budget receipts. Russia's infrastructure requires large investments and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based economic growth. Corruption, lack of trust in institutions, and more recently, exchange rate uncertainty and the global economic crisis continue to dampen domestic and foreign investor sentiment. Russia has made some progress in building the rule of law, the bedrock of a modern market economy, but much work remains on judicial reform. Moscow continues to seek accession to the WTO and has made some progress, but its timeline for entry into the organization continues to slip, and the negotiating atmosphere has soured in the wake of the Georgia and global economic crises.

Paperwork Problems Unmasked

Okay, my agency has finally spoke with our attorney in Russia and we have unmasked the problem. Russian children that are placed for adoption must be listed to two databases for nine months. One is a regional list (this would be like a state list for us) and the other is a national list centered in Moscow. This serves two purposes. One is help make sure no child trafficking is taking place and none of these children have been kidnapped. The second is to allow only Russians access to these children during this time. Well, somehow when our girl's paperwork was getting passed back and forth, Moscow listed her release date wrong. Not knowing this, our region went ahead and sent her referral info. to us as they have her release date as last December. (Which is correct beacuse she has been in state care since birth.) Well, now Moscow is refusing to correct the problem and says we can have her release paper in May. So, as of right now, we are expecting to travel in June. Our agency offered to find us another referral, but how do you stare at this little girl's picture for three months then just dump her? Also, I am not in this just to bring home some random kid as fast as possible. If she is meant to be ours, I will wait for her. So, we get to go to Russia during the most expensive time of the year. I am already looking for apartments, as hotels can run as high as $850 a night before taxes and fees and we obviously can't afford that! Our agency is currently trying to get some updated photos of our girl for us. They say it can take awhile, but I will let you know the minute I have them! Thanks again for your prayers. (I would keep at it, because after politics the posts can only go down hill from there!)

DUMA: How A Bill Becomes a Law...Russian Style

Well, it has been almost a week since my last post and I still have no new adoption news. SOOOOO...Yep, you guessed it...another lesson on Russia. With a lot of unofficial talk of changing the way adoptions are processed in Russia, I wondered how long would it take for them to make drastic changes to their laws. Well, here is the answer...

Duma: How a Bill Becomes a Law...Russian Style

To help give a better understanding of how a foreign government works and to clear up some of the rumors related to the DUMA (Russian Parliament), we have put together this piece on how a Russian bill becomes a law.
A bill is introduced into either the Lower or Upper houses of the DUMA. For this example, assume it is the Lower house.

Every member of the DUMA is required to receive a copy of the proposal for review. A vote is taken as to whether or not the proposal warrants consideration. A "No" vote ends the discussion.

A "Yes" vote means that after a comments period (usually a minimum of 10 days), there will be a second round of discussions and a vote. The comments period is for DUMA members to do some fact finding and gather opinions.

If the second round of discussions results in a "No" vote, the discussion ends. If a "yes" vote is reached, then another waiting period begins. This time is used to examine the logistics of implementing the new bill and gathering further comments. At the end of this time period, the bill is presented for a third and final vote. Again, a "no" vote ends the discussion. A "yes" vote sends the passed bill to the Upper House.

Similar protocols take place in the Upper House. A "no" vote ends the discussion. A "yes" vote keeps things moving. Any bill passing both houses of the DUMA goes to the President’s desk for signing.

The President may sign the bill into law. The President may also veto the bill by refusing to sign. Should a veto occur, the bill is sent back to the Lower House of the DUMA. There the bill may be reworked to address the President’s concerns or a vote maybe taken to override the Presidential veto.

None of this should sound unfamiliar to those living in the United States. As you can see, nothing will happen overnight. It would be highly unusual that any bill effecting adoption would magically appear without warning. If you hear rumors or read discussions, the best thing to do is to contact your agency or FRUA. We will share what we learn.

See, I have already moved to lessons on politics...I told you to keep praying for us!

Adopting from Russia

Here is the article form Adoptive Families that I was telling you to read.

Adopting from Russia
What's it like to adopt from Russia, and what changes may lie ahead? AF spoke with experts in the field. BY EVE GILMAN

Since Russia formalized an international adoption program in 1991, more than 50,000 children have found families in the U.S. The program ran smoothly through 2004, when Americans adopted an all-time high of 5,862 children from Russia. Although Russia remains one of the most viable programs, numbers have declined in recent years, to just 1,857 adoption in 2008.

