A week of firsts

What an amazing week we have all had as a family! Eli got to start it early by going to First Grade orientation and meeting his teacher for the first time a few days before the weekend.


As a family, we started the week traveling to PA and introducing Lael to the family and celebrating with my Sister and her husband;) Lael's first experience with a big dog... She handled it like a pro...acting as if the big golden retriever were the same size as our little 13.5 lb mixed breed.

Eli got to experience shooting with his bow and arrows at a target my brother had set up. What fun he had with his cousins!

It was my first fun time away from the kids... They had a great time with their Daddy;)

On the way home, she fell fast asleep. Couldn't resist taking this one;)


We stopped at Cabela's on the way home. It was a fun experience.. Lael did well in te stroller during our time there;) ahhh.... Just Eli's size;)



Lael began to toddle a little last weekend... A few steps and then flat on her face.... Now... She is running all over the house, stopping, bending over and picking up items to carry, stopping and turning mid stride. Hard to believe it is the same child!!

She has also begun tackling the steps. She is already a pro at going up, but scares me silly going down. I tried to show her turning around and going backwards, but that is not how anyone else does it. She faces forward and looks a little like Harrison Ford stepping out in faith. She likes the basement steps... There is a little railing Tim installed for Eli... Just the right height. She has learned in the last 2 days to hold the railing, moving her hand down to steady herself. Thank goodness for gates at the steps!!

We had our first day of first grade this last week as well! How did the time go so fast??!? Eli is 6 now and in first grade. We all trooped over pushing the stroller to Mamaw and Papaw's to catch the bus. Lael waved the whole time we were watching Eli board the bus and long after he left! So sweet to see the two of them doing so well together!

 

 

After getting home, she got to experience riding on Tim's shoulders... Soo funny! She found great handholds (very tight, Tim said) with his ears, then with his eye sockets...Then she began patting him on the head... like a drum... She's loving her Daddy now;)

We had some soft, comfort foods this week... Lael had her first plate of non ground up food. Oh boy, she loved the peas, mashed potatoes and meatloaf. The watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, bananas, peaches, strawberries and blueberries are a hit as well.  OK, who am I kidding... this child will eat anything we put in front of her, and scream if we don't give her more when she finishes her last bite:)

This week also saw her successfully eat a half banana cut in small chunks with a fork!! She loved spearing them and stuffing them in her mouth. Amazingly enough, she didn't use her other hand... Just the utensil. Tonight she tried cornbread with a spoon. She did so well... She kept clapping between bites... Guess we were excited for her as well;)

Lael walked to the bus stop this week... As it is almost 1600 feet down and then 1600 feet back up pretty steep hills, this is quite a feat!! Of course we stopped and touched the flowers;) there was Queen Anne's lace growing in the field... She walked over and touched it and it swayed gently in the wind... And she all out giggled. It was the funniest thing in the world to her;) She was so gentle with it... I loved seeing her enjoy begin outside so much!

Waiting for the bus to come in the afternoon has become a great exploration time... We have been diving in to all the cool stuff in nature... So when she learns to talk, don't be surprised if she tells you about the chlorophyl in the leaves and the crunchy ones don't have it;)

I got out and cleaned up Eli's old tricycle over the weekend. Lael sat in it like a pro and was able to get it moving by rocking.. Her feet hardly touch the ground, but she loved it!! She only got on backwards a couple of times;) Moving the seat forward didn't help her short legs touch the pedals.  She had great fun pushing it with the hand hold on the seat, and having the handlebars turned slightly, allowed her to go in circles

We brought a small stuffed dog on all three trips to Russia, and I made a point of making dog noises and having the doggie give big kisses, barking and panting. She loves it!! The doggie looks like Baka, our dog, so she took immediately to this real doggie that makes all the right sounds;)

I've been trying to get her to learn some of the more difficult sounds to say... We've been saying Arf, Arf to try and work on the R and F sounds. She loves the dog.. And says Ah, Ah, every time she sees or hears Baka... With a huge grin on her face...she continues "barking" until you see Baka as well:)

We do the tongue flicking in and out... Ladle, ladle, ladle.... Then we do la la la Lael... She cracks us up with the tongue... It is so adorable to watch her stick her tongue straight out, lift the tip up showing her 2 bottom teeth...La, la, la she repeats;)

It was a month ago, today, that we arrived home from Russia and our family was united.  The time is flying by so quickly, so much more than 4 years ago.  School eats so much of our time... I love that Eli is learning and I love all the teachers are spending their time imparting so much to our children, but I dislike that we seem to have so little time during the school year to do our own educational and fun stuff.  Wow does the time fly!!

