Our First Chrismas

9 months after coming home with our girls we celebrate our first Christmas together. It felt like our first Christmas ever due to all the excitement. The focus was definitely on the girls. By noon MaryEllen and I were so tired we put the girls down for their nap and just sat and watched a movie. We were too tire to do any cleaning up. This parenting thing is hard. Both girls were fun to watch as they opened stockings and presents. Admittedly we over did our purchasing for the girls, but we are saving some for birthdays. Dasha got a rocking horse which she loves, and Sasha got a bike, which she will have to wait a while to use due to the snow. They received some other small gifts which are keeping them busy for many hours. That is the parental benefits to Christmas gifts.

We attended church on Christmas eve as a family, and sang songs and heard about the baby Jesus. Sasha is very into baby Jesus. We stayed home this year and spent time as a family, which was a lot of fun. The girls are growing up so fast, and we enjoy seeing them change and grow. Each girls has a distinct personality and we are learning how to bring out the best in each of them.

We went to our friends house for dinner on Christmas and were spoiled with a wonderful dinner and some little gifts for the girls. Very thoughtful.

The girls each had ear infections leading up to Christmas, and ME and I have some sort of sinus stuff now. It seems like someone has been sick since March. Hopefully this is just a phase, and we will all outgrow these little viruses in time.

Thursday is new years eve, and a blue moon. Hope you have clear skies to see the moon. We will be staying inside and spending a quiet night together again. That is our favorite pastime. We all wish everyone a blessed new year, and pray that you are drawn closer to the Lord.

Happy Holidays

We made it through Thanksgiving, with much to be thankful for. Keeping in mind everything is new for the girls, it was fun to watch them interact with family again, and share in the big meal. Every night we pray for thing we are thankful for, so everyday is thanksgiving for us. Now we prepare for their first Christmas. I put light on the outside of the house last week and took Sasha out to evaluate the effort. After coming back inside, she said, "Papa, can we go back outside to see the lights." Everything is new to them, and it makes us see things in different perspective. We have become so numb to so much splendor around us that we begin to take things for granted. The girls encourage us to see things through new eyes. How refreshing!

The tree is up now, and we have bought some Christmas gifts. The girls are learning that Christmas is about Jesus, and giving, because Jesus gave us so much. I read somewhere that a family had a tradition to always give money in the Salvation Army kettles. So, we have begun that tradition for our girls, giving them some coins to put in the kettle. I don't think they understand money, but they will always remember putting money in.

At times we become overwhelmed at our responsibility to raise these young angels. But then we are reminded that we are not called to be perfect parents, but to love our girls and teach them about the love of God, and of His son Jesus. God does the rest. That is a relief.

This weekend we will take the girls to meet Santa at State Farm, and then on to church for a Christmas concert. Sasha is excited to meet Santa, and we will see how they do at a 1 hour concert. I hope they like it.

As we get close to Christmas, we pray that the spirit of our Lord Jesus permeates your home and your life.

P, ME, S &D

Greetings from central IL. It is football season, so we are trying to teach the girls that Illinois and the Packers are our teams. MaryEllen is still putting a plug in for the Giants :-) The girls are doing great, and growing like weeds. We were getting some warmer clothes out for them recently and found that pants are a bit short. So, MaryEllen measured each girls and found out why. Sasha has grown 5 inches since March, and Dasha has grown 4 inches. Wow! At this rate they will be taller than their mommy. Each day show a new development in the girls. Dasha feeds herself pretty well now, and Sasha is learning how to love her little sister. It is very cute. She tells me when Dasha is getting into trouble, which is often it seems.

MaryEllen and I have just gotten over bad sinus infections, which were going around lately. The girls have stayed pretty healthy other than a little cold for Dasha and an ear infection for Sasha. Our weather have finally changed so we can at least go outside and play. Dasha is thankful for that. It had rained so much we were cooped up inside, but now we are enjoying some moderate fall days with temps in the 50's and low 60's and some sun.

The girls enjoyed trick or treating, and after a few houses even Dasha learned not to walk into the house when the door is openned. We collected a fair amount of candy, but haven't let the girls eat too much. They have such beautiful teeth, we don't want to ruin them. As you can see, each girl looked so cute in their Halloween costume, and wanted to wear them long after Halloween had passed. With the way they are growing, we have one year to use the costumes before they go to someone else.

We are all looking forward to Thanksgiving, and traveling to Michigan to spend time with family. This is our tradition, and the girls will grow to look forward to it as much as we do, I'm sure. We have been talking about all the reletives who will be there, including her cousin Brighton. They are just a few months apart, so they should have fun together. This will be their first year going Christmas shopping with Grandpa, and they already know to ask for WII and a computer :-)

Hope you all have a safe and thoughtful Thanksgiving, and remember to be thankful for all the things God has given all of us.

