Duds for Denis

You know I've got way too much time on my hands when this is what I'm writing about. Two posts in a row about kids' clothes? I'm not denying that I have more important things to do. Like working on that lengthy To Do list of mine. Rest assured, I'm crossing things off as the days go by. Really I am. But it seems I got distracted today as I was about to wash the rest of Denis's duds (a legitimate item on my list). I found myself assembling a few outfits and snapping a few pictures and playing with all the fun options on Slide.com (none of which are on my list, if you want to be technical). But what's it hurt to play a little? Be less industrious? I'm on holiday!

So, what do you think? When it comes time to dress Denis for the first time, in which duds should he be decked out? I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see him bundled up in the Snowbound Blue snowsuit!

Little Things...Like Laundry

It's the little things - like seeing toddler clothes hanging on the line - that make it feel real. There's really going to be a little someone here soon. The pitter-patter of little feet will soon be heard in our hallway. These ridiculously cute clothes will soon be worn by our ridiculously cute little guy!

As we prepare for Denis's homecoming, I've been enjoying the little things. Making curtains, buying a baby bike seat, toddler-proofing the apartment, preparing his room, and yes, laundering his clothing. There's something so sweet, so soft, so something about little kids' clothes... What is it about them that makes a soon-to-be mom smile so?

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Merry Christmas, D! How we wish we could have been with you today. Christmas in K'grad would have been wonderful! As it is, we're sending you our Christmas wishes from Japan. One wish, really. The wish that we'll soon be together. We can't wait to start our adventures as a new family of three. What a gift that will be!

Eight Months

Today was my last day of work for the next eight months. It hasn't sunk in yet...but I know it will! After returning from our first trip to Kaliningrad, I requested to take an extended maternity leave beginning after our winter break. The school was kind enough to grant my request, and today was my last day of work for the next eight months. (Or have I mentioned that already?!) I'm grateful for all the time that I'll get to spend at home with Denis - helping him adjust to his new surroundings and family. Now, if only I could fast-forward the next eight weeks until we're home...

Trip Number Two

It's confirmed. Our court date is January 19. Trip Number Two is starting to take shape... We fly to Moscow on January 13 on Finnair Air China (with a tight connection in Helsinki Beijing that we really need to make). Jon and I will have our 8-doctor medical exams the following morning and then we'll fly to Kaliningrad later that evening. We get to visit Denis January 15-17, as three more visits are required before court. Court will be the morning of January 19. 

I mentioned in an earlier post that we were having some 'issues' with visas. Well, it was touch-and-go for a few days with the Russian Consulate in Osaka. We weren't sure if we were going to get our visas in time for a January 13 departure. Several things were working against us - Canadians needing 15 days to get a Russian visa, the Consulate closing for two weeks starting December 31, and the fact that our original letters of invitation from the MOE in Kaliningrad (which we were supposed to submit with our visa applications) were still en route via DHL when we visited the consulate. Luckily, it all turned out and our visas will be ready January 12. Nothing like cutting it close!

After court, there is a 10-day waiting period that we assume won't be waived for us. We'll be staying at a host house and will be visiting Denis at the orphanage every day excpet weekends. Our coordinator said there is a chance we might get custody of Denis toward the end of the 10-day wait, but that we shouldn't count on it. Jon plans to fly back to Kobe to put in a week of work, and will return to K'grad before the waiting period is over.

After the ten days are up (and the adoption is finalized!), we'll be visiting various governmental offices to get Denis his Russian passport, a new birth certificate, and our Certificate of Adoption. We'll then journey to Moscow for another 5-8 days to take care of the US and Japanese (and possibly Canadian) paperwork. We're hoping all goes well and that we can get Denis a visa to enter Japan without any problems (we're still working on this issue!). Moscow is currently ranked the most expensive city in the world, so the fewer days spent there shuffling paper, the better. Actually, I look forward to sight-seeing when we're not at this embassy or that office... But at that point in the trip, I will have been in Russia for 4+ weeks (Jon a little less), and I'm sure we'll all be ready for home.

As much as we would've loved to have had our court date on December 22, it means we would be flying to Russia today. I can't imagine being ready for this trip already (although, I'm sure I would have managed!). As it is, we have a three-week holiday break starting this Saturday, and I'm grateful for the time. It seems my To Do list has grown exponentially over the last couple of weeks! By the time January 13 rolls around, we'll be well rested and more than ready to go. 

'Tis the Season

It's starting to look and feel a lot like Christmas around here. The tree is up (much to the cats' delight), the Holiday Mix playlist is shuffling through song after song, and plenty of baking has been going on. I hosted a Cookies & Cocktails party the other night where thirty women each came bearing a batch of cookies and/or a bottle of cheer to help kick off the holidays. We enjoyed copious cups of mulled wine and eggnog and swapped cookies so that everyone got to leave with an assortment of goodies. It was a great time and I'm glad to know I can fit so many people in here! I hope to do it again next year, as it's becoming a bit of a tradition...and because it makes me get out the tree and get festive. I forgot to take pictures that night, but here's one I took today of my gingerbread cookies. (Notice the Candlewick, Mom? And Jon says I never use those dishes. Bah humbug!)

But my favorite sign of the holidays so far is in the form of a small package that arrived in the mail the other day. Denis's first Christmas present. We couldn't bring ourselves to open it just yet, so we're saving it for a special day. Thanks, Grandpa Tom! 

Little Issues

Now that all the paper work for Dossier Two is done, it's time to sit back and relax. Well, almost time to sit back and relax. If it weren't for that little tiny issue we've been pushing aside - that little tiny issue we haven't had time to focus on yet - we'd be sitting back relaxing. The issue? Getting Denis into Japan. Apparently, it isn't going to be easy. And it finally came time to deal with it this week. So, we're working on things, and we hope to have a solution figured out in the next week or two.

Once that issue is resolved, we may finally have some time to sit back and relax. More time than we'd like, unfortunately. We got an email today saying that our court date is tentatively set for January 19. We're hoping that tentatively means there's a slight chance that the December 22 date is still a possibility. Our letters of invitation from the Ministry of Education (which we also received today) are valid for 90 days, lasting from December 5 to March 4. We're hoping that Yuri had them put December 5 just in case! We aren't going to get our hopes up too high, however. For even if the earlier court date does come through, there's the other little issue we've been dealing with. The issue of getting Jon into Russia. It takes 3 weeks to process a Russian visa for Canadian passport holders. So unless Yuri can convince the Ministry of Education to convince the Russian Consulate in Osaka to expedite his visa, we won't be able to get there in time for a December 22 court date!

It's been exhausting thinking about it all and trying to come up with creative solutions for all these little issues. I think I've been under a bit of a cloud lately, waiting for a ray of sunshine to peek through and light the way! The truth of it is, it's not the end of the world having to wait until January. In most regions in Russia, there's a 3-4 month wait between trips, and sometimes even longer. So, I can't complain. I won't complain. I'll simply keep my eyes on the prize...