As we watch our children sleep, putting away stress and anxieties of the day, dwelling instead on the fleeting fun moments of childhood, we pray that God will continue to lead and guide us.  Oh how we need to receive direction!! So thankful that these are your children, blown away that you have chosen us to parent these sweet children, and so desiring your divine guidance so we can help these babies become all you would have them to be, reaching their full potential in you.


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First steps

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First Month

It is so hard to believe Lael has been in our care for almost a month! She is settling in well, and though some days seem long, the weeks are flying by!!

She began walking a bit this week... Actually running;) a few steps and diving... I think she'll not be crawling much longer;)

We all went for a little while to the fair on Monday. Eli's cousin, Wes, was showing his market goat. Lael is now making sheep sounds frequently... (the goat showing was in the sheep barn;) her dog sounds are funny as well!!

Night before last, Tim went to the fair to help with our church corn stand. After the we finished dinner, I decided to give the kids a bubble bath. I'm sure it was Lael's first;)

They had a blast!

After we finished the bath, Eli was very insistent that they put on their matching pjs... They both have Calvin Klein PJ's;). He wanted a picture with them as they were alike;)

Lael hasn't quite mastered sitting still for the camera yet... And my phone locked up on me... But this captured the essence;)


Several have asked how Eli is doing. Tim and I were very intentional before Lael came home to explain that she is very young and will need a lot of care... And that we would be spending time with him, regularly, by himself to have some special quiet moments.

We have been able to do that with him;) going shopping with him, to the fair... Trying to get in fun for him that Lael is still way too little for.

Sometimes I think he is too smart for his own good... Especially for his maturity level;) Last night he was not behaving well... Whining, crying and complaining about everything. Lael was grumpy as well, no doubt from spending the morning at the fair...

"What's wrong with you??!?", from Tim prompted a very interesting response from Eli. Seems he wants to buy us a ticket for the guilt train:(

"I'm doing this for attention because you only pay attention to my sister."

I suppose if we had not been so intentional about spending extra time with him, doing stuff with him, we might have taken it to heart. However, God allowed us to see the conniving truth that he just wanted to excuse his bad behavior by blaming us.

All is well... Just a daily struggle to communicate with a 6 year old who cannot admit he's wrong about anything... Going on for sometimes hours about why he said what he did (that was wrong to begin with...) or burst into an emotional fit with tears, anger... The works. It has been exhausting, to say the least, to try to be constantly there for every member of the family. I am so thankful for God's amazing, sustaining grace!!

But I must also say, Eli is one of the sweetest, most helpful persons one can meet most of the time. He has such a tender heart and cannot bear criticism or anger towards him. He has been trying very hard to be the best big brother ever!!

Last night, after we all prayed together, I set Lael on Eli's lap next to me and told her to give Eli a kiss goodnight. Amazingly enough, she leaned over, with a big twinkle in her eye and gave him a big kiss:) and then several more... Only a few were open mouth kisses;)

Then I asked her to give Daddy kisses goodnight. She fell over, almost leaping from my arms, to give Daddy several goodnight kisses. Those are the sweet spots! The moments that add the brightest threads to the tapestry of our life.

I remember asking my friend, Micki, one time why those aren't the moments parents dwell on.. Why it is the anger inducing and rage provoking moments.

"Because," she replied, "The sweet moments are when parenting is easy."