The process calls for a high degree of motivation on the parents' part. Families must travel to Russia at least twice (it's becoming more common for parents to travel three times), and paperwork requirements can vary on a case-by-case basis. "Adopting from Russia is not like adopting from China, where you send in your dossier and that's it." says Kim Bernstein, manager of the Russia program for Wide Horizons for Children , in Waltham, Massachusetts. "In most regions of Russia, you continually update your paperwork until your child comes home." Judy Strigger, director of international adoption for The Cradle, in Evanston, Illinois, adds, "The program is very stable from an overall perspective, but in the day-to-day minutia, it's highly variable."

Russia's Orphans
Nearly 750,000 children in Russia are classified as orphans, though, as Berstein points out, "the vast majority still have legal connections to their birth families." And more of the children who are legally freed for adoption are staying in Russia as a direct result of the government's efforts to encourage domestic adoption, including a public relations campaign to debunk adoption myths and financial subsidies to Russian adoptive and foster families. The efforts have been successful on a large scale. "Last year, for the first time, more children were adopted by Russian citizens than by families in other countries," notes Tome DiFilipo, president and CEO of the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS). "I think that's a good thing for children."

Age and Health of Children
No one would dispute the idea that children finding homes in their country of birth is positive, but it changes the face of intercountry adoptions. "For families here, the big deal is that the number of kids available for adoption is decreasing. And the youngest, healthiest kids are being adopted in Russia," says Strigger.

"In the last year, we have seen a dramatic change in the health of the children who are available for adoption in Russia," adds Bernstein. "I don't think it would be an overstatement to say that nearly all of the kids have at least moderate health risks, beyond the standard delay in growth and development that we used to see."

Agencies are also seeing a change in the age and gender of children available for adoption. The agencies AF spoke with allow parents only to request a child younger than 18 months. Agencies are also less willing to permit families to specify gender. "We tell families that, the more preferences you have, the longer you'll wait," says Alla Goncharova, Russia program director for Adoption Associates, in Jenison, Michigan. Boys age three and older are most in need of adoption.

Parent Requirements
Married couples and single women can adopt from Russia. Russian law doesn't specifically prohibit single men, but few, if any, regions will approve them to adopt. Most agencies set eligibility limits regarding parents' ages based on the preferences of adoption officials in the regions they work in.

Social workers commonly indicate that a family "can parent a child with minor, correctable problems" in the homestudy. But Goncharova points out that a child may have undetected psychological or health complications. "We have to make sure the family can handle unpredictable problems" she says. When medical information is available, Stigger says that is must be taken with a grain of salt. "Some of what we worry about, like alcohol exposure, might not be on record because a mother's alcoholism isn't always known," she says. Medical terms are also used differently in the U.S. and Russia-or even in different regions of Russia.

Such concerns have led adoption professionals to call for a more careful approach to homestudies. The change is already underway. "JCICS is working with the U.S. government to develop specific homestudy language to indicate that parents are appropriately educated and prepared for any physical or mental health issues the child may have," says DiFilipo.

As part of the homestudy, adoption agencies must also verify the parents' fitness to raise a child. "Russia has gotten much more restrictive on health and mental history and criminal records," says Bernstein. She advises people with questions about their backgrounds to discuss the specifics with an agency. For years, adoption professionals have speculated that Russia will begin mandating psychological testing for prospective parents. Though several regions and adoption agencies require such testing, it's not yet stipulated by Russian law. Talk about closer scrutiny of parents was renewed in late 2008, after Miles Harrison, a father who caused the death of the toddler he'd recently adopted from Russia, was acquitted of charges. At the time this issue went to press, no one could predict what stricter guidelines might entail.

The Adoption Process
After turning in a dossier, families receive an "invitation to travel" and meet a child. If a married couple is adopting, both parents must make the trip. Russian law prohibits parents from receiving any identifying information about the child they are referred, so many parent travel "blind".

At the orphanage, parents are allowed to take photos and videos of the child, and ask questions. "We encourage our families to hire bilingual pediatricians in Russia to assist with a medical evaluation," says Goncharova.

Families generally wait two to five months to make a second trip, for their court date. It's hardly an idle wait, as most parents must gather additional information to present to the judge. The paperwork can be extensive, ranging from updating their homestudy based on the child's medical condition to submitting new documents.

