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.

Merry Christmas

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and have a joyous new year. I was reading the other day about new years, and how it is a time to wipe the slate of the past year away, and start fresh. I couldn't help but think of how Christ has done that for us as well. The gift is set out on the table, and all we need to do is accept it, and our slate is wiped clean. What a gift. What a Christ-mas gift.

We are busy getting the next phase of paperwork together, and getting some things for the girls. We need everything, so the task is a bit overwhelming at times. We found a great deal on some crib bedding last night, and my brother is loaning us a crib. We have an umbrella stroller and some bunk beds, but that is about it.

We have developed pictures, but are not allowed to post them on the blog until the girls are officially ours. Sorry:(

This part of the waiting is extremely difficult. We knew it would be, but now comes the true test.
I think the key is to stay busy, and we are. There are project to finish, day care to research, house to prepare, cloths to buy, etc. We are not complaining of course, knowing that it is all worth it, and in short time we will have the girls. Just writing this makes me smile :)

It seems like after New Years everything in our lives kicks back up again, although MaryEllen will not have class next semester. It is nice to have a break from some activities for a few weeks, but we do miss Bible study with our friends.

We wish you all a blessed New Year, and pray that you will accept the gift of Christ's redemption for your lives.

Home again

Well, we finally made it home, almost. We had to stay at my sister's house in Chicago because our car keys went to SC with my niece. Long story... We had a good trip home without event for the most part. It is great to be in the US where people speak English easily, but sad to leave our girls behind. We are told by our coordinator in Kras that we may be looking at a late January or early Feb court date, which would be great. We have some remarkable pictures to look back on, and some precious film which I will probably watch every day. We are so blessed to have been chosen to parent such beautiful children. Many have prayed to long hours for this to occur, and we thank you all. Your prayer for discernment and safety have been answered.

I met a man on the plane from New Orleans, a electrical engineer working with the oil industry, who was my first victim to show our pictures of the girls. He was endearing, having two grown girls of his own. A man just a few years older than myself, he held great wisdom in fathering. I talked with him about many aspects of fatherhood, and relayed my story of taking care of Deb when she was sick, and ME's about caring for Doug. I said how people seem to warn us about taking on the responsibility of two young ones all at once, and the caution each has for us. Even the director of the baby home cautioned us of parenting two new souls. This man I met said a very profound thing. He said, "you understand commitment". It is true, I believe, that MaryEllen and I understand commitment well. It was our commitment to love always, that helped us care for sick and dying spouses. It was our commitment to love that brought us to gether in the first place. And it was our commitment to God which allowed us to open our hearts so He could work in us and create the desire to adopt. This same commitment will allow us to open our hearts and love two new members to our family. We trust that God will lead the way, and pray that we are aware enough to follow.

From myself, MaryEllen, S and D,
we wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and pray that the Child, the one we celebrate, would be the center of your worship this year.

We have made contact

We met the girls yesterday, and they are as lovely as you could imagine. We spent about 3 hours with them, playing, reading, and holding. The older one, Sasha, would sit on our laps, play games, and read a book. She walked us into the room where her bed was, and held MaryEllen's hand. The younger one, Dasha, is very cute too, and a little more inclined to be with a woman, but has warmed up to Pete. Sasha told all her friends this morning that she was going to meet with her Mama and Papa. How sweet. They have b0th stolen our hearts. We met with them again today for about 2 hours, and had already decided we want to bring them home. Saying goodbye was too quick to get emotional. By the time they were gone we realized we will not see them again for several months. Everyone seems to be excited about us taking the girls home, and want to expedite the process as best they can. We are hopeful for an early Feb. court date, but who knows. Both girls appear to be healthy. Dasha has a small cold, but otherwise no concerns. Tomorrow we will sign some more papers, do some shopping, and prepare to leave early Sat. By the way, the temp is -25c, and expected to start getting real cold by the weekend. Too bad we are leaving. Perhaps we can experience some of that when we come back. See you all soon.

Moscow

We made it to Moscow so far. We have a 10 hour layover, but are getting to the time for our flight to Krasnoyarsk (Kras). We met a real nice couple from CA who are adopting from a region near Georgia. They have had some problems, but are getting ready to take their daughter home. We will be at that point soon. For right now, we are anxious to meet our little ones. Sleep is coming hard on the plane and in the airport, but hopefully we can sleep on the flight tonight. We arrive at 6:45am Tues and go to the Ministry of Ed (MOE) to get the referral officially. I passed the internet cafe test, so hopefully more updates will come soon. I do feel like high school typing test though.

We miss you all.

Just a little stress

We are waiting for our visas and passports to come back, and the overnight carrier said they are in St. Louis, and should come in today. "God, we trust you with every detail." We are scheduling Dr. appointments and getting the next phase of our paperwork in order so we can send in the dossier part 2 in as soon as possible. Our court date can not be scheduled until all our paperwork is received in order. We are starting to deal with fingerprints expiring, so go new prints last night, but the officer forgot to sign the form. Oh, well, we will do it again. Better to find out now rather than 2 or 3 weeks from now. We feel relatively prepared to leave, but of course have some details left to put in order. It's not like we are leaving for a month or anything. That will occur in a few months. We can't wait to see our little girls, and when I start feeling stressed, I have come up with an image in my mind of my little girls sitting on my lap. That brings a smile to my face every time.
The Lord laid on my heart a week ago or so that I have the option of choosing joy in my circumstances. Satan is trying to steal that joy, but I can choose to focus on Christ, my Lord, and see joy in my challenges. As we head into the Christmas Holiday, MaryEllen and I wish you all a blessed season.