It is very easy to enjoy those sweet moments;) and we are thankful for each and every one we receive;)

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Settling in

This last week has been a week of just settling in.  Getting into a routine.  Several important items crossed off the list... waiting for completion so we can go on to the next set of important documents.   Lael's passport and important paperwork are at the Russian Consulate in Washington, D.C. now as she gets registered.  Once we receive that paperwork back, we'll take her passport and important documents and apply for an American Passport, SSN and eventually, readopt her in the State of Ohio so she can have an Ohio Birth Certificate... Much easier than dragging her original Russian Birth Certificate in for school functions that need a Birth Certificate:)

Our big firsts this week...Lael's blood work was completed... all vaccines have taken... none need to be caught up!! No abnormalities in any other work... Yeah!!! The ladies at the lab had taken our blood work only a few months earlier for our court requirements, and were so excited to see our daughter in person!  The woman drawing Lael's blood got the needle in on the first stick... Tim said it was impressive.  I was looking the other direction so I wouldn't pass out:)  Lael did wonderful as well! She screamed bloody murder but wasn't thrashing too much-- and as soon as everyone stopped holding her still and she had her face tucked in my neck, she was fine:)  We were even able to go do our grocery shopping afterwards:)

First shopping experience.  She sat in the cart perfectly well.  I was soooo wishing I had been able to make or buy one of the shopping cart covers!!  Maybe once the jet lag is over, and I have a little more time during naps.... oh... I may just have to order one online!!  She ate her puff cereal during our shopping (after I wiped the cart down thoroughly with the wet wipes...) and once we finished, we were able to give her a squeezable bag of beef stew:)  Yum!  Lunch in the check out line:)

We had our first experience with Lael at church on Sunday.  Oh how nice it was to see and be seen by everyone.  Thank you to all our friends and family at church!! Everyone was soo good to not crowd around and frighten her, yet we had so many encouraging words!!  A HUGE thank you to everyone as well for drawing attention to Eli.  I could see how wonderful it was in his face... realizing that his sister is important, but he still is, too!!

Tim was acting in Kidstuf, so we had our seats and watched the performance.  Three-fourths of the way through, I was standing with her, bouncing to keep her quiet, and I began to feel very warm on my belly.  Oopss..... She must be peeing... then I felt it trickling, like a stream, down my pants leg... to my knee... to my shoe... oh my!! I brought clothes for her, but not for me....When we got to the diaper changing room, her diaper was not very wet.  Her clothes had a wee little damp spot... not even enough to warrant a change.  Mommy was a different story. 

Somehow, the baby carrier (which I love and use all the time!! makes vacuuming a bonding experience:)) holds her legs at just the right angle.... It happened again last night... only this time she soaked herself as well as me... and had splashes on the floor.  Ahhhh..... bonding at it's finest!

This week I have been trying to learn how to do things while still giving Lael undivided attention.  It is challenging, but necessary.  Tim and I went out after we tucked the kids in bed a couple of nights ago and harvested a bunch from the garden.  By the time we went to bed that night, we had processed 9 Qt of tomatoes, 1 gallon of green beans and had a huge bag of cucumbers in the fridge.  Yesterday,  from those cucumbers I made and canned 7 pt bread and butter pickles and 6 pt dill pickle chips.  They all sealed!! I think I may nap tomorrow... :) 

Lael is thawing towards Eli and Tim more each day.  They haven't been around much during the day since we've been home... with projects and other activities keeping them busy.  We usually are able to have meals together, though:)  It is so fun to watch Tim's face as she toddles toward him to give him a hug.  And to see her face light up when she sees her big brother. 

3 weeks as a family in a few hours.  Hard to believe!  Sometimes I just look at her, as I am sure all new moms do, and I am amazed that God has trusted her to my care.  What an awesome responsibility He has laid upon our shoulders.  I continue to pray that we might be the parents God intended us to be to bring out the most potential of our children, helping them discover who they are in God's sight. 

First week stateside

The drive home from the airport was very exciting for the first few minutes.  We had so much to catch up on with Eli, he was chatting a hundred words per minute.  He was soooo very happy to see us... and doing amazingly well for being up so late!! Soon, the car was very quiet.  We all settled in for the 1.5 hour ride to Mom and Dad's house. 

