We saw a pizza parlor when we drove by Lenin Square on the way back to the hotel today, so we set out on foot to find it. It’s not hard as it has “pizza” written in English on the outside. Pizza is really good and cheap, about 300 rubles for a medium sized pie. Warning though, pepperoni, actually has hot peppers and pepperoni. Even though our mouths were on fire, it tasted pretty good after a few days of Russian food.
The weather has warmed up and it’s been endlessly sunny. There is little snow on the ground. It was averaging about -13 Celsius in the mornings. Today Irina was remarking that it was over zero Celsius. Very nice weather for the two of us being from Alaska.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Hair Bows
So raising 2 boys has been pretty easy, I mean take a look at these hair bows… Someone is going to need to give me lessons. Each day, the little gals in the groupa have their hair done up in these little bows. The hair is somehow wrapped around inside the bow to keep it up as well…
8 Doctor Medical
In order to adopt in Khabarovsk, you need to have a physical performed in Khabarovsk. Now our agency likes us to have the blood work and an updated physical in the US right before we travel on trip 1. As this clears the way into all the doctors and eliminates the need for needles over here. There are no general practitioners in Russia, so it literally is what is says, you visit 8 different doctors (okay we did 6 but I think some had multipurpose). The ones we actually knew their titles were: Neurology, psychology, drug specialist, surgeon and the other 2 we couldn’t decipher. It took us about 2 hours to run to 2 different clinics to see these doctors. It was pretty painless, so don’t panic. Most just asked a few questions and signed off. A few performed minor examinations.
Total cost was 3216 rubles for 2 of us. The exchange rate is currently 27.10. So it was about 120 dollars for 2 of us.
Total cost was 3216 rubles for 2 of us. The exchange rate is currently 27.10. So it was about 120 dollars for 2 of us.
"Oy!"
This cute little girl climbed stairs with an adorable pink dress and 2 little pigtails and a book (hmm.. she’s heading for the right family!) and then she saw strangers and started to cry. Then she saw the food. The tears stopped and she grabbed a bag of food and climbed up on the couch.
She’s a super organized little gal as every toy had to have it’s place, if we moved it she put it back. She laid the book about dolls, next to the doll we brought and was able to compare the eyes of each, nose, and the pigtails that the book, doll and she had.
Her favorite word is “oy”. If she’s climbing the steps, it’s “oy”, if she drops a toy, it’s “oy”, if she wants something opened it’s “oy”… Her personality really shined through as she was so interactive with us after the first few minutes. After about 15 minutes, Irina wanted to take her to go bathroom, I asked if I could go along. Irina told me no, to just wait. Well this little gal had other ideas she wouldn’t go down the steps unless I went along. (I know Irina was surprised, she said what a bight girl she was). The whole way to the bathroom, she had both our hands and was jumping and trying to swing her way down the hall. She pointed to the animals on the walls and pots and would say the animal name and sound.
We met with the doctor today as well and there were no more surprises in her medical history. During the doctor’s conversation, this little gal kept Mark busy and laughing. The boys took quite a bit to warm up to a man, but having very little experience with men, didn’t bother her. She would just keep going up and patting his hands to get him to do things for her.
Nana will love her as she is obsessed with cleaning. She found the pack of wet ones and proceeded to open them and wash her face and hands. She loved the water bottle, too and spent a lot of time opening it and closing it to take a drink.
Khab Baby Home #2 is a very nice orphanage, very child friendly. She is in the 2/3 year old groupa and it’s a very bright room with caregivers that obviously love her. When we left she was tucking her dolly into bed.
We head back to the orphanage tomorrow for 2 hours and then will at least start on our medicals.
She’s a super organized little gal as every toy had to have it’s place, if we moved it she put it back. She laid the book about dolls, next to the doll we brought and was able to compare the eyes of each, nose, and the pigtails that the book, doll and she had.
Her favorite word is “oy”. If she’s climbing the steps, it’s “oy”, if she drops a toy, it’s “oy”, if she wants something opened it’s “oy”… Her personality really shined through as she was so interactive with us after the first few minutes. After about 15 minutes, Irina wanted to take her to go bathroom, I asked if I could go along. Irina told me no, to just wait. Well this little gal had other ideas she wouldn’t go down the steps unless I went along. (I know Irina was surprised, she said what a bight girl she was). The whole way to the bathroom, she had both our hands and was jumping and trying to swing her way down the hall. She pointed to the animals on the walls and pots and would say the animal name and sound.