Both parents must travel to appear in court and officially gain parental rights to the child. Russian law prescribes a 10-day waiting period after the court date before the new family can leave the country. Historically, nearly all judges waived this waiting period, but this is now very rare. The agencies AF spoke with noted that most of their families chose to fly home and make a third trip, due to the high expense of staying in Russia for those 10 days. (Moscow is currently one of the most expensive cities in world to visit, and families should figure $10,000 to $25,000 in travel expenses into a total adoption budget of about $40,000 to $55,000.) Only one parent needs to return for the third trip.

Every family must conclude their adoption journey in Moscow, to obtain the child's visa. U.S. Consular Affairs previously issued visas in two business days, but in March, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services took over the procedure. At press time, it was unclear whether the timeline for the final step would lengthen.

The Russian adoption process depends heavily on the region the child is coming from. Some regions have been known to provide photos or brief medical backgrounds before the family's first trip. Some ask for excessive paperwork updates before the court date, others require one parent to remain in country for the 10-day waiting period. These variations, says DiFilipo, highlight why "it's critical that prospective parents utilize a service provider who is very familiar with the laws and procedures of the regions they work in."

Focus on Post-Adoption
Children adopted from Russia retain their birth country citizenship until age 18, and must be registered in the U.S. with the Russian embassy. Russia requires post-placement reports from adoptive families for three years after the child comes home.

In general, Russia has been looking more closely at post-placement. In the past decade, at least 15 Russian adoptees have died in the care of their new families in the U.S., and each case received media attention throughout Russia. Concharova notes a pattern-all of these tragic deaths took place less than a year after the child came home-that seems to call for better support for families through the transition, in addition to tighter screening of the parents' mental health.

Differences in Russian and American culture also cause friction. Stigger says that the not-guilty verdict in the Harrison case was confusing to Russians because their legal system doesn't allow for acquittal when something has clearly gone wrong. Attitudes toward child care also differ. "In Russia, it is normal for a new mother to take at least one year of leave, and the law provides for that. But in the U.S., most women take just two to three months. It's difficult for Russian to understand this," says Goncharova.

Aside from the expected tightening of parent and agency requirements, experts don't see dramatic changes on the horizon. DiFilipo says, "Our assessment is that Russia will continue to be a viable option-not for parents, but for children to find homes through international adoption." EVE GILMAN is the editor of Adoptive Families.

For more international updates visit adoptivefamilies.com/internationaladoption.

Finally, Word From Russia

We have finally heard back from our agency regarding what the hold up is in Russia. Apparently, they are waiting for the "officials" (whoever that is) to produce some document that is necessary for foreigners to adopt our girl. Right now they seem to think it will take until the end of May to have everything in order, but are trying to get more info. from the regional officials for us. Hopefully, they will have a better idea for us sometime next week. I will let you know if I hear something next week...I'm not holding my breath!

A Must Read

I just read a great article in Adoptive Families Magazine titled "Adopting from Russia" and I felt it would be great for everyone I know to read it too. This is one of the most current and accurate articles on Russian Adoptions I have read. Everyone keeps asking me for details on how everything works and this is it. I will try to find a way to post this article or at least a link to it, but in the meantime try to pick up an April Issue of Adoptive Families and check it out. (If you live close, you may borrow mine.)

I called my agency...

...and asked them if they could at least give me an estimate on how much longer we could expect to wait. We have been waiting for 10 weeks now. They are contacting our coordinator in Russia as I write this and should have an answer for me by early next week. (I know that sounds like a long time, but St. Pete is eight hours ahead of us so communication is not the best.) I will let you know more as soon as I do. You had better pray hard for us because I am once again running out of things to post, so it is time for another Russian History lesson...

Also, as a quick reminder for those of you that recently accepted the invitation to read our blog...Do not share any of this information with ANYONE until our daughter is home. (See post titled "Going Private.") Thank You!!!

Still Nothing

Well, now we are at nine weeks and counting and still nothing! Oh, how I hope and pray it will be soon!!! As you know she was born in March, so I am really hoping we get to be there with her for her first birthday. Oh, I don't know how so many parents have done this before me. The wait is just awful. Her picture is hanging beside me, staring at me. Her little eyes are begging me to come and get her! I know I will be fine, but she is laying in some orphanage, bored out of her mind and I am still waiting to even visit her...it's just not fair. Please pray for us as this journey seems to drag on and on. Pray for ALL of the orphans laying in orphanages bored out of there minds waiting on someone to come and get them. Pray that more families would answer the call to welcome these children into their homes.

