Monday, February 21, 2011

Little Boy - Take 2

Where do I start? What an AMAZING day. Day "1" in St. Petersburg (thankfully) went DRASTICALLY different than Day "1" in Vladivostok. Even though Day "1" in Vladivostok ended well - I am happy to say that everything about Day "1" St. Petersburg was fabulous. Perfect, even.

Rhonda and I both slept like ROCKS last night. I remember waking up around 5am and thinking, "I really hope I can go back to sleep". NO issues. She woke up around 6:30am and I woke up about 7:30am. We were told to be ready @ 11:00am, and yes, knowing me I thought "Really? That late? Let's get this show on the road". Thankfully we were ready early, because at 10:20am our phone rang and the front desk told us they were here for us.

Off we went to the Ministry of Education (aka "The Committee"). Completely different. No 6 flights of stairs to climb, and NO scary Tatiana. Instead, Nataylia met us with a smile, provided us with lots of information about the little man (including his birthday which is dangerously close to mine!!) and then sent us on our way. No scary questions. And no blue eyeshadow - an inside joke for those of you who have been through Vlad.

Next stop: Baby home #6 in the city of St. Petersburg. What? No hour plus drive out on scary country roads? Nope! Score! A short drive through the heart of the city. Baby home #6 is very cute outside with a great playground hidden under mounds and mounds of snow. We went inside and eventually proceeded up to the greeting room. We arrived around lunch time and I'll let you imagine the smells. If you can't imagine, you'll have to ask Rhonda for some specifics. She'll explain it much more colorfully than I ever could. I almost lost her at one point. I literally had to wave my hand sanitizer under her nose for a diversion. Disaster averted.

After the longest 5 minutes of the day, in walked "Baby Soup". Teetered/walked. Same difference. Actually for his age (not quite 18 months) he walks REALLY well. He is BEAUTIFUL, as gorgeous in person than in the pictures I got. No tears, but some shyness for the first 5 minutes. I brought out some toys, a small ball, a car and stacking cups. Score one for mama. The toys were a huge hit. Within 10 minutes we were laughing, giggling and having a great time. We spent over two hours with him.

I don't need two days - although thankfully, I've got them. I am ready to sign now. He's perfect, he's amazing and I am super lucky!

Most of you know the drill. I can't post any pictures of him, but I will leave you with a teaser. Of course. How could I not? I can't wait to show his adorable face to everyone, but for now, this will have to do.

We found a cute little "bar" (I think it's really a restaurant that serves alcohol, but they called it a bar) that had pretty good food, so after a walk around the neighborhood, we had some pizza and pasta.

24 comments:

Gloria said...

YEAH!!!!!!!!! So happy that this Day 1 was so great! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!!! Have fun and take lots of pictures of St. Petersburg. I hear it is beautiful!

Shelly and Steve said...

Oh Amy!!! I'm so happy for you!! It all sounds amazing and magical, just as it should be. It brings back such emotions for me. I actually loved trip #1, yes even the drive out to Artem and scary Tatiana (who I didn't think was so scary....she just wanted to know why we were so tan...lol) It was the in between trip 1 and 2 that went horribly wrong for us BUT it won't for you!! Love the hair, thanks for the teezer!! Soak it all in, congrats!

Jeanette said...

Yea!!!! Sounds like a great day! He is adorable from what we can see!!! Can't wait to see his little face! What is the time between trips like for St. Petersburg??? Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Yvonne said...

Amy!! OMG... I can't wait to kiss those cheeks!!!

Lynette said...

Prasie God! So happy for you!! Just starting my journey, and love to hear great news like this.

Anonymous said...

So happy for you and Tatiana, but mostly for little Soup. He's got a wonderful life ahead of him.

xoxo

Randy, Denise, Camden and Dasha Denson said...

He looks adorable, glad your second time around seems to be going perfect.

Becky and Keith said...

So, so excited for you! The teaser picture is SO cute! Makes me want to hop on a plane and head back to Russia! :-) Can't wait to hear about your next visit with Baby Soup.

Rich and Jolynn said...

We loved St. Petersburg and all its beauty. I can tell he is 100% precious!! Can hardly wait to hear more. Wish I was there with you and Praying all will go smoothly

Carolynn and Steve said...

Oh, YAY YAY YAY! SO glad to hear that all has gone so well! Prayers for a safe trip home and that you'll be back SOON to take him home with you!

Troy and Rachel said...

What wonderful news!! That teaser pic is amazing - we all know the front of him has to be beautiful now that we see the back of that precious head! So so happy for you!

Lindsay said...

How wonderful you had such a great meeting. Congratulations!

MtnGirl said...

He is a cutie! Congratulations!

Clarese said...

So exciting! I'm glad things are going so smoothly so far. I hope that they continue on this smooth road until you are home with your son!

Lakeshore Cottage Living said...

Would you just look at those sweet cheeks? Oh my goodness! He is precious. Thank you for the little picture...love it! So happy for you!!!

Hunter and Michael said...

So wonderful. I just love it when you know, know, u know?
Yay, congratulations!

Ok, by the way, you are making me laugh so much.
You mean baby home #3? Dr. Tatiana? I LOVE her. Oh and the 1.5 hours out where I stuck my other half in the front seat? hahaha.

findingourdaughter said...

I could gobble him up! Cannot wait until you get him home!!
Love, hugs and safe travels!

Wendi and Terry said...

So so happy to read this post!! He looks absolutely adorable and I can't wait to see more pics when it's official! Safe travels home!

Nancy said...

I'm so happy for you! Enjoy the rest of your trip and the time with your little guy!

Pam said...

He is beautiful!! So happy you had such an awesome first day!!

Scott said...

How exciting meeting your little boy for the first time. Congrats!

St. Petersburg is an awesome city. Hope you get to tour it a bit before you leave. Well worth the time.

Laura said...

Thank you so much for sharing a teaser photo and omg....he is simply beautiful from what we can see. I'm hanging on every word you write and living vicariously through you.

Enjoy every moment and take thousands of photos to get you through the wait... :)

~Laura

Our Russian Adopted Princess said...

Amy, we loved St. Petersburg. It truly is a beautiful place. Your little guy is so precious. Congrats on a great day with him. There are many wonderful restaurants in town to eat at, it interested let me know, and I will tell ya.

Unknown said...

I'm so happy for you, the tears are just coming and coming! I can't wait to read the rest of your posts and get all caught up with your new adventure. So happy for you!!!!