Pete and MaryEllen

Its been a while

It has been quite some time since I have updated 0ur blog. Sorry if you are one who checks often. We have been busy as you might expect raising Sasha and Dasha. Both girls are growing up fast, and developing right on schedule. Sasha is becoming a fine young lady, and her speech is coming along well. Dasha is starting to talk now too, and her sister is helping her say things correctly. Just this morning Sasha was correcting Dasha at the breakfast table. The girls love Elmo, and enjoy watching alphabet and phonetic DVDs. Each girl has a little plastic tricycle but Dasha can't reach the peddles yet. They ride around the driveway and Sasha even takes her trike on walks.

We are getting ready for Halloween this weekend, and Sasha will be wearing a Snow Maiden costume we picked up in Russia, and Dasha will wear the bunny costume we bought there too. They should be so cute.

Sasha and MaryEllen are now over the flu, but for some reason Dasha and I did not get it. Who knows? Two sick in the family is enough. Otherwise both girls are healthy and growing fast. Sasha has grown about 3 inches since March, and Dasha has grown about 2 inches. I keep threatening to put bricks on their heads :-) With winter coming we will need to find things to keep the girls busy and engaged. We thought about swim lessons, but decided to wait a while. Not that they don't like the water. They both have taked to water like fishes, and love going to the pool over the summer. We can't wait for the pool to open again next year.

Our lives have changed, mostly for the better. It is hard to find time for the two of us, but we manage, and love having the girls in our lives. Our home is full of toys, and all of the breakable stuff is out of reach or in storage, but these are choices we gladly make to allow room in our hearts for the precious souls God has trusted to us. We are blessed.

I guess once a month is all I am going to be able to update the blog. I have been meaning to do this for weeks. Both girls are doing very well. Sasha moved up to the 3 year old class at day care and is handling it well. She is coming along with her potty training, and is talking up a storm. Some of her language is hard to understand, but she is getting better and better each day. Her day care teachers are very impressed with her development. Sasha turns 3 on June 21st, so we are excited to help her celebrate this milestone.

Dasha will move up in a week when she reaches 15 months. She is also very ready to move to a more education focused class. She will be challenged with more learning opportunities and will have more physical activity. She is babbling like crazy now, and climbs on everything. Any door is an opportunity to get into trouble, and it all starts in her mouth.

We are buying a van today to accommodate our new family, and plan to drive to South Carolina the end of June for a family reunion. We are excited about the rest of Pete's family meeting the girls. This will be the first of many road trips we hope to take with our girls. There is so much we want them to experience.

MaryEllen and Pete are doing well, but tired. There never seems to be any rest. We go from early to late everyday. Hopefully we will get a chance to go on a date this weekend.

Blessings

Mother's Day 2009

We had a wonderful Mother's Day with our girls. Pete bought a dozen roses, and the girls got Mommy a card and chocolates. Not cheap stuff, but the good chocolate. How quickly they learn how to butter up Mommy? Daddy had it figured out a long time ago. After going to church, we spent the day together enjoying the day. It was truly a special 1st Mother's Day, and worth the wait.

The girls are doing well, and have transitioned into day care very well. No more fussing after only two weeks. They are making friends and interacting well, even though Sasha is still not able to communicate as well as she would like. Dasha is babbling up a storm, and walking better and better each day. She is learning to put her toys away, and loves to take her bath. All we need to do is start the water and she is trying to climb in. She still has her 8 teeth, but seems to be ready to cut more anytime now. She is happy most of the time, and we are starting to see more and more of her personality come out each day.

Sasha is speaking in short sentences (2-4 words), and repeats what we say. She had a breakthrough day yesterday and went potty 4 times. Perhaps she is ready to go back to voiding on the potty after all. She like to sing songs, and likes the Bible song and ABC. We can see her wheels turning when we speak to her, and she seems to comprehend much of what we say. Her temper tantrums are less and less frequent, and much shorter duration than before. We are amazed at both girls progress in just 7 weeks.

Each night we pray and thank God for these little ones in our lives. And Sasha says, "Amen".
Thanks for sharing in our joy.

Settling into a new routine

This week marked the first week the girls are in day care. It has gone so, so. Both girls showed some resistance to being left in the care of others, but Sasha is putting up the most resistance. However, she is getting better, and we hope by week end she will go to her class without incident. We had a great Easter, and have had some family visit last weekend. It is fun to see our family and close friends experience the girls for the first time. Both girls warm up well to others, and seem to love the attention and interaction they get from family members. We look forward to all our families meeting the girls and getting to know them. So far they talk to grandparents on the phone some, but they are a bit young and lacking speaking skills to communicate well.

Dasha has at least 9 teeth now, and is getting over a double ear infection. Her hair is coming in nicely, and she is a joy to be around most of the time. She eats well, and poops well. What more could a parent ask?

Sasha is making progress in her speech, saying lots of words like parts of the body, foods, clothes, animals, and no. She seems to comprehend much of what we say to her, and it amazes us. Parent talk is no longer safe. She is a very good big sister, and other than fighting over toys, she gets along well with Dasha. While MaryEllen was home, Sasha would help with some cleaning, laundry, and setting the table. We are still working on potty training, and have seen some improvement, but we are not pushing that. I heard someone say, diapers are cheaper than a psychologist.

