Fall Leaves - October 7, 2007

Well, when we bought this house over 4 years ago, one of the things that attracted us to the house was the beautiful Oak Tree in the back yard. We pictured nice summer evenings with plenty of shade. We could sit outside and enjoy the spring air, but it never dawned on us that this tree would drop all of its leaves come Fall, and someone would have to rake them up. The first year I did it with a manual rake, now I have one of those noicy leaf blowers. Beginning in late September or early October until early December (or the first snow fall), I am out there every other day collecting the leaves in bags and then putting them to the street every other Friday for the township to collect.

This year I had some "help". Sam loves using the rake and broom to sweep and collect the leaves. Now he is helping to bag them too. The project used to take about 1/2 hour each time, now it takes 2 or 3 hours, but it is much more fun

Happy Birthday Sam - September 26, 2007

Today is Sam's 2nd Birthday. We brought in cupcakes to school and they made a big "fuss" over the birthday boy. He had a special crown and everyone sang "Happy Birthday".

Sam's family party was last weekend. Bubby, Zedda, Sabba, Safta, Aunt Rachel, and Sam's friend Remi (along with his parents, Larry and Mimi) came over. Sam really loved all the presents, but Mommy and Daddy won with the one that got his attention, a new Firetruck (Ok - Flintstone Model). In fact he just let Remi open the other presents.

Of course there was pleany of cake (an Ice Cream cake), which Sam and Remi enjoyed eating/wearing.

Our First Mother's Day - May 13, 2007

I was watching Sam this evening as he was splashing around in the bath tub and realized that Mother's Day has a whole new meaning for me (and it should) but I was also thinking how sad it is for all those children who are living in orphanages around the world who will never know what it is like to experience taking a bath and splashing the bathroom and the parent sitting there watching them. It made me smile knowing that we were able to give Sam the opportunity to splash in the tub, to hear the birds sing, to hear the dogs barking (which he doesn't really like - it's scary to him), to play in the sand box at the park, to eat new foods, to get hugs and kisses, to be tickled. To do so many things that we never think twice about.

It took us a long time to get our family but now we have a great one!

Most of the time I can't complain - my biggest challenge right now is what to feed Sam for Lunch and Dinner. He is really picky about eating chicken and beef, he prefers to eat cottage cheese and yogurt. He seems to have slowed down in his progression with his vocabulary, we are getting less words at once now. He also seems to have slowed in his weight gain and I think he is a little short for his age as all of his 18 months pants are too long on him. But all in all he is doing great! He even likes playing on the grass more and a friend of mine who I grew up with sent him a really cool gift - it is a Fisher Price Harley Davidson three wheel motorcycle that's battery operated and we took him out on it earlier this week, he was definitely having fun.

April 2007 - Recap

First since everyone has been asking, we have uploaded a ton of new pictures of Sam, just click on the link below to see what he has been doing. . .

We have now been home for 3 weeks, although it seems a lot longer then that. Sam has been adjusting very well to his new routine (probably better then Mommy and Daddy have adjusted to the routine). He usually gets up around 7:30 - 8am, and has some breakfast. The mornings vary but all include mostly play time. Once a week (on Tuesdays) we go to the local Baby Gym and play, along with trying to get to the park as much as possible now that the weather is turning nice. Other days we simply play around the house with all the wonderful toys people have sent. (A special thank you to Jessica and Jeff and family for the great car that Sam loves to drive around the living room on). Lunch is usually around 12 noon, and then a little play before his nap from 1 - 3:30pm. He then gets up and has some more play time around the house or in the back yard, followed by dinner around 6pm, then bath and then "Night, Night" time.

Sam is doing very well developmentally. He continually amazes us. There is no doubt he understands us, and while he only says a few words, he definitely lets us know his opinions of what is happening and he lets us know what he wants. We had his first doctors visit and he did very well, considering they took 4 large vials and one small vial of blood. He had to be stuck twice, but considering everything he did really well. He did have an ear infection in both ears, so he is now on an antibiotic for 10 days, but all things considered he is a very healthy boy. We can tell that he is gaining weight. First we are feeling it in our arms, and second we are seeing the baby fat on his legs and face.

Sam has met and spent time with Bubby and Zeyda, Sabba and Safta, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Moss, Aunt Christen, and Cousin Cami. He has also gone to his Great-Great Aunt Sylvia and Great-Great Uncle Nate's house a couple times to say "Hello." Sam also made his first appearance at Daddy's work, and even tried his hand at a little TV engineering, so we are training him so Daddy can retire. He made his first appearance at Synagogue too, and even managed to trick the Rabbi into giving him a lollipop, while still avoiding going on to the Bimah with Daddy. (He chose to stay in Mommy's arms.)

Here are the pictures.

Monday April 30, 2007

Sam's First Hair cut -

Sam had his first hair cut today. Mommy took him to Ralph's in Glenside, PA and he was very good. He sat on a little horsey and played with some toys while Maria clip clipped his hair. She saved a few curls for posterity and did a great job! Sam was very good. Now he looks like a little boy! Everyone said he had great curls and it would be a shame to cut his hair, I agree but it has been getting hot and it was too long. Maybe we'll let it grow back in for the winter.

We have been wanting to write our blog at home but its been quite hard. Originally we were going to write his accomplishments home for a week but as you can see we've now been home for 2 1/2 weeks and I am finally finding the time to jot this down. Its a lot more difficult to write at home because there are so many things that need to get done and there just doesn't seem to be enough time. In Moscow we didn't have to worry about the dishes or the laundry getting done. We have pretty much been sticking to the same routine we started in Moscow and so we get 2 hours or so in the afternoon and he is usually in bed by 7:30-8pm at night.

Sam has made great strides and has many words, he certainly understands us although he tries to make us think he doesn't. He talks a lot around Mommy and Daddy but not so much around anyone else. He says hello and goodbye (but usually after he can't see you any more). He loves to "talk" on the phone - this usually involves hanging up on the person we are speaking to. He doesn't watch the TV; he bangs on the screen, turns up the volume and likes to turn the TV on and off. We have tried to get him to sit and watch Sesame Street but he is not interested. This is not the worst thing in the world but some days it would be a nice break for Mommy not to have to chase him and entertain him all morning long.

We took Sam to his pediatrician appointment on Friday 4/25 and Dr. Steve was quite impressed. He said Sam is doing great and Mommy is too. Sam is now eating table food which has become a very big challenge for Mommy. It is so much easier to feed him one jar of baby food - at least its a complete meal. Now I have to think about what to feed him. Also one day he loves the peas and the next he's throwing them at us. He seems to be challenged by meats - chicken and beef, whereas dairy products - American cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese - he loves them. I am going to take a stab at fish tonight and pray. Although yesterday we took him out to lunch at our Diner and he ate an entire Belgian waffle for lunch!!! We are still not sure where he put it all!!

Sam has an ear infection in both ears - could explain a lot - maybe the reason he's been screaming when we put him down for a nap or to bed; could be the reason he has been banging on his head or his ears - Hey I am a new mommy and I am still learning the signs! But Dr. Steve wasn't upset he seemed to say that this was typical of children coming out of an orphanage. I do think its weird that he had never had an ear infection - that is what we were told - but as Dr. Steve put it - you would have to look for it to know, so Sam is on Amoxicillin for 10 days and hopefully on the mends.

Tomorrow we will go back to Little Gym and see how he plays with the children. Miss Gwen will probably not recognize him with his new hair cut. And Wednesday we are going to JCPenneys for photos.

Some others words he says - "uh-oh", "up-up", "Mama," "Dada," woof-woof (dog), he can sing the "na na na, na, na, na, hey hey hey, goodbye" song with mommy; he knows what some animals are and we taught him what sounds they make so that's how he identifies them. We have been reading many books about colors, words, fruits, and so on. For example, he knows when we point to the picture of the banana that it is something he eats but he can't say the word yet. He is really a smart and adorable child. And he is sooo ticklish is it unreal! I do not think his caregivers from the Baby home would recognize him. They really did an amazing job at that baby home, they had teachers who would go into the room and do an activity with the children, they sang songs, they played with stacking cups, they really seemed to care for those children and I think it is great!

We met a family when we were in Moscow for our second trip - Miriam and Larry- and they are doing an independent adoption using the same agency we used in Moscow. They will be returning to Moscow on May 8th and to court on May 10th. They are also adopting a little boy from the same baby home. We want to wish them all the best and to have a great time in Moscow in the spring! And to come home safely and soon!