Travel Update!

As you may remember, we were originally told we should travel 3 to 8 weeks after accepting our referral. Well, this week will be 7 weeks. So, I finally emailed my agency this past week as I couldn't stand the "not knowing" anymore. This time I spoke to a different person that seems to be more familiar with the Leningrad region. She said travel can take actually up to 12 weeks and they won't even start asking questions until 10 or 11 weeks. So, we get to wait a little longer.

Toooo Cute!!!

I just found a baby picture of our daughter on a Russian website. It is a site by the Ministry of Education that lists the children that are available for adoption. It is supposed to be for Russian families, but I have been learning to read some Russian and was able to navigate the website. I am so excited!!! Most adoptive parents never get the chance to see their child before the referral photo. So, this is REALLY special to me! I just wish I could share it with you. Hopefully, she will be ours soon and I will be able to share all the photos I want!

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Here is some basic information about Saint Petersburg, Russia. Our baby is somewhere in the Leningrad Oblast (Region). Since I don't know exactly where, I thought I would share some information about Leningrad's capital city. You didn't know following our adoption journey would qualify you for a World History degree, huh? Enjoy...

Saint Petersburg, formerly Leningrad, Russia was founded on May 16, 1703. It is the capital of the Leningrad region (although not administratively part of it) and the administrative center of the Northwest district. Located in NW European Russia at the head of the Gulf of Finland on both banks of the Neva River and on the islands of its delta, St. Petersburg's port is linked by deep water a canal with Kotlin Island, where the outer port and the Kronshtadt (krənshtät`)naval base are located.

Russia's second largest city and its former capital, St. Petersburg is a major seaport, rail junction, and industrial, cultural, and scientific center. Although the harbor is frozen for three or four months annually, icebreakers have prolonged the navigation season. The seaport is one of the world's largest, but it handles relatively little traffic because the volume of foreign trade for Russia is small. The river port, one of the most important in the country, stands at the end of two artificial waterways, the Volga-Baltic and the White Sea–Baltic. A series of canals within the city carries considerable cargo. The city's diverse industries include shipbuilding, metallurgy, oil refining, printing, woodworking, food and tobacco processing, and the manufacture of machinery, electrical equipment, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and textiles.

Points of Interest

The city's main thoroughfare is the celebrated Nevsky Prospekt. On it are the high-spired admiralty building; the Winter Palace, built by Rastrelli; the Hermitage (ĕr'mētäzh`), one of the world's foremost houses of art, Cathedral of St. Isaac, the equestrian statue of Peter the Great, Falconet's masterpiece and the subject of Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horsemen." The city's oldest building is the fortress of Peter and Paul (1703), which served as a political prison in imperial days. Among the baroque buildings of the early 18th century are the Alexander Nevsky monastery (1710), the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (1733), the Winter Palace (1762), and the Smolny convent (1764). Neoclassical buildings of the late 18th and early 19th cent. include the Academy of Arts (1772), the Marble Palace (1785), the Taurida Palace (1788), the cathedral of the Virgin of Kazan (1811), and the Exchange (1816). Among the city's educational institutions are the St. Petersburg State Univ. (est. 1804) and the St. Petersburg State Univ. of Economics and Finance. There are numerous theaters, museums, scientific and medical institutes, and libraries, including the Maryinsky Theater, the Saltykov-Shchedrin Public Library (1795) and the Academy of Sciences library. Outside the city are Pushkin (psh`kĭn), with the Summer Palace, and the former imperial residence of Peterhof (now Petrodvorets (pyĕ'trədvəryĕts`), formerly Peterhof and Gatchina (gä`chēnə). A striking phenomenon of St. Petersburg is the prolonged twilight, or the "white nights," of June and July.

History

The city was built by Peter I (Peter the Great), who sought an outlet to the sea and a port for trade through the Baltic. It was built in 1703 in what was then Ingermanland (ĭng`gərmənlănd) or Ingria, an area conquered from Sweden during the Northern War. The fortress of Peter and Paul was erected to defend the projected new capital, which was to be a modern city and a "window looking on Europe." Construction was carried out at tremendous human and material cost. The capital was moved from Moscow in 1712, although the land on which the city stood was not formally ceded to Russia until 1721. Italian and French architects planned the city, giving it the spacious, classical beauty that it has retained.