It didn't last:) Soon, Lael was awake and feeling hungry.  Amazing how our appetites are zapped by the travel, but the kids just get grumpy.  The small bags of food were very much Godsends for us... I was able to find one in her diaper bag and let her eat it in the dark as we traveled home:)

When we arrived home, Eli was out cold.  Lael, who had slept most of the day during our flights was wide awake, chipper and ready to go:)  We tucked Eli in and then fed Lael.  Mmmmmmm!!! Mom had made peach cake with fresh peaches cut up on it.  It was a reviving, refreshing, scrumptious treat!! We saw a yawn occur for her and rejoiced.  Soon, at almost 2 am, we were falling into bed, almost in a stupor. 

Her "nap" lasted only a few hours and I was up with her, feeding, playing and then trying to get her settled back down... time changes are so difficult for babies... I guess... they are miserable for adults:) We figured it would be difficult, though, with a 12 hour time change.  Talk about days and nights mixed up! She began going to bed around 8, but was up again by 2 or 3 each morning, desiring food and comfort.

Here is Eli the next morning, demonstrating to Lael how to sit properly in the high chair seat:) What a great big brother!! She is quite shy around Eli, and a little, still, around Tim.  Though she is warming up to both.


The respite we received during the 2 days at Mom and Dad's house was just amazing.  Saturday, I felt like a zombie.  Must have looked like one as well:)  After not sleeping well the night before we left Moscow and the 24 hours of travel with Lael clinging to me the entire way, I was beyond exhaustion.  Mom sent me to bed in their room- quiet, separate from the rest of the house.  I laid on the bed for what seemed like a few minutes, and when I rolled over, I was stunned as I realized it was after 4 pm and I had actually been asleep for close to 5 hours.  Though it took a good hour or more to truly wake that evening (I'm sure everyone knows that sleep hangover effect one has when exhausted and sleeping too long during the afternoon), it was so refreshing!!

Kudos to my Mom!! I love you so much Mom!! While I was asleep, she washed, folded and sorted all our clothes, and began packaging meals for us.  She had made at least a week's worth of meals for us, some frozen already, some in the fridge, so we wouldn't have to bother with cooking.  It has been soooooo incredibly appreciated!! I can concentrate on spending my spare moments now with Eli so he doesn't feel that left out feeling associated with bringing home a younger sibling that requires much more care, rather than trying to cook during any spare minutes I can find.  So thankful!!

We skipped church on Sunday.  Lael had been up with Tim most of the night, and had a fever running around 101.  Not fun.  So we played and rested and got ready to go back to the real world after our brief time apart.

We left for home, and had a very quiet trip for the first hour or so....

Eli is fallen over with his head on the blankets between the seats...


Then Lael woke... I tried to interest her in some toys, which she promptly hit sleeping Eli in the face with... he was asleep on her blanket:)  She ended up screaming for about 1/2 hour... and just as she calmed... we were stuck in traffic:(  She began to cry again, and I was so thankful I was able to find the last bag of pureed food and contort my body around to feed her during the stop and go, slowly moving traffic. 

We then pulled off the highway and had our first family meal out:)  We stopped at Cracker Barrel...I am learning how difficult it is to really do much with an infant in arms.  Can't use the rest room.... a very real learning curve.  I wondered many times how single parents do this.  Tim has been such a support and help... a true partner in this adventure:) Both kids did great at dinner, though Eli has not had much of an appetite.  Hoping that improves as he gets back into a routine with us.

We made it home.!!!!  What a good feeling to finally be back in your own home.  Great to be able to get her, wonderful to be with family, but no matter where you go, or where you roam, in the end, there's truly no place like home!! While Tim unloaded the car, Lael experienced her first bath in the duckie.  This is the same little bathtub we had in Russia 4 years ago for Eli.   She loved it!!

