Russia or Bust!

Normalcy!!!

2011-08-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why I forget that change and disruption in our schedules can be so difficult until I am just in the thick of it. We had 6 weeks together of travel, family fun and bonding. I started back to work and Dylan started back to school mid August. Tori started back to school on the 16th and also a new after school care program. Things went well the first week; she enjoyed school and seeing friends again. The weekend came and things have been, well “out of sorts”. She somewhat manifests transitions through a display of anxiety and a need to control her environment. With this, the strong willed child emerges; the child that I forget about when things are in sync and we have a good rhythm going. Yes, the one that tries to grab me by my toenails and rake me slowly over the coals. Time out for her is time out for me right? Let’s just say I had lots of time outs over the weekend and most of Monday evening. Of course I become very introspective, trying to figure out what in the world is going on and trying desperately to relate. Usually about day three or four of this beat down, I suddenly piece it together and become enlightened about the changes and disruptions that are going on. Not sure why I need that “a-ha” moment every time. One would think I would just get it by now and be better prepared to deal. I suppose I have hopes that the “out of sorts” episodes have passed, that security is well established and no longer an issue. Someday, for sure, I still have great confidence in that. And really every day is a continuum in moving forward and growing, all of us growing.

So here is where the normalcy comes in, actually with the observance of a complete and total meltdown from another child….strange, I know. I was driving Tori to school this morning. At drop off there is such a huge amount of parents all doing the same thing, sending their kids off to school for the day. Cars line up on the street along the side of the school and drop off, no parking, just drop off and your child proceeds to the front gates of the school.

I am reminded that last year for the first four weeks, we could not do this. I walked her to a teacher to hand her off because she would cry, yes for four weeks. It was so frustrating, but what really did not help with that is she would bring the other moms to tears as they stood outside the kindergarten gate seeing their children off. Oh my gosh! Yes it was heart wrenching, I worried most of the day about her. But at times I have got to be honest, wild expletive’s flew around in my head as I turned and walked away, reminding myself that she will be fine and also being assured by the teacher that shortly after I left her sight she was over it and was just fine. This year, none of that, I drop off, put her backpack on her back, kiss her, say “I love you” and away she goes. Progress, yes celebrate progress! I am thankful there has been not even the slightest hint of that this year.

When I dropped off Tori today there was a white SUV in front of me in this huge line of cars. I could see some activity going on in the car and the profile of the mom in the side view mirror, sensing it was not such a great morning for those in the car in front of me. The car stops to unload its passenger and I proceed to do the same. Suddenly the side door of the SUV is opened and a pink backpack is abruptly thrown out of the car and onto the sidewalk. Soon to follow the backpack is a lunch box, also thrown out of the car. Seconds later a little girl appears from the SUV, gathering her items on the sidewalk. The mom is very curtly saying, “Get your stuff and go to class!” And the child, “Mom, I don’t want to go to school! Mom, don’t leave me, I don’t want to go!” The mom pulls away and begins to drive off and the child begins to reluctantly walk to class. Suddenly, the SUV makes a U-turn and pulls over on the other side of the road. Apparently concerned and wants to make sure her child proceeds. I am trying to get Tori out of the car, but also distracting her from the child’s behavior. I sure don’t want her modeling this and being back to square one at drop off. The child is very aware her mom has pulled over and is watching her, so she comes back to where she was left, now just across the street from the SUV and begins the sobbing and pleading again but with much more ferocity. With this, out the driver side window, the mom begins demanding again that her child get to class. All the while, a very meek looking older man is also observing this. I can tell he is just beside himself and disturbed that the child is so distraught. The SUV again pulls away. The child continues with her sobbing and pleading for her mom to come back and get her, the older man continues to appear very perplexed over this whole thing. At this point Tori is heading down the sidewalk to the front gates of the school and I am getting back in the car. I look in my rearview mirror and see the SUV making another U-turn and heading back to the drop off point, to her pleading, sobbing child. I proceeded to pull into traffic and drive away. I do not know the final outcome. I am sure the little girl finally made it to class, the old man moved on down the road continuing his morning stroll and I hope the mom went home and had a very large glass of wine, even if it was only 8 in the morning. ;) I suspect it may sound twisted that I found a sense of relief and inner calming with this entire episode. I chuckled as I drove away, yes, I chuckled and I went away with the thought that things in our world really are normal, quit normal actually. Every day we continue to grow. Life is good!

Happy Birthday Victoria!♥

2011-07-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Gift of Life

I didn't give you the gift of life,
But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is deep and real,
As if it had been so.

For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you
The gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.
--- Unknown

Well my baby girl turns 6 today! She has truly been celebrating all month. We spent the 4th of July in Oklahoma visiting family. While there, we had a birthday celebration for Victoria. She also had an official birthday party on the 20th of July. Friends and classmates joined us at Party Kingdom in Chino. It is an indoor inflatable party place. We all had a great time and she really enjoyed the day. Today Tori, Dylan and I are headed to The Rain Forest Café for lunch.

Victoria is now 34 pounds and 40 inches tall. I am pleased with the physical growth she is making, as is her pediatrician. Since her last birthday she has grown another 4 inches and has gained 7 pounds. Since she arrived home in 2009 she has grown 7 inches total and gained a total of 12 pounds. This is great! For her age she is tiny and still below the 3rd percentile, but she really has had significant growth.

Victoria graduated Kindergarten in June. It was a fun day. Dylan and I attended the graduation. The kids did sing a song and received many awards. Victoria received an award for “Most Improved” in learning her site words. After the events at school, we went to one of Tori’s favorite restaurants. This girl can never seem to have enough pasta. She loves an Italian place near our house and always orders spaghetti. Let me just say that graduation from Kinder is not what is was 11 years ago when Dylan was promoted. Wow! Families came with bouquets, balloons, stuffed animals and gifts. Um, we didn’t. Dylan headed out quickly to find some flowers, but it was still early and nothing was open. With that, we made the promise that after lunch we would go to Party City and she could pick out balloons. She had a great time doing that, and watching a large bundle being created for her.

She still loves the beach, swimming and just playing in water. She can’t get enough of the dogs, usually as soon as we walk in the door the first thing she wants to do is so outback and see the dogs. They are so loving and patient, it truly amazes me. Several times I have had to rescue, mostly the smaller one, from being tied up with a shoelace or string to something. She just loves animals, any kind will do. We also have a tarantula as a pet and she is pretty fascinated with it.

Two girls are moving in next door and have been over a lot as their parents get ready for the move in. All three girls have a great time together and are really enjoying play time. The girls are 5 and 7, perfect. I was doing yard work the other day and felt like a Pueblo Storyteller. I was sitting, weeding, digging in the dirt and they were all quite comfortable sitting on my knees, resting on my shoulders and really just on me. The big attraction was not me weeding; it was the roly-polys, of course. All three were eager to grab them as soon they were spotted. Poor things, not the girls, the roly-polys……my pleas to be gentle seemed to fall on deaf ears. They came over another time to help decorate some cup cakes, goodness we had frosting and sprinkles everywhere. It was fun though and Victoria has really enjoyed the girls coming to her house to play.

Victoria will be starting 1st grade in August. We had a difficult time with separation for over a month at the beginning of Kindergarten. That was rough. Finally, by the end of the school year; she would get out of the car at the curb, put her backpack on (which ends at her ankles), gave hugs and kisses, and would run up to the school while yelling several times , “Bye Mom, I love you!” Let’s hope we remember that I will always return at the end of the day when 1st grade begins. In a nutshell, life is good!

Adoption Day!!!♥

2011-04-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today I became the proud parent of Victoria Irina Rae! I know the ticker above says differently, if you are going through the process and have been through I know you get that. For others, after the court ruling it takes an additional 10 days for the decision to actually be final. During those ten days Tori was not able to be with me, she continued to live at the orphanage. Also, the ticker is tracking from the date in which we actually landed in the United States, which was May 6Th.

Her name:
Victoria is my mom's name and my great-grandmother's name.
Irina is her birth name and she was known as Ira (Ear-ah).
Rae was my grandmother's middle name.

It is hard to believe it has been to year. We have been blessed! Love my little girlie!!! ♥

Visit to orphanage after court.

Two years ago, at orphanage.

Upstairs playroom, she loved looking at the large world outside the window. I would often pick her up and walk around to the different windows so she could see.

My beautiful children now! :)

Mommy, you are my very, very, very BEST friend!!♥

2011-03-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

It seems like it has been forever….I know, I know!

It is hard to believe I am coming up on the two year mark of when I was standing before a judge in a Russian courtroom. And of course, a couple of weeks after that landing at LAX, finally bringing my daughter home. Today lots of memories came back to me, for a couple of reasons I suppose….My social worker is due to visit within the next month for Victoria’s post adoption report. Additionally, just today I was contacted by a single female living in San Diego. She contacted through email and received my information from CHI. Of course, she is considering adopting from Russia and her note consisted of many questions about my experience.

I met a wonderful couple in Russia on my second trip. They had a court date the day before mine. In Russia, though you have a judgment of custody, you are not able to actually have custody of your child until 10 days after the court decision. Justin and Heather were adopting Blake. Blake was in the same group as Tori at the orphanage. During the ten day wait we would visit the children during the week. So we had several drives together to the orphanage and also enjoyed playing with our children together. I remember one distinct conversation that we had. I cannot remember if it was on one of our drives to the orphanage or in the lobby area of the Vlad Inn, but the conversation has always lingered in my mind.

The conversation centered on the idea that we, the adoptive parents, could quite possibly be their, the adopted child’s, trauma. Sure, as an adoptive parent you would like to think the life you will offer a child will far exceed that of being raised in an orphanage. BUT you are also taking them from their comfort, their familiarity, their life as they know it. You are removing them from their life because you have a better plan….essentially they really don’t know you or trust you. They don’t know the mental preparation you have gone through. They don’t have that same chance, knowledge or ability to do any sort of mental preparation. Sure the caretakers might refer to you as their Mama when you are due for a visit, but really a young child just can’t comprehend or understand what is going on. They just know you have disrupted what they had, whether it was good or bad.

Thinking back to the beginning, when I first brought Tori home, I do think in some ways I was her trauma. The transition was difficult at times for her and rightly so! Our life began together hanging out in a hotel, having a grand time. Soon we are on a long plane ride heading home, what I know as home, not what she considered home yet. Everything was unfamiliar to her; people, food, language, home, bed, etc….those first days were rough. I remember after getting everything taken care of at the airport, we headed to my dad and Jan’s. I requested Tori have a Happy Meal waiting for her. Yep, I wanted my new American girl to have a Happy Meal. She really had no interest in a meal, mostly was interested in the dog and wanted a big drink of water. I remember walking up to my dad’s house and I put her down on the grass. I was stunned (seems really dumb now to admit that) at her reaction to her feet on the grass. It dawned on me; she had never felt grass on her bare feet before. She was not pleased by the sensation, but also not frightened. She really just did not know what to make of it.

I remember the drive home that night, to our house. She screamed and cried the entire way, all 50 minutes of the drive! The sun had set and it was dark. She was also strapped into a child car seat, something they did not use anytime we were in a car in Russia. She was struggling and trying with all her might to get out of that seat. My poor baby girl! Her brother just kept asking me what was wrong with her,why was she so upset, can't we just let her out of the seat? Everything was new and different, really just about everything. The first few weeks were rough, not all the time of course. Nights were very difficult for her, often crying in the night. All I could do was go in to her room, sooth her, rub her back, kiss her, hug her, do what I could to comfort her….sometimes several times in one night. I often found that while she was crying in the night, she was not even awake. As I write this, in my heart I celebrate the growth we have made. Yes, we….I have grown so much, just as much as Tori. Dylan has grown too, he is an amazing brother! Not only has the growth been huge, but the trust and love that has been established is tremendous. I am totally in love with my daughter! She truly amazes me on a daily basis. When I look at her and think of her personality, words and phrases that come to mind include(Dylan added some words too): strong , persevering, full of life, compassionate, funny, joyful, enthusiastic, fearless, caring, silly, adventurous, loving, eager, comforting….these are just a few…… God has truly blessed me, us!!! Several times a day she tells me and her brother how much she loves us and, “Mommy, you are my very, very, very, best friend!!” Life is grand!

I promise to update again after my post adoption visit….

Happy Birthday Victoria!

2010-07-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

My little girl is 5 years old!
I will start with the stats: Victoria is weighing in at 27 lbs and she is 36 inches tall. She has grown! Since this time last year, she has gained 5 lbs and grown 3 inches. Victoria continues to love life and people. She really does find joy in just about everything she encounters. She is curious about everything that crosses her path or comes her way.

We traveled to Oklahoma in March, which was an awesome trip visiting family for Easter. She also had her first trip to the snow in March, which she loved. We have had many visits to the beach. She is unsure of the waves, which I am just fine with. She continues to love her dogs and play with them daily. My son, Dylan, who is now 16 has an amazing bond with Tori. He truly is her protector and at times I marvel at the patience he has with her. I am blessed with two amazing children.

Victoria has done unbelievably well with acquiring the language. She knows several sight words, all her letters, sounds, colors, shapes, writes her name, along with letters and numbers. She is beginning to spell words. She sings and chatters nonstop. Her intellectual growth has been amazing. She is truly a sponge when it comes to learning, as most young children are. I share this mainly because the child I met in the orphanage and the child I have home with me now are completely different. She was quiet, subdued, trembled when she tried to manipulate things, seemed so frail, I suppose I will also add medicated, which I am sure caused some of this behavior.....now she is thriving, full of life, free spirited, strong willed, compassionate, affectionate, and continues to bring me joy and amaze me daily!

