All Quiet on the Pre Court Front

I feel like I should have something to say... but I am not sure I do. Ha! There's one for the record books.

Court is this week -- it will be a quick trip in and out, with hopefully no surprises. I am cautiously optimistic. I am trying to think positive! I am trying NOT to freak out and trying NOT to worry about anything. I am trying not to worry about any threatened work stoppages in the government that would close places like Embassy's. I am trying not to think about the Dateline special that was on tonight featuring the story of a Russian adoptee from Moscow. (I

snuck a few peeks at it, but I think it would be best if I watched LATER) I am trying NOT to think about the fact that my friend Tamara warned me that CDG Airport always looses luggage.

Am I ready? You bet! My court speech is written, has been for some time, and has been studied. I'll study more on the plane and in the hotel. I have been prepped - and thankfully, I have been through it once before, so it's not nearly as daunting feeling as it was two years ago.

Loose ends are almost 100% tied up at work. I am missing a big work week in Chicago this week with my team. Each one of the 3 trips I'll be making this time coordinates with a big work meeting or event. I swear I didn't plan it that way! I'll miss hanging out with my counterparts, but really am not too sad to have to miss the rest of it!

Mister Soup's room is almost done! Dressers arrive this week, and clothes are now neatly stowed in drawers instead of stacked in a tub and a box. Just waiting on some art for the walls... and that will be done soon enough. I can't wait to see his little face again this week. While it will be hard to turn around and leave again, this time it will be great to know that I'll be back

SUPER fast!

Lastly, congrats to the Overstreet's, a super cool family of now 6, that I had the benefit of "getting to know" during my first adoption. Their son, Blake, is from the same baby home in Artem (Vladivostok) that Tatiana lived in. They came home with Blake about a month after T and I came home. Oddly enough, we both started adoption #2 around the same time and our timings have been close this whole time. They returned to Vladivostok last month for court for their son and just finished the infamous 10 day wait. Congrats Overstreet Family of 6!!

All the Lonely People

A confession: I love music; a lot. Second confession: Apparently, I have passed this love on to my daughter. We have an iPod docking station in the kitchen (seriously, one of the best inventions ever... the iPod, not the docking station - although, very handy together!) and when we are eating, we often are listening to some tunes. In fact, if I neglect this step, I am promptly asked, "mama, can I have some songs, please?". She even has her own playlist on my iPod.

Our musical choices are varied. We range from Gummibear to Justin Bieber (she loves "Baby", what can I say?) to the Beatles. A few months ago, during one of my frequent Beatles moods, I got Tatiana hooked on the music from the Cirque de Soleil show "LOVE". She's a big "I am the Walrus" fan, can you blame her?

One of my favorite songs, "Eleanor Rigby" comes on before the Walrus -- so we sing about Eleanor a lot. If you're familiar with the song (and if you aren't, we need to talk) you know the line, "... all the lonely people, where do they all come from?". Tatiana looked at me tonight during this part of the song, and says, "who are the lonely people, mama?". So we started talking about why someone could be lonely, if they were missing someone, if they were alone, or if they were sad among other reasons. Then I told her that before she came home, I was lonely and missing her.

Then my beautiful and smart girl says to me... "we're not lonely anymore, mama, because now we're together". Cue the tears. Happy-sad tears. She's right. Before her, I was lonely. And she was all alone. Now, thankfully we're together. And soon we'll be 3.

Yes Virginia! We’ve Got a Court Date!

Ok, so that title may have been a bit of a stretch, however… it feels like Christmas in March!  For those of you I am not connected to on Facebook, this news is a day old.  Regardless… WE’VE GOT A COURT DATE!  (And by we, I really mean me…)

I am super excited.  I’d likely be more excited, but this crud I’ve caught (oh yeah, I am sick!) is really being a pain!  I guess better now than in two weeks… since that’s when I’ll be leaving!  Yup!  It’s fast.

Here’s the itinerary so far…

4/11 – Leave DTW

4/12 – Arrive St. Petersburg (via Paris)

4/13 – Visit with Baby Soup

4/14 – COURT

4/15 – Home!

I’ll go BACK again (yes, one last time) 10 days later to pick him up!  Then, this hand will be home for good!

 

(And I’ll be able to show you the rest of him!  WOOT!)

“Half-sies”

Yesterday, in a baby home in a cold city in Russia, this little man turned 18 months!  He probably had no big celebration.  No kisses and hugs from a special mama.  There was probably no cupcake purchased at the store to mark his 1/2 birthday.  No tummy tickles or zerberts to mark the passing of time. 

Does this make me sad?  Nope.  I can’t let it.  To him, it was another day.  And there will be plenty of birthdays/occasions to be shared when he gets home.  Does it make me anxious?  You bet! 

So today marks 4 weeks from leaving him.  I have been BUSY.  The office has moved; the crib is up; dressers have been purchased (waiting on delivery); Artist Tina is hard at work on some art work; clothes have been bought… but still, I am anxious to get back.  His wait will (HOPEFULLY) be nothing like Tatiana’s wait… but, still, I. AM. ANXIOUS.

The estimate was 6 weeks; 4 on the low side 8 on the high side.  My paperwork has been in for weeks.  Let’s get this show on the road!!   Either way, 1/2’s are good – and if it’s the high side, then I am 1/2 way there!  Too bad I can’t play a “1/2” in the lotto, I am sensing a theme!