We will try and post some more pictures soon. Check back again.

Rebecca, Josh & Sam

Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - Homeward Bound! ! ! (A little late posting)

We awoke bright and early at 2:00am. Vladamir was waiting in the lobby at 3:00am, and we quickly (with the help of the bell boys / doormen) were packed into the car and off we drove. Due to the time, the streets were empty, but nice. The only real activity was at the casino / slots parlors that are all over the city, with their bright lights. We made our way down Tverskaya toward the airport, past the area of the city we only saw coming and going to the airport. It was smooth sailing, with no stops by the police this time. Sam was actually awake for most of the drive (we had hoped he would simply sleep until we were on board - Oh Well!)

When we got to the airport, it took two carts to load all of our stuff, and then we said good-bye and thank you to Vladamir. We were there SO early that security had not even set up to scan the bags. We waited in the lobby area by the check-in for about 1/2 hour, and then when security opened up, we proceeded to unload all our bags onto the X-ray machines, and then back on to the carts to wheel them to the Lufthansa desk. After a quick check-in (only took a few extra minutes to change our seats for bulkhead seats for all but the first flight), the checked bags went down the shoot to be seen again in Chicago. We then proceeded to Immigration control. They asked to see the original Russian copies of the Adoption paperwork, took a look at our passports, and then stamped everything and off we went toward the gate area.

(A side note about Moscow SVO airport - While this is the primary international airport for a national capital, you would never sense it by the activity level. The "departure board" looks like one from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Unlike Philadelphia International (or any other major airport we have ever been in), the board had about 20 lines and that was ALL the departing flights for the entire day. There were only 2 flights leaving before 7AM, ours and one to Madrid, Spain. Also, the "business class" lounge was really inaccessible for us. The only access was down several flights of stairs (No ADA Elevator), so we opted to skip it since we did not want to fuss with the stroller and our 4 carry on bags down the stairs.)

Once we settled in near our gate, we quickly changed Sam's diaper and clothes (he had been wearing his PJ's), and gave him a little of his breakfast, along with getting Mommy and Daddy some drinks (Soda). We then quickly boarded the mostly empty flight. There were so few people in Business Class, everyone had their own row. Once we got settled in, Sam sat on Daddy's lap, while Mommy fed him. While taxing, Sam ate the rest of his breakfast. He seemed more interested in the window shade going up and down then the fact he was leaving Moscow. Sam gave Moscow a wave "bye-bye" at Daddy's suggestion, and then Daddy gave Sam a big "hug" as the plane took-off. Once we were at altitude, Sam and Daddy moved up one row, so Mommy could nap a little. Sam also slept for the bulk of the flight (even allowing Daddy to get some light sleep).

Once we arrived in Munich, we went directly to the Business Class lounge for some drinks and a little snack. Sam and Mommy pushed "Bear" around in the stroller, while Daddy got online to check e-mail. Mommy took Sam to a HUGE bathroom (you could have slept in it) for a diaper and outfit change. It was Sam's first changing table (better then the floor at the hotel). A little fussing, but then he was all "clean" and ready to run again. Sam did seem to enjoy the 4 big plasma TVs in the lounge, but he had not seen Daddy's TV yet.

About 45 minutes before our flight, we proceeded to our gate, and yet another security scanning, this time with a sleeping baby. At the first security point, then needed to enter Sam's information into the US Homeland Security Database, since his ticket was not part of the original reservation, and they needed to confirm that we had the sealed envelope from the US Embassy with Sam's immigration paperwork. We then proceeded to the end of the hall for the X-ray / carry-on screening, where we needed to load EVERYTHING onto the conveyor belt, including the stroller (did we mention that Sam was sleeping), then explain the quantity of baby food, and then pack it all back into the bags, and board the plane, without a real chance to catch our breath.

(Oh yeah, Munich airport did not have elevators at the gate. After all that with the security, we had to go down 2 steep escalators, with all the bags and the sleeping baby.)

The plane from Munich to Chicago was a Airbus 360-300, and we were in the second Business Class section. The seats in this section are almost flat recliners with individual LCD displays with Video-On-Demand, individual 110V power adaptors for a computer, a message mode for your back, and enough leg room that an NBA basketball player could be comfortable. We also had bulkhead seats so there was some extra room for Sam to move around once we took off. Our section had us and about 6 other passengers. All of Business Class was rather empty, so we had some space to spread out. Sam enjoyed all the buttons on the remote, that controlled our chairs, but he did not understand that we could not play with the chairs until we we already in the air, and he did not want to stay on our laps while the plane was taxing. Daddy had to "muscle" him on to his lap until we took off. Once we took off, the flight attendants took our food order (they did not get Daddy his kosher meal, but made sure he got the fish platter), and set up the bassinet for Sam on the bulkhead. After Daddy ate "lunch" while Mommy walked the isles with the then crying baby, since Sam would not be happy sitting on either lap, and tried to jump out of the bassinet, Sam fought sitting on Daddy's lap, so Mommy could eat. Eventually with lunch over, Sam slept for about 30 minutes on Daddy, before waking up in a screaming fit. This continued for the rest of the flight.

Sam was essentially inconsolable. He would scream if he was sitting on Daddy's lap, and if Mommy took him, he would scream on Mommy's lap. If Mommy walked with Sam, he would scream, and if we put him down, we got more screaming. When it came to the bassinet, the screaming there was twice as loud. The other passengers in our section were not to pleased, and most (all but 1) moved to the other Business Class section before we made it over the Atlantic.

We FINALLY landed in very snowy Chicago, and when the wheels hit the ground, that is when Sam officially became a US citizen. Mommy and Daddy applauded, despite their total exhaustion, while Sam continued to fuss.

Once on the ground, we proceeded to Immigration Control. The line moved fairly fast, and then when it was our turn, Mommy and Daddy's passports got stamped rather quickly, and the Immigration officer put Sam's paperwork in a folder and told us to get our bags and go to customs, where we would take care of Sam's immigration stuff, by this time, Sam had fallen asleep in his stroller. We found a very nice Skycap, who helped Daddy gather the luggage, and patiently waited with us in the New Immigrant section of customs.

There were 3 other families in this section, but no children. We were 3rd in line. It was very non-ceremonious. The officer opened our envelope, went through all the documents, and then simply put a couple stamps, and reiterated what the embassy had instructed us regarding the documentation for citizenship, and we were then on our way. We proceeded through the Customs scan of all the bags (again had to get the now sleeping baby out of the stroller to scan that).

From there we went to United's Check-In counter. When we were planning this trip this transfer in Chicago from International to Domestic was the nightmare we had been dreading. We only wish someone had told us that we could check our luggage through right at the International terminal it would have been nice. It would have been an added bonus if the check-in people in Moscow had checked the baggage through, but "That is Moscow" as the United check-in lady said. Once checked in and baggage handed over to United, we then proceeded to the Domestic terminal. (Remember this is Chicago O'hare Airport and it has been snowing all day, and we now have a sleeping baby in a stroller and we have been traveling for around 20 hours already.) Since we did not know about the ability to transfer the checked bags at the International terminal, we had arranged for a limo driver to pick us up at the International terminal and drive us to the Domestic United terminal. The driver met us and we were on our way around O'hare Airport.

When we got to the United domestic terminal we proceeded directly to security. Now we have flown via the US Air terminal in Philadelphia for years (even after 9/11) but this was a nightmare. The line was HUGE, moved very slowly, and the heat was turned up way to high. Add to that that Mommy and Daddy had not got a wink of sleep since the flight from Moscow to Munich (12 hours earlier), and had been dealing with a screaming toddler for the last 7 - 8 hours, you can imagine our patience level. When it was finally our turn to put all the carry-on bags and the stroller (after removing the NOW sleeping baby) on the X-ray machine, we had to deal with the fact that we did not remember where we had packed much of the liquids (i.e. Diaper Cream, Baby Food, Yogurt, Juice, etc.), so we were scolded by the TSA people and had to have 2 of our bags repeatedly scanned until we accounted for everything. Mommy snapped at the TSA official, when he suggested we should know where everything was. Oh Well.

We finally made it to the United Business class lounge where we had about 1 - 1 1/2 hours to kill before our flight was scheduled. We had some cool drinks, Daddy changed his now drenched shirt (Baby sweat) for a cheap Chicago T-shirt, and Sam got a clean diaper and change of clothes. Daddy went around the lounge until he could find a spot to make a cell phone call (can you hear me now), so he could confirm the arrival time in Washington with Steve and Libby, and tell Bubby & Zeyda and Sabba & Safta that we made it "across the pond".