Minor hiccup......Victoria started Kindergarten the beginning of July. She has struggled with the separation in the morning from me. I work full time, so being away from me during the day is not new. I realize there is a lot a newness in the whole Kindergarten experience and that has caused alarm for her. It has been a rough transition for her and has really put things into check for me. I say this because at times I feel the bonding and trust that has grown between us has been exceptional, and I do believe it has been. With this rough transition, I am reminded once again of her past and the importance of me to continually step back, look at things through her eyes, from her perspective, taking her first 3 1/2 years of her life (which I don't know much about, but what I do know is heart-wrenching) into consideration, and internalizing that her past is what she basis some of her thoughts, fears, and insecurities off of. Reality check for this mom, and admittedly knowing I need to check into that reality more often! Every day is a new day and we continue to work through this together and make progress.

Family is coming into town in August. I am sure we will have an action packed week while they are here. We are also heading back to Oklahoma in October for my nieces wedding. Tori will be the flower girl. Again, it will be more fun times and new explorations ahead. I plan to get her in swimming lessons in August, though she is already doing an amazing job with it. She loves the water; swimming, bath, hose, sprinklers, water parks, etc. She will have no trouble with formal lessons. Just Victoria, Dylan and myself will celebrate her birthday on the actual day (July 29th). We will have a family celebration when family comes. All is well in our home and we continue to enjoy life as a family. In a nutshell, life is good!

We Are The Truth!

2010-04-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

We Are The Truth
Today is Adoption Blogger Day-part of the Joint Council of International Children's Services Call to Action- We are the Truth. Here is my story...

One year ago on April 17th 2009 Victoria Irina Rae Elbe became a member of my family. The judge ruled in my favor to adopt this beautiful little girl. I met Victoria in Sept. of the same year. I had to wait 6 month to return to court because her birth mother never filed appropriate paper work for her citizenship in Russia. Prior to meeting Victoria I had been given photos and medical information. Her eyes in her photos are what initially captured my attention and my heart. I was drawn to her.
I accepted the invitation to travel and meet her. I was ready to go in three weeks time. I met her and I was, in all honesty, scared. What if I could not meet her needs? Those thoughts just kept going over and over in my mind. Additionally, I criticized myself about being a single parent, and am I being fair to her…..maybe there was a couple that would be a better placement for her. As the week went on I fell in love with her and knew that I wanted to give her all of my heart and offer her a chance at a life outside of growing up in an orphanage. When the children turn 4 in Russia their placement changes and their chances of being adopted diminishes. 4 for her was not that far off.
While in Russia I learned that a family had come to meet her and considered adopting her but declined due to her health issues. On my second trip, I did find out it was more than just one family, actually there were a few that declined embracing her and bringing her into their families. Victoria had not had much stability as it was. She was with her birth mother until she was two. At that time she was removed from the home and placed in a hospital for 5 month…..yes, 5 months, due to severe neglect. She had all kinds of things going on. Furthermore, the day she was removed, she was wrapped in plastic and handled with gloves because of the filth and parasite infestations on her body. She had some other serious health issues going on and was gravely ill. After leaving the hospital, she was in the baby home for a year and then I met her. Just after I met her, actually the day I left, she was again placed in a sanatorium (health facility) to assist with her health issues. I am not kidding, if you met this child today you would ask yourself, “What health issues?” Home, here with me, she is a completely different little girl than the one I met in Russia. She was shy, timid, and quiet. She is now full of life, affectionate, carefree, and strong willed (which I have decided was what gave her the ability to survive). I love my daughter, she is my own. She is my family.

There is much talk, concern, and controversy about the psychological problems institutionalized children face. Head banging, rocking, self soothing, food hoarding, etc…… along with adjustment and attachment problems. I have experienced some problems that could very well be related to the fact that she was institutionalized. Sleeping, adjustment issues, food hoarding (terribly in the beginning), defiance, testing boundaries, etc….some of these we still work on, on a daily basis. Of course some are normal 4 year old behaviors.

I know that my love for her must be unyielding, the same as any other parent with a child. I can honestly say that Victoria is a very happy, loving, affectionate little girl. She loves life! We love her tremendously. My family and I all feel truly blessed to have her here, home, where she belongs. She really is amazing!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:18:00.000-08:00

Have I been bad about blogging, or what? Life is good! It is so hard to believe Tori has been home for almost 8 months now. So much has happened since my last post. I will just give brief updates.....

Tori loved "trick-or-treating". It did not take long for her to figure out there would be candy given at each door. I had to remind, her as she approached the door, to not just walk into the house like it was her home!

She finally had surgery on both of her eyes the beginning of November. We just had a follow up appt. a few days ago and both eyes are aligned and look great. She told us for almost a week about how the Dr. made her go goodnight and made ouies in her eyes. Though he made ouies, she loves that man. Even when we went for her most recent check up, she very loudly yelled, "Bye, I love you!" and of course blew him kisses as we were leaving the office.

We had our six month post adoption visit from our social worker. I really like him. He is so laid back and always makes me feel at ease. His report was glowing and I was proud to send it off to Russia. He commented on how well Tori has adjusted and on how outgoing her personality is.

Thanksgiving was very fun for Tori. We spent it with Grandpa and Grandma Jones. It was the first time family on their side had met Tori. She is not one to give others an option about interacting with her. She is usually open to interacting and playing with just about everyone she comes in contact with.

The holiday season has been fun, to say the least. She really did not understand Christmas, presents and such until Christmas Eve. She opened a gift she really liked that night, a laptop. I knew this would be great for her because she is always trying to use mine. It did not occur to me that she would not understand the gifts were for her to keep. She kept telling me she wanted to take it home, I mean telling me repeatedly! I continued to remind her that it was hers and we would take it home. I couple of times she came over to me holding her laptop and saying that she wanted to go home now! She was very concerned! After more presents the next morning and afternoon, she quickly realized that it is okay to attach to a few other gifts. It really was a very fun time for all.

I am finishing up a 6 week break from work and have enjoyed spending time with my beautiful children during this holiday season. I am off again all of April, in time for Easter and hopefully a trip to Oklahoma to visit family. I pray you all have a wonderful year and 2010 is awesome for you and your families.

I think I have finally conquered obtaining a social security number for her after 3 visits to the office. I am expecting it any day now, really need it for taxes! If any of you have adopted your child again when you returned from Russia and have info about how to do that, please let me know. I do feel at this point it might be the best option for me, considering the issues I have had just getting her a ss#.

It has been nice to log on here and see updates from my friends that I have encountered along the way, great to see pictures on families and wonderful updates of lifetime memories. Those of you still waiting, I am thinking and praying for you. I know it is hard. I was reading a friends post that ironically lives about a mile from me, and whose older daughter attends the same school that I teach at. We connected here and found out we are practically neighbors! They have had their first trip and are having a tough wait for the court return. I am familiar with the wait. I had to wait six months before I could hold Tori again and finally bring her home. It does make the holidays tough, which I really just plowed through last year. Hang in there Shelly! All of the sudden you will get the call, you are in my thoughts friend! Love and best wishes to you all!

San Manuel Indian Pow Wow

First pony ride

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Boat ride to see Christmas lights.

Christmas Eve

Preschool

2009-08-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed the month off of work with my two beautiful children. I teach on a year round schedule so every three months I have a month off. No big summer break but I really do like my schedule like this. I will be going back to work tomorrow for meetings and prep., starting with students returning on Monday. My next chunk of time off will begin the week of Thanksgiving and I will return to work after the New Year…..6 weeks because of the holidays…NICE =)

Dylan went to Oklahoma for 12 days this past month to visit family. He really had such a great time and came home exhausted. I know this for sure because when he is over-tired he walks, talks, and does very strange things in his sleep! This month took the award of weirdness so far in his life. He had a really bad dream and decided to take on his furniture while sleeping. Furniture won…he ended up with a black eye! We spent some time the next day researching bad dreams, mostly because he needed some reassurance that he is not psychotic….sometimes these dreams happen and we really are unsure why. He does feel there might be a relation to some of the things recently in the news that occurred her in CA. Happy to report we have all been sleeping fairly well since.

Tori is done with Dr. appointments for a while….I hope! She does have a follow up eye appointment in a two weeks. I guess I should say at least a huge bulk of Dr. appointments are done with. I attended an IEP for Tori yesterday through the school district. It went really well. I had gone to the school district shortly after arriving home requesting a speech and language assessment for her. Her medical information from Russia indicated she was speech delayed. I felt I wanted to tackle this right away and not wait for her to begin school. I gave the district some information on Tori’s background and the decision was made to do a full assessment on her which includes speech, language, cognitive, health, etc…..They came to my home to do the assessment and hired someone that speaks Russian to assist. In a nutshell, she has no qualifying conditions for Special Education services….The conclusion…..she is doing really well and has learned so much for just being her a short time. I agree whole heartedly. After reviewing the paperwork I had given them from Russian doctors, they were not sure what to expect when they arrived at my home. Upon leaving my home and at the IEP they were very complementative about what an amazing little girl she is and as to how well she is doing! She really is pretty amazing!!!! =)

Along those same lines, Tori has started preschool. This is her second week of attending. I was fortunate to find a lady about a mile from my home that runs a preschool out of her home in the mornings and offers daycare as well. For now, Tori has just been attending a few hours in the morning to get her used to it. Starting Monday, while I am at work, she will be going all day. She is really enjoying it and continues to learn so much!!!! =)

Ready for her first day of preschool!

All the fun stuff Tori made the first week of preschool, learning about the farm!

Dylan and Tori Oklahoma style!

Tori unsure about this stuff on the chip.

Tori and Dylan

Tori and Mommy

BUSY BUSY!!!!

2009-07-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

All is well! We have just been BUSY! Tori has been home for 2 and a half months now and continues to learn and grow in every way....well almost. I weighed her yesterday and much to my dismay she weighs the same as see did with her first Dr. visit....a whopping 22 pounds! I do wish she would have gained some weight by now. I am feeding her I promise =)

I have to admit, she is very active so I am trying not to be very concerned about the weight. She goes all day long. No naps but does sleep about 12 hours each night.

My mom is a member of a Red Hat group. Those wonderful women had an amazing "Princess Party" for Tori! It was absolute fun! I have never met some of these women, they just wanted to celebrate Tori's homecoming. Tori enjoyed tearing through all her gifts and showed her appreciation through her verbal gestures!!! The ladies absolutely enjoyed her!!! We all had a great time!

We have been to a BBQ and the beach. She is a fish! She loved the pool at the BBQ. She would go under water and just laugh while under with her eyes wide open. There really was no chance of keeping her out of the water. She really loved the waves at the beach too and it was awesome to watch her having so much fun.

Before I left for my second trip I was participating in a cardio boot camp in the morning, sometimes 5-6am and sometimes 6-7am depending on the month. Well shortly after I came home I thought it was going to be difficult to get back into a work-out at that time of the morning. Dylan had been begging me for a while now to get him a gym membership....so yes, much to his pleasure that is what we did and it has worked out really well. Dylan and I will work out for about an hour or so and Tori will go to the Kids Klub for an hour. It did take a few visits for her to get comfortable and understand that we won't be away from her for long. Now she enjoys going most of the time. When we start getting ready to go she recognizes our change of cloths and says, "Go play!" When I drop her off she says, "See you in a little bit!" and, "I love you!" at least 4 or 5 times before we depart from each other.

Lots of Dr. appts. going on here...lots! So far I have a very healthy little girl, tiny but healthy. We have another cardio appt. this week for an ultra-sound. On my first trip to Russia I was told Tori had a murmur. The second trip I was told she had another abnormality besides the murmur. The Dr. visit for the embassy stuff, I was even told she would need surgery in a couple of years. Not the same findings here at all....intersting....possibly a slight murmur and that is it. We will know more this week after the ultra-sound. Tori does have a chest deformity due to rickets. Her Dr. feels that because her chest cavity has a different shape the heart beat would have a different sound. Suggesting that possibly Dr.'s in Russia thought there were some issues because the beat sounded abnormal due to the shape of her chest cavity. All blood work came back just fine. She did get two shots, no big deal....I suppose I thought the list would be long medically....I am happy to report all is well. She has an ophthalmology appt. the end of the month. She also has a home assessment from the school district at the end of the month. I do hope to get her qualified for a preschool program offered through the district.

She is not comfortable getting in a car besides mine, I am fine with that and it is just something we will work on so she can feel safe. She honestly just continues to really enjoy life. Still singing and talking all the time. Babble still at times but also lots of English going on. She loves to say, "I love you" and "kisses" to both me and her brother. We love her so much too!!! Her birthday is the end of the month. We are looking forward to that and also, I will have all of August off to play with my kids all day long =)

At Princess Party

Swimming to our friend Michelle.

Sliding into pool.

At the beach.

Tori and her friend Bryan in a towell fort.

By the bonfire with Michelle.

Lil' Miss America!!!!

2009-05-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

The weather has been really nice here. Tori continues to enjoy the yard, wading pool and playing with her dogs. We all seem to be settling in well. It is hard to believe she has legally been mine for only a month....it does seem much longer, as she is really a true part of our family.

I did have to go back to work this past Tues. I felt like I was just really ready but knew she mTay not be ready for that just yet. I found that as the week progressed, I, of course, really missed her and was not as ready as I thought. I really could not wait for the day to be over with so I could get home to my kids! Also, I was exhausted by the time Friday came around. I kept thinking to myself that I was grateful to go back to work during a short week. Next week will be a full one but all will go well!

My first day of returning, a staff meeting was being held in the library. I have been out of the loop and clueless about a meeting. I did figure it out when I did not see any other teachers in classrooms. I quickly headed to the library late. As I walked in, my boss announced to the staff that a new mommy had just entered the room. The staff erupted in applause, it was really awesome! It was great to hear how many had been checking my updates and asking those I work closely with how things were going and when I was returning. I work with an amazing group of people. For that I am so grateful!