St. Petersburg soon replaced Arkhangelsk (ərkhän`gĭlsk) or Archangel as Russia's leading seaport and became an important commercial center. From the second half of the 18th cent., it was also the country's principal industrial center, at first for shipbuilding and engineering and later for textiles. In 1851, a rail link with Moscow was completed. One of the world's most brilliant capitals and cultural centers, St. Petersburg was immortalized in the novels of Pushkin, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy. Its apex as an international center of literature, music, theater, and ballet and as the scene of lavish and reckless social life was reached in the late 19th and early 20th cent.

Under the surface, however, the seeds of social upheaval ripened, especially among industrial workers. Secret revolutionary societies arose, and an attempt by city workers to petition the czar precipitated a revolution in 1905. The city was renamed Petrograd in 1914. The workers, soldiers, and sailors of Petrograd also spearheaded the revolutions of Feb. and Oct., 1917. Although it lost much of its former glamour, the city remained the economic and cultural rival of Moscow, which replaced it as capital in 1918. Petrograd was renamed Leningrad in 1924. During World War II, the city was cut off from the rest of the USSR by the fall of Schlüsselburg (now Petrokrepost (pyĕ'trəkryĕ`pəstyə), formerly Schlüsselburg to the Germans (Aug., 1941). It was besieged for over two years, during which many hundreds of thousands died of famine and disease. The city's original name was restored in 1991. In the 1990s, the city struggled to convert its heavily military-related industries to civilian purposes.

Saint Petersburg Facts

Territory: As of 2003 the territory of the city is 606 (377 sq mi) square kilometers, and 1 439 square kilometers (894 sq mi) with the suburbs. The length of the city from North to South is 44 kilometers, and 25 kilometers from West to East.
Highest elevation: 42 meters above the sea level (Poklonnaya Gora)

Distance to the nearest cities:

Tallinn - 330 km
Helsinki - 383 km
Stockholm - 710 km
Moscow - 650 km

Neighbouring countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark (The Baltic Sea Region).

Neighbouring Russian regions: Leningrad Oblast, Novgorod Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Kaliningrad Oblast and Republic of Karelia.

Population: According to the last census that took place in 2003, there are 4.7 mln people in St.Petersburg (which makes approximately 3% of the Russian population).

Gender distribution: men — 45.1%, women — 54.9%.

Ethnic: Russians, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Moldavian, Tatar, Jews, Karelian, Azerbaidzhanian and Gypsies (Roma).

Resources: Fresh surface waters and underground waters. The surface fresh waters are concentrated in the columbine of the water system "Lake Ladoga — the Neva River — the Neva Inlet — the Gulf of Finland". On the territory of the city and its environs there are sand and gravel quarries, pebble stones, sands, clays, sandstone, loamy soils, as well as peat (the resources make approximately 17.5 bin m3 of raw peat which is the equivalent of about 2 bin tons of dried peat).

Islands: The city is located on 44 islands formed by the Neva River and 90 more rivers and canals.

Bridges: The abundance of islands has led to the construction of a multitude of bridges. Of these, nowadays there are 308 within the city proper, and 534 if suburbs are included. 22 of the bridges are drawbridges. The total length of all the bridges is about 16 kilometers. The longest bridge across the Neva is the Alexander Nevsky Bridge (909 meters with runways), the widest bridge is the Siniy Bridge on the Moika River (99.5 meters).

Language: Russian

Religions: Predominantly Russian Orthodox, Islamic, Buddhism, Jewish concessions, Catholic and Baptist Church.

Voltage Requirements: 220 volts

Time Zone: 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Daylight Saving Time is observed March-October.

Airport Departure Tax: None

Telephone Code: country code-7; St.Petersburg city code-812

Tipping: Tip 10%-15% in restaurants and hotels. Taxi drivers aren't usually tipped.

Nicknames of the city:

"The Venice of the North" (referring to St.Petersburg's many rivers and canals)
"The Palmyra of the North" (referring to architecture of St.Petersburg and harmony of the city and its rivers and canals)
"The Northern Capital of Russia" (referring to the centuries-old rivalry between St.Petersburg and Moscow)
"Cultural Capital of Russia"
"The Babylon of the Snows"
"The Window on the West"
"The Window into Europe"
"Russia's Crown Jewel"
"The Cradle of the Revolution"

Symbols of the city:

The Angel with a Cross (weather-vane on top of the Peter and Paul Cathedral)
the Little Ship (Korablik), weather-vane on top of the Admiralty tower
drawbridges
White Nights
The Seal: A sea anchor and a river anchor with a scepter — a symbol of royal power — on a red field.