Both girls are going to bed well and sleeping through the night. Our friend can't believe the girls sleep through the night. Oh, well, we live a blessed life. God must know that old people like us need our sleep. The girls love bath time, and enjoy getting lotion put on them afterward. We read books every night, and they both enjoy that time too. We say prayer at meals and at night, and Sasha has learned when to say "Amen". She is very cute.

Life is moving very fast right now, and we look forward to getting into this new routine now that MaryEllen is back to work today, so Papa took care of breakfast and getting the kids ready solo. So far so good, by God's grace.

Happy Easter

We have been home for just over two weeks now and we still look at each other and are amazed we are the parents of these two little girls. Wow! MaryEllen has been sick with a bad cold the last week, and that has taken some of the fun out of staying home with the girls. Even so, we have been enjoying the challenges and joys of being parents. Free time has become something of the past. Our lives now revolve around these little beauties. Sasha is doing better about going to bed, and we are not pushing the afternoon nap. Dasha was doing better, but now is cutting another tooth, so she is cranky at times. She is so good about sleeping, we can't help but think this won't last much longer. You just lay her down and poof, she is asleep. She is walking all over the place, and getting quicker each day.

Sasha and I went to church on Sunday and spent the morning in Sunday School. She was apprehenive for the first 30 minutes, but relaxed after that and did fine. I stayed the whole time, and will eventually leave her in the care of the teachers who are great. With Easter coming up this weekend, I don't know what we will do with the girls. Maybe we will go to the crying room again like we did our first week back.

The weather has kept us inside most of this week, but we did get out this last weekend some, and the girls loved it. We have a great park down the street, and our neighbor who is 9 loves to be out with the girls. With so many kids in the neighborhood, I think the girls will fit right in.

Both girls are doing well adjusting, and have stayed healthy dispite MaryEllen's cold. They are eating well, and enjoying their new life in the U.S. Sasha is speaking some English, but we can't always understand it. Then she will throw in some baby Russian and MaryEllen and I will just look at each other and shrug.

Bonding is going along fine, but it is clear that the real emotional bonding will take time. There is no rushing this process, and what we read is it takes about 6 months. We are spending as much time as possible with them, and love and care for them as best we can. Both girls seem to go to any adult, especially women, which is part of the bonding problem. They need to learn who Mommy and Papa are, and know that we will care for them no matter what. Knowning all this, I still think this is one of our biggest misconceptions. I don't think we really understood how hard the bonding process it, but we are making progress. It is hard to conceive what our lives and relationships will look like 6 months from now.

We plan to color Easter eggs this week in preparation for Easter Sunday. We don't want the girls to load up on candy, so we will limit the candy eggs, but what is Easter without some chocolate? Maybe I will give the chocolate to MaryEllen, she deserves it.

Have a blessed Easter

Getting settled in

We are getting into a pattern at home, and overcoming some issues and facing new ones daily. Sasha went to bed without incident last night, so our strategy is maybe starting to work, but she is reverting on her toileting, which is very normal. MaryEllen is working with her during the day, but she is in a state where she doesn't seem to care if she goes in her pull-up.

Thursday was Dr. day and we had a good check-up. Both girls were very good considering what they went through. They took blood and checked them out thoroughly, and everyone seems to be healthy.

We have been getting outside the last week as temps have been in the 60's. The girls love the park, especially the swings, and seem to fit right in to our neighborhood. There are lots of kids of all ages.

Dasha is walking better each day, and can walk 10 - 20 yards without falling sometimes. Sasha is starting to say some things in English, mimicking me and MaryEllen. We think she is understanding quite a bit already, but just not speaking. She is still rambling in Russian, and I can only imagine her thoughts as we have a dumb look on our faces and don't do what she wants. That will all change quick enough though.

Each day is an adventure. Chinese tonight, and Sam's tomorrow. Yea.

Home at last

We finally made it home, and just a bit tired. We decided to stay in Chicago at my sisters Sat. night. They fed us a home cooked meal, and helped us with the girls so we could rest a bit. It was a good transition. We made it home Sunday afternoon and after a bit of unpacking, grocery shopping and baths, we all fell asleep by 8:15. Today I am back to work while MaryEllen is home with the girls. I'm sure she will need a break when I get home. She was tired at 10:00am. While exhausted, we are fulfilled at being parents. We have two beautiful girls, who are inquisitive, smart, and testing all the boundaries. Sasha is doing a bit better about going to sleep, and Dasha is still teething, but is a trouper about it. Both girls did very well on the flight home, all things considered. Sasha is starting to parrot us in English after resisting for the last week. She is starting to understand us when we speak to her, which is remarkable. She is speaking much more now in Russian, but it is fun to hear her communicate. She is obviously feeling more secure with us everyday. Hopefully with the warm weather, we will get a chance to play outside and go for walks. We all could use the exercise after being cooped up for 4 weeks. We are learning so much together about being parents. Have you looked for infant cereal lately? There are about 20 different kinds. Who knows what to buy? And apple juice. Who would think there are so many kinds of apple juice. What is the difference? We just don't have time to look on the internet to research what is the best for our girls. We plan to make Dr. appointments this week for the girls to get them checked out and receive any instructions from the pediatrician. Thanks again to all of you who have prayed for us and helped us in so many ways to make this all possible. We hope to see you all soon and introduce you to our lovely daughters. Pete and ME

Leaving Kras

We leave Kras tomorrow early, starting out at 4:30am. We will arrive in Moscow at about 9:00am, and see the doctor for the girls before we can get visas. Tomorrow will be a busy day. We will have go nap whenever we get the chance. I hope the girls sleep on the plane.