Babushka has been here during the week staying with Tori. I think it has really helped with the transition of me going back to work. Tori wakes up after Dylan and I leave in the morning and she is in her own home, with her familiar things....also Babushka was with us in Russia so they are both very comfortable with each other. Tori asks about Dylan and me throughout the day but so far has been ok with it. She if sooooo excited when I walk in the door upon returning home. I get an amazing amount of hugs and kisses, and she just wants me to hold her and cuddle her. Of course I gladly oblige. My mom will be watching Tori for another two weeks here and then we will work on another transition. To be honest, I don’t have that totally figured out yet but have some things in the works.

Last Sunday when we went to church, Dylan was with his dad so it was just Tori and me. I stayed with her in Sunday School. Today her brother decided he wanted to stay with her and I could attend the service. That did not work so well…….almost though, almost. They both showed up next to me in church about 10 minutes before the service was over. Apparently it did not go as well has her brother planned. She told him she had to use the bathroom several times during the 45 minutes they were away from me. And of course, once they joined me she forgot all about going to the bathroom!

Sunny Days

2009-05-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

We are enjoying our time together this week and have managed to stay pretty busy. Last weekend we had a welcome home party for Tori. It was tons of fun and she had an amazing time meeting new family and friends. We had a bounce house with an attached slide and climbing area which she loved. The party started at 1:00 and was over at about 8:00 in the evening. Long day!

The weather has been really nice here. I bought Tori a little pool for in the yard. She loves it.! I put her in her suit and took her out to the yard. She immediately started taking off her suit, I suppose thinking she was having a bath. I showed her that it was ok to get in with her suit on. She loved the water and so did Lucky (big dog). Charm (little dog) just loves getting her toys and taking off to a place he might be able to chew away in private. We have been pretty good about catching him. Charm usually takes off at any sign of water. Even if I am just hosing down the patio I usually have Lucking joining in and getting as wet as she can, now Tori is just as eager to compete for the hose spray. While enjoying her pool she makes sure many of the plants in the yard get some water and Lucky gets her fair share too! When swimming is over for the day and it is time to go in, she is very disappointed and let’s me know =)

Tori continues to learn and soak up so much in her environment. It really amazes me at times. She enjoys learning. She now gets her picture/site word cards and asks me “what is this?” in Russian. She is learning her letters, singing lots, counting and learning more and more English every day! Yesterday, she was even counting backwards! I didn't realize it until later that one of her Dora videos about school has a section that counts backwards.

Dylan continues to be amazing and adore his sister. Every day he asks me if I am sure I have given Tori a vitamin. When he arrives home from school they have lots of hugs and kisses for each other.

Me? I have had the flu or something most of this week. Tori had a horrible cold in Russia. I suppose I could have caught something from her. Never really a cold for me though, just a sore throat. I have also developed a new addiction to animal crackers. I guess it could be worse as far as addictions go! I know the Dora theme song by heart and the Leap Frog letter song….”every letter makes a sound….” I have also forgotten just how therapeutic coloring can be! Haha!

Today we are having lunch and swimming at a friends house! That will be fun!

My beautiful children!

Visit from Auntie

2009-05-15T22:34:00.001-07:00

My sister came into town on Thursday night, straight to my house from the airport. She and Babushka visited until about 10:00 pm. Auntie brought lots of clothing items for Tori along with a wonderful pair of red cowgirl boots! Very cute! She did wear them for a while, as Karen had to try every bit of clothing on her possible. For some reason we never got a picture of Tori with the boots on. Aunt Bridgette and Uncle Eric also sent some things for Tori too! It was great fun and Tori did not have much choice but to bare and enjoy it all. It was a nice visit, Aunt Karen and Babushka were back again today at about noon and stayed until 8:30. They will be back tomorrow too! Tomorrow we are having a welcome home party for Tori.

Today, after Auntie and Babushka arrived we had lunch and did some things around the house to prepare for tomorrow. Aunt Karen decided to water some plants out front and of course Tori and Dylan got involved in what quickly became play and no more plant watering. Tori loves the water. I figured this out when she swam on Mother’s Day, could not really keep her out of the pool. No, she does not swim but jumps off the side to her brother. Also, I cleaned up the yard yesterday and hosed down the patio. Usually I can’t keep Lucky away from me and the water, Charm hides. Well, this time I had Tori and Lucky in front of me trying their hardest to get sprayed by the hose. She had a very fun time slopping around in the water, wet from head to toe.

This evening we went for frozen yogurt and a drive near the dairy farms. There are a few dairy farms close to my house and I thought Tori might enjoy seeing the cows. Did she ever! She certainly has a love for animals, or at least a very strong curiosity about them. Again, wanted to touch, talk, and try to kiss (nope, not this time). It was very cute!

Going to bed at night is becoming much better for us all. I am hoping she is feeling loved, safer and secure that we will be here in the morning too! She slept well at the hotel but once we got home things were not so great there for a couple of days when it came to bedtime. It honestly just gets better every day.
She is saying so many new words and phrases, it is hard to believe she has only been home with me for a little over a week. Mama is pretty smitten and so is brother!!!

When I sing to her “Old McDonald had a Farm” I tell her that on his farm he had a Tori…..“with a Mama here and a Mama there, here a Mama, there a Mama, everywhere a Mama Mama”…just teasing her about saying “Mama” all day….she laughs and thinks it is the funniest thing =)

I think she was done playing dress-up with her Auntie!

Resurfacing....

2009-05-09T23:29:00.001-07:00

I was so worried about the dogs and now I just can’t keep Victoria away from them. She has been slowly introduced to them each day but today she had a big dose and that was still not enough. When she woke this morning she just started her day saying and looking for the sebaka’s. Tonight when she went to bed I could hear her talking to herself and of course talking about the sebaka’s and Lucky. She says Lucky’s name really well, some trouble with Charm still. She really enjoys them though. I had to put them outside today (a lot of the day) just to give them and myself a break. They are very tolerant to say the least. Especially Charm, he is just the right size for her. She loves for them to kiss her and really it is kind of gross. I am working on getting her to tone down her requests for kisses from them.

Coming home, the plane ride was really just fine. She was not afraid at all, just got a little cranky. I totally understand that because so did I. I still don’t feel caught up on my sleep yet and am ashamed to report, finally did the last of the unpacking tonight.

She adores her brother! I mean adores him! And he adores her just the same! He can’t stand for her to be upset or denied anything….ugh! I have been reminding him a lot today that she needs limits, everything can’t be her way, she is exploring, everything is new, etc….. He is understanding. I am really proud of him and the adoration he shows her.

Wednesday, when we arrived home it was a very long day for us. Tori had a difficult time that night sleeping, which means we all did. You would think she would have been exhausted and that would have worked in her favor…apparently not. Also, Thursday night she fell asleep but woke in the middle of the night and was up for about 2 hours…..ugh! I told Dylan the only thing I was interested in for Mother’s Day was a good nights sleep. Last night I did get that. It went really well and tonight (so far) even better, she is tired and snoring away. Yep, she has a little snore going on! Also, she bites her nails…hmmmmm…

Heading Home!!

2009-05-05T03:46:00.001-07:00

I am very much ready to go home that is for sure! On this trip to Russia my life has changed forever! I now am not only the proud mother of a wonderful son but equally a proud mother of a beautiful daughter. It has been a long road to finally get here to this point of bringing my daughter home with me. I have truly been blessed! I am excited to get home and for Tori to meet her brother and her pets! I am happy for her to become part of my family and enjoy all of our traditions and celebrations as a family. I pray that I am a wonderful mother to Tori and God gives me wisdom and guidance in raising her and meeting her needs.

Tomorrow we leave Vladivostok at 5:30. We have a 2 and a half hour flight to Souel, Korea. A two hour lay-over there and finally an 11 hour flight to LA. By our clocks here, we will be flying at night. On the longer flight hopefully Victoria will think it is bedtime and sleeps for the duration. That will be good for her, as it is a long time for a little person to sit and ride. It sure would be a lot easier if I could just wiggle my nose or click my heels together three time and we are home!

When I return I will not post every day….I will post updates though! Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, e-mails, comments and support. That has meant so much to me! I truly appreciate my family, I have an amazing family that Tori will now be a part of. She has been blessed. Families that are in the process, no matter what stage, don’t give up, keep moving forward, stay motivated, and stay positive. There is a child that needs you! Remember your sacrifices of moving through the process are minor, truly minor, in comparison to the life of a child.

Paka (bye) for now!

Just going to post a few pictures that I took today, our last day here….WOOOHOOO!

We have been trying to befreind this dog since we have been here. We even brought it food one day. Finally on the last day here, it decided to come over to us. Tori was fine at first but then was a little overwhelmed, unsure, and wanted me to carry her.

Of course after we became friends we had some trouble getting it to go on it's way!

Big oyster! She threw it back in the water. There was still something in it, not sure if throwing back in helps....

Head first, on stomach, down the slide!

Not a small slide either...little daredevil!

Almost Time.....

2009-05-04T03:05:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be our last full day in Vladivostok. I am looking forward to getting home. Today we walked, of course, to the beach and store twice. The weather was nice again, in the low 70’s. It is amazing how much the tree growth has changed just since we have been here. When we first arrived everything was just brown and dead, also some sporadic ice patches around. Now, the trees are budding and blooming and we are beginning to see lots of green. There was more thunder and lightning tonight and it rained for about 10 minutes.

Today we met another couple here from Long Beach. They were able to bring their son back ot the hotel this afternoon. He was not able to be with them for the 10 day wait. Also, Heather and Fred (from Canada) were finally able to get their daughter from the orphanage. They came by and visited our suite tonight. Nadya is 14 months old (I think) and a very happy little girl. She will be meeting her 6 year old brother when she finally arrives home. Tomorrow Ken and Gloria will be arriving. I have not met them yet but they got in touch with me through this blog.

As you can see, my list of blogs I am following has expanded. When I left home, I had one family on the list that I met on my first trip. Now I have added a few more to my list, just from meeting people here or from people getting in touch with me because they have either already been through this process or are currently going through it. It really is pretty amazing to learn about other peoples experiences and journeys and to see how their children are developing and progressing after they arrive home. I welcome the friendships.

I may have shown Tori a You Tube clip of “Five Little Monkeys” today and yesterday one too many times! She is now jumpin’, jumpin’ jumpin’ all the time! Also, after reading the Overstreet blog and learning that Blake had an ice cream, I thought I might dare give Tori ice-cream today…

OK, so here is the deal…..my child, as with everyone else’s came with instructions when she was handed over into my care. Part of these instructions included that children must not have anything cold. “Cold is just bad for their glands!” Seriously, milk is served at room temperature, no ice, no cold water, no cold food (ice-cream) and so forth…strange, I know. In the room we have been giving her cold stuff. In public, the Russians don’t have a problem with letting you know what they might think you should and should not do with your child so, I have been following “the rules” while in public. Not today though. We walked to the store and ate an ice cream on the way home =)

Jumpin' jumpin' jumpin'......Ok I will even admit it...yes, she has also been jumpin' on the bed! =)

Dogs

2009-05-03T03:57:00.000-07:00

Today was really just a beautiful day in Vladivostok! The sun was shining, lots of people out and about. We walked to the beach this morning after saying goodbye to Amy, Randy (Amy’s dad) and Walker. Amy is a second grade teacher in North Carolina. She is also a foster parent of a little boy back home, that we enjoyed hearing so much about and she in now the parent of Walker, a 20 month old. They are now headed to Moscow to finish paperwork and then finally head home next Saturday. The people I have met and connected with on this trip have been amazing and I am grateful for that.

We walked down to the beach, parked the stroller and walked. We had a pretty long walk for a little pair of short skinny legs but of course she was an active participant. We came back, had lunch, played for a bit at the hotel and walked again. This time to the beach and the store. Victoria certainly has no fear of dogs at all! This is good as I have two. I was a bit worried about the dog thing. Now I am just worried about her approaching a dog that I know nothing about. At the beach, a girl was throwing a stick to her dog and of course joining in was Victoria chasing the dog. The dog was lucky enough to just miss her grasp each time she reached for it….Ugh!! Sounds cute but for the rest of the walk, I made sure when we were approaching a dog she was holding my hand or I was holding her. I guess I did not expect her to go after them. Lots of people bring dogs to the beach here, which is great! Honestly though, no leashes and such. They all seem pretty well behaved but that is observing them without the threat of a 3 year old yanking on a tail. Trust me, she has no fear and really goes after them. I just felt I did not want her to develop any sort of fear, if possibly one (dog) decided they did not like the attention she wanted to give, before she even got home to meet Lucky and Charm. Oh yes, and meeting all the other dogs in the family!

We had 10 or 15 minutes of thunder and lightening tonight. No rain as of yet though. Victoria was already asleep when this happened. She sleeps very well. I cut out the nap altogether and she seems to be doing just fine without one. She goes to bed around 8:30 or 9:00 and gets up at 8:00 or so. She usually wants to have a big drink of milk or water in the morning and then has been crawling in bed with me cuddling =)

I pray all goes well tomorrow (Monday here) at the US Embassy with my paperwork. I am really eager to get home and don’t want anything to hold that up. I miss Dylan, my dogs, my bed and just want to get Victoria home too! Oh and by the way, I call her Tori when I speak to her, just Victoria when writing here….I suppose I can change that….

She loves having a bath!

Oooops! Right on the "living room" floor

Hotel playground, yesterday...

Happy Girl!

2009-05-02T02:11:00.000-07:00

I really have been blessed with a very happy girl! She just seems to have a good time no matter what! That works for me. She gets up in the morning and is ready to go. Today we could not get out of here fast enough to suit her. She got up, got dressed and was ready. She let us know by getting her jacket, hat, pale, and shovel. I guess we were heading to the beach again. We had a nice walk on the beach and collected treasures. She accidentally backed up into the water but that was Ok with her, just her shoes were wet. Of course we made a visit to the little market to get some juice boxes. She has mastered a straw. The first night at dinner she did not know how to use one, now she wants a straw in everything she drinks.

