С Рождеством!

http://en.chinagate.com.cn/photos/2008-12/28/content_17020731.htm

Merry Christmas again! Today is Christmas in Russia (January 7th corresponds to December 25th on the Julian calendar). I wonder what D is doing today. Is the orphanage having a celebration? Did Father Frost and the Snow Maiden (pictured above in St. Petersburg) come for a visit? Or did they come on New Years? It seems I read somewhere that New Years is the bigger holiday. I'll have to read up on Christmas in Russia for next year. It'll be fun to try to incorporate some Russian traditions into our holiday celebrations from here on out. 

Don't you love the picture of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden arriving by helicopter? Who needs reindeer?!

A Room of One's Own

Or perhaps An Aviary of One's Own would be more fitting. Can you spot all the birds in this room?! The cardinal... the cock-of-the-rock... the puffin... the toucan... the red-footed booby? There are birds flying from the ceiling, perched above windows, nesting in baskets... Poor Denis has no chance of not becoming a bird-watcher! (Sorry to force my feathery friends on you so soon, D! But I suppose there are worse things a mother hen could do...) 

It's been fun putting together a room for me him. I love the bright colors, the good books, the fun toys... and the no-frills IKEA furniture! It's a pretty small room and there's a lot packed in there, but I think it's spacious enough for a little tyke. Of course, the cats think it's their room. Little do they know!

O-shogatsu

I'm neither proud nor embarrassed to admit that Jon and I were home by 8:50 last night (after an early dinner in Sannomiya - I think we found the only open restaurant in all of Kobe) and in bed by 11:50. We almost made it until midnight! In our defense, New Year's Eve in Japan isn't quite the same as New Year's Eve in other parts of the world. It's more of a quiet celebration - a reflection on the year that's passed. It's a time for visiting family and gathering at shrines - not for partying into the wee hours of the morning. Which is fine with me. I'm one of those people that has always thought New Year's Eve is a bit over-rated (gasp!). I do, however, love the idea of new beginnings. And 2009 promises to be exactly that...  

We did manage to ring in the new year this evening with some sparkling sake, wasabi covered almonds (purchases from our recent sake walk), and a couple hands of cribbage. Perfect!

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...

Was It Just A Dream?

Don't pinch me if it was...

We haven't been home a week yet, and already our trip to Kaliningrad feels like it was ages ago. Our visits with Denis feel like scenes from a really good dream - the kind of dream you don't want to wake up from, the kind that begs you to stay in bed just a little while longer with your eyes closed tight. I'm glad we have the photos and videos to prove we were really there! That sweet laughter brings it all back...

To battle our Denis withdrawal, we're focusing on the next - and hopefully final - round of paper work. Police checks, tax returns, marriage certificates, and more! It's a bit of a pain, but I think I'm grateful for the distraction. (Thanks for all the help, Mar, Tom, Monica, and Tim. We owe you!)

Still no word on our court date. It will either be December 22 or January 19. FTIA's rep in Kaliningrad, Yuri, is hoping to get us the earlier date. But it all depends on whether he receives the necessary documents from Moscow in time. These documents typically take 4-6 weeks after the first visit, so we'll be lucky if he receives them in time for a December 22 court date. If the stars align, we'll need to arrive by December 17 for an 8-doctor medical exam (!) and 3 more required visits with Denis before court. We won't hear from Yuri before December 10-15, so, we'll need to be packed and ready to go on a moment's notice. Ahh, the excitement!

Until Next Time...

We’ll be counting the days, Denis! 

It’s been a wonderful week. An experience of a lifetime, to say the least. We truly couldn’t have asked for things to go any better. 

Our last visit was a tough one. Denis didn’t want to go back to his caregiver – he reached back for us as we tried to hand him to her – and we had to force ourselves to make a quick exit. We know he’s in good hands (we’ve been incredibly impressed with the orphanage and the care the kids receive there), and that makes leaving a bit easier…I guess. We’re looking at either six or ten weeks until we return. Fingers crossed for six.