We met with the doctor today as well and there were no more surprises in her medical history. During the doctor’s conversation, this little gal kept Mark busy and laughing. The boys took quite a bit to warm up to a man, but having very little experience with men, didn’t bother her. She would just keep going up and patting his hands to get him to do things for her.
Nana will love her as she is obsessed with cleaning. She found the pack of wet ones and proceeded to open them and wash her face and hands. She loved the water bottle, too and spent a lot of time opening it and closing it to take a drink.
Khab Baby Home #2 is a very nice orphanage, very child friendly. She is in the 2/3 year old groupa and it’s a very bright room with caregivers that obviously love her. When we left she was tucking her dolly into bed.
We head back to the orphanage tomorrow for 2 hours and then will at least start on our medicals.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Arrived in Khab ;)
Yes we are in Khabarovsk. We arrived yesterday. We travelled with just Carryons so we were the first out of the airport. Of course our ride wasn't here yet, so we had to wait about 15 minutes and dodge the Russian taxi drivers asking if we needed help.
It's hovering in the low teens temperature wise. Very similar to what we left in Alaska, but they have less snow. When the wind picks up the windchill makes it a bit colder.
We're staying at the Amethyst Hotel. Very similar to the last time we were here. It's a nice small hotel. They have internet connection (wi-fi) for laptops at the cost of about 5 dollars an hour. It's hot inside, so we have our window propped open all night.
We're heading to the orphanage today at 3 pm to have our conversation with the orphanage doctor and finally meet this little gal.
More later!
Shelly
It's hovering in the low teens temperature wise. Very similar to what we left in Alaska, but they have less snow. When the wind picks up the windchill makes it a bit colder.
We're staying at the Amethyst Hotel. Very similar to the last time we were here. It's a nice small hotel. They have internet connection (wi-fi) for laptops at the cost of about 5 dollars an hour. It's hot inside, so we have our window propped open all night.
We're heading to the orphanage today at 3 pm to have our conversation with the orphanage doctor and finally meet this little gal.
More later!
Shelly
Friday, November 28, 2008
Arrived in Seoul Korea
Arrived in Seoul after a long day of flying. Beautiful Sunrise over Mt Rainer in Seattle, LAX is not an organized airport a lot of walking!! Seoul airport is wonderful. We're checked into the hotel and will leave here in the morning.
A&S ... We saw the Fishy AK Airlines Plane and the Mickey Mouse plane!! Listen to Nana and Pappy and hug the dogs!
Love Momma
A&S ... We saw the Fishy AK Airlines Plane and the Mickey Mouse plane!! Listen to Nana and Pappy and hug the dogs!
Love Momma
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Heading to Russia
We leave tonight for our first trip! We will arrive in Russia on Saturday pm (Russia time). We'll be overnighting Friday in Seoul Korea. We're hoping to post as we go, so stay turned! :)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Khab Baby Home #2 Pictures
Here are the some pics of the orphanage. Thanks to Catherine for sharing her pics from her visit last spring.
Yes the children go bathroom on these pots and empty them. Diapers are expensive. The boys still remember doing this over 3 years later..
Yes the children go bathroom on these pots and empty them. Diapers are expensive. The boys still remember doing this over 3 years later..
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Snow
Just for Uncle Wes in Texas. Here's some shots of our fresh snow. 4-5 inches new overnight. It's warmed up so it will be a snowy week...
And Here's pictures of the family enjoying the snow. A&S are playing reindeer and Santa Clause. They play this every year, inside and outside. A is always the reindeer and S has the Santa job!
And Here's pictures of the family enjoying the snow. A&S are playing reindeer and Santa Clause. They play this every year, inside and outside. A is always the reindeer and S has the Santa job!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Heading for Siberia
We just finalized our tickets to travel to Khabarovsk next Wed!!
Here's the route...
Nov 26th (midnight) leave Alaska (3.5 hours in air)
Nov 27th Arrive and Leave Seattle (1 hour layover) (2 hours in air)
Nov 27th Arrive and Leave LA (2.5 hour layover, 13.5 hours in air)
Nov 28th Arrive in Seoul Korea (17.5 hour layover, 3 hours in air)
Nov 29th Arrive in Khabarovsk Russia
We'll spend 3 full days in Russia before heading back the reverse of this route. Our return trip will all take place on a very long Dec 3rd, as we live the day twice (once on each side of the International Dateline).