We played in the hotel room for most of the afternoon, while working on changing our flights…..yes, we succeeded! Then out for another walk. Again, when she figured out what we were doing, we could not go fast enough. She got her stuff on and even got Babushkas sweater for her. We headed out the front of the hotel and it was raining. Oh well! I was not staying inside anymore and neither was Victoria. We headed to the playground and she tried all the playground things she tried yesterday. After a little play at the playground we walked. It sprinkled pretty much the whole time and no body was bothered by it…well at least it did not bother Victoria and me =)

We were scheduled to come home next Saturday, the 9th. All paperwork will be back in Vladivostok on the morning of the 6th, Wednesday! We changed our flight to Wednesday evening. We are ready to go home…..I have been away for to long to suit me that is for sure! We leave here at 5:30 in the evening on Wednesday and arrive at LAX at three in the afternoon on Wednesday….talk about our internal clocks being messed up!

I have had Victoria with me since Tuesday and so far things have been just great! My niece wrote me today and asked about the “3 Day Meltdown” I wrote about on an earlier blog……nothing’, knock on wood….I really should not be knocking on wood, she is really just an amazing little girl with such an easy going personality. She talks and sings all day long. It is so sweet to hear her just sing away! I continue to get hugs and kisses all day too! I am so blessed to have her as a daughter!!!!

Good thing we have lots more bubbles at home that Grandpa and Grandma Jones gave Victoria at Easter, she even slept with the bubble bottle last night!

New words for today:
Car, dog, cat, flower, ball, duck, yes, hello...she counts a lot, in Russian....
This morning she also said, “Brush your teeth!” Sometimes it sounds like she is repeating phrases that she hears. I am sure she is doing that some but this phrase came out very clearly. She does loves to brush her teeth and can’t get undressed for a bath soon enough. She just starts tearing off her clothes and plays for a very long time in the water. I am amazed by how much she understands and I suppose how much I understand...haha! =)

Apparently, someone has taught her to bring reading material to restroom with her.

Oyster shells =)

Another Farewell....

2009-05-01T03:21:00.001-07:00

Today we had no set plans except to go on a few walks, which we did. This morning we walked to the water. Victoria played with a pail and shovel in the sand and really enjoyed this. She also had a good time chasing a bird and watching a few dogs pass. I have yet to come across anything she is afraid of. Always curious but never afraid.

While we were down at the water there was a large group of kids walking around, taking pictures, playing on the broken rides, and just enjoying themselves. They noticed that we spoke English and finally came over to us, asked if they could talk to us and ask questions. It was really sweet. They did speak English, somewhat broken but we all managed. We learned they were there for some sort of camp that lasted 21 days. They have already been here 10 days but have just now started to enjoy the beach because the sun has come out. Actually it was a beautiful day here today. It seemed they ranged from the ages of 11 to 14. We told them we are from California and they mentioned (the girls of course) that they hope to meet Brad Pitt someday…..haha! They asked several questions and we asked questions of them too. Finally, they said that they had a special present for us, they gathered together and sang to us! It was awesome! I really loved it! They reconvened again then gave us some Russian chocolate, a coin and a shell from the beach. What a great group of kids!

We came back to the hotel to find that Ryan and Sandy finally received word that their paperwork was back from Moscow. They made flight reservations and got a plane going out tonight. We will miss them and Bodi very much. Another great family. Bodi is such a cute little guy. Both parents and Bodi are blessed to now be a family. Ryan and Sandy are both involved with the Air Force and just a really fun couple with interesting experiences under their belts. Now we are down to three families here and no sign of any new ones on the horizon!

So here is how this goes, when a family leaves they start passing out all of their food. That happened when the Overstreet’s left and again with the True’s today. Justin even left a pretty nice knife! Both of those families acquired stuff when others have left. Today one of the items acquired was a can of kipper snacks (canned fish in an oval tin like sardines). Mom opened them and started eating them and of course who did not want to be left out of any sort of eating that was going on….yes, Victoria! She enjoyed them and kept going back for more. Honestly, she has not shown any dislike to a food yet! Funny, her caregiver at the orphanage was sure to tell me she was a picky eater! I have to admit, in her defense, she has slowed down a bit.

After snacking on canned fish (no, not me) we headed to the playground here at the hotel. Just as soon as we got out there I noticed I had forgotten my camera. I wanted to get it because we were heading back down to the water, knowing lots of people would be there because today is a holiday here. I swear I was only gone for maybe 4 minutes and when I returned my mom says to me that I most likely will not want to leave my daughter with babushka (grandma) again. She managed to fall face first while I was gone! Mom decided to teach her how to swing on her tummy and she toppled head first over the swing into the dirt (I told mom I was telling). I wanted to know of course how she reacted. I was told that she got up, looked at grandma, brushed herself off and moved on to something else….crazy little girl! That really goes along with her personality, she is pretty resilient. We played on the swings (with mommy!), she went down the different slides, talked to the other kids in Russian, and we moved on.

We headed down to the water and had a nice walk. Like I had predicted there were many people. It seems the warmest part of the day here is around 4 or 5 in the evening. Sun sets late, it is not dark yet and 9:05 pm. On our way back to the hotel, Irina drove up to tell us goodbye. We are not leaving yet but she will be out of town for a bit on business. We are now in the care of Lana. Though we don’t have much else to do here. We actually spent part of the afternoon looking into changing our flight. I will have the paperwork I need to bring Victoria back to the US by Wednesday and we are now scheduled to fly home on Saturday the 9th. We will know for sure tomorrow if we can change the flight, that will be nice! I am ready for home!!!

Paka Blake

2009-04-30T03:08:00.000-07:00

Today we said goodbye to the Overstreet's. I am so happy that they are moving on in their journey. I am grateful our paths have crossed and we share not only the bond of adoption but our children lived together in the same group within the same orphanage. Additionally our visits with our children where together over the ten day wait. They will travel to Moscow to visit the US Embassy there and then finally home. Blake is blessed to now have a Mama, Papa, big brother, big sister, and a dog! His new family is also very blessed! We all said goodbye, walked them out the the van and waved as they drove away. We are down to 4 families now at the hotel.

We went for a walk down by the water today. It was very nice. Victoria enjoyed the beach area. She threw rocks in the water, gathered a few shells and rocks, and watched at least 4 trains go by while we were there. She really enjoyed being outside, seeing the birds, walking and riding in a stroller. She is curious but does not appear to be overwhelmed. She has more of a personality in which she seems to just take it all in. We walked for over an hour. Today was the last day that I needed to complete any paperwork downtown so I do hope we can go on a couple of walks each day and spend more time outside.
throwing rocks in the water

We had lunch, played, watched Sesame Street on the laptop and waited for Irina and the driver to pick us up. Today I had to go to the American Consulate in Vladivostok. That went well and I just needed to get papers ready for the courier to take to Moscow. He will be going tomorrow. Tomorrow is another holiday here in Russia so must of the government offices will be closed. Processing that need to go on with my paperwork will take place on Monday and Tuesday....the courier will fly back Weds. Even though Vladivostok and Moscow are both in Russia, Moscow is an 8+ hour flight from here. But I a glad someone else is making that trip and not me!
Lunch...salad...not just salad, trust me this was just the beginning of lunch!

It took a very long time to get home from the Consulate. We did not get back to the hotel until 7:00 pm and we left to go just before 3:00 pm. We did stop at the market on the way back but traffic was awful. This is a three day weekend because of the holiday....you know? sort of like what happens to the 91 on a three day weekend...no wait, that happens to the 91 every day!

New words for today =)
socks, shoes, I love you (sort of)...she certainly says lots of other things too...I guess I should mention I am picking up a bit of Russian. Also, today she just did lots on singing, she really just sings away...very sweet!!

This is the whole group at the potluck.
Amy, her dad Randy and son Walker (North Carolina)
Fred and Heather (Newfoundland, Canada....their daughter will be joining them on Monday)
Mom, Victoria and me
Sandy, Ryan, and Bodi (Colorado)
Heather, Justin, and Blake (Illinois)

Potluck!!

2009-04-29T03:24:00.000-07:00

Victoria brushing Mommy's hair....

Well Victoria slept until 8:00 am this morning. Now that was a pretty good night’s rest. It was another busy day; mostly this morning. I am starting to have trouble keeping track of where we are going and what we are doing. I did get Victoria’s passport today and she also had to visit a Dr. This Dr. makes a report for the US Embassy. She did very well with the doctor but of course did not talk. The Dr. asked if she talked and then asked her, “Why don’t you talk to me?”…..Nothing… She does talk A LOT in the hotel room and is also talking a lot around the other families. During the car ride the kids were very serious and she wanted to look out the window as much as possible. And yes, that is possible here….no child car seats at all!

Victoria did fall asleep for about 10 minutes on the ride back and that was about it for any sort of nap. We played in the room and when went for a walk to the store. Sandy had a great idea for tonight, she suggested that we have a potluck and all bring something to share. It really was a lot of fun. There were 5 families total. The idea of the whole thing was to just sort of put something together that you got from the market or grocery store or really just whatever you had. Also it was the Overstreet’s last night here, as they will leave in the morning to Moscow and eventually home. It was fun to get everyone all together, though it does seem we are sort hang out in the morning now too! We had our potluck in the upstairs dining area, which is called the “White Rabbit”. I am grateful that I was able to meet the Overstreets on this trip and get to know them. I will miss Heather, Justin and Blake and am also envious that they are traveling on.

Potluck gathering

Victoria ate A LOT today! I am not sure where she is putting it. It really is a fine line, I want her to know there is not a shortage of food and that she can have what she needs and wants. The other side of it is that I don’t want her to get sick…..like I mentioned in a previous blog this issue with food is not uncommon. It is also not uncommon for a child to stuff themselves until they throw up. Bodi, Sandy and Ryan’s little boy, had the nickname “Baby Bird” for a few days because anytime there was food nearby he had his mouth open ready for someone to poke some in for him. Visualize a nest of baby bird waiting for the adult bird to return to the nest with a work. He would also have a little melt down (cry) when the meal was over. This is improving. It sounds very cute and we all joke about it here but the reality of it is really sad to think about. I have been trying to let her eat as much as she wants, mostly monitoring how much she puts in her mouth at one time so she does not choke….I really just have to take something away until she clears her mouth by chewing and swallowing then it is given back, sometimes one piece of something at a time. Tonight though I did feel that I needed to cut off the food when I really started to think about the whole day and how much she had eaten. This will subside soon, I know for sure.

Trying to get a pictures of all the kids....Walker, Victoria, Blake and Bodi

Again I received all kinds of hugs and kisses from Victoria, mostly in the evening though while enjoying the potluck. We brought a lot of items to the potluck because we had to bring our own dishes and silverware. Also, I had my laptop there for a picture exchange. I moved Victoria over to sit on mom’s lap and told mom that I was going to make a trip downstairs, bringing some of our stuff and would return for the other stuff and we could all go down together. I went down, came back up and Victoria was just sitting there crying. Heather (from Canada, not Overstreet) and mom were both trying to consol her, but of course in English….this did not work. Her little heart was broken when I left the room. She did continue to cry when I held her again, letting me know that my behavior was just not OK. This was the first time I had actually seen her cry, besides the first visit when she was told to play because we would be leaving soon. Like I said, I did feel bad for her but I for sure think that is showing signs of attaching and I think she kind of likes me =)

Watching Dora (Russian name is Dasha, yes she is popular here too) on laptop.

At orphange, the day we were able to take Victoria and Blake outside.

IT IS WITH GREAT JOY THAT I INTRODUCE....

2009-04-28T03:27:00.000-07:00

VICTORIA IRINA RAE ELBE
Born July 29, 2005
Adopted April 17, 2009

Today was a GREAT day and a very busy day!!! Victoria is here at the hotel finally and things are going really well…..besides almost every piece of clothing being absolutely big on her. She is even having trouble keeping her PJ pants up!!!
This morning Irina came at 9:00 to pick up Justin and me. We ran lots of errands…vital records office, passport processing and well just lots of places that needed my signature. I was told we would leave to get Victoria at 2:00 but when we finished paperwork Irina called the orphanage to tell them we were on our way. We stopped at the hotel, picked up mom, dropped off Justin and we were off. She was asleep when we arrived. We waited down stairs; the clothes were taken up stairs. Shortly she arrived, took a few pictures and we were off! On the car ride back to the hotel things seemed very serious and she was mostly eager to look out the window.

We arrived at the hotel greeted by Blake, Heather and Justin. We visited for a bit and headed to our room. We had a snack. Victoria had crackers, cheese and milk. I called Dylan and talked with him for a bit. He talked to her, she listened….she did say paka paka (bye-bye) in the phone. After talking with Dylan, she just enjoyed the room and exploring for a bit. I showed her pictures on my laptop of Dylan and the dogs. When she saw the picture of Lucky, my larger dog she said, “sobaka!(dog)”….I guess she doesn’t think Charm looks much like a dog! She really has been talking non-stop since we have been here (in the room more so then around others), I have never heard her talk so much.

She needed a bath and hair wash and that is just what she got. She really enjoyed it, I was pleased. I put some toys in of course and she had lots of fun filling and pouring and so forth. I was relieved she enjoyed this, as I have heard different stories. I used the blow dryer to dry her hair, this was new to her. When getting dressed for dinner, she really tried to help and do this on her own. I am sure that of course is from learning to be self reliant.

We went to dinner and she did such a great job during dinner. She sat in a booster seat, never tried to get down, had nice manners…it really was very impressive….is this the calm before the storm? Haha! She does not know to drink from a straw very well yet but we will work on it. After dinner we went to the upstairs dining area to visit the other families. She played a bit, mostly with Blake. Blake came over and gave her a big Ol’ kiss on the lips!! Hey, that’s my girl!!! We also had dessert with the Overstreets tonight to celebrate having both of the kids here at the hotel with us.