Now did we mention that it was SNOWING in Chicago (April 11), and they had gotten about 6 inches over the last 24 hours. Fortunately the snow had stopped, so our plane landed a little delayed and even though the board said we were "on-time" our plane did not arrive to the gate (still having not deplaning the previous flight or being cleaned) until 15 minutes before our scheduled departure. Yeah right - On Time. We finally boarded and departed about 1 hour late (not bad considering Chicago's reputation and the weather).

For this flight, Sam sat on Mommy, and Daddy was asleep before we even took off. Daddy did not wake up until we were getting ready to land (since his seat had reclined a bit, and the stewardess tried to push it upright and not wake up Daddy). Sam meanwhile slept on Mommy for the flight, so we were a little better off in DC then when we landed in Chicago.

After we landed, we gathered all of our carry-ons (when someone asked if we had not checked anything, they were confused when Daddy told them we had also checked 4 suitcases). On the tram ride from the Gate area to the main terminal we met the pilot of our flight, who admitted that we were lucky to only be one hour late considering the day Chicago was having, so we counted that as a blessing. He also gave Sam a picture (business card) of the plane, and congratulated the "Newest" American.

Our luggage came out very quickly (advantage of Business Class), so we then called Steve and Libby, who were parked right outside the Airport and pulled up within a couple minutes of us walking out the door. Sam did not seem interested in saying hello, but he also did not seem to like his new car seat (something he will have to get used to). We said a quick Hello, Thank You and Good-Bye to Steve and Libby, and then went directly to the hotel. (About 2 miles from the airport.)

About 27 hours after we left our hotel in Moscow, we were settled into our room in the Fairfield Inn at Dulles Airport. All three of us had a quick bite to eat (Mommy and Daddy had Subway sandwiches, while Sam had some Baby food Fruit), and then we all passed out on the bed. Yes, Mommy and Daddy let Sam sleep in their bed, since neither had the energy to fight with getting Sam to sleep in the Pack-and-Play provided by the hotel.

The next morning (Thursday, April 12), we woke a little late (around 8:30am) and grabbed our showers and bath (Sam), and then piled back in the car for home. After about 30 minutes of squirming and complaining by Sam for being "forced" to sit in the car seat, Sam fell asleep. We made pretty good time (except for the accident / slow-down on I-95 just North of Baltimore), and we HOME by 1:00pm.

We are now settling in to a routine, so bear with us as it takes us a few days to get into our routine, before posting again. We will continue to keep you informed about our joys of being parents to the most wonderful little boy, SAMUEL JONATHAN BARANOFF.

Monday, April 9, 2007

So all our faithful viewers will know, this will be the last blog entry for a few days, until after we are home and settled in. The plan now is to spend tonight and tomorrow packing, so "all" we have to do on Wednesday morning is wake-up and get our clothes on (both us and Sam) and then leave for our 5:40am flight. At least that is the plan . . .

After yesterday's nap, Sam got a chance to talk with Sabba and Safta as he munched away on the first course of his dinner. He has changed from someone who will eat any Stage 3 food, to someone who will only eat the fruits (no main course or vegetables). We think he is teething, since he has been putting EVERYTHING in his mouth and favoring one side of his mouth when eating.

After Sam finished his conversation and first course, we all went downstairs to the hotel restaurant (Flat Iron Bar and Grill) for Mommy and Daddy's dinner (Mommy had a Cheeseburger while Daddy had Fish and Chips). Sam ate a little more, but remained fussy. So after Mommy and Daddy finished eating, we went back upstairs and Sam took his bath. After his bath, Mommy and Daddy decided to give him a dose of Children's Motrin to help with his discomfort from the teething, since nothing else was working. It seemed to do the trick, since he went down rather quickly (15 minutes after being put in the crib he was fast asleep), and then he slept through the night until 7:15am.

This morning, after showers and dressing, we all went down to breakfast. From there Mommy and Sam went to the playroom for a couple hours, while Daddy began the organizing and packing up of our stuff. So far the dirty clothes (which is almost all of Mommy and Daddy's clothes) are in the bags, and we have begun to organize the rest. Tonight we will pull out what we are wearing both Tuesday and for travel ALL day Wednesday, and a bunch of outfits for Sam to wear in-flight, then pack the rest.

The camera has already been packed, so you will have to wait for any more pictures until we are home.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

This is just a quick post . . . a little late since Mommy and Daddy napped while Sam did, instead of posting. . . Also, there are no pictures for those of you who are only looking for them. . . Sorry.

We were not able coordinate dinner with Michelle, whose crew had already eaten with the Browns on Arbat Street, and the Frolows who were trying to pack to leave this morning, so despite Sam's objections to being all bundled up, Mommy and Daddy put Sam in his snow suit, put his hat on, and wrapped his face in his scarf, and made the walk down to the Starlite Diner, since Mommy and Daddy were dying for a Chocolate Milk Shake. We had those plus dinner, while Sam munched away on his fruit dessert, and then ate some Cheerios and told us he was done, by throwing the rest on the floor.

When we got "home", it was time for Daddy to give Sam his bath, while Mommy relaxed. Daddy got almost as wet as Sam, but he has learned that bathing is fun. We now have to let the water out of the tub in order to convince Sam that the bath is over. Then it was quickly into PJ's and time for bed. Sam went down rather quickly, so Mommy and Daddy also went to bed, since they too were pretty tired, since Sam did not take his full nap yesterday.

This morning, Sam must have had some type of scary dream, since at 4:00am, he woke with a scream. Mommy got up and consoled him, while he was in his crib, but as soon as Mommy took her hand off him he would scream again. We took him out of the crib, but he refused to go to Daddy, and after 10 minutes he would calm down, but if you went to lower him into the crib, he got upset again. Mommy then took Sam in her arms and laid down in bed. It seemed that Sam calmed down, but then decided he did not need to sleep, and he wanted to play in the bed, proceeding to kick Mommy and Daddy. After about 1/2 hour, and a kick to Daddy's jaw and Mommy's breast bone, Sam was put back in to his crib.

Because of the lack of sleep, Sam woke as a cranky baby, which made breakfast fun. We met Michelle, Margaret and Ayden for breakfast, to say good-bye as they were leaving the hotel at 10:30am. Breakfast was cut a little short, when Sam decided to have a temper tantrum, so Mommy took him to the play room where it was safer to act up, while Daddy went to the store to get some more water and Coke. We all then played in the play room, with Sam going into a few tantrums when Mommy or Daddy would take away a non-age appropriate toy (the room is designed for 1 -14 years old, but we think no one older than 5 would play in there). Around noon we came upstairs for Sam's lunch, and then time for a LONG nap. Today Sam was nice and slept until 4:00pm, so Mommy and Daddy also made up for our lost sleep from last night.

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Nothing really to report today. After our Embassy visit yesterday, Sam took a short and late nap, followed by dinner at the hotel with Michelle, her cousin Margaret, Ayden, and the Frolows, Sam had his daily bath, that now usually mean Mommy and Daddy get soaked too. At least he is enjoying being a clean baby. It was then "Night, Night" time, which fortunately went pretty quickly. Mommy and Daddy quickly followed him to bed, since they too were quite exhausted.

We woke up late this morning, and Sam got up while Daddy was in the shower. Mommy got Sam out of the crib, and gave him a quick change followed by the first course of breakfast. We then went downstairs for the rest of Sam's breakfast, along with Mommy and Daddy's breakfast. Daddy then took Sam to the playroom to play, while Mommy ran to the grocery store for some more supplies. Mommy then met Sam and Daddy in the play room for some family play time.

Around Noon we came upstairs for Sam's lunch, a quick change of diapers (he is getting a little better, and Mommy and Daddy have figured out how to coral him a little better), followed by nap time. Sam went to sleep rather quickly, then Mommy and Daddy climbed into bed for their naps. Unfortunately for Mommy and Daddy, Sam decided to wake up and thought he should be out of the crib after only one hour. Mommy gave him some more Kefer, then went back for her nap. Sam continued to move around the crib, and try to convince us to let him play, but after about 1/2 hour, he calmed himself, and let Mommy and Daddy nap a little bit.

Now Sam is eating his dinner and making paper towel confetti, and Mommy and Daddy are trying to coordinate dinner with Meriam, Larry, Michelle, Margaret and Ayden.

