We got home this morning at 2am, went to bed and got up at 2pm. We were up and traveling/waiting in airports for about 32hrs.
First of all, let me say a big thank you for everyone's prayers. We sure felt them and appreciated them more than you know. I'm so sorry to keep you all hanging after my last post but we could not post while in Siberia.
The trip was a whirlwind! We spent more time traveling to get to Kras than actually being in Kras. We had 1 full day there and it was great but let me start at the beginning.
We arrived in Moscow, spent our layover there in a very nice and expensive hotel and then left to catch our flight to Krasnoyarsk. I am so glad our driver was there to help us get where we needed to go or I don't think we would have had a clue as to where to go in the terminal. I'm also glad we were traveling with another family, it made it so much more fun. We flew on Aeroflot, let me just say that I am so thankful for American airlines (not AA, but in general). I was very thankful that it was a smooth flight and a pretty good landing but because we are tall, we were extremely uncomfortable. There was absolutely no leg room, our knees touched the back of the seat in front of us and when that person in front of us decided to put their chair back, we yelped in agony! Their heads were literally in our laps!!!
When we arrived in Kras, it was snowing and there was a light covering over the ground. We had to walk off the plane onto the tarmac and into 20 degree weather. Yelena, our contact was there to meet us and knew exactly who we were before we introduced ourselves. I guess Americans sort of stick out like a sore thumb in Siberia.=) From there we went to Hotel Krasnoyarsk and were able to rest for a few hours before our appointment with the MOE.
I was very nervous for this appointment but for all of you PAPs, don't be. It was so comfortable and it lasted about 5 minutes The ladies interviewing us were very nice and really just wanted to make sure we were dedicated to following through with our adoption. We officially accepted our boys and were off to the orphanage to see them for the first time. I was very nervous for this meeting! I didn't know what to expect. Here's how it went down:
As we were approaching the orphanage, our translator, Marina (who I love), told us that the orphanage was the largest in Russia with 160 children. It's a baby home so I believe once a child turns 4, they are transferred to an orphanage with older children. Thank the Lord we are able to bring home our oldest before he would have been transferred in February! The orphanage is actually in Sosnovoborsk which is about 30 minutes from Kras. It's a very small town compared to Kras. There's nothing really there besides apartments and very old and dilapidated homes. Anyway, we were taken into the "music room" to wait for the children. The "music room" is used by the children as a sort of exercise/play time. The second day we were there, we were able to see groups of children come in to use the room. They wore yellow uniforms and they were so cute! We were with the other couple so they were waiting to meet their little boy as well. Their son came out first with his nanny, crying and about 5 minutes later, our littlest one came out to us with his nanny. As soon as she tried to hand him over to us, he threw back his head and cried! It was so pitiful! I wasn't hurt by it, I expected it since we're complete strangers to him. I picked him up and tried to sooth him and distract him with toys. Meanwhile, our oldest came into the room. He ran over to Chris and they immediately started playing together. I can honestly say that there was an instant bond between the 2 of them. It took me about 20 minutes to calm down "S" but I had to stay with him because he was so scared of Chris. The children rarely see men so they are often frightened of them. I did get to interact a little bit with "M" and give him some toys we brought him including a photo album. He loved the pictures and looked at them over and over with Chris pointing and naming everyone, especially his "Mama, Papa and sabaka (dog)". It was so cute! I loved hearing him call us his Mama and Papa, which he did a lot! Soon it was time for us to leave but we told them we'd be back the next day. From the orphanage we went out for pizza at "california pizza kitchen". It was the Russian version of it so it wasn't exactly the same but it was tasty all the same. Then we went back to the hotel to go to bed. We stayed up and looked at pictures though!=)
The next morning we left the hotel at 7am for the orphanage. We were able to spend 6hrs there! It was wonderful!! When they brought "S" in , he only cried for 5 minutes and "M" was so excited to see his Papa! I brought snacks that time so we were able to create a sort of bond with Chris and "S" with the food. By the end of the afternoon, "S" was sitting in Chris' lap with "M" and I took some great pictures. I was also able to bond more with "M". We played with the cars we brought him and I gave him lots of hugs and kisses. He hugged me back and it felt amazing! He loved the snacks we brought so I taught him the sign for more and within 2 seconds he was signing and saying "more"! I know I'm biased but he is so smart. He learns so quickly and loves to take things apart and put them back together again. I was able to trace both of the boys hands and feet and find out what sizes they currently wear. I found out that "S" is ticklish on his feet. So of course I tickled him to hear his cute little laugh and see his sweet smile. He's a very shy and quiet little guy so to bring him out of that was kind of a relief.
Soon it was time to leave. The nanny came to get "S" and he was ready to go, it was his nap time and he was very tired. It was very comforting to see that he loved his nanny. Both of the boys, it gave us so much peace when we had to leave. When the nannies came to get "M" it was a very sad sight. He cried and grabbed onto Chris and said "niet, niet Papa!" It was heartbreaking . Our sweet little boy didn't want to leave his Papa. We were crying, the nannies were crying, it was not pretty. I really didn't expect that he would bond with us so quickly. I kissed him and told him in broken Russian that we'd be back soon and that we loved him very much. His nannies were able to talk him into going with them and he looked back at us with a tear-stained face, smiled and said "paca" (bye). I cry when I think about it.
We left the orphanage and went to have lunch. Then we went to a souvenir shop and a chocolate store. The next morning we left the hotel at 4:30am to catch our 7am flight to Moscow. We had a little bit of a layover in Moscow so we ate there. Our flight was filled with families coming home with their adopted children and also with families returning home from their first trip, like us. It was so cool to see the new families and think that in a few months it would be us returning with our sons.
It was so surreal being there after waiting so long. I kept thinking that is wasn't real, that we weren't really in Russia. I couldn't wrap my brain around how far we were from home. Now that we're home, it's almost like we were never really there. If I didn't have pictures and videos to prove it, I probably wouldn't believe we were ever there.
I thought I'd also list some observations about our trip. These are not in any way criticisms.
First, the majority of young women in Russia are very thin. They wear very tight clothing and knee length high heeled boots with pointy toes. I could pick out the Russians at the airports because they tend to dress in a similar way. It's somewhat trendy but also kind of mis-matched and dated (like the 80s). Most women over 40 have their hair dyed a sort of burgundy color. Everyone wears heavy coats and sweaters, even in doors which I could not do. Every building we were in was at least 80 degrees or hotter. Thresholds are raised in Russia. I guess to keep out the cold. I tripped over every one of them! Some of the cars in Russia have the drivers seat on the right-hand side but they drive on the right side of the road. They do drive pretty aggressively too. Our driver was great but there aren't too many rules on the road. It can be pretty nerve-racking! The airports were very quiet. No one spoke unless they needed to which is the case most everywhere in Russia. Americans are loud and talk even when they don't need to but that's not the case in Russia. Everyone we encountered was very polite and courteous to us and we even saw some smiles.
We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go to Russia and meet our children. We had a wonderful trip with absolutely no hiccups. Again, thank you all so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray for our children. That they will be protected from all harm, sickness and disease. That they will remember us and that the Lord will allow us to go back soon to bring them home.