Sasha has shown us she is not perfect by rebelling when it is time to sleep. She is definitely two. Dasha is still teething, but we are coping with this dilema. Perhaps by not having any teething medicine it will teach her to cope with the pain also.

We are having a great time with the girls, and even went to the mall yesterday and played on the slide. Sasha had so much fun. I think we tired her out. Now it is packing time, and off we go on to the next phase of our trip.

And then they were 4...

Well, it happened, they gave the girls to us. We picked them up at about 8:30am yesterday and everything went well. Dasha was a bit afraid, but neither girls cried or anything. Sasha fell asleep shortly after we got underway, and I had to wake her up when we got to Kras. Dasha fell asleep also, so everyone was well rested except Mom and Dad. Oh well, I guess we will get used to that. We had a nice day together, and everyone was asleep by 9:30pm. We all slept though the night just fine. The bed in the suite is much nicer than the one in our original room.

We had breakfast in the hotel this morning, and hung around the hotel as Dasha naps from 9:30 - 11:00, and then they both nap in the afternoon. When they wake up and have a snack, we will go out in the courtyard square and play some before going to dinner. It has snowed most of the day yesterday and today, so everything is a very pretty white. Not too cold, -2c today. We feel a bit tied down because of nap schedules, but plan to get out tomorrow around 11:00 with our interpreter to go shopping for more supplies.

We are so blessed with these little ones, we can't believe it. Sasha is such a gentle spirit, and Dasha is a smiling little girls when her gums don't hurt too bad. Each has beautiful eyes, and they sparkle in the sunlight. We have been looking out the window from the lounge, and the girls are just taking in every sight. There are so many things that they have never seen.

We have been playing simple games in the hotel. Sasha likes to play with some playing cards a friend gave us, and Dasha likes to practice walking, and eating anything her sister is playing with. Both girls are eating well, and adapting to us well. Dasha is a little fussy when we put her down for sleep, but Sasha lays right down and sleeps. If we had know this was so easy we would have done it long ago :) I hope to share some new pictures of the girls.

MaryEllen has been a great mom. We give her an A+ for her first day. It is evident that she has dreamed about this since she was a little girl herself. Papa is enjoying himself too. We are leaning so much already, and have so much yet to learn, but we are enjoying being parents together. God has truely blessed us more than we can imagine.

The final day...

We are two for one more day, and then we are 4 forever. Tonight we will pack up and be ready to change rooms to a suite tomorrow. We leave early to get the girls, around 6:30am, and have lots to do in the am. We then return to Krasnoyarsk and sign some papers and return to the hotel. The passports for the girls should be ready next week sometime, hopefully before we leave on Wed. Then we will have a birthday party for Dasha with our adoption friends, the Dunns, in Moscow before they leave for home on Thurs. We will get the physicals for the girls on Wed. afternoon, and start the visa application on Thurs. It will be ready for pickup on Fri, and home on Sat. Wow, we are starting the final stretch.

Our time here has gone very fast, thanks in large part to our many new American friends. Now we are the only adoption family in the hotel that we know of, but we have so much to do it doesn't really matter. We had a nice dinner last night, and will have our final dinner as a couple tonight before life changes for the better.

We went to the outdoor mall again today, and stumbled upon a really cool children's store right next door to the mall. It had everything, except backpacks for little girls. We thought Sasha would like a little bag to put things in after she showed us how she like to put things in bags and carry it around during our visits. For those coming to Kras in the future, you have to check out the outdoor mall area. You can find everything, and prices are great. They have a huge indoor section that has all kinds of meat, fruit, veggies, spices, nuts, dried fruit, and even a little pet shop. Just about 6 blocks from the hotel. A nice walk if there is not 6 inches of ice on the sidewalk.

The count down is less than one day now, so we are counting the hours. Really, we are too busy getting things ready, diapers, food, clothes, etc. One last trip to the grocery store this afternoon and I think we are ready. Praying for a smooth transition.

Das Vidanya

the final visit

We had our final visit today before picking up the girls on Saturday. The visit went well, with Dasha taking her first steps on her own for us. She is developing so fast. Looking back at pictures we took in Dec., she is really changing. Both girls came to us with big smiles on their faces, and appear to be more and more comfortable with us each visit. It had been 6 days since our last visit, so we didn't know what to expect today.

MaryEllen went with the girls to get their passport photos today while we were in Achinsk. It went well, but both girls were a little scared to be in the car. I hope this will make it a bit easier when we leave in the car on Saturday. We had some nice play time today as well, and when it was time for Sasha to go she looked back with tears in her eyes. I think she is falling for us as well. Hugging her first thing when we saw her today felt so right.