As for other news, there was 1 - 1.5 inches of snow in Moscow today. It did not stick to the roads or sidewalks, but it was still a little disconcerting to us, since it is April 7th. No pictures, we only hung around the hotel today.

Friday, April 6, 2007 - Embassy Day (Amended)

Today's blog will be delayed in publication, since we have an appointment at the US Embassy at 1:00pm (Moscow Time). This is when Sam usually gets his nap, and when we usually type the blog. However, so you would not have to go a day without a funny story or two. . .

We already posted the pictures of last night's bath, which was fun for us, since it means to us that Sam is adjusting well to become bathed daily (we think they only did it once or twice a week at the Baby Home). The part of last night was a education for Mommy and Daddy was dinner. We went to a local restaurant near the hotel where we had eaten before. The food was OK but the service isn't great. The first time we went there was before we had custody of Sam, so going here with Sam was a first. What Mommy and Daddy did not look for the first time and discovered was missing this time, was that the restaurant did not have high chairs. The service also was extremely slow. We should have known we were in trouble with the looks when we sat down and moved everything on the table, away from the stroller and where Sam was sitting on our laps. After we ordered of food, we sat Sam back in his stroller so he could have his dinner. Unfortunately for us, Sam finished all of his dinner and we still had a 15 minute wait before our dinner came. Once our food came, since the stroller is so low, Sam was extremely fidgety, so what we did was have Sam sit on Daddy's lap while Mommy ate, and then Sam sat on Mommy's lap while Daddy ate his cold Salmon. Well it was a learning experience.

Finally we got Sam to sleep, and relaxed a bit ourselves. This morning we decided against waking up early (for a change we did not need to meet Vladamir at 8:30ish), so we used the best alarm we know of, Sam. He woke up around 7:15am, so Daddy got in the shower, while Mommy gave Sam his first course of Kefer. As Daddy was in the shower, he heard Mommy scream, "Oh No! Not on Mommy's pants!" It seemed that after Mommy got Sam's diaper off, Sam proceeded to sit on Mommy's lap, before she cleaned him up. You can picture what Mommy's jeans looked like. . . Another lesson learned. . .

This morning after breakfast, Mommy went shopping for more food for Sam, while Daddy and Sam had a couple hours of play time with Sam. Sam enjoyed his time, and Mommy enjoyed her "shopping spree". You should have seen Mommy with the green backpack full of baby food jars sitting in the stroller (another really great use for a cheap stroller) and two packs of diapers balanced on top as Mommy wheeled the stroller over the bumpy streets home. It was starting to snow on her walk home too. The people on the streets where looking at Mommy like she was nuts. Oh well, we'll never see them again after Wednesday.

Now we are getting ready to go to the Embassy, but unfortunately we have a cranky baby, who now will not get his nap. We are hoping he will fall asleep on one of our shoulders at the Embassy.

Now at 4:50pm, we have our new American Citizen sleeping in the hotel. Actually Sam will not be officially a citizen of the USA until the plane lands in Chicago (it was specifically explained to us that he becomes a citizen as soon as the wheels hit the ground). We all went to the embassy, Michelle and us in the van, and the Browns met us there. As we all piled in, it was nice to have someone with a US accent speaking English. One thing that surprised us was that we never saw any US Marines, simply standard security people. We showed our US Passports, and we allowed in after a security scan (just like the airport, except you can leave you shoe on). Once we arrived, Philip (who has been our translator for all the legal stuff) showed us where to go, and we waited for the windows (just like bank tellers) to open. First they want the money (surprise), but this time they will accept any money (not just the new stuff) or credit cards (including American Express). After the payment, we waited about 30 minutes, when the windows for adoptions opened. Our group had number 2, 3, 4 for the day (and they started with 2), so we were processed very quickly. The process is pretty straight forward, they confirm who we were with the US passports, have us confirm the spelling of Sam's name and his date of birth (this time read to us Month, Day, Year, unlike the Russian and rest of the world that does Day, Month, Year), and then have us raise our right hands and swear that the information is truthful. The lady who did ours was very nice, and even tickled Sam's feet, which had slid under the glass divider that she was sliding the paperwork through for us to sign. She quickly explained how to apply for his passport and Social Security number, and what we should do if we needed to stay overnight in Munich (heaven forbid), due to flight issues. We then had to wait about 20 more minutes for the Visas to be done. At that point we were all called up again to pick up the sealed envelopes that are handed to immigration in Chicago.

Unfortunately we could not take our cameras in to the Embassy, but while waiting we saw about a dozen other families getting their paperwork done. Daddy even heard someone (a parent) go to the window, and start speaking to the woman in Russian, and then said, "Oh yeah! We speak English here." It was nice to see the other families. This other thing we saw was a television in the room that had Disney's Jungle Book movie on it. Now we were sure we were in a US Embassy, Disney runs everything.

Officially we are now done everything. All we have to do is get on the plane next Wednesday morning. Unfortunately Mother Nature is not being to cooperative with us, so we are not sure how much more sight seeing (or simply walking around) we will be doing. The weather has turned drastically colder and they are predicting rain or snow everyday until we go home. Oh well! We'll be spending lots of time in the play room downstairs.

Thursday, April 5, 2007 - Bath Time

We did not want to make everyone wait until tomorrow to see these pictures. After several days of fighting the bath, tonight Sam decided that a bath was fun, and splashed Mommy and Daddy as he enjoyed even having his hair washed.

Here are the pictures. . .

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Yesterday Sam was actually quite cooperative and slept until almost 4:30pm for his nap, about 1 hours longer then usual, which worked well for Mommy and Daddy who were able to get a little nap too. Once everyone woke up, we had a little play time on the bed with Daddy, followed by dinner. Sam's new thing is that he likes to hold the spoon and feed himself. This works alright for some of the foods, but the fruits and some of the other "thin" foods he needs Mommy or Daddy to feed him, which is actually not what he wants, but he will eat it anyway.

After Sam had his dinner in the room, we went downstairs to meet Michelle with the intention of meeting the Frolows (another couple from JFCS in Philadelphia, although they live in North Jersey, who are here for their first trip) at the American Bar and Grill. The American Bar and Grill is a TGIFriday's imitation with a lot of American Regalia on the walls. We have eaten there a couple times and they are pretty child friendly. Unfortunately it was raining when we were going to leave, so we called the Frolows (who are staying at another hotel) and they came down to our hotel. Unfortunately the kids were not so willing to wait for the rest of their dinners, so we ate at the hotel restaurant before the Frolows were able to get here. Both Ayden and Sam munched away as Mommy and Daddy and Michelle chatted about the cute little ones.

We finished dinner and took Sam upstairs for a quick change of his diaper (again to his objections), and just as we were finishing the Frolows called and were downstairs. We took Sam down and all of us went downstairs and chatted in the lobby. The Frolows are a Jewish couple from North Jersey (she is originally from Cheltenham), that are here on their first trip to meet their son, who is 17 months old from the same Baby Home that we got Sam from. It is funny to us that we have transitioned from Novice to Expert in just a few months. The Frolows were asking all sorts of questions and we were the experts with the answers, ranging from where to eat, to how to deal with the Marriott to get all the points you need, and even how we have adapted to being parents to Sam, with little practice.

After our good-byes, we took Sam up to have a bath, which is getting less "painful" everyday, and even a little enjoyable. He still does not like having his hair soaked and protests for a couple seconds as he is lowered into the tub, but then enjoys his bath and rub down once it starts, with some laughs thrown in. We changed into Sam's PJ's and gave him his good-night kisses, and lowered him into the crib. He cried for about 2 minutes, but since we walked out of the room, he calmed down and was dead asleep within 10 minutes.

This morning we arose around 6am and were just about finished showering and getting dressed, when the little guys head started to poke up, and his eyes opened. Today Daddy took him from the crib, and immediately Sam put his head around Daddy's neck, and puckered up to kiss Daddy. For Daddy, that was all the day needed. We quickly got Sam changed, dressed and into the stroller, for the trip downstairs for breakfast. Again we had our meal with Michelle and Ayden. Sam has been eating a little less the last day or so, but we see his cheeks filling out and some meat on his legs beginning to grow, so we think he is finally getting past the point of always being hungry, and now enjoying his meals.