We went back to the room, got our jammies on and played for a bit. We have a crib in the room. The side is lowered but it really is about the same size as the beds in the orphanage. I put her in the crib just when I started writing this. She is just laying down in there whispering to herself, in Russian of course =)
Tonight was the first time she verbally called me “Mama”…..also I can’t even count how many kisses I have received tonight….first time too….always have just been given hugs! Her pants keep falling down so Grandma says "Ay yai yia!" Now Victoria has been walking around saying to both of us, "Ay yai yia!"...wait, I think that is Italian???

Seriously, my daughter is very well behaved! In the international adoption world you hear of the “Day 3 Melt Down”…would I be so lucky as to bypass this…..that sure is a good thought! Tomorrow is a new day…I hope we sleep well….

Quick update....this was her at 9:30 =)

Busy Day....

2009-04-27T03:41:00.000-07:00

Irina called the front desk at 12:30 to let us know she was on her way. I got ready and headed out the door when her second call came saying she had arrived. I thought we were going to the orphanage but instead we were going downtown to get airline tickets for the courier. We did that, made some other stops regarding documents and then headed back to the hotel to pick up the Overstreets. I was able to talk to Irina and get a better feel for how our visit would go this afternoon. Everything really was fine.

The Overstreets visited with Blake in the visiting room, also changing him and preparing for him to leave. The visit with Victoria was in the orphanage gym. When I first went to get her from her living area, there were adults in the doorway between us. I bent down so she could see me between legs. She did catch view of me and worked her way through, giving me a giant hug!

We played in the gym. Initially I did sense that she knew something was up. After a bit she seemed fine and began to play. Of course she wanted to look out every window. Her tights no longer had elastic in the top so she was pulling them up every couple of seconds. Mom finally took them off of her, which was fine. We needed to kind of look her over because two of the kids at the hotel have scabies which they brought with them from a different baby home. Just wanted to make sure she did not have anything going on like that. Looks Ok for now! She loved running around and playing barefoot. It was also very cute to watch. Of course she drank lots of water again. She brushed her hair a bit and then she brushed mine. It was very sweet. We had a nice visit but shorter than usual…..Irina came up to let us know it was time to go and the Overstreet’s were already in the car. Irina talked to Victoria to let her know that we would be back again tomorrow and she will leave. Tomorrow is the day!!! Finally!!!!

We came back to the hotel and I had to work on some paperwork with Irina and Lana for immigration. Also, went over the schedule that Victoria normally follows and the diet she is used to. I am looking forward to tomorrow. It will be exciting to finally get her in the car and bring her with me! We plan to have dessert tomorrow with Blake and his family. We will see how the evening unfolds. Blake was having a great time here tonight. He will be excited to see Victoria here tomorrow. I will be excited to finally have her here!!!

Tomorrow is another busy day. Justin and I will go downtown to take care of documents, I think passports. I will go to the orphanage at about 2:00 pm….not to PLAY….to change her clothes and GO!!!! Final trip to the orphanage….WooHoo!!!!!!

Barefoot Baby Girl!!!!!

Vladivostok Harbor

Change of Plans...

2009-04-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Change of plans this morning. I think all of us here have really learned to go with this flow regarding the entire adoption process!! Irina came to pick up the Martins to handled paper work downtown and told us we will leave about 2:30 instead of noon to go to the orphanage. She also said that she visited the orphanage on Saturday to take Victoria’s and Blake’s passport photo. Victoria cried when Irina was leaving because she thought that Irina was there to take her to the hotel. Irina promised her that I will be back and she will leave the orphanage soon, just not that day……=( poor sweetie…… I know this has to be so confusing for her.

I spoke with Irina about my concerns with visiting Victoria today. Irina said we will for sure explain to her as best we can. I did know we would explain to Victoria, I suppose I was looking for more of an idea as to how this will all play out. Sandy and Heather both heard me talking to Irina and came over to comfort me…I was really ok until I saw they were both teary eyed….so sweet of them…. It will all be ok though. I am excited for Heather and Justin; soon they will have Blake here…..

Half Way to Home!

2009-04-26T03:08:00.000-07:00

Well I have 13 days down and 13 to go until I return home. Half way there! Today Heather, Justin Sandy, Amy, Mom and I went to the children’s store and then the market. We shopped knowing that Victoria will be joining us in just a couple of days. Besides grocery items, I bought a couple of coloring books at the children’s store and mom bought a doll that speaks Russian and a stroller for the doll. We have a suitcase filled with just toys that we are calling her toy box! We learned this suitcase/toy box conversion from looking at the other parents’ suites. We all toured each other’s rooms a few days ago, no two are alike.

Me, Heather, Justin, Ryan, Sandy, Bodi, Mom

Sandy and Ryan True are here from Colorado. They have recently adopted Bodi. They are both involved in the Air Force so are veterans at traveling and exploring new places, though they say they are not Vets of Russia. Anyway, they invited us to join in a game tonight that they play when they are in a new place. They call it “Menu Roulette”. This is how it works…..we go to a restaurant and randomly pick something on the menu. Sounds fun, and we had nothing else going on! We went with Sandy, Ryan, Bodi, Heather and Justin. Choosing randomly was easy, the entire menu was in Russian of course and no one in the place spoke a bit of English but us. We each basically ordered something and passed it around the table to share. The meal (?) turned out to be pretty good! We ended up ordering a salmon dish, beef dish, some sort of sausage dish (now what I am calling dish, I guess I should clarify as a meat with onions). We had three different types of salad (?), stuffed tomatoes, and some dried type of beef with some very thin bread like tortilla. For dessert we tried to order three different items but ended up with three bowls of basically ice-cream. It really was fun and a different experience, for me anyway!

I was unsure of this dried meat...I did taste it but that was about it!

The bill was 2,750 rubbles, just under $90.

Tomorrow we are being picked up at noon to visit Victoria and Blake. Blake will be able to come back to the hotel with his parents tomorrow after our visit. Victoria will be able to come back on Tuesday. I am still a bit anxious about tomorrow and how Victoria will process everything. This was very evident last night with my lack of sleep, just lots going on in my head. There is a clock on the wall in our room that I guess I thought just ticks loudly. I got up in the middle of the night and just needed to get rid of the ticking. I took the clock off the wall and put it in the oven! I decided that was not good enough and I could still hear ticking. I picked up the portable alarm clock and put it in the oven too! Mom asked what in the heck was I doing. I told her that the ticking was just really loud. She said with exasperation, “Jennifer Marie!” Wow, she even through in my middle name!! Yes, the oven worked on blocking out the stupid ticking!!! Of course I was finding things to worry about…and then came crazy dreams during the short times I was asleep. I shared one with dad earlier today through email…..and he reminded me, “Dreams can be very interesting regarding your concerns”. Yes, I suppose that is very true……

Red Hats!!!!

2009-04-25T01:48:00.000-07:00

Today was unbelievably uneventful! We got up and were very lazy, I suppose knowing we had nothing to do today. Someone did knock on the door at about 9:30 and wanted to clean. We quickly got dressed and headed down to the dining area. I took the laptop so I could pass the time and check mail for the morning. We had a good laugh this morning while checking e-mail…mom is in a Red Hats group…..you know the group of ladies you may sometimes see out and about wearing purple and red clothing and red hats? She has been received a few e-mails while we have been here from some of the ladies and also receives updates about what the group is doing or may have planned. She received an e-mail yesterday from one on the ladies and this particular e-mail went out to all of the other ladies in the group too! The e-mail talked about events coming up and mentioned that mom was here in Russia with me. The e-mail also gave a link suggesting that if any of the ladies were interested they could follow along on the blog. I thought this was very sweet and love that people are reading! Well from reading the e-mail this morning there had been a discrepancy on the link provided, and extra period at the end of it. So the link that was sent out to the Red Hat ladies happened to take them to a PORN site when they clicked on it!! Yes, we checked the link too and sure enough it was not my blog! Oh my….what a shock for them! We really did have a good laugh!

Now ladies, I promise you, that is not what we are doing in Russia!!!!!

Ok so yeah, that was the highlight of the day…thanks for that though! It rained most of the morning and early afternoon. We went on two different walks today. Of course went to the store, down by the water etc….Now there is a wedding going on at the hotel. Watching the staff prepare for that has been a bit interesting I suppose but seriously that is IT!!! Tomorrow some of us are heading downtown to the market and a children’s store. That is the plan anyway. Next week will be busy. We will be bringing Victoria back to the hotel on Tuesday….HOORAY! And then, get documents together for the courier to take to Moscow.

I miss Dylan, my dogs, and my bed BUT am happy that when I do return home Dylan and I will be a family of three, plus two dogs of course!

One of the manholes that I referred to yesterday.....there are several like this..you just walk along and come up on a hole.

Private school near hotel. The school was built with no parking. At the beginning and end of the day the street is lined with cars.

Tea Party

2009-04-24T03:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I had a 4 mile walk, which was very nice! The sun was out, the Russians were out and it seems the clean-up is on around here now. The area is so dirty, people just seem to through trash wherever they feel like it. We have wondered why in the world this stuff does not get cleaned up. I suppose mostly because it has been winter here until just a few weeks ago. Today there seemed to be lots of people out cleaning up the trash and painting curbs. I walked next to the tracks for a while, tried to get on the property next to us but that was a no go! We walked there yesterday but today the guard was present and told me, ”Nyet!” I tried hand signals to let him know I just wanted to walk. He just showed me some Russian sign and I moved on. I wanted to walk in there as I felt a bit safer but, I was determined to get in a decent walk today.

I passed this on my walk,lots of tights hanging,most kids wear these like long underwear.

I headed further down the tracks to some concrete stairs we found the other day. I went up the stairs and found myself on a dirt road. My thoughts as I walked along this road and through most of my walk (actually a lot of my stay here) is that if I was in the USA I could point out 1000 things that someone might find to sue the city for. The man holes were open, seeing at least 3 on my walk; one actually had a tree growing out of it. Any signs of steps or sidewalk usually also means pot holes, cracks and even a stump on the middle of the walk. There is just not a lot of upkeep, not like what we are used to anyway. I walked along the dirt road and to the highway. I figured if the dirt road did not take me to the highway I would just back track. I brought a pedometer with me so I mostly just made up my walk as I went, making sure I got to 4 miles. I stopped at the store, went down by the tracks again, walked down the road the hotel is near and back again and even walked around the hotel. It really was nice! Mom did laundry while I was out…..I did buy her some dish soap at the store! Not so bad living with your mom at my age =)

Not"Fast Food"as we know it,sells mostly packaged stuff and cigarettes.

We saw Victoria today at 3:00pm. We were not able to play outside again today because we were told Blake had a runny nose. Blake really had one yesterday but not so much today. Today it seemed to be Victoria’s turn. Today we visited in the gym. I brought some coffee cups we got off the plane, some cookies I bought on my walk, and bottled water. We set up the floor area and had a tea party! It was fun and Heather titled me the “activities director”. The kids love the water; they must have had 3 cups each. After about an hour with Vitoria and Blake, along came the roommates, this time with just one caretaker. What a wild time! Heather and Justin had 8 or so small beach balls and blew them all up. Kids were throwing balls everywhere. Mostly though they would bring a ball to one of us so that we could throw it and they would chase after it and bring it back.

This is the store we walk to daily. It is small, maybe 6 different isles inside and NO JOKE, 4 of the isles are Vodka! It has not been unusual for us to see someone walking down by the shore drinking, or on the train drinking, or just doing the best they can not to fall over walking....ugh! Much of the trash you see laying around is empty bottles!

The kids also had crayons and color books that we had brought for Victoria and Blake. At one point I told Justin that the kids were coloring on everything. He said that was OK with him, thinking I was talking about them coloring on the books and toys they brought. Haha! I said, “No Justin, they are coloring on the orphanage furniture!” We quickly gathered up the crayons as soon as we could! Victoria helped =) I showed her that we needed to get the crayons together and she started going around to her friend gathering them too! She was actually having a hard time sharing her things…..in this setting, as a child you can be holding something and another child sort of watches and then comes in and swipes it away when they think there is a chance. One little guy would lose everything he got his little hands on. Every time this happened he would go over in the corner of the room, through himself on his stomach and cry loudly…..poor baby! They really are all so sweet and so much in need of love.

Victoria again was happy on my lap. Any time she moved away from me for a second a cute little red head would rush towards me to occupy Victoria’s space on my lap. Victoria did not like this at all! She was not sharing her Mama and would wiggle her way between me and the other girl so that she could get back on my lap. I kind of felt bad…of course my allegiance is to Victoria and I realize the importance of bonding and the importance of favoring her…but also did not want the other child to feel rejected…that was tough…the children just really want attention and love! They are in heaven if someone is holding them and loving on them! The other kids were with us in the gym for an hour or so.

Nicer area of Vladivostok. This area is right by our hotel but surrounded by the green fence. We are told that government officials live in this area, also there is a private school close by, big difference from other areas we have seen.

We won’t see Victoria this weekend but will go again on Monday. I am a little concerned about Monday because the Overstreet’s will be taking Blake back to the hotel with them after the visit and Victoria will not be able to leave with us until Tuesday. I don’t know that Victoria will understand this! I am concerned about her thoughts as she sees us leave and Blake is with us and she is not. We have just all been playing together for the past week or so. Maybe it is too soon for me to worry about it, maybe we won’t even have play time with Bake that day as he might be getting ready for his departure….but surely she will notice him gone =( I will be sure to write how this all plays out…..say a pray for her please!

The orphanage is an hour drive from the hotel in a city called Artem. We drive through the country most of the way. Along the road at various intervals there are wells, with a bucket and all! The people, in one of the villages we pass through, draw water from them. Irina asked our driver to pull over so that we could get some pictures.