After getting both kids in bed around 8, Lael made it until 4 the next morning.  I got her up and dressed and fed her, hoping she would be able to go back to bed.  We tried a few times, even having her lay in bed with me.  Finally, around 6, we got up.  I was trying so hard to keep her asleep during the dark hours, so she would become accustomed to being awake when it is light out.  We watched our first sun rise lighten the room... and began to check out the plethora of new toys awaiting her:)

The walker was a hit!! Thinking we'll need to get some boots with high sides:)  We are getting pretty good now at lifting our heel to stop the walker before it hits our ankles:) Boy does she fly in this thing!! She really enjoys it outside as well.  Thank you, Carla!!


As the sun streamed through the windows, she began to discover more toys... some of Eli's favorites when he first came home....


And then the whole family was awake:)  Eli is being such a patient and kind big brother... he brings her new toys to play with very frequently and shows her how to use everything. 

I overheard him asking Tim, "Shall I demonstrate it for her, Daddy?" more than a few times:)





Tuesday was our big family day out.  Lael had her first Dr appointment to get checked out and make sure everything is in order.   We are going to the lab... I am still procrastinating on that.... to have blood work drawn.  This is to check her immunization titers to make sure they all took so she doesn't have to be re vaccinated.  On the way home, it got really quiet in the back seat...Amazing how much more content she is now with the mirror so she can see what is going on...I love it, too, as I can peek back and see what she is doing.



Better picture once we pulled into the garage at home... our 2 precious sleeping kids:)

Eli decided to show Lael what a fire fighter looks like:)  So she won't be scared if we have a fire and someone comes into her room.  He came down all decked out in his turnout gear...



And she wasn't afraid after all:)  She sat right by him:0)


Mealtimes are the most difficult.  If she doesn't get her next bite as soon as she swallows, she throws an absolute fit.  I have the picture in my mind of the Peanuts gang as they are singing.  Kinda what she looks like... head thrown back, looking straight down her throat...you can almost make out her uvula each time:)  Eli, many times, will be sitting on the other side of the table with his fingers in his ears, asking why she has to scream so loud. 

Thankfully, this seems to get better each day.  I think she is realizing she is going to be fed.  The food is not being taken away from her.  I can wipe her mouth in the middle of the meal and she will still get another bite.  She is beginning to trust that we can meet her needs and won't leave her hanging and hungry.  Oh if we could only see into their minds and understand what our children are thinking...

Surprisingly, the jealousy so far has been seen more with Lael than with Eli.  When we are all on the floor, sometimes he will come over and sit on my lap... or I'll grab him and pull him down and kiss him all over... hehe.  She will come crawling across the room and climb on top of us, or just throw a little fit.  This, too, is getting better day by day.  She will even lean into him now as he gives her a kiss.  Today, she leaned over and hugged him... it ended by biting his shoulder... but it was a beautiful hug up to that point:)

Eli's only other difficulty with Lael, very obvious, is when she has a stinky diaper.  It is quite humorous, as he holds his nose anytime he is near her.  It is often the first sign we have that she has soiled a diaper.  Ahhh.... the fun of being a baby...:)  Wonder how she'll annoy him when she gets older:)

Took the kids outside to swing yesterday morning in the cool of the day.  I think she likes it... don't you??

 Eli prayed before she came home that she would like the swing and playing outside.  Looks like his prayers were answered.  They had so much fun!!

 I was pushing them as they swang and raking the sticks from the play area.  Eli got into the swinging action... he really loves being a big brother!

 Lael loves the sliding board as well.  Here she is upset because she wants to go NOW!! and I paused them to take a photo:)

 Once at the bottom, we realized part of her angst was it was getting close to nap time:)

This morning I got the sweetest shot of our two children.  Oh my, how much love the Father has given us for them!!

Papaw made a wooden horse for their cousin which was passed down to us when Eli came home... Oh how much she giggled when I put her on it this morning!! When I held her on tightly and rocked her harder she just belted out laughter.