After Breakfast, Kevin, Michelle (and Ayden) and Daddy went to pick up the kids Russian Passports, now having all the needed stamps and OKs. Meanwhile (back at the ranch), Mommy and Sam found the playroom at the hotel. (Would have been great if someone showed us this room earlier in the week.) It is a small room, that is carpeted and stocked with children's toys for kids under 5 or so. Sam enjoyed the Rocky Horse and the big Lego's. When Daddy got back, we arranged for all three kids and families to go to Red Square so we could get a group picture of the kids in Red Square. Unfortunately for us it was quite windy and chilly today, in addition to the fact that Red Square was cordoned off by security (we do not know why, since we do not know Russian), but we found a place to take a quick picture of all three kids in their strollers with the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral in the background.

We then quickly came back to the hotel, gave Sam his lunch and then put him down for hopefully another long nap.

Today's pictures are right here.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

First we are so glad to know everyone is enjoying our blog and stories. Sometimes as we write it, we never know who is actually reading, so it is good to hear from those of you who have been enjoying the stories. . .

Yesterday's nap was a little short. Sam has now taken to testing the waters of how much we will let him get away with, and is now beginning to shake the crib, since the first few times he did this, we immediately picked him up, said "NO!" and then laid him back down. As much as he complained, he kept shaking, until one of us would stand up, and immediately he would dive to the bottom of the crib, and lay down. We know he is simply testing us, and seeing where our limits are. We have decided that the limits we are already going to start enforcing are safety (obviously) and no punching (he has hit each of us a couple time with good right crosses). When he does this stuff, we stop him, say "NO!" and then give him a short (30 second or so) time out. He has been getting the story, but is still testing to see if he can get away with something.

After his nap, and the daily fight that clean diapers and clothes are better then dirty ones or none at all, Sam had his dinner (there are some great pictures of this). It is so funny to watch him eat. Michelle calls it a "bird face". He opens his mouth very wide, and moves it toward the food, just like a baby bird waiting for the Mommy bird to feed him.

After this we went to the Starlite Diner for Mommy and Daddy's dinner. It is about 1 to 1.5 miles from the hotel, and literally looks like it came off of one of the circles in New Jersey. It is your typical metal diner plopped down in the middle of Moscow (less then 2 miles from the Kremlin). Sam enjoyed his usual desert of baby food, while Daddy enjoyed a Belgian Waffle and Mommy and Chicken Sandwich. For Daddy is was a nice change of pace, since while Daddy enjoys Salmon and potatoes, he has begun to grow gills and look like a French Fry. The fish choices are rather slim at most of the restaurants we have gone to, and they generally do not have Pasta with a non-meat of shell-fish topping, so the Waffle was a good change. (Despite this, the hotel does have Smoked Salmon and Philly Cheese (what we call cream cheese), so you can guess what Daddy has been eating for breakfast everyday. Now if only he could find a good Bagel.)

When we came back to the hotel, it was time for Sam's bath, which went over a little better then the previous night. He objected to being put into the tub, but when the toys and bubbles came out, he seemed to take to the idea. His big thing is to throw the toys into the water, and watch them splash. Due to the lack of any non-slip material on the bottom we do not let him move to much in the tub, so we have to get the toys that are out of reach. Sam still does not enjoy getting the water dumped over his head, but the bath is getting to be less of a battle each day. (We have some cute pictures of this, with even better video that will have to wait, that will be available to girlfriends / fiance in 25 or so years.)

After we got the PJ's on, it was still a little early for bed, so we went downstairs to Michelle's room. She had just gotten custody of her daughter, Ayden, that afternoon, and was just giving Ayden dinner. The kids looked at each other, with a kind of "I know you from somewhere" look. We compared notes and said our hellos, and then it was Sam's bed time. Sam once again did not want to go to sleep, but as we said on earlier post, we have taken to sitting outside our room (we are right across from a pair of sofas in the hall), and letting him cry himself to sleep. It usually takes about 20 minutes for him to figure out that we are not taking him out of the crib, until he quickly falls dead asleep.

We had to wake up a little earlier this morning, since Vladamir was picking both us and Michelle and Ayden up at 8:15am, to go to the doctors office for the Embassy medical clearance. First was breakfast, where we met Michelle and Ayden. We do not know how much the hotel will be enjoying having these two sharing a table for the next several days. To put it mildly the carpet under our table was a little messy.

We ate quickly and then met Vladamir in the lobby. The drive was usual for Moscow - a lot of traffic. It is still scary to us to think we had 2 toddlers sitting in the back seat, both on their Mommys' laps, while driving around. It the States this would get an immediate pull over and tickets. When we got to the clinic, we went in quickly and once again Vladamir knew someone, who made sure we were the first kids in and out. Also there was the Brown family that we had met on our first trip here and again a couple weeks ago. They had also gotten custody of their daughter (Tatyana) on Tuesday. This trip (they too went home for the 10 day wait) they brought their 5 year old daughter. The kids all looked at each other, and all the parents compared notes. When it was our turn to see the doctor, she quickly read the previous medical information (which we had already seen at the Baby Home) and then did a very basic physical of Sam. She listened to his heart and lungs, looked in his eyes and ears, weighed and measured him (length and head circumference). Then a couple clicks on her computer, and print out of the report, a few signatures and done. (It took less then 10 minutes). After all 3 kids were "checked out", we came back to the hotel.

Once we got back, Sam ran around a little, while Mommy and Daddy got their stuff put away and Sam's lunch ready. He is eating a little less today. We think he has finally figured out what it means to be full, also he is not "starving" all the time anymore, so he has figured out that there will be more food. The other interesting thing is that he now has figured out that he has to be seated to eat. As we were getting his food out, Sam ran right to the stroller and tried to climb in. He was not able to get in without assistance, but he knows that if he is eating in the room, he is in the stroller. We are just amazed how quickly he has adapted to the new routine. Little does he know how much the routine will change in one week.

After lunch, Sam enjoyed playing on Mommy and Daddy's bed. The room has a king size bed, that the first few times he was put down on, he freaked out and immediately crawled to the edge and backed him self down to the floor. This time however we dumped his toys on the bed, and he seemed okay to sit and play with Mommy on the bed, while Daddy took pictures.

Then it was nap time, with the usual 20 minutes of disagreement from Sam that he needs the nap, but now he is fast asleep. Mommy went downstairs to the "Atrium" to get some lunch for herself, as Daddy gets all of you caught up. . . Tomorrow we are picking up the Russian passports and then on Friday, it is US Embassy Day to start making our kids US citizens.

Here are today's pictures (including last night's dinner and bath and today's play time)

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Since everyone enjoyed yesterdays diaper blowout story, we had yet another one, this time messing the stroller along with the outfit. This was after his nap, and he ate his dinner, as we were getting ready to go for Mommy & Daddy's dinner, so we decided it was time for a full bath, despite his objections. Sam wailed as he was lowered into the tub, and Mommy washed him down clearing the signs of the blowout from his body. Then after cleaning the tub out, we sat him down for his first full bath. At first he wailed for a bit, then we put his bath toys in the tub with him, and he quickly started to play with them and forgot his discomfort with the bath idea. We took a 1/2 liter bottle (that we had cut the top off of for this purpose) and filled it with water and began to pour it over his arms and body. After he accepted that, Daddy poured one over his head, which did not go over to well. Mommy then soaped him up and Daddy proceeded to dump water over his body again, with the shocking dump over the head as a surprise. When the bath was over and a little consoling, we had a nice clean baby. Smelling a whole lot better then when he started 1/2 hour earlier. After the bath, Sam proceeded to run around the room as a "Naked Baby", but it seems the nervousness of the bath took its toll, and he tried to "water" the carpet, fortunately for the Courtyard, Mommy was right there with Sam's towel to "catch" it.

Due to the stroller being out of commission until we could clean it (after Sam goes to sleep) we carried him all the way to dinner, and therefore did Sparro's pizza again. Sam did seem to be a little upset by not being allowed to run, but also seemed content to simply being held (although he is not fond of wearing his bulky snowsuit). After dinner, it was bed time, and once again Sam did not feel that he should have to sleep. We have now taken to putting him in the crib and sitting on a pair of sofas across from our room, and allowing him to cry himself to sleep (usually about 1/2 hour). Last night, Michelle came and sat with us. She has returned to pick up her daughter after the ten days. She gets her daughter today, and will be staying here though the weekend. We look forward to having the kids spend some fun time together if we can coordinate it.