We had a medical scare with this little gal this week, but after talking to several specialists, we are hopeful that all will be okay once we get her to the USA.
I should note that this is just our first trip, as we get to meet her, do Our own Physicals in Russia (we've already done 2 in the US!) and file for court to officially adopt. Then the judge will appoint a court date within 90 days and we will head back for court and to bring her home.
Here's the route...
Nov 26th (midnight) leave Alaska (3.5 hours in air)
Nov 27th Arrive and Leave Seattle (1 hour layover) (2 hours in air)
Nov 27th Arrive and Leave LA (2.5 hour layover, 13.5 hours in air)
Nov 28th Arrive in Seoul Korea (17.5 hour layover, 3 hours in air)
Nov 29th Arrive in Khabarovsk Russia
We'll spend 3 full days in Russia before heading back the reverse of this route. Our return trip will all take place on a very long Dec 3rd, as we live the day twice (once on each side of the International Dateline).
We had a medical scare with this little gal this week, but after talking to several specialists, we are hopeful that all will be okay once we get her to the USA.
I should note that this is just our first trip, as we get to meet her, do Our own Physicals in Russia (we've already done 2 in the US!) and file for court to officially adopt. Then the judge will appoint a court date within 90 days and we will head back for court and to bring her home.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Green Light!
On the adoption front, we are cleared to book the tickets for our first trip to meet this little gal! They'd like us in Khabarovsk last week in November/First week in December... I should have all the details in a few days...
She is still in the hospital (week 5) for her medical check! We've been given some preliminary information, no major medical concerns, so we are content to start moving without the complete profile. It's very ironic that most of the medical info we received is identical to S.'s when we got his, he was about the same age!
She is still in the hospital (week 5) for her medical check! We've been given some preliminary information, no major medical concerns, so we are content to start moving without the complete profile. It's very ironic that most of the medical info we received is identical to S.'s when we got his, he was about the same age!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Snowboarding
We had an early snowfall back in October that has stuck around on the ground. It's just enough for some winter activities. The boys often go sledding on the small hill behind our house. It shows how big they are when I send them out by themselves to get started and I join them in a few minutes. I sent the boys out and looked out the window. There was A. standing on the sled. Wouldn't you know he made it the whole way down that hill on the sled. He wanted to snowboard and he made his own. I'm very shocked he's had no broken bones yet. He's just so athletic and takes to things quickly. Needless to say he has no fear :) He hasn't sledded down the hill since, now he just "snowboards" down...
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Presidents
I am always amazed at how much the boys pick up on what is going around them. Today I found them playing President... A. was determined that he was John McCain then he changed to Barrack Obama then he decided he'd just be George Bush. Here's his photo with his toy microphone... Note the head tilt that he says George Bush does.
S. just wanted to be Andrew Jackson. Because he's the pic on the big money! :) Notice the official president pose...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Alaska Moose
We've had a very active fall with moose. There is a mama and her 2 babies that have been hanging around our house. They ate our Jack-O-Lanterns, trimmed most of our trees and hopefully left some roots to my day lillies. They seem to cycle back to our house about every 2 weeks. They hang out a week or so and then move on. Yes they are cute, but they are also a pain. We have to watch the kids and the dogs outside constantly. You also have to be sure you don't back into them laying down. Of course it's a tourist dream, any one want to come visit? We had a car parked in the road for about 15 minutes the other day. The lady probably took 100 pictures of the moose bedded down in the cul-de-sac ;)
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Adoptions in Russia
International Adoptions are a complicated pile of paperwork, paperwork and paperwork. Your life is at the whim of government officials all over the world. One wrong signature, miss checked box, and it gets sent back to be redone…
We started the process this time in January 2008. It’s a complex and spendy process of paperwork (including the home study, USCIS approval, background checks, physicals and more information than you can imagine). It was much easier the second time around, as we had the paperwork from the previous adoption to copy off of! However the US government fees for the various applications did take a huge increase in costs.
The world of international adoptions in Russia have changed. In 2005, the orphanages were full of children looking for a home. Now Russia has implemented a foster care type system, encouraging it’s residents to host children in their home. Some of these children get adopted by Russians, others remain foster children or are returned to the orphanages later. I should also point out that not all children in Orphanages are available for adoption, it is a complicated system, but the statistics vary and 10-20% in the orphanages are available for adoption.