Thanks for all the comments this week. We loved reading them, especially during the wee hours of jet lag!

Opa!

My new favorite word. “Opa!” We had our best visit yet today. Denis was very talkative, giggly, and full of energy. It was great to hear him chattering away and to watch him get up and move around the playroom. He would carefully mimic the things we did and then try a few tricks of his own. His interactions with us seem to have a little more umph! to them each day.

We captured some great moments on video today - as well as a smear of Cheerio that was stuck to Denis’s face all afternoon. If you’ve glanced below, you’ve seen that this post is video-heavy. Have we already become those parents – the ones who make you flip through all their photo albums and watch all their home videos?! I’ll pretend we haven’t. There’s some pretty cute footage here - I think you’ll enjoy it. And none of the clips is much more than a minute long.

Tomorrow is our last visit with Denis until Dec-Jan, whenever our court date is. It’s going to be hard leaving here without him. Will he notice when we don’t show up on Saturday or Sunday? Will he forget us by Monday? I wonder how many times he's had to watch people come and go in his short life. I wonder what goes on in the mind of a 19-month old...

Day Three with Denis

We had another good visit with Denis today. He started off a little teary, but after we changed him out of his wet diaper his mood seemed to improve. Makes sense! Highlights of the day were playing with Lego-like blocks, eating more (and more!) Cheerios, and watching the world go by out the window. We only took a few pictures today. There's a medley of video clips below - about 2 minutes long. We tried to catch him saying “Arf! Arf!” at a dog out the window and his “Opa!” when he does something he thinks is great – but we seemed to miss it every time. We did manage to catch a few more giggles on tape, and I just love the clip of him shoving a handful of Cheerios into his mouth (oops!).

It doesn’t take much for Denis to become over-stimulated, and we’re quickly learning the signs. He gets this glassy look in his eyes and makes this licking/swallowing motion (hard to describe) with his mouth. He seems to recognize this in himself, too, because he’ll stop playing and turn away from his toys. Holding him and looking out the window seemed to calm him down today. As we stood there, watching the cars and people pass by below us, I could literally feel him catching his breath. Every now and then, he would take a slow, deep breath and let all the air out with the sweetest little sigh I’ve ever heard. After a few minutes of down time, he was happy to start playing again. He even got a little silly today – throwing a Lego and making us chase it. He thought that was the funniest thing ever! It’s been great to watch him grow more playful with us everyday.

Denis Dmitriy Schatzky

We're proud to (unofficially**) present Denis Dmitriy Schatzky!

Yuri picked us up just past 11:00 this morning, and told us he needed to know Our Little Guy’s name so that he could file our Petition to Adopt. “What? You need a name right now?” “No, not now. Later. When we get to the orphanage.” “So, like, in 20 minutes?” “Yes. Later. Da.”

Thankfully, we had to stop at the regional hospital on the way to the orphanage to pick up Our Little Guy’s health records. Phew – that would buy us a few more minutes! But alas, the woman we needed to meet wasn’t there, so Yuri decided it would be best to go to the orphanage and come back later for the records. Drat – that was going to cost us those few minutes! So, there we were, in the parking lot of the regional hospital…deciding on a name.

We learned yesterday at the MOE that his Russian name is Denis Dmitrievich. We both really liked the way that rolled off our tongues, and after letting it roll around our heads for a day, we decided Denis Dmitriy Schatzky felt right. We’ll pronounce Denis as Dennis; whereas in Russian Denis sounds like Denise. We’ve shortened Dmitrievich to Dmitriy since the patronymic system isn’t something we use. Not only do we like the way his name sounds, we like the fact that it’s a version of his birth name. It’s who he is, and it’s the one thing he’ll get to take with him when he leaves Kaliningrad. (Now, if his name had been Vladimir, I might be singing a different tune!)