Today was very cold, -30c, which is -22f. Too cold to go out and do much, so we hope one of the next two days is warmer so we can go to the outdoor mall one more time. We need to buy diapers, food, juice, etc. to be ready for Saturday. Yesterday our translator took us to two malls, one a huge complex with nice stores, food court, bowling, and cinema. Then we went to a Chinese mall, where every booth was something from China. It was even run by Chinese people. Wierd to see Chinese Russians. We didn't buy anything, except pizza from Sbarros. Stores have prices much like the U.S..

Many of our new friends are leaving today and tomorrow morning. It will be sad to see them leave, but we look forward to meeting new friends this weekend, and of course spending lots of time with our daughters:) I think we will wait until we get the girls to post new pictures (without bows). Thanks for all the comments.

It is all worth it

We have been waiting patiently to make our next visit with the girls, but it has been postponed until tomorrow (WED). We are disappointed, but will not let this setback steal our joy. We are feeling a little low today after hearing about the change of plans. The last time we saw our daughters was last Thurs. But, the days are going by, and we only have 4 days left until the girls are in our arms forever. We continue to pray for health for both of us, as ME has some pain in her leg that makes sleep difficult. Last night neither of us slept well. The hard bed is getting to us. All this will be a blur some day when the girls are with us.

Today we are going to a mall to look around and check out a play room we may take the girls to next week. I don't know how much free time we will have when we get them because we will need to get passports Monday and Tuesday, and then we leave on Wed. morning for Moscow.

One of our new American friends had her son for one day before he needed to go into the hospital due to bronchitis. It was very sad for her to have to leave him, but we hear he is getting better. She is supposed to leave for Moscow tomorrow, so we pray that Kai is doing well enough to travel.

Another woman got in today to pick up her child. She is getting her daughter from the same orphanage we are getting our daughters from. We can't wait to see her and hopefully our daughters can see each other here. Sasha and her daughter are about the same age.

Sunday was "Woman's Day" and the whole country takes vacation, carrying over to Monday. The hotel was very quiet. Now things are picking up again. We met some missionaries from Campus Crusade for Christ at breakfast today. The three of them are here for a few days meeting with the local missionaries. Nice again to meet some Americans.

Although we have been staying busy, the time is starting to get to us. We are really anxious for Saturday. At the same time, we are a bit scared. We are hopefull that the transition will go good, and the girls don't have any major issues as they join our family. We were really hoping to get two visits this week which would help not only our baby fixes, but also help with bonding, but I fear that we will only see the girls once before Sat.

We have not figured out the video yet, but may work on that later today. We miss America, and look forward to introducing our new daughters to our world.

Seeing the sites

We have been busy these last few days, and look to stay busy for a while. The other day we took a bus to the ski slopes and took a lift to the top and went hiking around the mountain tops for about 30 minutes. Then we stopped in the lodge for some warm beverages. The scenes were amazing. Today we went to the flea market and looked at all sorts of things. They have great prices on fur coats! We did find some deals on some kids clothes, so bought some sandles for the girls, and some tights. We didn't find a lot of trinkets to bring home, but maybe that is ok.

Tomorrow we are going to the zoo, which is supposedly very nice. They have polar bears! Tonight we are having dinner with a new couple who just got in this week for their first trip. Lost luggage, but they go home tomorrow. Our other friends are picking up their son this afternoon. We are so excited for them. We will probably celebrate with them also tonight.

Yesterday we called my mom, and this morning we called MaryEllen's mom and dad. All were glad to hear from us, and don't have internet or email. It was so nice to talk to them and surprise them with a phone call. Apparently all the family from the east is so excited, especially MaryEllen's Uncle Al, and God mother Delores. All our friends and family can't wait to meet our daughters, and we are equally excited to introduce them. Don't think they will get spoiled, do you? We are counting the days, but having a nice time while we are here.

We are trying to put a video on the blog, so stay tuned for that. If it works, it is precious.

My girls, my girls, I'm talk'in bout my girls

We are putting new pictures on the blog. We had a great visit with Sasha and Dasha today. It was awesome being able to hold them close and know that they are ours. Dasha was walking all over the place today. Monday when we saw her last she was not steady standing but today walked!!! That's our girl!!! She was smiling up a storm and pulling toys out of the toy cabinet - Peter thinks she will be a handful. Sasha shared her Cheerios with her sister today and enjoyed playing with pictures and anything she could take out of mommy's bag. Mommy was happy to see Sasha take money out of Daddy's bag and give it to Mommy without Mommy even asking. She gave Daddy the bottle of water so he didn't get left out completely.

We don't see them for 4 days now because of the Woman's Day holiday - very BIG here. We'll stay busy until Tuesday with shopping, going to the zoo and seeing other sites.

Mama and Papa

Well, after 2 hours of grilling by the judge, she declared that the girls are our daughters. For the first time publicly, let me introduce to you, Alexandria Faith Falstad, and Darya Caroline Falstad. Pictures will come later. Alexandria (Sasha) has kept her name for the most part, and is named after MaryEllen's grandmother. Darya (Dasha) has kept her name and is named Caroline after MaryEllen's mother. We are proud to be able to pass on our family names to our daughters. That is a tradition in my family.

