Have we been home 3 weeks already?

Here is a picture of our family on Thanksgiving Day. It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

A lot has happened since she has been home. She turned 1 on Nov 12. Here's a picture of her with the Dora cake that Matthew picked out.



It was the first thing she put in her mouth that wasn't pureed. She's actually a great eater, but for the first several weeks, she would not let me put anything in her mouth that wasn't mashed up. Now she will eat small pieces of food, but can not do it herself. I am expecting her to catch up on this part fast. Her love of food only matches mine! We do have some things in common.

Her sleeping has improved tremendously. (It couldn't have gone the other direction.) She will sleep through the night now. She might cry out every now and then, but for the most part, she's sleeping from 7:30 until 8:30-9:00. She takes one nap a day for about 2 hours. She probably needs 2 naps a day, but with the schedule around here and with all the new toys to discover, that's not going to happen. She's a busy little bee when she's not asleep, and she is rarely ever fussy.

Her brothers love her and I think she is starting to like them. Sometimes she will play for a while and then come over and put her head on my lap. She did the same thing to Matthew the other day. She gave Davis a big smile and moved toward him, but she's still not sure about him or Alex. They try so hard (too hard)!! I love watching them interact with each other. The first thing they ask me when they wake up in the morning is "Where is Julia?". I usually tell them that she is where they should be...asleep. They love to help feed her and dress her and bathe her. It's usually interesting to watch!

I hope she is enjoying us as much as we are enjoying her. I think she is starting to understand English. She turns her head when I call her Julia about 75% of the time. She plays "soo big" and "peek a boo". She's really a lot like a 12 month old. I really do long to hear the words "Mommy" and "Daddy". Maybe then, I will know she likes us.

One more adorable picture...

Here's our 4

Okay, so maybe not the best of her, but you have to keep in mind how hard it is to get a picture of all 4 at their best.

Finally...we are home!

All the waiting is over. We landed in the US Saturday at 4:30pm at the Atlanta Airport. She is now a US Citizen! There were 4 Russian adopted children on the flight with us and the flight attendants sang God Bless America to them. Julia was an absolute angel on the flight. She cried maybe 15 minutes of the entire flight (11 hours and 12 minutes!!) We finally arrived at our airport at 9:50 pm. Bryan and the boys were there waiting for us with banners. The boys were beyond excited when they saw her. I've posted a picture of her in the airport with Daddy and Davis. She was a champ!!

Okay, now fast forward 3 days and we are getting adjusted. We've discovered a few things about her. She is very laid back. She's having the hardest time sleeping. Every 2 hours or so, she wakes up crying. During the day, she is as happy as can be. She smiles at all of us and I think she knows who I am. She eats like a 6 months old. She drinks a bottle and only eats baby food. So far, she likes it all. She's a fast mover. She can crawl and pull herself up. If you let her, she will stand on her own, but the floor is harder than her crib was. That might have been a game she played in her crib! She has great hand-eye coordination. She can pick up a small crumb off the floor (Although you all know there is none in my kitchen!!ha ha).

We went to the doctor yesterday. She passed with flying colors! The doctor was overall pleased with her general health and noted that she seemed up to par with her social skills. She was a bit afraid and wanted me! That is a good sign of attachment. The doctor has referred us to an orthopedic to look at her hips and an opthamologist to check her eyes. In both cases, she (the doctor) feels optimistic that there is not a problem, but wants to be sure. We have to start immunization, too, but I am going to wait until she is feeling safer with us!

We are tired over here, but we know that our prayers were answered, and that we have been given the most incredible gift of our lives! I will take some more pictures and put them on here.

Katie

We've been to the US Embassy

One of the last stops is done. We went to the Embassy today to get her visa and passport. There were 13 other American families there. So many cute babies. Julia was a quiet as a mouse until they called us up. She started crying. However, while waiting, she loved seeing all the other children. I can't wait for her to see her brothers!! The process took about 1 hour. Tomorrow we have 2 appointments (Russian Consulate and Minister of Education)and then....we can officially leave. I'm really homesick and can not wait to sleep in my own bed.

She's with me!

We got her! Doesn't she look like she's saying "This is more like it!"?

