The best Thanksgiving!

I can't believe how the time has flown by. I'm heading back to work tomorrow, and we'll begin our new routine. It's going to be busy and I know I'll miss being with Scott and Dave all day. We've tried out the daycare and Scott loves it. I think it will be harder on me! It's so hard to believe it's been 5 weeks!

We had an amazing Thanksgiving with Dave's folks and my parents. Scott received so much attention and you wouldn't believe how much food he ate. I thought he'd go into a food coma, but he loved the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the green bean casserole and his Grandma's pumpkin pie (but only a small amount of that!). He's a good eater and is even feeding himself certain things. Green beans are a hit, as are peas and carrots.

There is a good chance that Scott will be the most photographed and videotaped child in history. My Dad got a video camera for his birthday and he had a ball taking video of Scott and the rest of us. Scott is practically walking on his own, and it's so fun to have him take 4 or 5 steps between me and Dave. The joy on his face is priceless. He's a changed boy - as everyone said he would be. He laughs so much and sings and plays. The bonding between the 3 of us is going so very well. If anything, he's kind of clingy to me, but I think that's normal at this age.

One of my favorite things is when we get up in the morning. He's so warm and cuddly and he rests his head on my shoulder and cuddles with me. I could just stay that way for hours, but this busy boy has places to go and people to see! It doesn't last long, but it's so precious.

I love this baby boy more every time I see him. He's the miracle we've waited for more than 10 years! When he throws himself into my arms when we're playing, or rests his head on my shoulder, I realize that all of that pain and waiting and frustration and sadness was worth the end result. I wish my words would convey that hope to everyone who is waiting, but I know that the words are hollow. I remember reading about successful adoptions and being happy for those couples, but it's not the same thing as knowing that you've got a baby. The pain that we went through is still there - and I can empathize with everyone who is still waiting. While I can't remove that pain for them, I hope that God will bring you peace and strength as He did for me and Dave through this process.

My folks and Dave's folks told us that this was the best Thanksgiving ever. I tend to agree. We're building such wonderful memories - it's just too bad that the days fly by so quickly. I'm trying to take time to enjoy each and every moment.

Peace and good wishes to all!
Anna

Hello from Kitsie Callie

I asked Mom if I could add to her blog and she said it would be okay. I'm Kitsie Callie, the original baby in the Hargis household. I'm a big kitty - 2 years old - and I thought I'd share my opinion of the bald kitty that they recently brought home.

Until 3 weeks ago, I was the princess of the household and pretty much had two of the big kitties at my beck and call. Then they took one of their vacations and were gone for a whole week. I was irritated, but very glad when they got home. Much to my surprise, they weren't alone. They brought the bald kitten with them. He's kind of noisy with big eyes and while I wasn't too happy at first, I think I actually like him now. As long as Mom or Dad is close by, I'll even let him touch my paw or tail - but otherwise, we don't get too close. I've seen how he shakes toys, so I'm keeping my distance.

This has increased my security duties significantly. I find that I have to watch him frequently, even when he's sleeping. I curl up and stand watch to make sure nothing bad comes near him. It may look like I'm napping, but I'm ever vigilant as any good cat should be. I'm not always happy when we have company, and we've had lots since the bald kitty arrived. I have to check all of them out, especially anyone who holds him. If they don't meet with my approval, I let Mom know. After all, you can never be too careful with your baby kitties, can you?

One really good thing...the introduction of more interesting television viewing. We have something called a Baby Einstein DVD with lots of animals. The cats aren't nearly as cute as I am, but the bald kitty and I both really like to watch that one. We both talk to the TV, and I've told him directly several times what each animal is, but he doesn't make the cat sounds quite right yet. I'll work with him on it.

He's walking with help, and our new game is to have Mom or Dad help him walk and he chases me throughout the upstairs. When I get tired, I jump up on something and swish my tail. Everyone seems to understand that signal. It's hard to train big kitties, but you have to stick with it. They do learn eventually.

Bath time is fascinating. The bald kitten likes to play in his duck tub now. I didn't like the noises he made when Mom tried to give him a bath at first. He wasn't very happy and he made noises like what I might make if someone put me in water. He's okay with it now though and makes unhappy noises when you take him out of the water. Go figure.