Local government: The Governor and the Governor's Office, The Legislative Assembly.

Zoning: 20 administrative districts, including satellite towns under St.Petersburg's jurisdiction.


Saint Petersburg's Seasons

Winter

The first snows fall in November. The Neva starts to freeze in great ripples of ice. The City takes on a new romantic quality as snow shrouds its famous landmarks and buries its parks in an icy mantle.

Made more temperate than Moscow by the waters of the Finnish Gulf, the snows come and go before setting into a thick white cloak soon after New Year. This is the time for Troika rides in the countryside and steaming bowls of Borscht.

Restaurants in the main hotels offer choices of Russian and international cuisine and bars and restaurants throughout the City provide a good choice of traditional Russian home cooking and international options.

Ballet and Opera are a major part of the City's winter attractions. The works of Russia's most talented musical sons Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov are at their best performed here in their cultural homeland.

The Russian festive season combines two Christmases and two New Years! So there is plenty to celebrate! As Russia re-discovers Yuletide traditions, long forbidden and forgotten, the big celebration is still New Year. That is when Father Frost alias Father Christmas, comes to town and the City puts on its glitziest face and parties until dawn.

Spring

As the snows melt and the first blossoms peep from St. Petersburg's many beautiful parks, the City casts off its winter mantle and embraces the spring sunlight.

The last of the winter ice flows dramatically down the Neva and out to sea. The haunting notes of St. Petersburg's street musicians can again be heard as the days grow ever longer and the City of the Tsars is filled with a vibrant sense of re-birth.

Spring is an ideal time to visit The Hermitage - the magnificent former residence of the Tsars and home to one of the world's greatest art collections. Ahead of the summer crowds, you can gaze in relative privacy at works of art by a multitude of famous artists from Rubens to Van Gogh.

Immerse yourself in the intrigue of pre-revolutionary Russia with a visit to Yusopov Palace, home to the once mighty Yusopov family and site of Rasputin's infamous murder. Or take a trip into the countryside and visit Paul's Palace at Pavlovsk - one of the finest examples of restoration work in Russia. After viewing the treasures of the Palace, enjoy the spring sunshine in the picturesque landscaped gardens which surround it.

Summer

St. Petersburg's Summer starts in early June and runs right through to the end of August. Long summer days linger late into the night providing a haunting quality to the light as it caresses the ornate facades of Peter's City.

The lango-rous evenings are ideal for lazy boat rides through the canals. As you glide gently under picturesque bridges and pass through the subdued elegance of the City's backstreets, St. Petersburg reveals its beauty from a new and more subtle perspective.

Enjoy summer picnics in the parks, on the sandy beaches north of the City, or by secluded wooded lakes in the surrounding countryside.

A typical Russian picnic comprises home grown cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh herbs, freshly baked bread, cold meats and the classic grilled Shaslik, not to mention plenty of Vodka and Russian Champagne!

The famous White Nights with their legendary midnight sun, fall in June each year, lending the City an intriguing and exotic mood, St. Petersburg celebrates with an international music festival. The program includes performances by the famous Kirov Ballet and Opera Company and concerts at the Philharmonia.

Autumn

Golden Autumn as the Russians call it, heralds days of crisp bronze sunlight and the first chill promise of winter. The leaves turn to burnished gold on the trees throughout the City's parks as St. Petersburg's residents enjoy the last days of sunshine. This is a quieter, more relaxed time to visit St. Petersburg and its many fabulous sights and exceptional museums.

Just behind the statue of St. Petersburg's favorite poet Pushkin, and a stone's throw from Nevsky Prospect, lies the Russian Museum. The Museum's treasure trove of art tells the enigmatic story of Russian history as seen through the eyes of Russia's most prominent artists.

Out in the countryside, Catherine's Palace in Pushkin embraces the autumn light with its golden spires and luxurious interiors. Perhaps the grandest of St. Petersburg's many palaces its eighteenth century baroque style reflects the glamour and glitz of those heady imperial days.

Discover Yelagin Palace, on the outskirts of the City, set on its own wooded island, poised above the river, it is a favorite autumn haunt for private parties, receptions, treasure hunts and barbecues.