Jamie Oliver: He's What's For Dinner Tonight

Well, not really. But some of his recipes are. We all know about Jamie Oliver, right? The guy who's been leading a food revolution in the UK for the last few years? For some reason I've never purchased one of his cookbooks and I'm not sure why, seeing as I love what he's all about. But today, I'm the proud new owner of one of his recent books, Jamie's 30-Minute Meals. I've been reading it for the last few hours and surfing YouTube for his cooking shows, and all I can say is WOW! Why don't my 30-minute dinners look like this?! I love the meals he's put together. I love the way he has them all organized, taking you through step-by-step, multi-tasking instructions, so that at the end of thirty minutes you have a 4-course meal on the table. And, let's be honest, I love his accent.

So here's to Jamie! And to shaking up my dinner repertoire and getting some great meals on the table in thirty minutes or less.

The book:

And in case you want to see how I spent an afternoon watching YouTube videos, here's an intro to the book:

An intro to the show:

And the first episode, if you have 20 minutes to spare:

Court Date - Confirmed!

Our court date of November 14 has been confirmed. We're expected to be in Moscow on November 7, so that we'll be ready for our 8-doctor medical exam on November 8. We'll then fly to K'grad that evening, and visit Little D for the next few days before court.

Next step is to book our flights, get our visas, and pack those bags!

Court Date Reassigned - Again!

We woke up to news that our court date was pushed back again. Looks like November 14 might be the day. We're not too worried about these delays, as we know our agency and in-region rep are on top of things. It'd be nice to get a date nailed down, though, so we could finalize our plans. But such is the journey of an international adoption! We'll keep you posted.

Restaurant Night

Rainy nights = candlelit dinners at our house. And sometimes, a candlelit dinner turns into Restaurant Night (D's favorite!), if the conditions are right. Those conditions being a Friday or Saturday night and favorable moods. We go to great lengths (ha!) for these nights - we dig out the red and white checkered table cloth and play some French Café music in the background. Voila! Restaurant Night! At the end of tonight's dinner, Denis gave us a little dance show. It's a bit hard to see, due to the candlelight, but you get the idea.

Meanwhile...

Life goes on as normal. Denis is at a great stage right now and seems to be growing up so quickly. He's fascinated with Legos and does a good job of following the building instructions. He loves to help around the house and is showing more and more independence everyday. The cats now love him and finally trust him as someone who won't pull their tails or chase them mercilessly around the house! He continues to process the idea of having a brother, and recently told me that he will have to teach Dmitry how to build a snowman.

For the two grandmothers out there: Denis and I made Grandma's pea soup the other day (his favorite!) and wants to make Granny's rhubarb pie today. If only we could get our hands on some rhubarb!

New Court Date Assigned

We've been assigned a new court date - October 31 - due to a few delays with all the paper work. While I'm a little disappointed about not leaving for Russia this time next week, this new date gives us more time to get things squared away at work and home before we leave for a month. Hopefully, we'll be able to book our flights soon. We're just waiting for one last green light.

Pre-Reading Fun

I love watching the changes in Denis as he becomes more interested in reading and figuring out how letters turn into words and words turn into stories. He's always loved books, but lately his interest seems to have intensified. Whereas before he would say, "I can't read this yet", he now says, "Mom, I think I can read this!" He can't yet, of course, but something is shifting within and he's beginning to recognize certain things. Technically, he's in what's called the pre-reading stage, and I'm awed by the way the brain works. I look forward to watching the transformation that'll take place over the next couple of years as he learns to read.

This morning we've been playing Cariboo and Boggle Jr., having all sorts of fun with letters and words. What great games for this age!

Typhoon Talas

We're hunkering down tonight as Typhoon Talas begins to rear her ugly head. According to the map above, we'll be just shy of a direct hit. Winds are picking up, but the worst of it isn't expected to hit until early tomorrow morning. We've cleared the balconies and stocked up on food and drink... just in case.

Court Date Assigned

We received our court date this morning: October 10! We have to be in Moscow by October 3 for our medical exams, and then we'll head to Kaliningrad the following day so we can visit Little D a few times before court. After court, there will be a 10-day waiting period before the court decision can be finalized. We should be able to visit Little D once or twice most days, and the rest of the time we'll spend showing Denis around his home country.

We've decided to take Denis with us for the entire trip (which will be about a month long), rather than bring him over for just the last two weeks, which we had been considering. The logistics of figuring out that arrangement were proving to be too complicated (although we've had several wonderful offers from people willing to look after Denis for as long as needed - thanks to all!). Jon's parents have agreed to meet us in Kaliningrad, to help with Denis while we're tied up with various proceedings (a huge thanks to Tom and Mar!). We're hoping Denis will be able to visit the orphanage with us a few times, as it's the same place he lived for a short while. And we really want him to take part in bringing his brother home.

We're slowly working through our list of documents to take with us, and so far all seems to be going well. Fingers crossed that everyone continues to dot their i's and cross their t's in all the right places!