Getting closer

We have been busy getting things ready to go meet our new little girls. They are sisters, 9 mos. and 2 1/2 years old, and very cute. We were just told yesterday that the girls are in the town of Achinsk, which is a few hours ride from Krasnoyarsk. We have our final travel plans, and are getting lists together so we don't forget anything. We are praying for our visas to come in any day now, and continue to pray for our health and MaryEllen's back. She is doing better, going to therapy every day the last two weeks. The flight will leave from Chicago to Moscow (12 hours), and then we will have a 10 hour lay over before leaving for Krasnoyarsk (5 hour flight). Hopefully we will get some sleep on the plane. We are packing some toys and snacks to share with the orphanage, and some diapers a friend gave us for the girls. Typically there are a few months between trip one and trip two, so we anticipate going back to get the girls sometime this spring (March?) We cannot post pictures, but will have lots of good info when we return I'm sure.

Wow!!!

We are still trying to get our arms around the idea that we may have two very little ones in our home this spring. We are working hard to get information together, get last minute signatures, visa information, and prepare to get airline tickets. MaryEllen has been hampered by a injured back since Sunday just to make life interesting. God has given us a peace throughout this process, and we trust that He will make our paths straight. The girls are younger than we expected, and in fact younger than the Russian gov't regulations, however, we are told that that will not matter. We just talked to the adoption Dr., and although she has some concerns, she said there is no reason we would not travel to meet these girls. So, we are going to Russia!!! They are talking like we will be leaving sometime during the week of Dec. 15th. We will probably not post the exact dates, but stayed tunes for an update shortly after that time. We are expected to be gone 5-7 days. Please pray for discernment, and for travel plans and visas to come in on time. Thanks to all.

God is good

We received news today that we have been given a new referral. Two little girls again, but this time they are 9 months and 2 1/2. They are both beautiful, and barring anything unusual, we should be traveling before Christmas. That should be a good time to see the decor and snow in Siberia. We are again cautiously optimistic, and are taking prudent steps to make sure the girls are healthy and ready for our family. MaryEllen is very happy to have an infant, and we are both happy to become parents. We are anticipating a travel date around Dec. 15th or so, and will be gone about a week. We will meet the girls, and make a final evaluation and acceptance. Thank all of you for your continued prayers.

Many people have expressed their sympathy over the loss of the girls. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Our current status is that we are waiting again. The person in charge of referring children in Russia has been on vacation the last part of October and first part of November. She is back to work now, and our agency expects to see more referrals this month and next before they shut down for the Holidays in the first few weeks of January. We are encouraged by our coordinator that they will begin right away to find us two more children. We are not pushed to the back of the list.

We are looking forward to visiting with some family over the next few months, and are ready if necessary to make our first trip to Russia before Christmas. Of course, we are not in charge of the timing, but we know that our God, who is a God of order, has a perfect plan. We wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving, and pray that you will remember the true reason for this established Holiday beginning in 1863. If you have children, or are curious yourself, you may want to do some research and read Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day address from 1863. Scholars believe he was a committed Christian by this time in his life, and certainly his address reflects his beliefs.

Happy Thanksgiving

Sadness Strikes

We are burdened by sad news this week as we were told that the girls were taken off of the adoption list. We can only speculate why this is so, but our hearts are torn. We truly had taken these girls into our hearts. This feels like a miscarriage, except we have seen the pictures and prayed for them by name. I suppose many would cry out and ask God why, but then again, if we do that we must also ask why God blesses us so much everyday. We are not interested so much as to the why, but allowing ourselves to grieve, and moving forward in the process of adding two children to our hearts and home. If anything, this setback reinforces our desire to adopt, and reminds us that God has filled our hearts with the necessary love to nurture two precious young souls.

We are assured by our adoption coordinator that they will continue to search for children right away. We are unsure of a time line for a referral, but trust in God's perfect timing. We continue to believe that He has already chosen our children, and they will be His chosen blessings for our family. Thank you for your continued prayers for healing and progress in our adoption process.

Waiting on answers

Our agency has forwarded our questions looking for background information to Russia. We are waiting on answers to finalize our decision. I spoke with our coordinator yesterday and waiting over a week to hear back is common, she had already sent a follow-up request. All is being orchestrated perfectly...

It's amazing how you can fall in love with the little ones based on photos alone. It is so easy to start imagining them as part of our family. "Family" wow, we will soon have more than just Pete and me. A friend shared with us that no matter what happens, these two precious girls now have us praying for them. We pray for them daily and I have been known to toss up prayers throughout the day as I wonder what they are doing. Bless their little hearts.