We were exhausted last night after a very difficult court hearing. Our judge was very difficult, and in our opinion, not very nice. I think she need Jesus. Without going into too much detail, she grilled me very hard on our taxes, and then attacked MaryEllen about her ability to care for Dasha. She was not supportive of us using child care during the day and going off to work. In Russia recently, more emphasis has been placed on mothers staying home for the first 3 years of the child's life. In the end, she ruled in our favor though, and we are now parents. We have to wait for the manditory 10 days until we go get our daughters, but in the mean time we will have the chance to visit them 2 - 3 times starting tomorrow.

We have met some wonderful Americans, and today we went up to the ski slopes and took the chair lift up the mountain. From there we hiked along a trail for about an hour, and then went in the lodge for a beverage. It was a wonderful morning of fresh air and great views. I was not crazy about the chair lift, but it was all worth it. We didn't know you have to put the rail down across your lap on the chair lift, and the guy was yelling at us in Russian to put it down. We figured it out in short time, and no one fell out of the lift. They don't have chair lifts in the flat lands of central IL.

We are looking forward to going to the zoo, the flea market, and the perhaps the opera while we are here. We have some time to burn. Krasnoyarsk is an interesting city, and we hope to learn more about the birth place of our daughters.

Next up is our visit tomorrow to the girls, our first as their Mama and Papa.

Here in Kras

Well, we arrived in Krasnoyarsk safe and sound. Our physicals went well, and really just a formality. We arrived here tired, but glad to have that step behind us. We are being told that our taxes need to be apostilled, so, some friends back home are helping us out greatly to accomplish this step in a timely manner. We were a bit frustrated, but after some rest and reflection we feel better about things. Our coordinator is working on translation of our taxes, and we will tell the judge Tuesday that the official copies are coming. We hope she will not put us off for a week which would extend our stay. Please pray! People are telling us that the judges are difficult some times, but to be prepared and confident. Our sinuses are giving us some trouble again due to the dry weather in the rooms. We both woke with sinus headaches this morning, just like we did in Moscow. Hopefully we will improve soon. The weather is nice, around 25 - 30 degrees. Nice and sunny out yesterday and today. We need to take advantage of it, because the weather could turn anytime.

We will be meeting our coordinator tomorrow morning (Monday) at 7 am to go meet with the girls for the first time in 2 1/2 months. We wonder if they will recognize us, and if D is walking yet. Met a new mother this morning who just got her daughter yesterday and she is 1 and walking. Met another mother who just picked up her daughter who is S's age. Court will be at 1:30 Tuesday, so we appreciate your prayers. Remember we are 13 hours ahead of Chicago. Blessings from Kras.

Looks like we made it...

Well, we made it to Moscow. Our hotel is simple, but nice. Tomorrow we have our physicals, and then we meet our friends Pasha and Lena. We are looking forward to having some time with them before we leave for Krasnoyarsk tomorrow evening. (Friday) MaryEllen is feeling a little better, and we are getting some sleep off and on. Last night I woke at 3:00am and couldn't get back to sleep so I got up and exercised. We took two naps today, and hope to sleep tonight.

Eating has been interesting and humorous. The menu had two items we got a good laugh from. They were fried spicy chicken fruit, and lula of lamb. We were not adventurous enough to order either one yet. Some things like "stake" we can figure out on our own. We just remember we are the guests here, and we are the ones who speak a foreign language.

We are looking forward to Monday when we get to see our girls again. Many have said that court is nerve racking, but we trust that The Lord is in control over all things great and small.

We did some shopping today for some trinkets for the girls when they get older. It just seems like something nice to tie to their heritage. Also, we didn't have anything else to do today. At least the Ruble is favorable to the dollar these days. Much better than when we were here in Dec.

Thanks for all your prayers. We are now going to dinner and listen to some jazz in the hotel restaurant. We will check back in later.

Leaving, on a jet plane

Did you ever notice there is a song about everything? We are getting packed up and ready to go. As it turns out, we will get to see our friends from Vladimir on Friday, and we are excited to fellowship with them again. We are able to bring some things with us for them as well :) MaryEllen has a cold or something she contracted over the last day or so, so she is going to the Dr. this morning just to be cautious. I am still feeling fine after my travel haircut. We are a little anxious about not having everything we will need. I'm sure we can buy most things we would need though. Our small group had a surprise send off for us on Sunday night, and we really appreciated their thoughts and prayers. Everyone has been very encouraging for the most part. Lots of free advise, if you know what I mean? This is the last blog from the states. Next stop Moscow!!!

Counting the days

We are getting closer to leaving. One week to go. We are taking care of all the things that need to be done when one leaves on a long trip. Someone is taking care of our house, mail will be stopped, etc. Bills are paid up, utilities turned down, jobs are scaling back. All we can think about now is getting our girls home. We can't wait to see them again.