Open Access Again

The invited-readers-only option has been turned off, and until we pass court, I've hidden the posts about our trip to meet a little someone. Sorry for any frustration this caused - and any extra gmail accounts created!

Still no word on our court date. We should hear something soon, however. In the meantime, we're keeping plenty busy with all the paper work for Dossier Two and getting back into the routine of school/work.

Denis has started KA (Kindergarten A - for 4yr-olds) and has the same teacher he had last year. He's excited about Baby D coming, and is already thinking ahead. "Mom, is this toy too big for Baby D to put in his mouth? How about this one?" "Mom, Baby D won't be able to carry an umbrella when it's raining, he's too small." Apparently, he told his teacher the other day that Baby D is still in Russia in someone's tummy. He got half of it right! Never mind all the photos and video clips he's seen of Baby D!

Day Five

I had a quick visit with Dmitry today before heading to the airport. He played with a shopping cart and a little green shovel and couldn't have been happier! It was fun to watch him figure out how things work.

Dmitry Anatoly Schatzky

Introducing the-soon-to-be Dmitry Anatoly Schatzky. His name at birth was Dmitry Anatolievich, and he's known as Dima at the orphanage. I imagine he's going to be called Little D a lot at our house...

We had another good visit this afternoon - lots of strolling in the sunshine and playing with the other kids. It was Jon's last visit, as he has to fly out early tomorrow, but I'll have one more visit before I leave in the afternoon. Yuri thinks our court date will be scheduled for early October, but will let us know for sure once the judge returns from vacation in a couple of weeks. It's been a whirlwind of a trip, but a good one.

We're counting the days, Little D, until we can come back for you! And we're counting the hours, Big D, until we see you again! We've missed you this week.

Day Three - He Meets Papa

Jon arrived from Warsaw this afternoon, and we were able to have a quick visit with our little guy before dinner. It was a good first meeting, and we all played outside. The outfits have been great all week, but today's get-up wins the prize! On our way back to the hotel, Yuri said he needed our little guy's new name by tomorrow morning. We surprised Yuri this time by being ready! It only took us a minute to scribble it down on paper and agree on the spelling. But I think I'll wait until tomorrow to reveal his name since that's when we sign the petition to adopt him. Tune in tomorrow!

Having Fun Without Us

It's nice to know that Denis is in such good hands - and having nothing but fun - while we're gone. A huge thanks to Aunt Cherie, Uncle Tim, Logan, Kiernan, and Aunt Melinda for looking after him for us!

Here are a few shots of Denis and his cousins at the local children's museum. (Glad you're not too big for such fun, L&K!)

Day Two - He Smiles!

I had two great visits today - one around noon and the other at 4:00 in the afternoon. A little someone was full of smiles and giggles. You'll see and hear him below.

He's constantly putting things in his mouth - it makes absolutely no difference what it is! - a challenge which will be new for us. He's almost 6 months younger than Denis was when we met him, so we missed this stage completely. (We also missed the drooling and spitting up stage with Denis, which we're definitely in for this time around!) He also likes to take his hat and shoes off more than he likes to put them on. Pretty typical kid, it seems. I loved watching his interactions with his caregivers today. He would run and hug a few of them and get all silly. Very sweet!

Enjoy the views below. Poor guy had a swollen eye due to a nasty mosquito bite, so his face looks a little lopsided today.

Day One

Another wonderful Day One!

Yuri picked me up at 10:30 this morning and took me to the Ministry of Education, where I officially received our referral and indicated our interest in meeting him (name coming soon). Since Yuri had to have these papers notarized, I went back to the hotel and had lunch. At 3:00, Yuri came back for me and took me to the orphanage.

I first met with the director. She asked me a few questions and answered the questions that I had. Next, I was able to meet with the doctor, who went over all the medical reports with me. Looks like our little guy is healthy!

A few minutes later, a little someone entered the room. And again, as it did a couple of years ago, time stood still for a moment. Our little guy didn't seem scared or uneasy - he just looked around the room and took us all in. He liked the ball I brought (good choice, Denis!), but mostly he wanted to bang on the lid of the garbage can. We had a few minutes to play together before he went and had a snack.

A little while later, one of the caretakers brought him back, and told me I could take him outside to play. So, out we went. We played ball, we picked up leaves, and we continually tried to put fallen berries in our mouths. Well, he did the trying and I did the preventing. He's big and strong and isn't afraid to take a tumble or two as he goes after what he wants.

I love his chubby cheeks! I wish I could have captured his smile in some of these photos, but he started grabbing for the camera before too long, and I never got the chance! Here are a few video clips I was able to get:

All in all, a great Day One. Wish you could have been here, Jon.

Back in Kaliningrad

Does it ever feel good to be back here! My first stop after Yuri dropped me off at the Hotel Moscow was my very favorite cafe. I coined it the Midriff Cafe the last time we were here, in honor of all the beautifully bronzed servers who weren't afraid to show a little skin despite the chilly temps. Oddly enough, there were no exposed midriffs this time around - and it's summertime! - a direct contrast to our visit a few winters ago.

