Out and About

Today started very early with a doctor coming to the apartment at 6:45am for Reagan’s medical exam. It was quick and easy, and he said Reagan is about the 25th percentile for both height and weight. He gave us the necessary papers for our appointment at the American Embassy tomorrow.

At 9am, Olga picked us up to go get Reagan’s picture made for her visa. Afterwards, she dropped us off on Old Arbat street for some sightseeing and shopping. We found several souvenirs and were excited to see a Starbucks. We had to stop in for our “fix” – a little slice of heaven. Reagan was very excited about sharing Daddy’s blueberry muffin. It was just what we needed before our walk back.

It’s sweet to see the relationship between Parker and Reagan continue to develop. Parker is very sweet and loving to her. He is strong enough to pick her up to help her up and down off the couch. She now will go to him when he puts his arms out for her. Yesterday he said, “That was the first time I kissed her on the forehead – I’ve only been kissing her on top of the head.” Cute – it’s the little things.

Moscow

It has been an eventful couple of days. Yesterday was the low point of the trip, but things have improved today. We took our first train ride (if you don’t count the 20 minutes we rode Thomas the Train in Austin a few years ago). We were a bit concerned when we saw our apartment here in Moscow. The building itself is pretty scary, but the apartment has been renovated. It was pretty overwhelming to be dropped off last night by a driver who didn’t speak English, see the run down building, not have the groceries we pre-ordered and pre-paid for arrive, and not even know where a grocery store was with two hungry kids. We were really questioning our decision to stay in an apartment and were dreaming of the Marriott Grand. Oh how we longed to just call the front desk for assistance! In addition, Reagan was a bit overwhelmed by the new experiences and the train so her reaction was quite upsetting as well.

This morning, we weighed the pros and cons of moving to a hotel and decided to stick it out where we are. Reagan bounced back after a good night’s sleep and seemed much more herself today. It didn’t take long this morning before she was running around, exploring her new surroundings, and playing again. It is a holiday here so we had no appointments today. There was sunshine today and almost 30 degrees (a heat wave compared to some of the temps in St. Petersburg) so we all bundled up to take a short walk. It was so nice to get out of the apartment. Reagan did really great – she was wide-eyed trying to take everything in. Parker loved jumping in the slush and trying to play soccer with blocks of ice and snow.

There is a TGI Fridays not even a block from our apartment so we stopped there on the way back for dinner. Reagan did great in her first experience in a restaurant where you order and wait (the one restaurant we went to in St. Pete was a buffet so it was instant gratification). She was charming the surrounding tables with her games of peekaboo, giving high fives, and having fun. What a cutie!

At dinner, we were talking about the age Parker did different things and all that we took for granted compared to Reagan’s experiences. Parker first went to a restaurant at 6 weeks; Reagan was 21 months. Parker learned to drink through a straw at 4 months, Reagan was 21 months. The list went on and on. It made us pause yet again and be so thankful for the daughter God has blessed us with. We will do our absolute best to give her a full and happy life filled with all kinds of experiences.

Reagan was in bed early tonight – she has her medical exam at 6:45am tomorrow. Yes, that says AM! I can’t imagine a doctor who does house calls, especially at that time of the morning, but that’s the plan. Afterwards, Olga (the Moscow coordinator) is picking us up to get Reagan’s visa pictures taken.

We found out today that since it is a holiday and all of our plans shifted back a day, that we could actually leave on Friday instead of Saturday. We will have to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when get back instead of doing it here as planned. We can’t move it to early next week because our visas expire on Monday. We were really excited about the news but were disappointed to learn that the change would cost us almost $2500 with the change fees and the fare difference. As much as we long to get home, we can’t bring ourselves to pay that much for just 24 hours difference.

We’re hoping that since we have a free day on Friday that maybe we can make it to St. Basil’s cathedral. I can’t imagine being in Moscow and not seeing it and the Kremlin.

Picture 1: On the train, getting ready to leave
Picture 2: Woohoo! TGI Fridays!
Picture 3: Learning how to High Five

All You Need Is Love

Igor came by tonight to give us our final paperwork to take to Moscow and our train tickets for tomorrow. He was amazed at how much Reagan has changed already. He said it reminded him of the Beatles song "All You Need Is Love," and I have to agree.

We had more family time today. It snowed steadily all day (several inches) so Reagan and I stayed in all day. The Russians are very particular about not taking young children out in the cold (even requiring them to wear hats and sweaters outside even in the summer). I didn't want to rock the boat so we stayed in again. We received many stares and whispers when we went out to lunch a few days ago. Parker and Doug played in the snow again this afternoon, and Reagan and I watched from our favorite window sill. I think she may be a scientist some day with the way she was experimenting with sound. She would knock on the window pane, knock on the window sill, knock on the wall, and then repeat. She would try it up high and then down low to see if that made a difference in the sound. Then she wanted to try them all with her feet - all part of learning about her new world!

Tomorrow we are taking the train to Moscow. I'm dreading dealing with all the luggage again, but at least it puts us one step closer to home! We're taking a new train that is supposed to be really fast (4 hours instead of the original 8 hour overnight train). At least our apartment in Moscow has an elevator. When we're there, we will have some type of appointment each day so we're hoping it may make the time go faster. This trip has been long, but it is providing wonderful bonding time for our new family. I'm hoping it will be at least in the 20's in Moscow - who would have thought that would sound warm after experiencing minus 8?

Just Hanging Out

We have Reagan’s passport! It looks like we will be on the train to Moscow on Monday. I’m not looking forward to dragging this luggage through the train station, but I’m thrilled that we will be one step closer to getting to go home!