He likes to nap during the day, although not as long as me. The big kitties don't nap and sometimes make noise, but we're learning to deal with it. Dad put out the bird feeder, and I have lots of critters to "chup" at now. I'm trying to teach the bald kitty about chups, but he doesn't quite get it yet.

Mom and Dad took the bald kitty for a long weekend to San Antonio this past weekend. I got to stay home in the peace and quiet and had the whole house to myself. That was nice for a day or so, but then I missed my family and wanted them to come home. Even that strange new kitty. When they came back, I greeted them all enthusiastically at the door. It's good to have everyone home.

Anyway, it's time to nap, so I'm going to run. Maybe Mom will let me put another entry in later. She and Dad seem pretty happy, so I guess this new kitty will work out in our family. He does make life interesting. Meow!

Home Sweet Home!

Hello all!
It's hard to believe we're home with Scott and all is well, but it's true. I apologize for not being more prompt in my posting, but the adjustment to this new life has been something else. To top it off, my first attempts at adjusting a car seat led to a painful bending back of my right thumb nail. It was so bad, the darn thing bled and throbbed for two days. I couldn't write or type with it, so thus the delay.

Let's see - where to begin. I won't give you all of the details of the trip to get him. Dave and I became zombie people with little sleep in no time. Overall - there were no problems in the trip there or getting to Niznhny Novgorad. We met up with another woman and her friend who were travelling to pick up her son. For the sake of privacy, I'll refer to them as F and M - F is the new Mom - and she's a single woman who has a gorgeous new son in her life. M is someone who had used our agency twice before with her husband and they have two gorgeous kids. I asked her if she was going for a trip merit badge - she's got to have a record at making this trip a total of 5 times! It was so great to have an experienced mom with us because as you know, these small beings don't come with an instruction manual. For everyone who told me "trust your instincts" I thank you. You are so right about that! You can start to read his moods and gestures and you just know what he needs!

We did get a little sightseeing in that afternoon before boarding the train. We walked around Red Square and saw St. Basil's cathedral. It was a lovely afternoon and my eyes kept wandering to the families with children who were there. I kept thinking about Scott and how we would be with him that very next day. We then headed to the train station and off to NN. The agency folks got us where we needed to be and were so amazing on this trip!!

We were up early on Monday morning and ready to go. The judge has required all families to see the children once more before court, so we made the 3 hour round trip first thing Monday. We saw him for about 20 minutes and leaving him was almost as hard as it was the first trip. I got choked up, even though I knew I'd be back that day. I think there was a part of me that was afraid something would go wrong.

We got back to NN early and had some hot tea and blintzes before court. I can't post what happened in court because it's private and closed, but suffice it to say we had a happy ending. Dave and I held on to each other while the judge gave us custody of this beautiful baby boy. It was a dream come true. F had received custody in the hearing before ours, so we all went to lunch to celebrate. Then we piled into our respective cars and made the return trip to get our boys.

When we arrived in his town we were encouraged to take some photos of their new train station and the church associated with the hospital. We also took photos of the hospital's new wing. We then went in to pick him up. The doctor's were ready with information about his schedule, immunizations and took the clothes and diaper I brought to change him for the trip. Everyone was waiting to say goodbye to him and several of the caregivers were emotional. The one that touched me the most was the nurse who reached out and touched his little hand, whispered something and then left in tears. It was good to know that they loved him like that.

Even though it was about 50 degrees outside, we had him bundled for an artic winter. I carefully carried him down the stairs and outside, and I saw his eyes widen in fear as we walked outside. We settled quickly in the car and he kept a death grip on my index finger with one hand and another death grip on Dave's finger with the other hand. He seemed to like riding in the car though and we basically just held him and let him look at us and out the window.

When we got back to NN we settled in our hotel room briefly and packed up our stuff. We then went down to dinner where he and F's baby had a grand time giggling and playing. Scott was just having a ball! We went back to the room to wait for the time to leave for the night train. He drank his bottle with no problem and we got some great video of him playing and interacting with a mirror.