Cute

2009-04-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

I copied this picture from the Overstreet's blog, Justin and Heather. This is of Blake and Victoria looking out of the orphanage yard fence, after a stray cat escaped them.

Also, my blog lists blogs that I am following. The blogs are from two families that are here right now and one family that I met on my first trip.

Passing the Time....

2009-04-23T02:53:00.000-07:00

Today we had our visit to the orphanage in the afternoon. Was lazy this morning, slept in and slow getting ready for the day. We headed out to breakfast in the dining room at about 10:00 or so. After breakfast; chatted with Amy, Randy, and watched Walker eat and play. Went on a long walk today, was nice…still very cold but at least the sun was out. We headed to the orphanage at 3:00 pm.

Here it is...the Vlad Motor Inn, this is where we are staying.

Today we were able to play with the kids outside for part of our visit. It was nice to be outside with them. They had a nice time. Victoria seems to be fascinated with cats and hopefully animals in general, as she will have two dogs when she finally arrives home. My dogs will no doubt enjoy kissing on her; she is just the right height! There are two turtles at the orphanage that she often points at and tells me something as she walks by. The kids played on the swings, slide, and various playground equipment. We walked around the building a couple of times. I think we were outside for close to an hour and all decided to go back inside and to the visiting room to play. Play was not as wild and crazy today, it seemed all of the adults were tired and in need of a nap =)

Our living room area? Not sure what to call it, my bed is next to the lamp.

Victoria is becoming more and more at ease each day. She is holding hands when we walk, plopping herself on my lap, and giving more hugs. She seems to understand when it is time for us to leave and helps us pack up, hopefully realizing we will be back to play again. She is talking more and more! Today we got into a game with each other…every time she said nyet (no!); I said da (yes!)….back and forth, back and forth…..hope this is not a heads up for the years ahead of her saying no to her mother all the time =) It was a nice visit….though I must admit I am getting tired of the visits and ready for her to be here at the hotel. I actually did have to reprimand her today for throwing something….she totally understood and got it. We are doing all right with communicating!

Mom's bed, just next to kitchen area.

We got back to the hotel around 7:00 pm and have not done much since. Tomorrow we go again in the afternoon. Irina needs to help another family with some paperwork downtown. We went in the afternoon today because Victoria and Blake had to visit the Dr. There visit was fine. Victoria had to have a chest x-ray, which I knew she would. They are just checking to be certain she is all clear of TB. They do a skin test first and of course she tests positive, so the next step is a chest x-ray. I need these things done so that she can enter the US.

Kitchen....kind of impressed with the kitchen.

Oh and we are still pleased with our larger living space! Also, our driver was pulled over on the way to the orphanage today. Interesting, it seems they just pull random cars over every so often. He just showed papers and stuff and we were on our way again. I text Dylan and told him I missed him….he just wanted to know when Tori was going to be with me at the hotel…..no sign of an "I miss you too mom…"......nothin’…..whatever….haha!

Property next to hotel...not sure what this is as of yet...there is a sign and translated it says something like "military seamen sanitorium"...the stream is also on the same property.

We've Moved

2009-04-22T02:52:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the orphanage at 9:00 am again. They have been repainting and doing some wall repairs to the inside of the orphanage so it was an opportunity to ask if we could take the kids to a different area to play today. We were able to take Victoria and Blake to the gym. This room is much bigger and more open. Shortly after the visit began we were joined by Victoria’s roommates, making 12 kids’ total (two caretakers too). It really was sweet to watch all the kids play and interesting too. Blake really looks out for and takes care of Victoria when the other children were around. The kids were playing with a beach ball that Heather and Justin brought. When one of the children got the ball besides B or T, Blake would do what he could to retrieve it from the others and give it to Victoria. I have decided he might think we are one large family unit. He cares for her like an older brother would. Also, his time with his new family includes us too! He really is sweet and has such a tender heart.

Victoria was talking a lot today! It sure was nice to hear. It seems every day she becomes more relaxed. In some ways it really is good that I am not able to have her with me during the 10 day wait. I visit a couple of hours a day right now almost every day, instead of completely removing her from her environment and completely immersing her in mine (or at least my environment at the hotel). This way I think it will ease the transition for her. We shall see?

I brought her some bottled water, she seemed to enjoy this. I have recently been told that at the orphanages it is difficult to get milk, it is expensive. With that being the case, the children are often given coffee or tea ….yuck! And some complain of issues related to withdrawal from caffeine, headaches and so forth. Anyway….back to the water…she likes for me to pour the water in the lid and she sipped from it like she was drinking from a small cup. Lana came to get us, it was time for the children to have lunch (which from what I can tell, this whole week so far has been a sort of soup and pickles, we leave at this time). I gave Victoria one last drink of her water from the lid, when she was done she handed it to me and said, “ SPASIBA!” It was said loud and clear. Now Victoria does speak Russian and well, so I have been told. Today she did talk a lot and I just don’t understand much….we do seem to work it out though. SPASIBA means THANK YOU…I thought this was very sweet of her to thank me for the water but not only that, I understood it!! It was another fun visit!

I do hope to have Victoria with me at the hotel by Tuesday. The court decision will be final at that time. From what I understand the 10 days is put into place, allowing someone to appeal the decision if they so desire!

We saw this cat a few days ago...I am certain he is on life #8!!

We came back and didn’t do much more then what we normally do. It rained most of the day again but had stopped by late afternoon. We walked down by the shore and took the leftovers from the fridge to feed the cats and dogs in the area….there seem to be many, though they don’t all seem to be starving. Also, along the shore, one can tell there was a beautiful park at one time with a few rides. The park is completely run down and the rides no longer in use. Our boredom is obvious by the pictures taken….

He is shy but ate what we left....

Home on ride back to hotel...many of the same along the way...

Oh but almost forgot (the title)….big news…we moved to a suite this evening! I will post pics. of the new pad tomorrow. I think our space has more than doubled….cool!

Love the e-mails from people telling me they are following my blog…that really does mean so much to me….I appreciate everyone’s support!

What more could one want right?!? Here it is called Coca Cola Light =)

**if you click on pics they will enlarge

Rain, Rain Go Away......

2009-04-21T02:56:00.000-07:00

It rained all day today…very dreary! But was able to see Victoria again today. We were picked up at 9:00. There was confusion when we arrived. Irina was not there yet and of course we don’t speak Russian so we could not really figure out what was going on. One of the ladies in the orphanage was talking away while walking with us up to the visiting room. We were able to make out our children’s Russian names but, that was about it. A few different women came in and tried to explain something to us. I think at that point we had determined it had something to do with Blake. They did bring Victoria out to us. She had on different clothes today…that was good! Irina showed up shortly and was able to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately, Blake was not there. He had been taken to the Dr. for some medical exams. These poor kids, I tell you, they seem to have lots of “medical” people messing with them all the time. I felt bad for Heather and Justin, like me they were really looking forward to spending time with their child. Irina took them back to the hotel in her car and the driver stayed until we finished our visit.

Again we tried another dress today….24 months. She really enjoys the clothes and is starting to really enjoy getting her picture taken, realizing she needs to smile when the camera is aimed in her direction. I had some M&M’s for her today. She really liked those. When you learn about adopting a child from an institution you also learn of food issues. Typically the children will hoard food, stuff themselves, for fear of not knowing if there will be more or when it will come again. This continues until the child begins to feel trust and knows there will be more food and there is not a shortage. The orphanage Dr. talked to me about some of her eating habits a few days ago and I thought we might not have this issue but, after observing today, I could be very wrong. The Dr. had explained that Victoria is a very picky eater; she does not eat much and also eats very slowly. Today she was not swallowing what was already in her mouth and also just continued packing it in. I let her do this for a bit but then just put one or two candies in my hand for her to take and broke off pieces of the shortbread cookie instead of giving her the whole one. This is for sure not the first time she has had chocolate or cookies with me but, the first time I have seen this behavior. Maybe showing she is becoming more comfortable with taking food from me but, of course no secure enough to know she won’t be deprived. I am not concerned about it at all. It is to be expected. Just thought that might be an issue I would not have seen with her. In time…

She still loves the gloves and purse. She really enjoyed me picking her up and allowing her to look out the window on the second floor of the orphanage. She found this fascinating, like she had never seen the view from the second story window before….who knows? Today she gave me a sweet hug, really wrapped her arms around my neck. Very sweet!

We left to go back to the hotel and pick up Heather and Justin. We were told we would go to a grocery store and children’s store downtown, which we did. There stores were right next to each other. In the children’s store I picked up some things for both Dylan and Victoria. We looked in other shops and then headed to the market. Ha! We did the best we could. We do have a small fridge. We tried to get items that we felt we could recognize (crackers, cheese, cereal…etc).

It rained all day and it is suppose to do the same tomorrow….ugh. Tomorrow we visit Victoria in the morning and Thursday in the afternoon, due to the kids getting some medical stuff done Thursday morning?

3 Days Since Court, 7 More To Go......

2009-04-20T03:11:00.000-07:00

Today we were able to visit Victoria in the morning. Irina bought the kids (Victoria and Blake) chocolate eggs to give them. They really enjoyed these. The eggs were hollow with a toy in the center. I broke the egg up for Victoria and she ate the pieces from my hand. Also, she picked up the tiny slivers left in my hand and put those in her mouth too! Every last speck, my kind of girl! She wore the same thing she has worn the last two times I have seen her, including the strange blue headband. Blake was in the same outfit too. I don’t mind, I realize it is an orphanage and they put the kids in the best clothes they have when visitors come to see them. My pictures might start to look like they were all taken on the same day though.

Today we did bring her an outfit to try on and wear, along with her purse and gloves. We also brought shoes today, though that is not new; we brought 3 pair the other day. Blake enjoyed the pink boots we brought the other day just as much as Tori…..very cute!

One of the main reasons mom brought this outfit today was because we thought it would not fit and we could leave it if needed. The outfit is 24 months; we mostly thought it would be short on her. Sure enough, 24 months fit….I think 24 months is the same as 2T? She is also currently wearing a 6 or 7 shoe size. She really loves getting dressed up! The kids also enjoyed a cookie that we got from the farmer’s market the other day. We played, colored, took pictures, admired clothes and of course; some running and throwing in the air were involved in our visit too! At least we did not get in trouble today for waking sleeping kids! It was a great visit! We go again tomorrow at the same time =)

The ride home from the orphanage took about 2 hours, instead of 1. There had been an accident so traffic was SLOW. The exhaust from the other cars was pretty bad; we were all not feeling so well by the time we got out of traffic. Unfortunately, it seems a pedestrian was hit by a bus.

I talked to Dylan on the phone tonight, which was very nice. He told me the weather there is nice. Here it rained most of the morning and of course, was cold. Dylan and I talked for about 25 minutes. After that, we went for a nice walk with Justin and Heather (of course by the tracks and to the market). On the walk we had a big discussion as to how much my phone call home actually cost me. First, I think we had thought $90. Then, talk of $900…. I thought well, I already called, not much I can do about it now. When we came back to the hotel, Justin asked the front desk and concluded it was only about $11…ok, much better and I can deal with that. They just put the comma’s with numbers were we would use decimal points…that is where the confusion came in. Also, on the walk we checked out some public restrooms….they were really pretty bad, I mean bad! I can’t post pictures of Victoria yet so…..yeah….here you go……

Men's

Women's.......wood is on each side of the hole for feet placement. I think I could write for a bit about the different restroom customs here but, I will save that for another time!

Orthodox Easter in Russia

2009-04-19T01:55:00.000-07:00

Today was Orthodox Easter in Russia. Irina came to the hotel this morning and brought a Russian Easter bread called Kulich. She brought it for the families to share and also brought the two children at the hotel Easter eggs. Very sweet of her and her family considering this was a holiday for them and a time to spend together. She indicated her mother-in-law baked the bread for us. She told us when we go to the orphanage tomorrow we will stop on the way and get some chocolate eggs for Victoria and Blake. We also bought them some cookies when we went to the farmer's market yesterday. It will be nice to see Victoria in the morning!

Other then that, today was pretty uneventful. Irina was the highlight. We walked a lot down by the shore and the tracks. It was pretty cold today and a heavy mist. I checked the weather in Corona, in the 90's...ha! I am posting some pictures of mom and me next to the Easter bread Irina brought and also some of the same breads that were sold at the market yesterday. It looks much like cake or a very large cupcake but taste more like bread. The icing is not icing as we know it.

Here is some info about the bread that I found on-line.....

Kulich is a kind of Easter bread, traditional in the Orthodox Christian faith.
Traditionally during the Easter service, the kulich is blessed by the priest. Blessed kulich is eaten before breakfast each day. It is baked in tall, cylindrical tins and when cooled is decorated with white icing. Kulich is only eaten during the 40 days after Paskha (Easter) until Pentecost.

Downtown Vladivostok

2009-04-18T03:05:00.000-07:00

I have met some wonderful people during my adoption journey. On the first trip I met Steve and Sharon and continue to stay in contact with them. They just recently brought their daughter home from Russia. On this trip, currently there are 6 families in the hotel including myself. As you can imaging the days get long here. We have begun to get to know each other, share information and spend time together. Today, some of us decided to take the train into downtown Vladivostok. It was a fun day of adventure.

The front desk wrote out the information for us to show the train station for our tickets and we walked down to the tracks to catch the train. It was a nice ride along the coast of the Sea of Japan. Again we saw the poverty of the area. The teenagers and some adults have a fun time riding for free, getting off before they are asked to show tickets and running to the car ahead before the train begins to depart again. It was amusing to watch. When we reached our stop and headed to the downtown department store, we were happy to come across a farmer’s market. It was a great experience! We bought some food items and walked around among the vendors. After, we headed towards the department store, went into some children’s stores and decided to find a place for lunch. Our adventure included; Heather and Justin who are from Illinois, Amy and her dad, Randy who are from North Carolina and mom and me. Heather and Justin had been downtown on their first visit so they were the leaders of our expedition. They led us to a nice restaurant that had a menu in English. After lunch, which was actually about 4:00 pm, we headed back to the train for the ride to the hotel.