I'm happy to report that the apple cinnamon pancakes (crepes) are still on the menu, and that the service is just as friendly.

The real name of the cafe, Yuri informed me, is Croissant.

My home for the next week - Hotel Moscow.

It's 8:00 and I'm having dinner at the hotel restaurant. It's a gorgeous summer night here, with plenty of daylight left - another big contrast to our last visit here. I remember all too well pushing a bundled-up Denis in his stroller over the icy sidewalks during the dead of winter. Those same sidewalks are now filled with families out strolling in the summer evening.

Off to bed soon, as tomorrow's a big day, and I'm beat.

The First Hurdles

Well, the first hurdles of this adoption have presented themselves early on. Long story short, we've scrambled all week to get our flights booked, our visas processed, and all the other logistics taken care of that a short-notice trip to Russia brings about. In the end, Jon couldn't get a visa in time for the beginning of our August 1-5 visits. He can't enter Russia until August 3rd, so I'll have to go it alone for the first few days. To say that I'm frustrated by all the bureaucracy is a gross understatement. I'm trying to keep it all in perspective by telling myself that by week's end it won't matter that Jon missed out on those first few meetings with our (potential) son. I'm trying to convince myself that I'll be able to handle all the stress and emotional highs and lows on my own. In short, I'm trying not to feel too sorry for myself. (The huge plate of nachos I'm inhaling at the moment seems to ease the pain...so I know I'll be fine!)

After arriving at the Newark airport I hopped on a hotel shuttle bus and landed here at the Holiday Inn restaurant. The lady at the front desk was kind enough to give me the login information for their wireless connection, even though I'm not paying for a room. Perhaps I look as exhausted as I feel and she took pity on me! Whatever the reason, I'm grateful. This beats passing a 7-hour layover at the airport.

Jon will be flying in around 4:30 this afternoon, and we'll travel as far as Warsaw together. Then I'll continue on to Kaliningrad without him, while he waits until August 3rd to enter Russia. He'll be so close...yet so far away. But we felt this was the best thing to do in order to avoid any more delays and to make communicating easier. I have a feeling we'll have a lot to discuss over the next few days, so being in the same time zone will be helpful.

Thanks to all of you who have helped us and kept us sane over the last week or so - to D&L for letting us monopolize your phone and computer when we first got the news; to J&J for rushing documents from Japan to the US; to T&C for looking after Denis for the week; to Jon's family for helping with all the loose ends in Canada; and to my entire family for helping us juggle this AND all the work needed at our property as our tenant moves out and my sister moves in while we're gone. We simply couldn't have done it all without you.

Send Me Your Email

If you're interested in following along for the next week, send me your email address. It doesn't look like I can password protect each post, so I'll have to limit my blog to invited readers only. Starting on Monday, August 1, you'll be asked to log in with your email address.

I leave for Kaliningrad tomorrow.

Referral Received!

Unbelievably, we received a referral yesterday! After we were registered in the region of Kaliningrad just a few days ago, we thought we might hear about a child in the next 3-6 months or so. Or even longer - as one never knows how the international adoption process will go.

Our heads are still spinning this morning with all the logistics of this surprise trip, but excitement has set in! We've booked our flights to K'grad, and will be visiting him (yes, it's a boy!) during the week of August 1-5.

I hope to post about our visits, like last time, as it was so good having many of you right there with us. However, our agency asks that we be discreet and keep all posts password protected. I'll work on setting that up next week and let you know how to follow along.

Uncle Dan, Brother Dan

Denis's last words tonight before he fell asleep were these...

D: "I have an idea. Instead of getting a brother or a sister, could I just make Uncle Dan my brother?"

Me: "That's a really good idea. The only problem is, I don't know how to turn an uncle into a brother."

D: "I know how. We could use my powers. My power is to turn people into brothers and sisters."

Me: "Oh, that's a great power."

I guess things are weighing on his mind. That, and he's having a great time with his Uncle Dan, his Aunt Linda, and all of his cousins.

Registered in K'grad

We recently found out that our dossier has been registered in Kaliningrad - the same region where Denis is from. This means that we're now officially waiting for a referral of a child. Suddenly, it all seems very real! We've been talking more and more with Denis about the idea of a new brother or sister, and he seems very keen. He says he wants a brother AND a sister!

We're having a fantastic summer. Currently, we're out in Idaho at my brother and sister-in-law's place. It's a brand new, barn-sided house that they designed. Both the house and the 24 acres it sits on are gorgeous. Photos later.

Prior to this, we were in Canada (Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto) visiting Jon's family and various friends there. We then had a brief stop in Nebraska to get the camper van out of storage, say a quick hello to my family, and pack for our drive out west. On our way out to Idaho, we stopped to see more friends in Lexington, Paxton, and Steamboat Springs. We then spent several days camping until arriving out here in Moscow. We head back to Nebraska at the end of this week and will spend the remainder of the summer there. My goal is to post some pictures later, but I know my track record for the past couple of summers hasn't been very good. But I'll try!