We leave on the 24th for Moscow, and stay there for a few days to get physicals from the Russian Gov't. Then on Friday the 27 we fly to Krasnoyarsk. We will visit the girls on Monday the 2nd, and then will go to court on the 3rd. If all goes as planned, we will get the court's approval, and the girls are ours, sort of. Then starts the 10 day waiting period, during which we will go visit the girls a few more times hopefully. On Saturday the 14th we will go pick up the girls for good. That is commonly referred to as "Gotcha Day". We will have some more official work to do in Kras for a few days, and then on Wednesday, March 18th we will start our journey home. We stop in Moscow for a few days to get the girls' visas and physicals, and then head home on Saturday the 21st. All these dates are somewhat tentitive, but we are praying that everything goes well and we don't have any major hickups.

We tried to get an apartment in Moscow on the way back, figuring it would be easier than a hotel with the girls, but that week is the busiest in Moscow all year due to a huge convention. Oh well, I guess a hotel will have to do. Other plans for our trip are coming together. We have the girl's clothes layed out, and MaryEllen is getting herself packed. We are not able to take very much because of weight limitations on Siberian Air. They only allow 40 lbs, so we are trying to keep everything light. These last few days will go quickly. Pray, pray, pray.

travel plans

Things have been moving at a fast and furious pace these last few days. We sent for our visas, booked our flights (got great rates, praise God), and are putting together the paperwork to take with us. I think we will need a separate suit case for the paperwork. We are only allowed 40 lbs. each on Siberian Air, so we are trying to pack as light as possible. The charge for being over is several dollars per pound. What a scam. We had a scare today after thinking we had booked the wrong flight, but it was booked correctly, and all is well. I don't know why I get so worked up over a couple hundred dollars :)

The days are flying by, and there is still so much to do. We have been working on gathering things for some time now, but it is hard to believe we will be leaving in less than two weeks. Our departure date did change from our original plan because AA does not fly to Moscow on Wednesdays. So, we will leave on Tuesday and relax in Moscow for another day. Who knows what we will do. We can't afford to shop, and wouldn't be able to carry our loot due to weight restrictions anyway. We may be able to leave some stuff with the coordinator in Moscow.

Work is very busy for MaryEllen and me, so that adds to our stress. I can't wait for the girls to be here so we don't have this stress. I'm sure it will be replaced with other stress of being a parent. We are just reminding ourselves that in a few weeks all this will be over and we will step off the plane in Chicago. The process will be over. Its not that bad, but emotions run so high at times, and I am a guy. I can only imagine what MaryEllen is going through. We have really be great help for each other. It seems when I am stressed she is calm, and when she is stress I am calm. What a team?

We will be checking email daily in Russia, so hearing from you all would be a huge encouragement. Just click on the email link on the right side of this page.

Now we need to get together gift bags for some of the people who we will be in contact with, as well as the caregivers of the girls. This is not required, but is a custom in Russia and much of Europe. We are again trying to keep things light. Thanks for supporting us in this process.

Oh, Boy (Girl)!!!

We just heard this afternoon that we will be traveling to get the girls on Feb. 25th! We are so excited! Everyone said that the wait between trips is the hardest, and we found that to be true also. However, it all seems worth it. Now we need to get visas, tickets, and other packing for our trip. We will be gone just over 3 weeks, 10 days between court and gotcha day (March 14). It looks like our trip will overlap some of our new internet adoption friends, so that will be nice. We will arrive in Moscow on the 26th, see the Drs. on the 27th, and then on to Krasnoyarsk. Monday the 2nd we will visit the girls again, court will be on the 3rd, and then we wait again. We plan to do some shopping for essentials for the girls during that time, and who knows what else. It will probably depend on the weather. Please pray for visas and ticket process, safe travel, health for MaryEllen and me, and for the court and other details of the trip.

The grandparents all have the DVD of the girls, and loved watching them interact with us. That seems like a good way to relate the two generations. I will try to update again when my feet come back down to the earth.

It is Tuesday, and we are still waiting impatiently for a call that our court date is set. I have talked with several people who are getting court dates, so we are hopeful that our is coming soon. In the mean time we are trying to stay busy getting things ready for our girls. We have settled on a child care agency, and the people there seem to be very nice and care for the children. Equally important, they seem to really be interested in helping the children learn all they can at their own pace. Settling on an agency is a big relief. On to the other items on the list.

MaryEllen received a diaper bag from a friend, and she is intent on packing it up so we are ready to travel when the call comes. We should have a couple weeks to pack, but there is going to be so much to do in the little times we will have. The more we can do now the better.

Last Thursday we received word from our agency that they needed a power of attorney for the coordinator in Kras to represent us before the judge, so, we got the signatures and notary, and I drove to Springfield to get it apostilled. It wasn't so bad. Just an afternoon drive in the country. We hope that there are no more of those trips to Springfield, but we will do whatever it takes to get our girls home as quick as possible.

The toys are starting to pile up, and the closet is beginning to fill, thanks to many generous friends and family. We sent video of the girls to the grandparents, and so far they loved it. Still waiting to hear from MaryEllen's parents. I'm sure they are going to love seeing their grandchildren on tape for the first time. They are not up to date with technology, so we bought them a little portable DVD player so they can see the girls. I think they will like that.