We have remembered, learned and invented many new things as we forge forward in this amazing journey of parenting 2 children from God.  Some important things... She really does best with being on the schedule from the baby home.  I broke it out on Tuesday and began following it religiously.  And Tuesday night was her first night to sleep through the night.  She has gone to bed each night around 8, and I am waking her at 7:30 each morning.  The first 2 nights she did that, I was awake every 2 hours after 3, looking to see if the monitor was still working.  Now we all are resting peacefully and recovering nicely from our jetlag:)

She would cry and scream at naps the first few days... now, I put her down when it is time and she rolls on her side and is soon asleep.  Sometimes she prefers I stay in the room while she is falling asleep.  I have been able to organize all her drawers, and sometimes catch a wink myself:) 

Giving order to her days brings order out of chaos, allowing a much better environment for all involved.

Having Tim's parents across the road has been great!! Eli has been going over to visit Papaw and ride the all terrain Mule with him.  Gives him the special attention he needs and gives me a chance to catch up with housework and .... the blog:)

Thank you, God, for everything!! The downs that make the ups so much sweeter!! The joys as well as the sorrows.  We have been a family for 2 weeks now!! Yipee!!! I'm sure the time will fly and soon it will be 20 years as a family.  For now, thank you for allowing us to treasure and remember every sweet moment as they so quickly pass us by!


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The Long trip home part 2

We entered the holding tank for going through customs... Full again:(

I stopped a worker walking past and asked if there was line we could go through that was shorter since we had the baby... Of course!! She took us up the dignitaries line an they sent us to a booth post haste.

The officer there took all her information, welcomed us home and gave us some helpful hints. He said to make sure to get all the information turned in right away for citizenship... Otherwise, she may have to wait til adulthood and go through a naturalization process.

We went to immigration from there... The little dude with the mega big 'tude told us to leave our bags outside and to go in and
Have a seat... It might be a while.

The room was empty. There were 2 officers behind the desk.
Little Dude crossed the room to lay our paperwork on the desk. One of the 2 officers asked if it was for the baby. The officer said yeah, the first said, "Give it to me..."

He took it, shuffled it quickly, stamped her passport and we were on our way;)

There were so many folks that missed connections, Delta had already fixed many flights for us.
They called our name and said to see them before we left the baggage area.

We had been diverted to LaGuardia for a flight to PGH... Due in at 10:30. So, we had new itinerary and a voucher to have a cab take us to the airport.

I was having a bit of angst as we were in the same spot waiting on a cab... With a voucher. I asked Tim what the name was again, and the Delta worker in front of me said the cabbie in front of us was taking vouchers if we wanted to go with him. Yeah God!!!! We were off again;)

Next stop... Packed lines at LaGuardia for folks needing boarding passes. We waited in the priority express line for about an hour. Those bag snacks were sooo handy. Lael sucked one down while we were in line, easing her hunger,)

We finally got up to the representative, and were very glad we had waited. They had checked in my ticket, but hadn't given Tim a seat assignment confirmation yet. She got us all set to go and said we were the first to thank her for her help for a long time... We assured her we were quite thankful!!

Then we had to switch to a different terminal... Thankfully they have buses that shuttle you back and forth.

After a small dinner and diaper change we were ready to go;)
And we got to sit in the first seat! Too bad we were too tired to enjoy it!

There was another storm blowing in. We were so hopeful we could avoid it and not be cancelled again. We missed most of it, but it was really rough just after we got up in the air.

Ahhh... The extra wide seats that reclined a bit further and the leg room were very nice!!And it didn't hurt that she slept the ENTIRE flight:)

Before we knew it we were landing... Yes, landing!!! Our last flight.... No more airports for a while. Almost home!!

We stopped off quickly at the bathroom before we headed on to baggage claim. Mom called to see where we were and we heard Eli's voice!! He came!! I can't tell you how excited we were to see our little guy!!

I asked Tim if he wanted to get out the camera... He looked at me quizzically for a second... And as we looked at each other the full import hit us. We realized it would be the first introduction of our children, as well as our reunion. It took a second to get our emotions under control, and then we took off!!

You should have seen us racing through the airport. We got closer to the baggage claim area and saw.... Nothing;(

And then, behind the carousel, I spied mom and Eli. I motioned to Tim, and we headed around to surprise him. Suddenly, Tim took off. With an extra boost of energy, propelled totally on love and longing, he leapt bags, wove around packages and got ready to scoop Eli into his arms...