Justin, Heather, Me, Amy and Randy

It was nice to get out and do something, as we are very limited here without knowing the language or having a car. Honestly, I would not even attempt to drive here…Yikes! It’s crazy enough just being driven around by our driver for legal stuff and visits to the orphanage….Won’t see Victoria again until Monday. We will go early Monday morning. Tomorrow, which is Sunday, it is Orthodox Easter here in Russia. We are all hoping there will be some festivities here at the hotel or down by the shore.

Proud Mother of Dylan and Victoria!

2009-04-17T02:29:00.000-07:00

Leaving hotel, ready for court....

I survived court and am now the proud mom of two beautiful children (Dylan 15 and Victoria 3), well almost.....The court ruled in my favor for adoption but the actual court decision is not final for 10 days. Court lasted about an hour. It was a closed court session, meaning the only people present were Lana (interpreter and agency rep.), social worker, court report, prosecutor, Judge and me. Interestingly, the prosecutor did most of the questioning. Lana commented that this was unusual and interesting too. She also made a point to tell me how well I did in court. She felt I was completely prepared and did a great job at answering all the questions. She told me last night to talk a lot and elaborate on my answers instead of just answering yes/no. That is just what I did! The social worker even commented on how well she thought I presented myself. Basically it went something like this….lots of questions from Judge and prosecutor, social worker spoke of the history of Victoria’s family (learning more every day), Judge reviewed docs and identified them as she went through them, social worker gave favorable recommendation, prosecutor gave favorable recommendation, judged asked us to leave the room while she makes decision, we exited, came back in, then told the judge agrees with recommendation of adoption and court was done!!!!! Court was a breeze, there really was nothing to be concerned about and I felt fairly comfortable.

Victoria is not allowed to stay with us during the 10 day wait. This was disappointing but I knew that would be the case due to another family adopting from the same orphanage, receiving that news the day before. We were brought back to the hotel after court and told we would be picked up at 3:00 pm to visit Victoria. We went with the other family that was also not able to have their child with them during the 10 day wait. They have adopted a little boy the same age as Victoria. He is in the same group as she is too. We had a very fun time today with both children. The children were comfortable with each other and we had times where we enjoyed our own individual child but also played as a group. The children really loved all of the attention…..babies were sleeping in the other room and we were told we had to quiet down. That was hard! We really had so much fun! The little boy was kissing on my daughter and she is also a little flirt! The play was so wild that the other mom and I had broke out in a sweat and decided we were exhausted by the time the two hour visit was over! It was another great visit! We will visit again on Monday as the orphanage does not allow anyone on the weekends!

“Remember today, for it is the beginning of always. Today marks the start of a brave new future filled with all your dreams can hold. Think truly to the future and make those dreams come true."

Great Visit!

2009-04-16T01:59:00.000-07:00

Today we were able to visit the orphanage. Victoria was very shy at first. Her caretaker came in the visiting room with her and gave me tons of information. This was mostly about habits (eating, sleeping), moods, personality, disposition and so forth. I was told she speaks well and is a leader among her group as she lets the others know what they should be doing and when they are doing something they should not be! The orphanage director came in and talked for a while and two different doctors came in to provide information as well.

It took Victoria about a half hour to warm up to me, which I expected. I have not seen her for 6 months. Lana told her that she needed to play because we had to leave soon….Victoria began to cry at this because she did not want us to leave. We brought a toy cell phone which she loved. I also brought a purse with gloves, a necklace and hair scrunchi (which she wore as a bracelet) inside. She enjoyed the purse and gloves, and put her cell phone in her purse. We began to play ball, and she was just not letting go of these items. She mostly kicked the ball to me because her hands were full. She really began to relax, talk, show me things, laugh, and have fun!

It seemed to quickly my time was up with her for today. That was hard because we were told we should take the things we brought for her, that if we didn’t they would be gone. She really did not want to give the phone back. I promised her I would be back and with the phone. Apparently the toy phones are a rare item. The caretaker explained that there are two that the children play with and if a child gets a hold of one they will usually hide it from the others.
Her mood completely changed when they told her we were leaving. It made me sad and I could tell she was sad and very unsure. They told her I could walk back with her where she was to join her group. She grabbed my finger, pulled me along and was eager for her friends to see me. When we entered the room she sat on a chair among the other children (about 10 or so the same age as Victoria). Several of them started waving at me. Victoria stood up, gesturing for them to stop and telling them in Russian “my mama, my mama”. With that she came running over to me and gave me a great big hug! She ran back to her chair and proceeded to run into my arms a couple more times for a big hug! She really is sweet but I suppose not willing to share me with her friends today. It really was a great visit!

We returned to the hotel, had lunch and walked along the shore of the Sea of Japan and to the market. Dylan would have enjoyed the walk, there were lots of clams and oysters on the shore (of course Dylan and I have been texting most of the afternoon). Shortly after we returned to the hotel Lana called for me to meet her in “The White Rabbit” (sort of like a TV/game room here at the hotel) to discuss court. Apparently she thinks I don’t talk much because she indicated that I need to talk a lot during court. I asked if she would be interpreting for me. She said that she would so, I told her that I would just babble on and she could tell the judge whatever she saw fit…haha…sounded like a good idea to me!

Court is at 10:00am tomorrow. I will be picked up at 8:45. I did find out this evening the social worker for this orphanage will not allow the children to stay with the parents until after the 10 day wait. Another family had court today and this was the situation. Irina and Lana both said they will continue to work on this but at this point she will not be able to stay with me. I will be able to visit her though….hopefully this will change…..Oh and since my last visit, she has had chicken pox and they cut her beautiful hair.

Hello from Russia...

2009-04-15T01:41:00.000-07:00

We are here and I am very tired. It is not even 8 pm and I will go to bed shortly! We are settled in our room...it is Weds. evening here and I just wanted to give a few quick updates. Tomorrow, Thursday morning, I will be taken to see Victoria at 8:30 am. It is about an hour to the orphanage from the hotel. She is aware that I am adopting her, but does not know I am coming tomorrow. They will let her know in the morning. We will come back to the hotel around noon, discuss court and prep. needed. Court will be the following day, Friday, at 10 am. It feels good to finally be here. The next couple of days will be busy and after that lots of time on my hands. Hopefully Victoria will be able to come and stay at the hotel after the court hearing....we will see! I am excited to see her tomorrow!!!

Korea....after a very long flight

2009-04-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

We are in Korea....the flight was 13 hours, very long...and the food was really, well different. For dinner, or whatever it was cause it was in the middle of the night we had "bibimbap"...we even got an instruction sheet to tell us how to prepare it. There was some sort of ground beef and various pickled vegetables and it also came with seaweed soup! I pretty much just ate some of the white rice. A few hours before we landed we had breakfast. I picked the porridge, thinking it might be like oatmeal...it was not. It was called green tea white rice porridge...the man next me gave me his yogurt, that was nice. One more flight to go for today, but it is a short one...I think 3 hours. Nothin' after 13 right?! We are in the airport now in Korea. It is 6:00 am. Our next flight leaves at 11:30 am. When shops begin to open here I will head out to search for my morning wake-up =) It feels really good to be off of the plane for a little while. The plane was totally full so I was not able to get much rest...maybe a little nap in the airport. I am anxious just to reach our destination! Just wanted to give a quick update!

Room

2009-04-08T19:18:00.001-07:00

Ummm Ok so I am learning with the photo posting!
Jen: I thought this poem was fitting as you wait to get your darling daughter. Love, Mom

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seams.

I know you wonder where I am ... what's taking me so long.
But remember child I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let me touch your skin.
Because today as always I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my daughter I'm doing all I can do.

Very soon you'll have a family for real and not just pretend.
But for today as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
Let the Angels bring the kisses that I send to you each day and night.

Falling Into Place....

2009-04-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Things are beginning to work themselves out and fall into place. Dylan and I went to Los Angeles today to get a couple more documents taken care of for Victoria’s citizenship and immigration. I do not think I will have to go back, thank goodness. I think in the last week and a half I have been 5 times. Los Angeles is not one of my favorite places especially considering my issues with being directionally challenged. I have requested to be off of work until the 26th of May. For adoptions, my work offers 4 weeks of paid leave using my accumulated sick time; thank goodness I have lots of sick time. It will be nice to have the extra time off work when I return to help Victoria get used to her new surroundings.

Finally got the plane flights booked. We will be leaving LAX on April 14th at 12:10 am and arrive in Korea on the 15th at 4:55 am (confusing because of the different time zones and flying over the International Date Line). We leave Korea at 11:30 am on the 15th and arrive in Vladivostok, Russia at 3:50 pm on the 15th. The journey there consists of 21 hours and 40 minutes of travel time. That includes a 6 hour and 35 minute layover in Korea. We had a layover last time in Korea and it is a great airport to be in, if you have to be in one for a long period of time. The airport is huge, very modern, they like our money, and they have Diet Coke…What else can I ask for?! But I do know from my experience last time that nothing is open at 4:55 am. We will figure out where we need to be and sit. So, just a little over 15 hours flying time, if I did my math correct. This time our luggage will go all the way through, I think? Last time that was not the case due to two different carriers. On the 16th we will be taken to the orphanage to finally see Victoria again! The 17th is court! Ugh! Mom found an internet site that gave a list of questions that might be asked in court. I will review this while traveling, as I know sleep won’t come easy for me.

I will be away from Dylan for the longest we have ever been apart. The most we have been away from each other is 6 days, and that was my last trip to Russia in September. I really am not even sure how many days I will be gone this time and am not ready to really think about. It will be a long time though. He will be fine, I do know this. I will miss him as a mother should I suppose.

Yesterday was a day for furniture rearranging and making her room look more like a bedroom instead of a spare room. Grandma Vicki has been busy making a canopy and decorating letters that spell her name to be placed above her closet. Gordon and mom filled holes in the wall from shelf removal, painted some, hung stuff and so forth. Dylan and I hid in my room, trying to get the computer back together that was moved from Victoria’s room into my room. Karen was supposed to come but that plan was cancelled at the last minute (you just have to ask her about that one! Haha). I am posting a few pics of her room thus far.

I am reminded often of what an amazing family I have. I truly appreciate the support of everyone, especially my parents, all of my parents….Dad, Jan, Mom and Gordon. Not only are we blessed to have Victoria join our family but she is blessed to become part of such a great family!

The Call!!!!

2009-03-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

I am happy to be writing this and letting you all know the time has finally come!!! I got “The Call”, yesterday at 7:25 am, with the news of, “We have a court date for you!” Wow! Have I been waiting for that call or what? On my birthday, which was the 18th, I received an e-mail from the adoption agency……

Hello Jennifer
I was just informed that your documents were submitted to the court. Hopefully we'll soon know which judge is assigned to your case. Then the judge will review the documents (normally takes them a week) and let Irina know if anything else is needed. Good news……
Thanks
Pam

I met a wonderful couple on my first trip to Russia, Steve and Sharon. They are currently in Russia right now, finalizing the adoption of their daughter Victoria. We have kept in touch and they recently shared with me their timeline as to when they had docs completed, submitted to court, and notification of court date. I knew I would hear any day now, but I still had the concern that when the judge reviewed the info., maybe something else was needed…..can’t imagine what else unless they decide to request a limb!!!! Seriously!!!

I e-mailed Pam on Thursday (26th) with the question of “Any news?” Her reply was, “No, sorry. I will call you when I hear something.” =( At this point I thought, well maybe next week….BUT the very next morning the phone rang, YES!!!! The call….”Jennifer, did I wake you?” …who cares if she did….HELLO!!! Ok seriously, no small talk! Not soon enough Pam says, “We have a court date for you!”

Wow! Immediately I am frantic trying to find a pen and well just frantic! I took down some information, asked a few questions, got off the phone and tried to get Dylan moving for school because he was still just standing there in his underwear very excited too and was already late! Made a few calls to family, got Dylan to school, got back home and Pam called again…details and stuff! I have to get out the door because I am late now! Get to work and the start of first period one of my female students says to me, “Ms. Elbe, I am not used to seeing you without make-up.” Lol, yep I ran out of the house without make-up and about ten minutes later it dawned on me that I forgot to BRUSH MY TEETH too!!! Oh well, right?

That morning we had an assembly for the kids because we were tracking off for a month. I had not really mentioned it to anyone at work yet except my boss and the record’s clerk, Paula (she is sweet; she asks me often if I have heard anything). At the end of the assembly I got on the microphone and announced to my students, other teachers present, and the parents attending the assembly that while we were off track I planned on traveling to Russia to finally bring MY DAUGHTER home!!!! The room full of 200+ erupted! It was awesome! I was trembling, shaking, and lots of emotion going on! What a great day! And I continue to be on that high…I have lots to do though! That is OK, I will get it done!

This has been a long road, one which is really just the beginning. I have been in this process since June 2007. The last time I saw my sweet little girl was September 25, 2008. I will see her again for the first time on April 16, 2009. That makes 6 months and 22 days…I can’t wait!!!!! With regards to Victoria Irina Rae Elbe, over the last 6 months I have felt joy, wondered, worried, prayed, been frustrated, smiled, thought about, viewed pictures of over and over, laughed, remembered, been sad, answered questions about (Lot's from her brother!) been excited, lost sleep over, anticipated…..the list goes on…I just want her home, I just want to bring her home!!!! Soon…...

Oh…BTW…I appear before the judge on April 17th. Please pray I pass the biggest examination of my life!
My love to you all,
Jen

2009-03-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Items posted prior to today were just some things I had saved on my computer as I have been moving through this process. They show as all posted yesterday, but I included the dates on the post of when they were written or stored.