**He’s not technically a Schatzky yet, nor is he our son yet, but we’re getting there.

Turn up the volume for today’s video! It’s a great one with all sorts of giggling – you’re going to love it! It was so good to see more smiles today and to hear that laughter. What a great laugh Denis has! Enjoy…

First Visit

Here are some photos – and a few video clips – of our first visit. Enjoy! (You may want to lower the volume of the videos – unless you want to listen to a bunch of rapid-fire Russian in the background).

Our first visit was a success! After a quick trip to the Ministry of Education where we received our referral, Yuri drove us to the orphanage. We weren’t allowed to enter the orphanage itself, but were taken to the director’s office in a neighboring building. There we met with Olga, the orphanage director. She read bits and pieces of information from a folder – information about Denis’s background, health, development, etc. Some of this information was new to us, and some of it we had already received in the referral letter. We were able to ask a few of our questions, via Yuri, and Olga patiently answered each of them. Amidst all the questioning-translating-answering-translating (and scribbling down notes so we wouldn’t forget a thing!), there suddenly appeared a young woman at the door holding the hand of a small boy – a boy dressed in a too-big blue winter coat with the sleeves rolled up and a warm-looking stocking cap.

Time stood still for the briefest of moments.

Then someone’s little lips started to quiver, as he looked nervously around the room – from Jon, to me, to Olga, to Yuri – and a look of panic was about to set in. With a nod from Olga, we took his hand, and got him out of his coat and hat. Jon put him on his lap, and I grabbed a toy from my backpack. The first picture I was able to take clearly shows how uncertain he was of the whole situation.

After a couple more minutes with Olga, the three of us went downstairs to another room so that we could spend some time together. He relaxed during this time as we played with more toys (the stacking cups and cars were his favorite) and introduced him to Cheerios. He loved the Cheerios! (Thanks, Kirsten!) I think we managed a couple of crooked little smiles, but they were hard to capture on film. He was wary of the camera, so we tried to limit the number of pictures we took.

He made a few babbling noises when he was really enjoying something – hiding the cars in the cups and throwing the ball back to Jon – but no real words as far as we could tell (but then again, our Russian is about as good as our Japanese…so who knows!). We loved watching him play – he was very methodical in the way he would organize the cups, hand us puzzle pieces, and open/close the flaps in a book.

After about an hour, he heard someone in the hallway – a voice he clearly recognized. He looked at both of us, got a pained look on his face, and tried to say something – “d-d-d-d-d-d”. He was so determined to go find this person (his caretaker?) that he put the toys down, grabbed my hand, stood up, and led me to the door. We went out, looked around, but we couldn’t see anyone. I know he felt quite desperate and sad at that moment, but I was happy – happy that he wanted to see someone so badly (perhaps he’s formed attachments?) and that he felt secure enough to take my hand and show me what he wanted. I’m new at this, but I think those are good signs!

At this point, it was about lunchtime, so we had to say goodbye for the day. Yuri took him back to the main building, and we were soon heading back to our hotel. We’re already counting the hours until our visit tomorrow…

Today's the Day

It’s a little after 4:00AM, and I’m wide-awake, antsy with anticipation for today’s events. Yuri is picking us up at 9:40 this morning. We have a 10:30 appointment at the Ministry of Education, where we will officially receive our referral. The MOE will tell us which orphanage Denis is in (although Yuri already told us that he’s here in the city and not out of town) and grant us permission to go visit him. And then…we will go visit him.

We Made It!

Hello from Moscow! We've made it this far! It's 4:45AM and we're about to catch a shuttle back to the airport for our flight to Kaliningrad. Everything has gone extremely well - all our trains, planes, and automobiles have been on time. Getting through the passport control last night was an event - definitely a cultural experience! More on that later...more on everything later.

Later...