This morning we continued our routine of Mommy and Daddy waking up and grabbing a shower before Sam wakes up. We then get him up, a "quick" diaper change, dress, and then down for breakfast. Michelle met us for breakfast this morning, before beginning her adventure with her daughter. After breakfast, we went back to the room and got ourselves ready to go out to the supermarket. As we were on our way out we met a family, from New York, in the lobby that recently adopted their daughter from one of the regions and was now in Moscow doing their embassy stuff, before heading home. We left and went to a supermarket near the Chabad house in Moscow (about 1 mile from the Hotel). We got Sam some more food, and us some more supplies that should last us through the weekend, when we will have to go again. On our way back from the supermarket, we met a woman from Grease who was taking her almost 4 year-old daughter to kindergarten. The kids exchanged pleasantries as only kids can, and we went to our hotel, as the little girl took off on her bike with Mom following behind.

When we got back to the hotel it was a little early for Sam to have lunch or nap, so we played with his toys in the room (pictures below) and then as he got bored with that, we did a lap around the floor chasing Sam, as he tried to get into several rooms and "talked" with everyone we met. This took a while, and then after some good tickle and cuddle time, Sam enjoyed his lunch, and is now getting ready for his nap. Both Mommy and Daddy are hoping he will decide that he wants to nap today, since they NEED a nap too.

Here are today's pictures

Monday, April 2, 2007

First things first, Sam wanted to say "Happy Anniversary" to Uncle Aaron and Aunt Robbie. We all also wanted to say "Happy Passover" to everyone. We hope you enjoy your Seders and we will try to get Sam to start prepping for the Four Questions for next year.

Yesterday was relatively uneventful on an official basis, but this paragraph should only be read when you are not eating, and I would also avoid drinking anything that you do not want to give back while laughing. . . . We had our our first exploding diaper and as we were trying to get his pants off and onesie open, we started laughing as the oatmeal from breakfast oozed out from the sides of the diaper. It was likely breakfast and lunch that we were seeing. Even though it had to be uncomfortable, Sam still refused to sit or stand still and let us remove the messy diaper. He almost would have rathered keep it on dirty. We ended up getting the diaper off and wiping as much off as possible then taking him into the bathtub and showering off the rest. Sam got really scared in the shower and fussed but in the end he was laughing (almost as much as us) when Mommy spritzed his tummy and his hand.

We went to the American Bar and Grill for dinner. We had been there before we got custody of Sam, but this was a different type of Dinner. Sam seems to enjoy flirting with all the women in the restaurants and anywhere else we are in public. (Not that Daddy can blame him, but this could be a problem in 20 years or so.) A big restaurant also offers enough distractions to allow Sam to watch others, and therefore Mommy and Daddy have a chance to eat. The funny thing is that at this restaurant they have a woman that sweeps the floor all around the restaurant. The first time we were there, Mommy noticed her, but Daddy did not. This time however, she kept sweeping around our table. We wonder why?

Last night, Sam decided that despite his short nap, he still did not want to go to sleep. What makes it tough is that since we are in a small hotel room whenever he sees up move around the room he thinks he should be up too. After about 1/2 hour, we decided to lay him back down for the 15th time, and then went out in the hallway and ate the cheesecake we had ordered after dinner to-go. After about 10 minutes, Daddy checked on Sam, and he was out like a light. This approach will obviously work better at home, when we are not sleeping in the same room. What makes this hard, is we have stuff to do at night, after Sam goes to sleep. We use that time to repack the Baby bag, and clean up around the room from Sam's rearranging. Last night we also wanted to confirm that we had enough clothes for Sam to wear, which we found that we were short on pants.

This morning, we tried to change the routine a little, to allow us to really be ready before dealing with getting Sam up and out the door. We woke up around 6am, grabbed our showers (Mommy first), and then just as Daddy was finishing his shower and after Mommy was dressed, Sam woke up.

After a quick dressing for the little guy, we headed down to breakfast and then Daddy had to go with Vladamir to apply for Sam's Russian passport. The way it works is that Sam will leave Russia as a Russian citizen with a Visa from the US Embassy to go to the USA. He will also apply for US citizenship at the Embassy, and as soon as he steps foot (or Mommy steps foot with Sam in her arms) he will become a US citizen. Before we left, we gave Vladamir copies of Daddy's Passport, Visa, Registration Card (you have to register with Interior Ministry if you are in the country for more than 3 days), and the Customs Entry Card you get at the airport, along with $100 "present" (US new bill) for the woman at the passport office (so the paperwork gets done and not lost). Today's trip involved a short walk to the Kremlin Metro Station, one stop on the Metro (don't ask me which way), and then a short walk to another non-discrip government building. Once inside (after the standard Passport check by security), Vladamir had me sit on a sofa outside the office. After about 10 minutes, I went in, showed my original passport, and signed 3 forms (again I have no idea what I am signing), and off we went. Passport should be ready on Wednesday evening. Daddy then went to a Russian Baby Department store and bought 7 pairs of pants for Sam so we have enough clothes to get us through until we get home.

Meantime, back at the ranch (hotel), Mommy and Sam played in the room. After originally slightly favoring Daddy, Sam has become a Mama's boy, and runs to her and tries to climb up her whenever he gets a little upset.

When Daddy got back, we left the room for about 45 minutes, since housekeeping was supposed to be coming up, and Sam lead us around the lobby (lap after lap). Eventually, we figured we gave housekeeping enough time (we had called before we left the room), we went back to the room, for a little lunch, followed by nap time. Again Sam protested, this time standing up and trying to shake the crib. When he did that, Mommy and Daddy took turns getting up, and simply laying him down with a couple of firm "No"s and putting the blanket back over him. We also made sure the lights were out, and we laid down to (almost falling asleep ourselves). Eventually he went to sleep, and hopefully will stay that way until around 4 pm.

Since some have asked, here is Sam's basic schedule:

• 8AM - Wake-up followed by breakfast
• 9AM - Noon - Play time with a snack in the middle
• Noon - Lunch
• 12:30/1PM - 3:30/4PM - Nap
• 5PM - Dinner
• 6PM - Play time (quieter play)
• 7PM - Get ready for bed
• 8PM - Bedtime

Now since we have not been having dinner to close to the hotel, the 6PM Playtime has really been walking back to the hotel from dinner, but this is entertaining for him, as he is not used to all the sights, and gets him a little more relaxed (we hope) so we can get him down a little faster.

With him napping now, Daddy is using the time to clean the room (after filling everyone in with our day-to-day), and Mommy ran to the local "supermarket" (it is actually only slightly bigger then a nice size 7/11 or WaWa at home) to pick up some more food for Sam.

Our next day with official work is Wednesday. Sam has to be seen by a US approved doctor (at the American Clinic) for his "physical". We have heard it is nothing more than a strip, turn around, maybe listen to the heart, and then after the appropriate "present" signing of the paperwork, but it is part of the game we have to play.

Sorry no pictures today, we have been a little lazy in the picture taking, and spending more time with hugs, kisses (which Sam now gives), and lots of tickling.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Well after yesterday's nap, we had a little battle convincing Sam that a clean diaper was better then a loaded one. It seems he would rather run around with either a dirty diaper or just naked. It is cute, but after a day he seems to be accepting that we will be changing the diapers and is sometime letting us. We then went down to the lobby, to allow the housekeepers to clean the room. Sam seemed to enjoy walking around the lobby, while holding Mommy's fingers (that have begun to get their feeling back).

We then went to the restaurant to see about having some dinner. We did reasonably well for our first meal as parents with a toddler. We tried to order some Chicken Fingers for Sam, but it seems that he wants to try our meals, but after he puts some table food in his mouth, he decided he does not like it. So it looks like we will be feeding him baby food for the duration of the trip.

It was then time to get ready for bed. Sam ran around the room for a little and then we got him ready for bed. He again complained a little when we put him in the crib, but quickly settled down and fell asleep. Again for us, we just enjoyed watching him lay there and eventually went to sleep ourselves. We did get a few pictures of Sam sleeping (nice part of Night Vision on our camera).

This morning we allowed Sam to be our alarm clock, and slept in until almost 8:30am (very late for us since coming to Russia). After some showers for Mommy & Daddy, and a little fight convincing Sam that getting dressed was necessary before having Breakfast. Breakfast was relatively uneventful, although Sam was definitely flirting with all the women he saw. After breakfast, we went for a walk to a neighborhood park (next to the Azerbaijan Embassy). Although Sam seemed curious about the birds and the dogs in the park, he got a little afraid of them when they came near him. With a little hand holding, he was willing to pet the dogs for a couple seconds, before deciding that he was not that interested.