Holidays 2008...e-mail to friends

2009-03-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well here it is, the almost late Christmas greeting!

OK, I cheated sending via e-mail....

I want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and a happy New Year! As you can see from the pictures, Dylan is no longer a little boy, but a very handsome young man! He continues to be very involved in sports at the high school. It seems like he ended his football season on a Saturday and the very next Monday wrestling began! Wrestling is 5 nights a week, not including any matches or tournaments that get added into the mix. His first tournament was very new and exciting as I did not know much about the sport. I am learning. He came off the mat from his second match with blood running off his face. That was my first real experience with wrestling as a parent! I am getting used to it.....as I am sure there will be many more bloody noses to come. Today, with his team, they feed 500 families in need in a hanger at the local airport, a very good experience for him. I am so proud of the wonderful young man he is becoming!

The adoption process continues to progress at a fairly steady rate. I just recently sent 35 or so documents to Russia with about 10 more to go. These documents are in final preparation for court. I hope to be traveling again in February, fingers crossed here. Of course when I get definite news I will let you all know.

On a recent document that I submitted I had to identify what her legal name will be. I identified her name as Victoria Irina Rae Elbe. Victoria is my mom's name and my great-grandmother's. Irina is her Russian name. Rae is my grandmothers middle name.

We gathered as a family tonight at Dad and Jan's. I was touched that Victoria was remembered by Jan in our Christmas Eve prayer. It was very touching and yes, brought tears to my eyes as well as other family members. I am blessed to have the family that I have, they have shown me so much support and concern. Our hearts broke for her, as we wished she could be here with us and prayed for her well being. I reminded the family not to be sad, at this point she does not know family and celebration like we do. She is safe and cared for, I feel confident in that. I also know that her spirit is strong and happy, considering what she has been through thus far in her life.
I suppose besides reminding my family of this I was reminding myself as well. I have been moving through the past few weeks without trying to focus much on the holidays and her not being present....I did not fully realize that until tonight...........soon, she will be with us soon...

Thank you all for being a part of my life!

Venite Adoremus.....O' Come Let Us Adore Him!

Love to you all, Jen

Lil' Miss T

2009-03-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

With hair of gold and skin of white,

The angels came and changed your plight.

The woman from whom you were born,

Her heart was tattered, her spirit was torn.

She wanted for you a better life,

One devoid of poverty, anguish and strife.

Our family she entrusted you to,

A life of blessings known by few.

For now you have more, not less.

For now, my darling, our lives are blessed.

Reminded me of lil miss T....
Love, Ashlee (my neice)

Sent to me December 2008

Beneath the Wings of Angels

2009-03-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Beneath the Wings of Angels

Beneath the wings of Angels
We sometimes find release
From the trials that prevent us
From finding lasting peace.
God often sends us His messengers
To guide us on our way.
They shelter us beneath their wings
and somehow save the day.
God knows that we're not perfect and we don't understand.
So He sometimes sends us Angels
To lend a helping hand.
Angels guide us and protect us
From dangers in this world
For beneath the wings of Angels
His blessings are unfurled.

I think that God's Angels were watching over Tori considering all she has been through.
Love, Mom

My mom sent this to me after we returned from Russia......

September 11, 2008...e-mail to family and friends

2009-03-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Things have been very busy around here making flight arrangement, phone conferencing, Visa applications, and so forth. I will finally be traveling to Russia. I received word on Friday that it is time and finally confirmed my flight arrangements.

My mom will be traveling with me and my son has made the decision not to go at this time. He was very concerned about missing school and football. He struggled with the decision, knowing that the opportunity to travel internationally does not happen often, coupled with the prospect of meeting his potential sister! I left the decision entirely up to him, but do think it is a good choice on his part at this time. Family will be staying with him while I am away.

My mom and I will be departing LAX on the 19th. We will first arrive in Seoul, Korea and then fly over to Vladivostok, Russia. We will arrive in Russia Saturday afternoon. Monday morning I will visit and be interviewed by the Department of Education and Science of Promorsky Krai and visit the orphanage. My first visit to the orphanage will consist of meeting with the doctor or director of the orphanage to discuss medical information and history. I will then finally be able to meet her and interact with her. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will again be visiting her at the orphanage. If all goes well, on Thursday I will visit a notary office and file a petition to adopt. Friday we will be heading back to the USA. We first stop in China, then Korea, and finally LA. We will be home Friday late afternoon, as Russia is a day ahead of us.

I am excited, happy, nervous, anxious......really just tons of emotions that change from minute to minute so it seems!!!! I look forward to sharing my trip and pictures with you all when I return! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.....
Love to you all....

August 10, 2008...e-mail to family and friends

2009-03-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been trying to put off updating everyone, mostly because I am waiting on more definite information..I don't feel like waiting any longer and just want to share!!!

On the 25th of July I received a referral for a little girl!!!! Honestly it totally came out of no where, so I thought. I will give a recap of the last few months really quick here: I was assigned a region is which they would find a child for me. One is assigned a region because regions have different requirements and paper work for adoption... a region would be similar to a state here in the US. For example, CA adoption laws would be different than Ohio adoption laws.....so you are assigned a region and then work on paperwork requirements for that region until a child is determined. Shortly after that I was contacted by the agency asking if I would be willing to switch regions. They felt there was more "movement" going on in this other region and things would move quicker....sure I said yes, that was fine with me.

Shortly after that switch, they found out that region would no longer adopt to singles.....so they would determine another region for me.....all the paperwork would be submitted back to Moscow and then when a new region was located, sent to that region. Basically in limbo!

In the meantime, the consultant that I had been working with decided to quit the agency to stay home with her young children and I would be assigned a new consultant. After the new consultant was in her position for a week or so I contacted to discuss that I was in limbo and wanted to know if they had found a new region for me yet. Her response was no and that paperwork was still in Moscow, she would let me know when she heard news.

On the 24th she called and left a message to return her call when I get a chance. I did not think much of it. The other consultant knows I teach and am gone most of the day...also if it was anything really important she would call my cell and know I would call her just as soon as I had a break.....Anyway.... heard the message and thought I would just call her in the morning due to different time zones and again knowing I was in limbo and did not think much of it. I called and got the news that they had a referral for me, but they questioned if I would except because she was 6 months older than what my paperwork stated....I am open to that of course..send the info already!!!! She wanted to have the file in front of her when we talked so she said she would call back in 5 minutes....which really was fine too because I was trembling!!!!!! I really needed to collect myself, though 5 minutes was just not long enough!!!

That day I received some pictures and very scant information. The medical info was in Russian and will be translated and sent to me. Fast forward a day or two...I still did not have medical info, but spoke with my consultant and she informed me that somewhere along the lines there was suspicion that this little girl had had a seizure...she did not know any details, info was vague, but a CAT scan had been ordered...I went very quickly back to not getting my hopes up and of course a ton of stuff flooding my mind...I continued to push for the medical report. I have been consulting with an international adoption Dr. that does an amazing job at interpreting these medicals and I wanted to get him the info ASAP...At this point I do have the medical info, but in Russian. This Dr. has someone to translate it so that he can make some assessments, but after he has reviewed we phone conference....and for the phone conference I really need it to be in English...I take lots of notes....so I am trying hard to still wait and hope to have it in English by Friday....

BUT...I have been slowly receiving bits and pieces of information and it turns out the CAT scan has been done and shows nothing abnormal....and even more calming...she did not have a seizure after all.....they gave her a shot/vaccination and she fainted....aaawwwww!!!!

She is a BEAUTIFUL little girl!!!! Though I may be biased....It looks as though she has red hair, and her eyes are amazing!!! She needs some love, some hugs, some kisses, and just to cuddle on someones lap for a while.....at this point I will be traveling to meet her (unless something really wild shows up in the medical). I do not have any idea when I will be going..very soon I hope...nobody seems to be in a hurry except me!!!.....lots of prayers please!!!

Daydreaming

2009-03-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Daydreaming

I stepped into her room today
Knowing she's not there
This waiting for referral
Is more than one can bear.

But taking in the moment

I sit down on the floor

And dream of her here with me

When waiting is no more.

A little giggle fills the air

As I rub her feet

I place my hand upon her heart

To feel its every beat.

A song is sung so very soft

Her eyes begin to close

She's meeting me in dream land

A place where love still grows.

My vision now is very blurred

The tears stream down my cheeks

I've dreamed of her quite often

Throughout these past few weeks.

Suddenly a sound is heard

The phone rings in the hall

Waking up I quickly pray

Please let it be "The Call".

Author: Tom Fisher, 2005

Given to me by my Mom on Christmas Day, 2007

11-09-07...E-mail sent to family and friends

2009-03-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Subject: Adoption update

Hello All,

What an overwhelming process this has been so far, and I have really only just begun!
First of all, I need to try and explain to all interested that an international adoption from Russia has some political issues involved with it at this point, which has slowed down Russian adoptions tremendously. All agencies lost accreditation with Russia and are in the process of getting that accreditation back as fast as they can....Russia seems to be in no hurry what-so ever. With that said, the agency I am working with has not yet received accreditation, but hopes to "any day now".

My goal was to have this paperwork done by the beginning of Sept. I did get it done, but ran into some problems with the home study agency and social worker not sending me all of the documents I needed from them. I also had a big delay (I think six weeks) with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services. I actually ended up taking a day off and going to the Field Office in LA to get what I needed, instead of waiting for more of an exchange of documents and the mail man. This trip to LA was a whole adventure in and of itself.

About two weeks ago I sent a large amount of documents to the Secretary of State. They apostilled the documents (basically notarized the notaries). I picked up all of those documents yesterday from the post office. It was pretty cool to look at them all and see the CA State Seal on all of them. Today I sent all of those documents and an additional on from INS, along a fat check to my adoption consultant, Pete, in Arizona. Pete will look these over and make sure everything is in order. Let's all cross our fingers and pray on that one! I have tried to be very thorough, but this paperwork seriously has been unbelievable! I think it was easier getting my MA! Pete will send my documents to Children's Hope International (agency I am working with) main office and from there they will add more documents, translate and send to Russia for registration. And so, the real waiting begins....

I wanted to briefly share with you my adventure to downtown LA and remind you all of how much I love my son. I tell Dylan we have to go to downtown LA to get some documents. While we were there I thought we could go to Olvera Street, have lunch, look around a bit after I take care of the adoption stuff. Cool, Dylan is excited about the trip and we make an afternoon of it. We get in the vicinity of where we need to be, the Federal Building. I decide I need to find a parking garage and it will be easier to figure out exactly where I need to go once on foot. We park, find the building and entrance and proceed to go inside. Of course security checks before entering right?

We walk up towards the building, see the signs for security and Dylan says, "Oh crap, there is a metal detector."
I assure him it is OK we can bring our CELL PHONES in.
Dylan...."No, mom the cell phone is not the problem!"
Me..."What do you mean, what is?"
Dylan...."Well you told me we were going to downtown LA!"
Me...."Yea...and?"
D...."I can't go in this building, sorry mom but you said downtown LA and well I brought a knife and I think it best that you don't know what knife I brought!"
Me....um....maybe you can all guess my response!!!!! "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW!!!!!....

Those that know Dylan, know that he has a pretty good collection of swords, daggers, and knifes going on here. It just didn't occur to me that he thought he might need to protect his mom and himself in big bad downtown LA...I can apprecaite that about him, but honestly it did not occur to me.

Well, he is not staying outside that is for sure. He has to get rid of the knife sorry!!! We go through this big fricken ordeal about him finding a place outside to hide this knife. He asks me not to follow him and to let him hide it on his own because it will be easier and he takes off down the street. Well he is not getting out of my site in big bad LA. He sits up on a retaining wall about half way down the street and fiddles around in his pocket, comes back and give me the thumbs up. All the while I am still thinking to myself, "You have got to be kidding me!!!! Sheeesh!"

We finally get into the building. All I can focus on is getting what I need and the only thing he can think about is the hope that no one jacks his knife! We get back outside, stupid knife is fine! I tell him that the knife is staying in the car and that is that....no one is going to get us! I still have not seen the knife and have no idea what he has with him. After we get home from our days adventures I request the knife. HOLY COW!!!!!! That is all I have to say is HOLY COW!!!! I have never seen this piece of his collection, no idea where it came from ......and HE will never see this piece of his collection again!!!!! I do love him!

Anyway sorry so long, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue this process! Sorry it has taken so long to update, there really just has not been much going on to report.

Love to all of you,
Jenni

Application Approval

2009-03-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

Date:Fri, 1 Jun 2007 13:08:04 -0700 (GMT-07:00)

From:gloria.akers@childrenshope.net

To:"Primary E-Mail" , jelbe@cnusd.k12.ca.us

Subject:Application Approval

June 1, 2007
Dear Jennifer

Congratulations! Your application for adoption has been approved by the Program Director.

We will be mailing out your approval packet today or tomorrow with instructions on how to proceed. Also, Children's Hope has Yahoo! groups available to provide adoption and parenting information and support to our families in all stages of the adoption process. These CHI groups are for the exclusive use of CHI application approved families. You will be receiving instructions in your approval packet on how to join.

We are very excited for you, and wish you well as you begin your adoption journey!

The Intake Department
Children’s Hope International/St. Louis Home Office

Application sent

2009-03-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

5-21-07
Sent application to Children’s Hope International

Horoscope

2009-03-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

5-19-07
Attended an information meeting today in Long Beach with Mom and Karen about adopting internationally.

Also today’s horoscope ….Love can come into your life by many different routes, and it can also show up in many different guises. There's romantic love, friendship love, and the love you have for the human race -- to name only three. No matter which of these three types of love you're lacking, concentrate on the third type. Believe in the kindness of strangers, and encourage it by being kind to them. Creating more love in your life is easier than you think.