Here are a couple shots from our flight. We were in a state of ‘perpetual dusk’ as we flew to Moscow, heading west over six time zones. We seemed to be looking down on Siberia for most of the flight. The vastness and starkness were truly impressive – a sea of snow-covered steppes and snake-like rivers that stretched on and on and on... Every now and then we would spot a lonely light shining in the middle of nowhere and wonder what on earth was down there, so cut off from everything else. From the warm interior of the plane, it was easy to wish that we could touch down for just a moment to experience the cold night below. Then a quick shiver would bring me back to my senses, as I thought of all those men I’d deployed to Irkutsk and Yakutsk in my many games of RISK!

Our flight to Kaliningrad went smoothly. We landed at 8:30AM – right on time – in a cold November rain. Yuri, FTIA’s rep, met us at the airport and drove us to our hotel. He got us settled, showed us the central areas of town, and said he’d be back to pick us up in the morning. We both liked Yuri instantly. He seems to have a great personality, he’s a nice slow driver, and he said our baby was cute!

Walking around town brought back a flood of memories for both Jon and me. The sights and sounds and smells are so familiar to us. The dark clothing, the fried garlic bread, the beautiful architecture... It feels good to be back in the Baltics.

Round Two

Anyone up for another game? I hope so because I've recently discovered I have an addiction. I'm addicted to the blog world! I love reading your responses. Getting a new comment is almost as good as receiving a real letter in the mail. Almost. So go on, give me the fix I need! 

Questions for this round are:

1. What name (first & middle) will we decide on for our little guy? 

2. Who'll be the bigger crier on our first trip - Jon or Celia?!

3. When will our day in court be?

4. Will our 10-day waiting period be waived?

Points to consider: 

(1) It's a boy, in case you've missed that bit of news! His Russian name is Denis. We plan to keep Denis as either his first or middle name. Other names we've been tossing around - some more seriously than others - are: Finnegan, Benjamin, Oliver, Nikolai, Nicholas, William, Simon, Owen. And then there's the name we've been calling him all along - Boris.  Will it stick? At this point, your guess is as good as ours. It could be any one of those names or something completely different - something that just feels right after meeting him. Or it could be the great name you predict! We really haven't decided yet. Good thing it's a long flight! 

(2) I'm a sap. Jon, not so much. However, he does have his moments, and this could certainly be one of them. 

(3) Kaliningrad is known for assigning court dates that are six weeks after the first trip. However, the holidays could interfere with our day in court. Six weeks after our first trip will be the week of our Christmas; the following week is New Years; and the week after that is Christmas in Russia (Jan 7). Will they squeeze us in before the holidays? Or make us wait until mid-January? Of course, we'll be hoping and pushing for the week of our Christmas...and I'm sure you can imagine just how much sway we'll have with a Russian judge!

(4) In Russia, there's generally a 10-day waiting period after a court ruling. Some judges in certain regions waive this waiting period when it comes to adoptions. However, the trend in Kaliningrad at the moment is not to waive this waiting period. What does this mean for us? After our court date, we might have to wait 10 business days until we can apply for our child's US visa and travel back to Japan with him, making our second trip almost three weeks long.   

Yes, there will be another door prize. Yes, it will most likely be a little trinket from a market in Russia! Oooh...maybe a piece of amber with a bug trapped inside it. Who will be so lucky? 

Kaliningrad Bound

We're packed and ready to go! Amazingly enough, we've managed to fit everything we need - including toys, books, and snacks for the little guy  - into just our carry-on luggage. No checked bags for us!

Our trip officially begins tomorrow. We fly to Tokyo tomorrow evening and will overnight there. Our flight from Tokyo leaves around mid-day on Saturday and puts us into Moscow around 5:30PM local time. Another overnight. We fly to Kaliningrad early Sunday morning, and FTIA's rep Yuri will pick us up from the airport. After that, we have no idea what the order of events is. I don't imagine we'll go to the orphanage until Monday morning. Perhaps we'll get to explore a bit of K'grad on Sunday afternoon. 

We hope to get online every night - or as often as possible - to post pictures/news of the day's events. We've been given the go ahead to post photos of Our Little Guy once we're in the region. So, check back often.