We then came back to the room for a little lunch, and then put Sam down for a nap. Now Mommy and Daddy are going figure out whether we have enough food and clothing for Sam, and then Mommy is going to run to the food store for some more baby food, and Daddy will go to the Baby Store for clothes tomorrow, after going with Vladamir to apply for Sam's Russian passport.

Pictures of Sam sleeping last night.

Saturday, March 31, 2007 - Gotcha Day!!!!

Well this was the big day we have been waiting so long for. . . Sam is now in his parents custody. Mommy and Daddy awoke a little earlier then usual today (after a night without a lot of sleep), and were alone in the dining room for breakfast by 7:30am. It was a little unusual for the dining room to be so empty (we had always seen at least a few other tables occupied), but it was early on a Saturday morning. We ate a quiet breakfast (with the wait staff hovering since there were no other patrons), and then met Vladamir at promptly 8:20am.

Our first stop this morning was to the Office of Vital Statistics. We went there to pick up the official court order for the adoption and Sam's new Birth Certificate, listing us as his parents. The office opens at 9am, but we were there about 15 minutes early. After a short wait, and a wave to some of the people Vladamir knew, we were in at 8:55am (the first in line). We gave them some papers (don't ask us what) and showed them our passports, and then the woman went to the back room to dig out the files. After about 20 minutes, Vladamir told us that we were going to go with him to the local store, and pick-up some "gifts" for the clerks, so that everything will be "OK" with the papers. We went and got a box of Chocolates and a box of Tea, and went back to the office. After a couple minutes we went to the back room and signed some papers and were given the documents, while we left our bag of "gifts" on the table.

We then went to the Baby Home (for our last time) and went to get Sam. When we got there we met the Social Worker for the home (which we left 1500 rubles ($60) on her desk) and got the rest of the document signed. While Mommy dressed Sam (we got him in only a diaper), Daddy and the Social Worker went with Vladamir to the local bank. It seems that the government creates an account for every orphan. It is a simple passbook savings account and the government deposits money into it every month, along with quarterly interest. Technically that money belongs to the child (now us as his parents). We "donate" that money to the orphanage as a "Thank You" for caring for him. It was not a great deal of money by US standards ($550), but it is of great help to the orphanages, which do not get a great deal of money from the government.

While Daddy did this, Mommy dressed Sam and then the went out to the "playground" and ran around while waiting for Daddy to come back. When Daddy returned, we all piled in the car (Sam on Daddy's lap), and drove back to the hotel. Sam was looking all over the place, since all the sights were so new to him. He played a little nose / noise game, and put the teething ring into his mouth, then into Daddy's mouth, Mommy's mouth, and back to his mouth. After about 20 minutes driving, Sam fell sound asleep on Daddy's shoulder.

Sam woke up as we shifted him, when we got to the hotel. His eyes were wide open with wonder of seeing all the sights. As we went up the elevator, he kept staring at himself in the mirror. Finally when we got to the room, and removed all his layers (he was quite warm), Sam started to explore the surroundings. The biggest amusement for him was the drawer to the end table. He kept opening and closing it. Next is was time for lunch. . . we were not sure what he would be willing to eat, but anything we fed him was fine with him. He sat on Mommy's lap and ate the Chicken with Stars Pasta and some peas. He had his mouth wide open as soon as he saw the spoon. He was SO hungry. That plus a piece of bread along with some water (again from the cup without a lid) and some Kefer (a milk substitute) seemed to be a welcome mix for him.

After that is was nap time. He did not seem to enjoy being put in the crib, but after about 20 minutes he calmed down and started to snore. We were just enjoying watching the sleeping baby. He is still sleeping (hopefully for another hour) and then we will wake him up and get ready for dinner. We are going to keep it easy for the next few days. Our next "big" day for Sam will be Wednesday, when we get him his "physical" for the US Embassy. We then go to the Embassy to do all the US paperwork on Thursday or Friday and should be on a plane on Wednesday.

Here are some pictures of his first meal with us.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Well today is our last visit to the Baby Home, tomorrow is the big day when we simply go there to pick Sam up. Again we arrived at around 9:15am. Sam was very sociable and playful with us for the first hour or so. He even came out of his room and did not even cry or turn away, simply going right into Daddy's arms. This was a first.

We played the nose / noice game, and "read" his Alphabet book, with him saying a few of the words. He now actually thinks a Dog is a Woof. When he points to the picture of the Dog, he simply says "Woof".

Around 10:30, Sam became very cranky again, and even started to have temper tantrums on the floor. We gave him some water to help cool him down (he gets a little overheated when he throws a tantrum). We think he may still need a short (30 - 45 minute) morning nap. One other possibility, that we did not think of at the time, was that he was indicating that he had to go potty. When we took him to his room at 11:15am, the caretaker took him right to the potty room. Perhaps that was what he was trying to "say" to us.

We are still a little frustrated with the fact that his caregivers are the ones that make the decisions of what to do and when, and even though he is legally our son, we can not control any of his activities. Once again today we were "scolded" by one of the caregivers for feeding him, since they want him to eat the lunch that he is served, not our food. The language barrier is also difficult, since whenever he hears Russian, he stops listening and communicating with us. English is still very foriegn to him.

When we left the Baby Home we once again drove into a ton of traffic. This delay may throw a wrench into our plans for the day, since we were hoping to go to the Kremlin and Armory to be tourists, but we may just have to buy postcards instead, since we still have to go to the supermarket to get food for Sam to eat tomorrow, and we have to "baby proof" the hotel room a little more (if you can "baby proof" a Hotel room).

We did not take to many pictures today, between his mood, our simple desire to hold and tickle him, and his wanting to play with the camera vs. be in front of it, so you will have to wait another day for more pictures.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Sam was definitely a little cranky today, and did not seem to want to do much of anything with us, short of eat the snacks (Cheerios and Graduate Puffs) and drink water. For about 20 minutes he was rather calm and would look at the Alphabet book with us and said his few words, but then he began to get very assertive and did not want to play with any of our toys, or even be held in our arms for more then 30 seconds, before trying to wiggle out. Another first for us to see, was a small temper tantrum when we would not let him go down the stairs, he simply laid down on the floor and would not do or listen to anything.

He was much more aggressive then he had been. He was beating up on Daddy a little, and hit Daddy on the head with the cell phone, and pushed his sippy cup into Daddy's throat. We tried to "discipline" him with a brief timeout, but with all the distractions at the home, and our limits to where we can go, it did not work really well. Also, we think he does not understand that his actions are hurting someone, and we know we will have to teach him when we get home.

The weather in Moscow was quite warm today, almost uncomfortably for the clothing we have brought with us. It was over 60 degrees today, and the Russians still are running their heaters inside the buildings, such as stores and the Baby Home. Sam was quite warm, since they are still dressing the children for winter, with a Onesie, long sleeve shirt, leggings, and a pair of pants.

On our way back from the Baby Home to the hotel, we got caught in the worst traffic jam we have seen so far. It took almost 40 minutes to go what should have taken about 10 minutes back to the main road. This was also jammed, so Max made a U-Turn and made hs way across town using side streets. The side trip did take us by a neighborhood that seemed a little nicer then the ones we had been driving through. It has many high rises, with a big park in the middle. One other thing that you see all over Moscow are Kiosks that each sell something different: Flowers, Hot Dogs, Soda, Cigarettes, Fruits / Vegetables, etc. It is interesting to us, that in such a cold weather climate (this winter was an exception), there is so much outdoor shopping. The funny thing is that they have many pedestrian under-crosses (you walk under the main streets) and these are also lined with the same kiosks, plus some selling items you would never see a street vendor selling in the States (i.e. Lingerie, DVDs, and even Supermarkets)

When we got back to the hotel, we got them to change our room. When we checked in there were no "Non-Smoking" floor rooms available, but I guess there was now. Both of us were having difficulty breathing, so we were able to move up one floor and get another room. Russia definately has not seen the health care push to restrict smoking. They smoke everywhere, and chain smoke at that.

Here are today's pictures. . .

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Once again our day began with an early breakfast, followed by Max picking us up promptly at 8:40am for the drive to the Baby Home. It takes about 30 minutes to drive out there. Our hotel is in the center part of Moscow (about 1 mile NW of the Kremlin, which is the center of the city), while the Baby Home is in the South East corner. Traffic is pretty heavy in the morning, until we get out of the center of town, when it opens up leaving town (you should see it going the other way). Much like Philadelphia, most of the streets in Moscow go one way, and as anyone who has driven through Philly can tell you, all the streets go One Way the wrong way from where you want to go. Once we arrive at the Baby Home, officially we have to sign in with the security guard there. This is selectively enforced, and with some of the guards we are now known, and we pass with a simple wave.