Time Keeps on Ticking… (Ticking, Ticking) Into the Future

Two years?!   On Sunday, we celebrated our “Tatiana Day”.  Two years ago, on Friday, March 20th, Tatiana walked out of the Artem baby home for good!  She may have technically been carried, but you get the picture. 

I think back to what she was like.  In ways, it’s hard for ME to see her change.  I see her everyday.  But looking back at pictures, it’s AMAZING. 

Two years ago she was a scared, small, pale girl with a bad haircut who wasn’t talking much.  Even then, though, she picked up on things quickly.  Within a day she was saying “bye bye” and “night night”.  She was a fast learner then and now. 

I didn’t pack a “dress” outfit to take her out of the baby home with.  I had two dresses with me, one was her denim jumper with red/white and blue stars on it to celebrate becoming a US citizen and one was a blue sailor dress that my friend Yvonne gave to me the morning I left.  I *thought* she would have grown a bit between trip 1 when I left her (end of October) and my return for court (early March).  Nope.  So, the size 2 that Yvonne kindly gave me was way to big.  Oddly enough, the mom across the hall asks me a couple days before I am getting ready to spring Miss T from the baby home if I wanted a beautiful dress she bought for her daughter but didn’t fit.  I wanted to say no.  It was a gorgeous dress – that obviously was VERY expensive.  But as most adoptive families are, she was so kind and giving – and insisted… so I took the dress for Tatiana to wear home from the baby home.  It was perfect.  It was a size 18 month and a little big but it worked. 

And a trend was started.

 

Last year we put on the same dress to see the difference.  This year, we did the same.  It’s a bit “mini” dress now, but miss skinny waist can still wear it well.  (Dresses are a lot easier in that regard than pants!)  I have debated having it “altered” in the future, to wear one year as a skirt… but not sure I want it to be torn up.

Other than the dress, she’s changed in so many ways.  The quiet, scared girl is now a confident, VERY talkative motor mouth.  She’s still as smart as a whip and catches on to things very quickly.  And… she’s got great hair! 

She does have some lingering “baby home” issues… she’s easily startled by loud noises (ask her about the loud car she heard at Gramma’s house; or a siren parade) and still can get over whelmed in a group setting.  Thankfully, with her late birthday, we have an extra year of preschool (Young 5’s next year) before Kindergarten.

This year’s Tatiana Day, also brought the completion of my office move to the basement to make way for Baby Soup’s bedroom.  While it would have been nice to celebrate all day long, we did lot of celebrating on Saturday too!  The good news is the office is moved (man!  my basement is COLD!!) and the room is progressing nicely.   Now… bring on the court date!! 

Can It Really Be Two Years Ago?

Two years ago yesterday, the picture above was taken. The next morning in a small Vladivostok court room, a judge named me the mother of one little spitfire of a girl. The last two years have been AMAZING. Sure, we've had some bad days along with the good but she is hands down the best thing that ever happened to this mama!!

The picture was taken and used for her passport picture. I look back and she has changed SO much. And not just in looks. The quiet scared girl from the duck room in the Artem baby home is now a talkative, smart, silly 4 ("and a third") year old sweetheart. Give her two minutes and she'll have you wrapped around her finger.

Now, two years later, we wait for a court date for T's little brother. Hopefully another 4 weeks or so... keep us in your thoughts.

Home on the Range…

It’s good to be home again!  Rhonda and I touched down in Detroit on Thursday late afternoon.  Since you can’t turn on cell phones until AFTER completely clearing customs, I couldn’t call my mom to tell her we had landed and I had no idea what her arrival time was.  As Rhonda and I exited the “secure” area of customs into the greeting/arrival area, I heard my mom telling Tatiana “over here, Tatiana, here’s the bathroom”.  And then she saw me – and I got the BIGGEST hug!  Man, did I miss that girl!  Perfect timing! 

I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked “don’t you wish you could have brought him home on this trip?” in the last couple days.  Well, not to be rude, but DUH!  Of course I wish that!  However, I can honestly say, when you know going in what the program is, it’s easier to accept going home and waiting.  Waiting is NEVER easy, but it seems to be more understandable when that is the plan from the get go. 

So now we wait. 

Thankfully, the wait this time around SHOULD not be nearly as long and painful as two years ago.  (I am knocking on every piece of wood in my eye sight right now!!)  The average turn around time for court is 6 weeks in St. Petersburg.  Compared to Vladivostok, where the average is 3 months (with some families waiting as long as 6 months or more!) – this will be a walk in the park.  Plus this time I have nothing done.  And I have a Tatiana to help keep me busy and preoccupied. 

Speaking of Tatiana, she’s SUPER excited to be a big sister.  She saw pictures of Baby Soup and proclaimed her love already.  She’s been picking out movies for him to watch.  I realize that approximately two days after his arrival she’ll be ready for him to leave again, but for now we’ll settle for excited! 

I made good progress on the pre-move office clean up today.  I don’t think my office has been this clean since I moved here.   I may try to talk Gramma Darlin into heading down to Art Van (furniture store, for those of you non-Michiganders) tomorrow to check out some dresser options.   Even though I feel like I have lots of time – 6 weeks will fly by before I know it. 

Another teaser for the day – sorry that’s all you get for now!