All of this has led to a decrease in children available for international adoption, especially girls. Many agencies are not accepting applications specifically for girls and we are one of just a few couples our agency took on for a girl referral. We knew it would be a wait, but we submitted our application for a girl up to age 6.
We received a referral in early October and are awaiting a little more information before the region clears us to travel. Once we are cleared to travel, we will head to Khabarovsk, Russia for a 3-7 day trip. During this trip we will head to the orphanage several times to meet and spend time with her. We will undergo our 8 doctor medical clearance in Russia. Then we will sign the official paperwork to adopt. Once we sign, our agency, can file to the Russian court for us to formally adopt her. We then travel back home and wait, wait, wait. Hopefully within 90 days we will head back to Russia for our 2nd trip. This trip will take 20-30 days. It will include a trip to court, the waiting period if our adoption is approved, a trip to Moscow for the US Embassy to clear us to bring her home and then finally back to the states.
We started the process this time in January 2008. It’s a complex and spendy process of paperwork (including the home study, USCIS approval, background checks, physicals and more information than you can imagine). It was much easier the second time around, as we had the paperwork from the previous adoption to copy off of! However the US government fees for the various applications did take a huge increase in costs.
The world of international adoptions in Russia have changed. In 2005, the orphanages were full of children looking for a home. Now Russia has implemented a foster care type system, encouraging it’s residents to host children in their home. Some of these children get adopted by Russians, others remain foster children or are returned to the orphanages later. I should also point out that not all children in Orphanages are available for adoption, it is a complicated system, but the statistics vary and 10-20% in the orphanages are available for adoption.
All of this has led to a decrease in children available for international adoption, especially girls. Many agencies are not accepting applications specifically for girls and we are one of just a few couples our agency took on for a girl referral. We knew it would be a wait, but we submitted our application for a girl up to age 6.
We received a referral in early October and are awaiting a little more information before the region clears us to travel. Once we are cleared to travel, we will head to Khabarovsk, Russia for a 3-7 day trip. During this trip we will head to the orphanage several times to meet and spend time with her. We will undergo our 8 doctor medical clearance in Russia. Then we will sign the official paperwork to adopt. Once we sign, our agency, can file to the Russian court for us to formally adopt her. We then travel back home and wait, wait, wait. Hopefully within 90 days we will head back to Russia for our 2nd trip. This trip will take 20-30 days. It will include a trip to court, the waiting period if our adoption is approved, a trip to Moscow for the US Embassy to clear us to bring her home and then finally back to the states.
Moving Forward
Welcome to our blog world! This is a way for us to communicate with our friends and family, as we prepare to travel for our second adoption to Russia... (yes we're going back)!
A little about us... We currently live in Alaska and adopted 2 wonderful boys from Khabarovsk, Russia in 2004/5 through Alaska International Adoptions. The boys were toddlers when we met them and have blossomed into big boys now, as they approach their 6th and 7th birthdays! Wow! Time goes by fast!
This picture is a little dated as it was early October. It was taken before the moose ate our pumpkins and before our winter snow began. We do have snow on the ground and it's been a colder than normal fall. But that's another story and another picture later!
Here's the big news, we've been keeping quiet. We started the adoption process again last winter and are very hopeful to head to Russia again (very soon) to meet an adorable little girl to add to our family. If all the medical clearances line up, we'll be hoping to travel this month! We are limited with what information we can share until the adoption is complete (hopefully by spring), but we think she will make a great addition to our family.
A little about us... We currently live in Alaska and adopted 2 wonderful boys from Khabarovsk, Russia in 2004/5 through Alaska International Adoptions. The boys were toddlers when we met them and have blossomed into big boys now, as they approach their 6th and 7th birthdays! Wow! Time goes by fast!
This picture is a little dated as it was early October. It was taken before the moose ate our pumpkins and before our winter snow began. We do have snow on the ground and it's been a colder than normal fall. But that's another story and another picture later!
Here's the big news, we've been keeping quiet. We started the adoption process again last winter and are very hopeful to head to Russia again (very soon) to meet an adorable little girl to add to our family. If all the medical clearances line up, we'll be hoping to travel this month! We are limited with what information we can share until the adoption is complete (hopefully by spring), but we think she will make a great addition to our family.
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