Here he is, sharing our joy when our passports arrived 3 days before we expected it, 4 days before departure;)
God blessed us so greatly in the weeks before we left. My work schedule changed... Where I had been only working 5-6 days per month the first 5 months of this year, I worked 9 days in the 2 weeks before we left... Tired Momma... But should give us a nicer paycheck while we are gone;) I think the hardest part was for Eli, as he had become accustomed to having me home with him most of the time...though the big bonus there was that he got to spend a lot of time with his Daddy;)
Eli posing in tree he climbed Tues morning, just before we left for PA. We sure are missing him!! But he is doing fine and having a blast with Mom.
Our flight to Moscow was amazing!! We upgraded our tickets and had so much more leg room. This newer plane had small screens on the back of each headrest. You got to choose what you wanted to do... Watch a movie (with dozens to choose from) listen to music, play games, watch the flight tracker... You even used the screen to turn on the overhead lights;)
There was also an outlet under each seat, allowing you to use your own electronic devices without running out of juice... VERY NICE!!
We didn't sleep at all;)
We arrived in Moscow and were among the first off the plane... But then waited for about 20 minutes for our stroller. The woman in charge was sooo nice. She apologized frequently, and when one of the workers told her it would only be 5 minutes, she said Russian 5 minutes is like "soon" in the US, more like 15-20 minutes... She was so jolly she had us smiling and feeling cared for all the while we waited. She was quite excited for us that we would have a little girl in that stroller soon!! So are we!
When we finally made it out with our luggage, Vladimir was waiting for us. He is such a dear, sweet man!! We got loaded up and headed for the hotel. He really enjoyed seeing pictures of both our children;)
We attempted to check in at the hotel, and the very friendly check -in person informed us our room was not ready yet. It was around 12:30pm, and we were so very sleepy. But they were able to check our luggage in their storage area and we went to a restaurant around the corner that we had been to on our first trip.. One that had free WiFi so we could let our family know we made it safely.
Upon our return to the hotel, another very friendly clerk informed us that we had been given a free upgrade to a business suite. Oh my!! It was like 2 or 2 1/2 rooms... There was an entry room (same size as the regular hotel room) with a couch, 2 overstuffed chairs, an end table and a huge flat panel screen tv.. Lamps, flowers!! Then a hall that had a mini bar with sink and microwave and huge closet across from the bathroom opening out to a huge bedroom... King sized bed, potted plant, another tv, and a huge desk/work station. Praying we get an upgrade on the way back when we are staying for several days with a little one!! It was SOO nice;)
We strolled around a little to stay awake after getting groceries and ended up at Starbucks... Across from our hotel...
We went inside and sat for a little and got caught up some more with the free WiFi;)
We soon decided the chairs were WAY too comfortable for exhausted folks trying to stay awake;) and headed back to the hotel.
We actually made it until a little after 9 pm.... And slept most all night;) I think I had about 12 hours!! After a fabulous breakfast buffet, we packed up and headed out for our Medicals.
We went to a very prestigious place this time... The same location that was once only for the leaders and officials. It was beautiful!! The courtyard was meandering brick walkways surrounded by flowers, greenery, trees and fountains. Oh how I wanted to tarry in the soft sunlight coming through the trees, but we were on a mission!!
The building, though older, was beautiful! Marble, mirrors, oak woodwork all throughout the main lobby, the office spaces looked a little more medical, but the building was so very large and very professional.
The Drs were very nice and professional and thorough! We actually felt we had been examined by 9 specialists. Most didn't speak English, so Philip was with us to interpret. Only one Dr, the infectionist, saw us both at the same time... Everyone else took us one at a time... I was very thankful for the privacy screen they put in front of Philip in the 3 offices that had us removing clothing for our exams. It was quite humorous, I think... They put him in a corner and pushed a screen partition right in front of him;) as the Dr would ask me things, this little voice from behind the screen would interpret;)
They were all very kind. This was so much more of an enjoyable experience than our last Medicals... And only lasted a few hours;)
More in next post about our flight... Yeah God!!!
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