It's hard to believe we're finally at this stage in the process. We're going to Russia! We're adopting that little boy! That sweet little boy whose smile is going to melt my heart. That sweet little boy who's waited a long time for a Mama and Papa. 

Obama Wins!

Finally, a president to be proud of! Like most Americans, I was glued to the news all day today as the results came in from the voting polls. I cheered each time a state turned blue and another electoral vote went his way. This is the first time I've ever felt passionate about an election, and I couldn't be happier with this history-making Obama win! What an inspiration he is! It's amazing what he's already done for the morale of the country - and he hasn't even made it to the Oval Office yet. He certainly has his work cut out for him with our economy, health care system, and world relations in the shape they're in...and I look forward to watching him lead us to better days.

Here's a re-cap of the results as they came in:

All graphics from CNN.com

A Horse With No Name

Look at the beauty we inherited this week! A colleague of ours generously passed on this rocking horse that her kids have outgrown. Isn't he lovely? He's the best looking rocking horse I think I've ever seen! As I was running my hands along his svelte frame, my eyes were drawn to a small sticker near the bottom. A sticker that someone had almost succeeded in removing. I'm glad it was one of those stubborn stickers that threatens to leave a sticky papery mess and eventually forces its assailant to give up the fight. Otherwise, we'd have never known...

This horse hails from Latvia! (Is anyone else picking up on a Baltic theme in our family...?)

Anyway, I've named him Seabiscuit. Yep, I did. I realize that's not a very Baltic or Trojan sounding name, but that was my dad's nickname for me when I was a young girl. Seabiscuit was a famous racehorse back in the 30's when my dad was a young boy. It wasn't until the book Seabiscuit came out that I learned of the inspiration behind my nickname. (I always thought my dad was calling me C-Biscuit, as in Celia-Biscuit...??). My dad gave me a copy of the book that year for Christmas, and to this day, it's my all-time favorite Christmas present. It makes me teary every time I read it. My dad's note, that is. Not the book. Although, that made me teary, too, if I remember correctly. 

Have I come full circle here? Or am I still off on a tangent or two? I can't seem to remember where I was going with this... Maybe I should close by pointing out how ironic it is that it took me no time at all to come up with a name for our new rocking horse from Latvia - a rather meaningful name at that - while we keep referring to our little guy in Kaliningrad as Our Little Guy. (I won't, however, point out how strange it is that I'm naming inanimate objects!) It'll come, our inspiration for a name. It might not take the form of a famous race horse, but it will come.

Fall Break

It's been a gorgeous week. The leaves are changing, the air's been crisp, and we've been on fall break. We spent most of the week fighting colds and making travel arrangements, but we did manage a few outings into this lovely fall weather. Of note were our trips to Sorakuen Garden and Himeji Castle, pictured in the photos above.

This is my favorite time of year, by far. Stockpots and soup mugs take center stage in the kitchen. Vino tinto flows freely and frequently. Sweaters and blankets tumble from the closet. Favorite outfits - ensembles of well-worn corduroys, fuzzy fleeces, and knitted scarves - are donned daily. And the feathery weight of a down comforter tucks us in at night. Tell me, is there a better season than fall?  

And the Winner Is...

...Danielle! She had the best overall predictions in three out of four categories. I know you've all been dying to hear who won! ;)

Danielle's picks were:

• Referral Date  -  October 21    
• Sex of Referral  -  Boy
• Age of Referral  -  11 months
• Travel Date  -  November 11

Actual results are:

• Referral Date  -  October 24
• Sex of Referral  -  Boy
• Age of Referral  -  18 months
• Travel Date  -  November 9

Congrats, Danielle! Your door prize will be coming from a market in Russia - watch the mail! 

Travel Dates

Our dates have been confirmed. We'll be in Kaliningrad from November 9-15. We booked our flights yesterday and applied for our Russian visas at the Russian Consulate in Osaka. 