Eli, sensing a fast approaching object coming at him, ducked and backed up with a sense of fear in his face... Replaced almost instantly by a look of pure joy and longing fulfilled. He met his Daddy, leaping the final foot into his arms and they held each other so tight and smooches were flying. Father and son, reunited. What a vision!!

We introduced Eli to his sister.. Who was still quite tired and sleepy... Lael in the baby carrier on my chest, Eli attached like a marsupial to his Daddy... All hugging and kissing... And quietly wiping our eyes as the tears of exhaustion and joy mingled and overflowed.

Reunion complete... Family united at last!!

Praise God for making this day and the completion of this leg of our wonderful journey.


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The LONG trip home

Our last night was kinda rough for me. I was so incredibly tired that I felt as if I were drugged. I fell immediately into such a deep sleep. Lael's crying and screaming an hour or so after I fell asleep woke me from a dead sleep... I felt so discombobulated, wasn't sure which end was up.

Got her diaper changed and then settled her back down... But had a hard time sleeping again;(

Lael didn't wake again until 5:30. Very good for a 4 hour jet lag;)
We got up and dressed, remembering to keep bags closed so as not to receive help from Lael unloading them;)

After a nice breakfast at the hotel restaurant buffet, we finalized our packing and headed out.

Just before we left, Tim received notification that our flight was delayed a little over 2 hours due to storms in NY. That put us landing a few minutes before our connecting flight was to leave.

We chose not to worry. God had brought us this far, we knew we were safe in the palm of His hand!

We left at the scheduled time from the hotel... Figuring a few extra hours at the airport would be easier than trying to explain to our driver that we were delayed.

Having never done this with an infant before, I really tried to over prepare;) I packed 10 diapers and 3 outfit changes for our 3 hours at airport and 10 hour flight, reasoning we could get more from checked bags in NY if needed. (you have to collect bags to go through customs).

The baby carrier was great! We were able to go through priority check-in lines... Which was really good as we discovered we were in the same boat as in Kras... No receipt of ticket for lap child.. No boarding pass.

So, she kindly checked our bags and got us set... And we went and stood in another line for at least an hour to have a receipt printed showing we paid for an infant to travel on my lap.

Note to families not purchasing an extra seat for their child... Make sure you print out your final receipt showing payment. It will save a lot of headaches!

The nice lady we had seen on our second and third trips was there and helped us get our boarding pass. When we asked about the bassinet seating, she said this plane only had 1 bassinet seat and it had already been assigned to a family. We were quite disappointed;(

We finished there, then went through the customs line. Lael was so tired and fussy while standing in line. We played and talked and I sang softly to her. We even stopped for a second and gave her a snack.

Customs went smoothly. She looked through the paperwork we had, stamped what needed stamped ad sent us on our way to screening.

No shoe removal today!! I got the pat down since I was wearing Lael, but no issues or problems;)

We thought we might stop and eat... But Lael was really fussy, so we decided to feed her first. She sweats so much when I carry her in the baby carrier, that I didn't think much of my being quite wet down the front.

We sat down at a high table, and Tim took her from me so he could hold her while I fed her. After a few minutes, we discovered she suffered from diaper failure. Tim picked her up from his lap and had 2 large wet spots... One on each leg. :(

We finished feeding her and then I took her to the changing room. They have a separate changing room... Long counters by sink, and in a smaller room, A changing table with a nice pad attached to top.

She had soaked through the onsie, tights, panties... Everything. First outfit needed;)

The changing room was amazing. Several big padded chairs around, and the room was amazingly quiet. And peaceful....I was tempted to just sit and relax for a while;)

We went back and found Tim and had lunch at TGIF's. Tim walked Lael around for a little while, and when the food came, he walked her for a little more so I could have a chance to eat;) very nice;)

We found our gate, and were allowed to board first so we could get settled. Ugh!!! Didn't realize how nice our upgrades had been.. Coach meant my knees touched the seat in front of us... With an infant;(

I asked the gentlemen in front of me to let me know when he was going to put his seat back, just so I could make sure to move the baby. That incredibly nice man never put his seat back!!