We ran around Moscow all day and at 4:30 we picked her up. It was a fast, relatively painless transaction. We walked in the baby home, gave presents, changed her clothes and then viola...they handed her to me. There were several caregivers there telling me things about her. Of course, via Galina, our translator. You could tell they were happy for her. One of the women was crying a little. They told me that they wanted her to have a life of joy. I cried a bit. Not because of her, but because of them. You know it was hard for them. Julia was scared in the car, but once she figured out she could squirm around, she was happy. The trip back from the home is usually 1 1/2 hours. It took us 5!! We didn't get back to the hotel until 10pm. It was brutal!! Fortunately, they just fed her before we came, and I packed some juice. I've never in my life been in that kind of traffic. We could have walked back faster. Jim calculated that it was less than a 20 mile drive.

She slept from 12am until 6am. She's afraid of the crib. I feel like I have a newborn! We had to go to the doctor this morning, and he said she was healthy, but cutting teeth. I'll believe it when I see one!! That's it for the day. Jim is at the Kremlin. I'm staying in the hotel with Julia. I'm hoping she will decide to like the crib. I need a nap. Although she hasn't slept, she is an angel and smiles all the time! (except at the doctor)

It looks like it might snow again. Only 2 more days!!! Katie

Last "visit"

Today was our last visit with Julia because tomorrow we get to have her forever. She's so cute! It took her a minute to remember me then she hugged me tight. Maybe she was just tired, but it felt wonderful. She still does not have any teeth! I thought for sure. We spent about an hour and a half with her today. Galina, our translator, sang her a song probably similar to "If you are happy and you know it clap your hands." She clapped along with her and it was adorable. I'm glad I got to see her so happy!

Jim has made the trip exciting for me. He's been here 1 1/2 days and can already read the words on all the buildings. The Russian word for restaurant is PECTOPAH, but it is actually pronounced "RESTAURAN". All this time, I thought it was "PECTOPAH". He also made me ride the metro. Bryan and I rode it while on trip 2, but we were with Galina. Oh, and 4 million other people! I thought I was up for the challenge. It was hilarious! We both agreed that we would try not to look like tourists or Americans (which ever is worse), so I told him we couldn't talk and he said we had to keep moving. Well, anyone ever try to read a Russian metro map? We looked like tourist! We were a little obvious, especially in the station that we had to switch lines. BUT, I'm happy to report that we rode it to Gorky Park, which is not spelled that way in Russian (Jim knows how to pronounce it, but I do not!) We got off at the wrong station coming back...in the dark... but after a little worry, we figured out where we were. In retrospect, it was fun. I'm sure some of the people on the train thought we were "IDIOTS", pronounced "IDIOTS" in Russian. Oh, one more thing that was funny is that we went out to breakfast this morning (to a pectopah that does not have an english speaking person anywhere!) Jim ordered pancakes and I ordered an omlet. Mine never came. After telling Galina, we discovered that they do not serve eggs. Oh, well. I guess that was what she was telling me.

Until tomorrow....

October snow

My brother, Jim, and I are here! It's a balmy -1 degrees celsius, and Moscow had it's first snow shower of the year. The interpreter told us to expect awful traffic (as if it isn't already). The people have forgotten how to drive in snow.

We are off to see Julia now. It will be the last time I have to give her back!!

Post trip 2

I loved the expression on her face in this picture. She only made this face when she didn't like something. I think I was disturbing her with her toy! I'd love to post a video. If I get any time this week, I'll try to do it.

We are back now and after a 25 hour trip, recovering from jet lag. That's why it took a long time to get back on line.

I promised to tell you a little about court, but there is not much to tell. It was a fast process. We were nervous. We each gave a short speech. Then the judge and prosecutor asked us some questions. Then, the judge walked out, and when she returned, she told us we were Julia's parents! Whew! All the wait and anxiety leading up to this day...she is finally our daughter. We couldn't be happpier and more ready to bring her home. My brother, Jim, and I are leaving next weekend to get her.

Oh, one more thing, the Prime Minister of Isreal was staying at our hotel while we were there. He was there to meet with Putin. Our hotel was like Fort Knox. There were security guards, police men and military personnel all over the place. We enjoyed watching it all. Russian police are much more intimidating then American police, at least in uniform. I also heard that Condolesca Rice was going to be there this week, but we left too soon. I would have enjoyed that.

Until next week....