The night train to Moscow was rough. He kept waking up, but I had curled up around him to keep him on the sleeping bench. Dave took a turn too, so I could sleep a bit. About 3AM, Scott woke up in terror - just screaming. We comforted him and settled him back to sleep. All 3 of us zonked out from then until 6am. When we arrived in Moscow we were whisked off to the medical clinic and the trauma of having blood drawn. Poor baby. That was no fun for any of us. We had one more stop to drop off paperwork and then got to the hotel. Our room was ready (thank God!) and the three of us collapsed in bed for a nap. We all woke up much happier and ready for dinner. M, F and her son met us in the restaurant and they had some great high chairs for the boys. We had a really nice dinner and the babies were so good! We made it an early evening. Unfortunately Dave and I both had a bought of insomnia from 2AM to 4AM. We sprang for a half bottle of wine from the mini bar and talked quietly until we finally fell asleep.

The next day, we had an appointment at the Embassy at 1PM. We were able to relax and have a late breakfast. Scott likes to people watch, so he was good while we ate. We started to fall into a rhythm of anticipating his needs for food, diaper changes and naps and started calling him Travelling Scotty because he's really a good traveller. After the Embassy appointment, we went back to the hotel for a nap for him and packing for us. Another nice meal in the restaurant for dinner and then early to bed. We were again awake from 2AM to 4AM, but in my case it's because of an unfortunate stomach malady. Suffice it to say that the bathroom in the Marriott is very nice. I spent quite a bit of time there.

Thursday morning had us up and running for the airport. It's a big blurry day for me because my stomach acted up every now and then - although blessedly not on the long airplane ride. Moscow to Atlanta - 11 1/2 hours - Scott slept about 3 of those, but was really pretty good. He fussed a bit, but really didn't scream like I was afraid he would. He had a bottle with the take off and slept through the landing.

It's a great moment knowing that when we landed he became an American citizen. We went through INS and customs and again, as a zombie I don't remember too much. We then went to wait for the trip to St. Louis. Scott zonked out on Daddy's lap as soon as we settled in our seats and slept through the whole trip. My stomach went nuts again, and I was miserable the whole trip. Thankfully, it's only 90 minutes.

The agency folks met us at the airport and took us to the hotel where we collapsed. Our big bag didn't make it from Atlanta, so I was without my cosmetics or hair stuff. Thursday I didn't care, but on Friday I looked at myself in horror at one point. Yikes - talk about letting yourself go!

We took our baby home on Friday and it was so good to see that familiar place! Our cat Callie wasn't too sure about the baby and they are still eyeing each other like wary allies. They want to be friends, but they just aren't too sure. Callie has started rolling around near Scott and showing off her playing skills. He laughs and stares at her, but isn't ready to try touching her yet. That's probably good.

We had our first pediatrician visit Monday and a follow up today. Our son is healthy and only slightly behind where he should be. Thank God! He even managed to gain 11 ounces while we were travelling. He took off crawling around the house this morning with us and and he's going to be ready to walk soon. He hasn't turned up his nose at food either.

Everyone said life would change - and it has. The people who got it right were the ones who said it would change for the better. When I hold him and stare into those gorgeous eyes, I feel that all is right with the world. Even when he needs a bottle at 4AM, it's amazing to hold that warm little body and feel the love just filling me up. I didn't know it was possible to feel helpless and powerful at the same time until he grasps my hand. We're both feeling very protective and I find myself putting his needs above everything - which of course is the right thing to do.

Life has changed - but what a lovely new adventure this is! We've been blessed by God with this handsome, curious and wonderful baby boy. I just can't even describe how amazing that feels. Another fabulous moment - introducing him to two sets of doting grandparents. I can tell he's going to love them as much as they already love him! We had such fun over the weekend with grandparents and I can't wait to get together with them again soon.

Many thanks to the family and friends who have brought food and presents and generally doted on our boy. We had a wonderful visit with a group of close friends on Sunday afternoon, another fun time with some friends and their kids on Sunday night, and a super Halloween party last night. This boy likes his parties! We're going to have a quiet night tonight to catch up after all of this fun and those yucky immunization shots we had today. I hope to post again soon - barring any more unfortunate injuries. Watch out for those car seats!

Later!