Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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!!!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
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!!!
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!!!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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!
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!
Friday, September 18, 2009
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!
Friday, September 11, 2009
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!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
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!!!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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!!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
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.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
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!).
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!).
Thursday, August 20, 2009
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!!!
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!!!
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