I will try to update every week from here on out, even if we don't have any news. We hope to hear something in the next week or so, but who knows. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Our bags are half packed

We have been busy getting the house ready for the girls these past weeks. I will try to post a new picture of the girl's room so you can see the changes. It is really taking shape. We have been buying some things, getting some donations from friends, and MaryEllen is even dusting off the old sewing machine for her girls. She really is very talented.

Our dossier part 2 reached Russia a week ago, and they had a few questions, but otherwise we have not heard anything. We are still hoping for a mid Feb. trip, but this too is in God's hands. We are praying for patience as we wait, and trying to stay busy with things until the time comes to go get our girls. Every so often, we find ourselves crying out because the thought of the girls not being with us is so painful. Adoption folks understand that.

This week we are visiting child care options, and hope to have our decision made in a week or so. We are praying for wisdom there too. We met a nice couple the other night who adopted 5 years ago, and their experience was so completely different than ours. The orphanage was dirty, the kids were dirty, and they felt like they were being taken advantage of. We are so blessed to be working with a good agency and a wonderful orphanage and director.

When at church yesterday, we notice a family in the crying room at the back of the church, and thought how perfect that will be for us. The girls can stay with us for a while, and we can still participate in the worship. Cool.

We are finishing up some home projects, cleaning the house real good, and enjoying these last few weekends alone. Being together is good, and having the girls will be a different kind of good. I am trying to finish a stained glass project I started in a class last fall, and hope to have it done before we leave. I figure time will be at a premium when the girls are here. I keep envisioning them sitting on my lap, with my arms around them. I can almost feel them now.

We were studying the Bible this week and ran across a concept that struck a cord with us. The concept is waiting on the Lord, in "God's waiting room". Have you been there? When we wait on the Lord we often feel alone, but in reality God is waiting with us. Sometimes our own selfish desires cause us to ignore God's presence, but He is there to comfort us none the less. The next time you find yourself in "God's waiting room" rest assure that God is waiting with you, ready to comfort you and provide all your needs.

Lastly, I want to thank again our network of support, from family to friends, who have been such an encouragement to us during this process. I will probably say this again, but we sure appreciate all you do and say.

Adoption Poem

Not flesh of my flesh,
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own,
And don't forget for a
single minute,You didn't grow
under my heart but in it.
© Fleur Conkling Heylinger

We have completed the dossier part 2, and it is sent to CHSFS, our agency. A great burden has been lifted as we have been somewhat stressed about doing our part to expedite the process. Our little girls are depending on us. There may be one or two documents that may need to be redone, but hopefully not. Now we wait while the dossier is sent to Russia, translated, and then a court date can be set.

In the mean time we have been busy getting things together. We picked up the crib from my brother last weekend and put it up. It looks great. D is going to love it. MaryEllen is working with a friend to decide on colors for S's bed, D's quilt, and window coverings. We have been running around looking for deals on everything from car seats to strollers. It seems like I can't go to the store without picking something up for the girls. Today I had to buy some balls that were on sale.

I decided it was about time to figure out how to work my 8 year old video camera, so today I played with that for a while. These things are pretty neat. I also bought a cable so we can transfer the 8mm tape to a DVD so we can send it to grandparents and other family. The modern age is creeping up on me. Before you know it I will figure out "facebook".

The wait is getting harder as time passes. MaryEllen and I sat and watched the video of the girls during dinner last night. We can't wait to have them home. Before we know it the weather will start to change, and we will be taking the girls to the park and on walks. Hopefully the next update will include a travel date. We keep praying.

We made it through the Holidays, and only gained a few pounds. We have been working hard at getting paperwork together for our part 2 dossier. Talking to friends who have been through the adoption process, we hear that delays and redo's of paperwork are normal. Our experience has been similar. We have received my FBI clearance, but MaryEllen's has not come yet. Hum, perhaps there is something I should have known? Hopefully it will come today. Our physicals are done, and the paperwork is ready to be picked up. Oh, and we are both healthy. We have had some trouble with our local criminal clearance, not for any legal reasons. The woman who is doing the letter has gotten it wrong twice now. Third times the charm. We plan to get all that together this week and drive to Springfield to get the apostille stamp, and forward to MN.

This weekend we did a little more nesting, and bought some clothes. Some friends gave us a bag full of books and toys, which we are sure our girls will enjoy. We put in some cabinets in the basement for toy storage, anticipating the need for organization. We bought some car seat on sale, and pick up the borrowed crib next weekend. Little by little we are getting things together.

This week we will explore the wonderful world of day care. We have no idea what that solution is, but know it is expensive. Our first concern is for our older girl, who will need as much help as possible to catch up with her piers. All this is new to us, so we are on the flat end of the learning curve. We have a little time yet, but that time will go quickly I'm sure. Still no word on when we might travel, however we are doing all we can to expedite the process. We want our girls home soon!

Blessing to you all this new year 2009, and thanks for all the support from friends and family.