There’s not much to report today. It is freezing here (minus 8 with a wind chill of minus 28) so the kids and I have not left the apartment. Doug had to go out early this morning to get Reagan’s passport and get a few things at the grocery store.

Reagan is still running everywhere and testing the limits. She does seem to understand “no no” now and occasionally responds to it. She seems to be trying to say “thank you” and loves to babble and just hear herself make noise. She can be a stinker, but at least she’s an adorable one!

As promised, we have girly pictures complete with cute outfit and bow!

Getting To Know You

The song keeps running through my mind…”Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…” To say that Reagan has come out of her shell would be an understatement! How could the sad little girl we first met have turned so quickly into this toddler that just won’t stop? Here are some of the things we’ve learned about her so far…

1. Those beginning snuggles were just temporary – she can hardly sit still long enough for them any more!
2. She is naturally happy and wears a smile most of the time.
3. She is actually very vocal, especially when Parker has one of her toys (although she sees nothing wrong with trying to destroy his superheroes!).
4. She sucks her left thumb when she is tired.
5. She now understands pictures and poses for the camera.
6. She absolutely hates to have her hair washed.
7. She fills our hearts with joy and our bodies with exhaustion!

We actually ventured out today. It is still VERY cold, but we were a bit stir crazy so we bundled up and walked a few doors down the block to have lunch. This was her very first time in a restaurant, and she did great. She ate the food I brought for her and then happily stole off our plates, especially bread from Parker.

Our apartment is part of a square complex with a courtyard in the middle. After much begging, Doug took Parker out to play in the snow while Reagan and I watched from the window. The snow was so deep that Parker mostly had to crawl through it - he could hardly walk! They didn’t stay out a long time but Parker had a blast throwing snowballs.

Several people have asked me why the short sleeves in pictures. There is no thermostat in the apartment that we can control, and it is HOT in here! We wish we would have brought several short-sleeved shirts so we wouldn’t have to wash every day. Others have mentioned that they can’t believe that (knowing me) that Reagan doesn’t have a huge bow in her hair in every picture. I’ll try to sit her still long enough tomorrow for that, but right now, she’s happy just to run and explore.

We are hoping and praying that her passport will be ready tomorrow. Doug and Igor are heading out early for the passport office to check. Turns out that Monday and Tuesday are holidays here so if it is not ready tomorrow, we have to stay here until Wednesday!

Picture 1: Reagan watching out the window while Parker and Daddy play in the snow.
Picture 2: Reagan running full speed ahead!

Music To Our Ears

When we first visited Reagan in the orphanage back in October, it wasn’t until the fifth day that she made any sound at all. We finally got one tiny laugh from her, and then it appeared that the sound scared her while she looked around as if she were going to be in trouble. On trip 2, the only noise we heard from her was some crying. Now that she has been with us for 24 hours, the sound of her laughter is music to our ears. She is already responding to her new name, she is laughing, and she is giving lots of love and hugs. She seems like a different child already. When I think of the change in her, I can’t help but cry. It’s amazing what love and attention can do for children!

We are so pleased by how well she has adjusted. She is eating and sleeping well. We expected a sleepless night on her first night, but instead, she slept 12 hours straight! She must be having pity on her “old” parents! :)

Parker is doing great with her. He plays with her and tries all kinds of antics to make her laugh. As we expected, he is a bit jealous, but he is handling it well. Last night, while I was talking on Skype to my sister, he told Doug that he was “all kinds of jealous.” We’re giving him lots of hugs and kisses and reassure him often that just because we have Reagan that we do not love him any less.

It is only 7 degrees (Fahrenheit) here today so we haven’t left the apartment. I didn’t like the idea originally of staying in country so long, but it’s wonderful bonding time without the pull of all the distractions at home. We’ve learned to manage well with very limited supplies and are thankful for the suitcase of food that we brought. Hauling water up three flights of stairs (no elevator!) is not that fun either. Maybe we’ll come back slimmer as an extra bonus of our stay here!

Ours Forever

It seemed like this day would never come, but we are finally a family of four! Reagan came to live with us forever this afternoon. I can’t stop hugging and kissing her! She is doing great so far. We’ve made it through her first car ride, her first meal with us, her first bath with us, and she has already “branded” me with a leaky diaper! It feels surreal – almost as if we are playing house. I know that sounds strange; I had a similar feeling after Parker was born. After wanting something for so long, it’s amazing to actually experience it.

We are staying in an apartment this time so it’s nice to have a large space to hang out since we will be in St. Petersburg for several days waiting for her passport. We are really glad to have Parker along this time. I can’t imagine leaving him for 2 weeks, and he is loving his new sister!

Our adoption agency included the following poem in a recent newsletter, and I loved it, so I’m including it here. It is by Jill Work.

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER.
We adopted her,
but we will NOT be
referring to her as
"our adopted daughter."
She is simply "our daughter".

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER--
and the niece of her aunts and uncles,
the granddaughter of her grandparents,
the cousin of her cousins.

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER.
There is no "return policy"
on an adopted child.
The whole idea of adopting
is a lot like marriage.
You make a lifetime
commitment to a person
with no biological
relationship to you.
You promise to "love and cherish"
for "richer, for poorer,
for better, for worse,
in sickness and in health-
as long as we both shall live."

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER,
and we ARE her real parents.
She has birth parents
(sometimes called
biological parents),
but we are her Mom and Dad,
and always will be.

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER,
and we love her.
We hope that you will too!