Catch up

Hello all!
It's been awhile, but every night I have a "to do" list that seems to grow faster than I can mark items off. I'm suffering from some "blog guilt" because I haven't updated this as much as I'd like to.

Last Sunday, Christine, Barb and Anne put together an amazing baby shower. 20 of my friends plus my Mom and Dave's Mom were there, and there were so many gifts for Scott that I couldn't believe it! The gifts were clever, thoughtful, generous and absolutely perfect. Most of all, it was great to be surrounded by such loving and supportive women. You can never have too many girlfriends! Thank you all!!!

Dave has been busy on projects around the house, and we both visited several daycare options. We found a perfect one - and I'm so thrilled that she has an opening starting in November when we need it. As always, God provides whatever we need - and he seems to have listened to my prayers for a caring person to help in this area. For privacy, I'll not mention her name, but suffice it to say I'm thrilled.

Dave is also becoming a very protective Dad. Some of you have requested photos of Scott, and we're going to hold off posting those. The recent kidnapping of the newborn in St. Louis really shocked us, and while I know that the vast majority of those reading this are wonderful loving people, there are predators out there. For family and friends - send me an e-mail and I'm happy to forward a photo via e-mail to you. I hope everyone understands our concerns.

We're working on our court statements, updating our wills, childproofing the house and organizing Scott's room. I'm still writing thank you notes to friends from Sunday's shower, so I need to run and finish that up. Many thanks to those of you who have posted!

Love,
Anna

What Fun!

It's late, so I'll just add a quick post. Christine, Barb and I went to register for our baby shower this evening after work. I did some research and "interviewed" several friends including Shelly and Elizabeth who were wonderful! They have kids close to our son's age and knew what to suggest.

It was still overwhelming. By day, I was a competent career woman - Tonight - a confused crazy person running around zapping at items in a store with a scanner. I lost count of how many times I stared at merchandise in complete and total confusion. So many cute clothes and toys - and who knew there were so many types of diapers! I'm supposed to get formula for the trip that doesn't have iron. Good luck with that folks! I was at Target, but I'll try the grocery store to see what they've got. Barb had to leave, so Chris and I finished up. We did pretty well until we got to the whole baby wash/diaper thing. I just scanned a few items and crossed my fingers. I figure I'll live and learn on this one.

It's been wonderful sharing our journey with friends and family. I can't even describe the wonder of watching Dave's parents and my folks watch the video of their grandson for the first time. I was torn between watching the baby and watching their reaction - but it was magical and emotional. We've got four very excited grandparents who cannot wait to meet this little boy. It's a good thing he likes to be held!

Susan - thanks for the lovely verse you posted. It's one of my favorites!

Tired but Happy!

Dave and I feel like zombies after the trip, but we're happy zombies.

Let's see - the last posting was from Russia with Love - so I'll catch you up a bit. We got to see our son again on Tuesday. They had dressed him in one of the outfits I had brought along and he looked so adorable. I don't know if he recognized us, but he didn't seem afraid.

We played for awhile - looking at a book, helping him with his efforts to walk, playing with legos. When it was time to go, I'll admit, I got a bit emotional. I already love holding him and just didn't want to let go. He must have noticed me starting to cry, and he definitely saw Dave helping to clean up the toys and that set him off. Up until then, he'd been pretty quiet, but he opened his mouth and let out a howl that turned into a watery scream. He cried big tears and just wailed for a few minutes. It shocked me out of my tears, and I started to tell him everything would be fine. One of the nurses came and took him and he started to calm down, so my last glimpse of him before we left had him in a much calmer frame of mind. They told us that he just didn't want us to leave and that's why he cried. Everyone was so very kind to us - and the head doctor even gave us each an apple for the ride back. Chris - this boy has a set of lungs on him - so we'll definitely have to teach him to sing! Maybe even some opera!

There's no way to prepare yourself for leaving after a visit like that. You know you'll be back in a few weeks, but it's still hard. I thought of my friend Rose's words after her first trip. She told me it would be hard, but they make it easier because you can see how much they care about these children. It's so true. I know they'll take good care of him until we can return and bring him home and that makes it easier. I've really been pretty dry-eyed about it every since, although I find myself staring at photos of him frequently and wondering what he's doing.

Another thing that helps is that we've got so much left to do! I keep making "to do" lists and every time I cross something off, I seem to think of two more things to add. As Mom always reminds me - One day at a time - and you'll get it all done. Very true.

We have our reservations for the second trip - just a few more details to work out there. It's going to be a fast few weeks before we leave and there is much to do.

I want to thank everyone who has posted on this blog. I'm enjoying hearing from other families who are going through this process. I know that you truly know how we feel and what we're experiencing. On the return flight, I saw a couple from Atlanta with their new daughter. She's gorgeous and was so full of energy. We talked for a little while and I tried to help entertain the child a bit. I could tell from the things they said that they knew what we were feeling and going through - just as I could relate to their journey. Thank you to everyone for your kind comments and support - and know that we send our thoughts and prayers with you.

I also want to say "hi" to the friends and family members who have posted. Imagine me grinning from ear to ear every time I read those posts. I can just feel your love shining through.

I hope I'm not too disjointed with this posting. I'm so very tired! More to come though - not to worry.

What a day!

We met our son for the first time today and we signed the papers to proceed with the adoption. I don't have much time because this is a public computer, so I'll keep the posting brief. We'll post photos later. When they brought him in the room, I was overwhelmed with emotion. They handed him to me and he settled in my arms and just stared. He has huge, beautiful eyes. The caretakers are all women and they told us that Dave and our translator were the first men he'd ever seen. He was fascinated and a little hesitant at first with Dave. He got over that quickly and was moving toward him at every opportunity. He can walk with support and this little guy has got a grip! He gets ahold of your fingers and just clenches his little fist. He's very small, but he has two teeth on top and two on the bottom. He smiled and laughed several times while we played with him, but he was a little tired. Apparently he has the start of a cold or something. Later when they were asking if we wanted to adopt him, they asked me what I thought. I responded that "I think I'm in love!" We both are. We got lots of photos and video and can't wait to share it with family and friends.

We have a son. And he's wonderful. We get to see him again tomorrow and then we begin the long journey home. Leaving him today was difficult, but tomorrow will be really tough. We have to leave him while the paperwork is finalized and then we'll be back to pick him when we receive our court date. Hopefully that will be very soon. Everyone here has been very professional and yet very warm and welcoming to us. It makes me look forward to returning to this lovely country very soon. Dave has commented and I agree that this area of Russia looks like our favorite parts of Minnesota. We feel right at home.

Got to run. Dave is giving me the "wrap" signal. Much love to all!!!!