I put her down between my legs so she could stand up... Yeah!! Successful venture... I was soon headed for the bathroom with a stinky baby;) the stewardess said it was too soon to be up in the cabin, but that she was looking the other way;) hehe...

Lael was very active for the first hour or so of the flight... She had a snack, drank a lot of juice, and Tim and I took her for a lot of walks around the plane.

He was gone when they came and served lunch.... Worked well;) I ate mine quickly, so when he returned, I was able to take Lael so he could eat.

Tim came back from one walk and pulled her slightly away from his body... She had soaked his shirt this time;( On to outfit number 3 for the day... And we were only 2 hours into the flight.

She was very grumpy... But we figured she was just super sleepy. I ended up in the gally behind first class... Very quiet and dark. After 20 min or so, she finally fell asleep. And proceeded to sleep for over 2 hours!! She woke long enough to eat and walk a few times through the airplane, and then fell asleep again.

She got to play a little with the other infant... Bigger than her, but one month younger. He was very excited to see her;)

She pretty much slept the remainder of the time and was very pleasant. We had many comments about how quiet she was and how many children scream and cry the whole flight.

We were so thankful!! She slept through the landing and over all had a marvelous flight. As Tim and I watched her sleeping, laying flat and comfortable, we figured she had first class seating in coach;) special meals and snacks, stretching out to sleep...

Over all, we were so thankful the flight went as well as it did. We had heard so many horror stories, and our first flight was rough in spots.


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Last full day in Moscow

Our morning started a little later today;) Lael actually slept till almost 5:30, and snuggled until about 6. A little "spot of food" an a clean "nappie," a bit of play with Daddy on the bed as she fought sleep


And then, she was out;)



What is it about watching a child sleep that makes everything seem more peaceful in the world?

Breakfast soon, and then off we go;)

Phillip and Vladimir picked us up at the hotel to leave for the embassy appointment. Phillip asked us what Lael's name was.. We told him and he explained that Vladimir had misunderstood us when he picked us up from the airport. He thought we named her Little Sushi... And couldn't believe that would be her name... Hehe

We arrived pretty quickly at the embassy and went in through security after having our passports checked at the gate. It was PACKED inside the embassy. But a representative told us to go to the left and up the stairs for adoption. We remembered the room well. When we were there 4 years ago it was packed. And we were there for over 2 hours.

This time there were only 2 other families. One couple from Missouri, and another woman from Houston, who was there by herself to bring her daughter home. Her husband wasn't there, but since she is Russian, she was doing fabulously with her daughter.

The gentleman that was going to process the paperwork came out and talked to all 3 families to give the general information to help speed the process.

Interesting facts... Good thing we didn't bring Eli. We would have brought him with his American passport... But the representative said that he would require exit approval from the Russian govnt before leaving country when they would see his birthplace and the dual citizenship. Said it takes a couple of weeks for that... Better to travel with Russian visa.

We were done before we knew it and heading back to hotel. We walked quickly to Starbucks. They had a cup I had seen on the last trip I had wanted for Eli. Unfortunately, they no longer carried it:(. So we got the bigger one for him;)

We came back to the hotel and got the stroller and headed back out to enjoy the beautiful day. A leisurely wall through the park... And we stopped at the little playground play equipment. The slides were very small...

I lifted Lael to the top and she slid down... And chuckled... Belted out laughter... She wanted to go down by herself after that... Our little daredevil;).

We walked back to the hotel.. And I had the craziest idea....room service!! We had not eaten a full meal for a couple of days... So we went back and fed Lael, bathed her, and no sooner had she fallen asleep than our food arrived.

Wow!! We thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of that meal!! The hamburgers were huge.. Maybe 3/4 pound or more!! And the potato wedges were fried to perfection and salted just right. Oh, but that was a very nice splurge that we hadn't given into before.

We finished packing most everything and fell into bed exhausted, excited to be going home, yet dreading the trip.

Praying for strength, stamina and smooth transitions.... Thank you for bringing us to this point!!

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