While in Kaliningrad, we'll be signing papers at the Ministry of Education, talking with the orphanage director/doctor, and best of all...meeting our little guy. I can't quite wrap my head around meeting him for the first time. What will that be like? Will he be completely frightened by us - two strangers speaking a funny language? Or will he be curious about us? Will it take him long to warm up to us? Will the caretakers have 'prepped' him in terms of who we are? 

And that's as far as I can get without my head spinning! Poco a poco. We'll be there soon. But not soon enough.

A Glowing Report

We just got off the phone with the international adoption doctor who had nothing but good news for us. She saw no red flags and told us that we couldn't have asked for a better - or more handsome - referral! We couldn't agree more.  Hopefully, we can post some pictures soon...

She was also very pleased with the number of photos and amount of detailed information that we received regarding his health and physical development. (We received the additional photos and complete medical history the following day.) It's clear that the orphanage is doing an excellent job of taking care of him and recording his progress. And I believe it was FTIA's representative in K'grad that went to the orphanage and took the additional photos for us. It's amazing to me the number of people who are working to make this - and every other - international adoption happen. We have many people to thank for all the work they've done and will continue to do. 

We are tentatively scheduled to travel to Kaliningrad November 9-15. These dates should be confirmed within the next day or two. 

Yippee!!

Referral Received!

He's beautiful! Blond hair, blue eyes, and such a sweet little face. He's 18 months old, and appears to be healthy. We received one photo and a minimal amount of information this morning, and are hoping we can find out a bit more tomorrow once we talk to our coordinator in the States. Of course, we'll then need to consult with the IA doctor to get a medical opinion.

Fingers crossed for good news! 

Sneak Preview

No, we didn't get our referral today, but we got a sneak preview. 

We received an email this morning saying that the MOE in K'grad needed yet another document. The child they plan to refer to us turned 18 months about ten days ago, and since this is slightly beyond our requested age range (which is 8-18 months) they wanted a signed letter from us saying that this was ok. (We've heard that K'grad likes to be precise!) We quickly typed up the requested letter and shot it back to our coordinator in the US. She's forwarding it to the MOE, and thinks we'll hear something by the end of the month. End of the month? We're still hoping for this week.

18 months. That means walking. That might mean talking. Oh, this is going to be fun!  Think of all the books we can read, the puzzles we can solve, the towers we can build out of blocks...!

Time on the Terrace

It's a beautiful Sunday morning here. The cats and the herbs are soaking up the sun, and I'm sipping a frothy latte, my end-of-week treat, as I consider my options for the rest of the day. A bike ride? A walk around the green belt? Maybe - just maybe - I could convince Jon to go on a picnic. The joys of the weekend are many - from lattes to lazy mornings to late-night movies - but my favorite is spending time on the terrace. It's here that I know the weekend has begun. Time slows to a most-welcome crawl out here, and finally, I find time to do all the things that get pushed aside during the work week. Flipping through cookbooks... Repotting plants... Enjoying a slow cup o' joe... And, somehow, everything seems better on the terrace - my coffee tastes creamier, the croissants feel flakier, and the weekend wishes it could go on forever.

I'll still have time for the terrace after the little guy comes home, right? Right?! 

Like the New Look?

Or was the old blue and gray blog easier on the eyes?  Is this too much green? Too many bookshelves? (The librarian in me couldn't resist!) What do you think?

Yes, this is yet another desperate attempt at distraction... Can you hear my thumbs twiddling from there?!

Next week?

We received an email from our coordinator this morning saying that she expects to receive our referral information from the MOE in Kaliningrad sometime next week. Once that information (photos and health records) arrives, we'll send it off to an international adoption doctor who will review it for us. That'll take a few days, I assume. If we accept the referral after receiving the doctor's medical opinion, then the MOE in K'grad will send us our travel dates. 

Here's hoping for good news next week! Jana, Danielle, and Melanie...the odds are in your favor!