As has happened the last few days, we arrived before Sam was ready. We really don't know what they are doing with him, but we have had to wait about 5 minutes each day for him to be lead out of his room. One thing that has happened, which has Sam a little confused is that the Baby Home is now "renovating" the room that he was living in. He now has been moved upstairs to a different room, along with a shuffle of the caregivers. I think several of the kids are a little confused, since they don't know where they belong. One other thing, while some of the clothing he has been wearing was perhaps a little borderline whether it was boys or girls clothes, today's outfit was definitely girls clothing: a bright pink outfit. Well in a few days, we will be clothing him, so I don't think he will be wearing anything like again.

We brought a different book today. It was about airplanes and the airport. It seemed to be a little advanced for him and he got bored with it very quickly. He again was drawn to the Alphabet book we have been using for the last week. Sam is definitely learning some of the words. He would first grab the book and say "Bu" or sometimes "Book", and he would point to the picture of the dog, and mimic our "Woof". He also enjoyed sitting on Daddy's lap and pointing to the frog. Daddy would say "Gribbit" and bounce Sam on his lap. This would get a good laugh or giggle, then he would point to the frog again, and look to be bounced. Eventually he would bounce himself if Daddy did not do it fast enough.

Sam seemed very thirsty over the last few days, however he refuses to drink from the sippy cup if it has the lid on it. We think he has not figured out that he has to suck on the mouth piece, and therefore has not been getting water out if it if we have the top on. When we remove the top, he drinks the water like a typical glass / cup, but does not pause to swallow what he has in his mouth. What we have taken to doing is only partially filling the cup with a little water, so he does not choke, and refilling it after he finishes the little bit. We have some other cups, but we are going to wait until next week, when he is with us exclusively to try these out.

We got a little more "physical" with Sam today, doing even more tickling, cuddling, and kissing. Daddy also played "airplane" with Sam, flying him around the room and landing him on Mommy's lap. We also "dipped" him between our legs as we were sitting on the sofa, until he was almost upside down, and then picking him up again. Finally Daddy played "baby elevator", with him. Sam would be sitting on Daddy's hands and Daddy would pick him up and lower him straight down (like an elevator). He seemed to enjoy all of these and would smile and giggle as we did them. (For much of this, you will have to wait for the video).

Sam has figured out what the diaper bag is being used for. We "stock" it everyday with his toys and food and water. He now reaches for the bag, and if the top is open, he will reach in and grab the toys or food he wants. His favorite food is the Cheerios. They come in a small 1 oz. container, that we refill everyday. He can not open the containers lid, but he will hand it to one of us, to open and pour out some into one of our hands or a smaller container / cup we have been using to serve them. He also today figured out that it makes a nice noise maker / rattle when shaking it, so that has become a toy too.

Around 11am, a Russian woman came to our "play area" and got her 2 1/2 year old daughter (or daughter-to-be - we aren't sure). The interesting thing to us was that Sam became more vocal and engaged with us, while the other girl was in the room. We think that part of the issue is that he is not used to being in a room without any other children. Obviously this is something he will get used to, but it was interesting to see.

The other game we continue to play with him is pressing his nose and making different farm animal sounds. He will also press our noses and we make sounds then too. Each time he touches our nose we change the sounds, so he keeps pressing not sure what sound he will hear. Sometimes he gets a little rough, but we think he just doesn't know what his own strength is, so we just try to gently back him away. He also likes grabbing our glasses, and it has become a game with Daddy. Whenever he reaches for Daddy's glasses, Daddy tickles him under his arm. Occasionally he will get the glasses, but he does it carefully so as not to raise his arm where Daddy can reach to tickle.

We also was given his passport and visa pictures today. He has such a serious face on the pictures, but considering how long it took to get one where he was looking at the camera, it was not to bad. It is good to get them, since to us this is one more sign we are getting closer to coming home.

A funny thing we have been seeing all week is the repainting of the curbs, fences, and manhole covers around Moscow. Work crews have been painting all of these with a very smelly epoxy type paint. They do this every Spring, after the harsh Winter takes it's toll. The very funny thing was when we were walking around Red Square a couple days ago, they were doing the Manhole covers. They did not put any cones around the ones that were freshly painted, so if you were not careful, you could easily step on the wet paint.

Pictures are right here.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Sorry for the delay. . . After going to the Baby Home, we had to go to Lufthansa's Offices to get Sam his ticket for home, and as with everything we had to do with the airlines, this took longer then expected. We may still have to return there to change our flight dates, but this first requires a call to US Airways back in the US, and I have to wait for East Coast business hours for that, so that will be tonight Moscow time.

(8:20 pm - Moscow: Side note . . . well unfortunately US Airways is acting just like it did when we had to book the flights and make changes. . . that is difficultly. They say that since we have paper tickets (which they require for frequent flyer tickets internationally), we can't change the dates once we began the trip. So it looks like we will have a few extra days in Moscow, doing some sightseeing with Sam.)

Now for what you are all tuning in for. . . more about Sam. . .

Sam was fun for the first hour. He played with Mommy and the teething ring (see pictures) and we got a few giggles and smiles out of him. He played with the stacking cups and looked through the book. He tried to make sounds and imitate us as we went through the book. Daddy flew him through the air like a plane a couple of times. He gave hugs to Daddy and at one point he even said a "Da-Da". He fed us both some of his Cheerios which we think is a sign of trust.

When 10:30am rolled around he started to get restless, cranky and squirmy. He didn't want to sit on our laps any more, he kept going towards the stairs and so we ended our visit early today. He goes hot and cold with us. We are wondering if he is getting bored with toys we have brought. Yesterday and today he shook his head no a lot more and was into throwing the toys on the floor. This was something we hadn't seen before yesterday.

We are going shopping and for a nice walk in the wonderful Moscow weather. Actually we can not complain about the weather to much. It has been mostly sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 50's everyday. Hopefully this can continue for another week or so.

Here are today's pics

Monday, March 26, 2007

Once again Max picked us up at 8:40am (promptly) for our ride to the Baby Home. Mommy went to get Sam, who shook his head "No", as if he didn't want to go with Mommy. She took him in her arms and went up stairs where his brief protest ended.

We mostly played with the pop-beads and stacking cups (which he was able to organize with Daddy's help), and of course Sam enjoyed his Cheerios and sippy cup of water. Around 11am, Sam began to get a little restless and started to throw the toys we had brought to the side, saying he didn't want to play with them anymore. This was a first for him. He also didn't want to simply sit in our laps today. He wanted to be held in our arms as we were walking. When Daddy sat down with Sam on his shoulder, Sam quickly started to wiggle his way down and walk away, until one of us picked him up again.

Teething is definitely an issue. Everything is going into his mouth. We think he has molars growing in so he is trying to put things on those areas. We bought a couple teething rings today (on our way back to the hotel), so we will use them tomorrow to help him.

Everyday is SO different. We had thought he would be progressing more in the comfort zone with us. The only difference is the shortness of the "crying" when we go and get him. Hopefully this will progress quicker once we have custody, and he begins to rely on us for everything, not just a couple hours of amusement.

We did spend a lot of time looking through the book today. Sam would point to a picture and we would say what it was. When he pointed to the dog, we would say "Dog" and "Woof". A couple time he would quietly say "Woof" too. We did "celebrate" this with him, but I don't think he understands yet.

Again, he seemed quiet and sleepy, but he didn't fall asleep for his 10am snooze.

Click Here for Today's Pictures

Sunday, March 25, 2007

We first want to say "Mazal Tov" to Michael and Julie. We will be missing their wedding, but we will be thinking of them today, and can't wait for them to meet Sam.

We could not go to the Baby Home today to see Sam, so we got some needed sleep and slept in today. After a quick Brunch, and a little straightening up our room, we are going to head out on the town for a little "walk-about" through the neighborhood.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

We arrived at the baby home this morning around 9:15am. The guard said visitor were not allowed until 10am. Max explained that we had permission; the guard had to check then we were on our way. Josh went into Sam's room to get him and found him sitting on chair by the door with the caregiver trying to tell him in Russian that his mommy and daddy were here. He had this look of "whatever" on his face, so Josh came upstairs to get the baseball and a biter biscuit. Eventually Josh was able to coax him and carried him upstairs where I was. He was really quiet today, but he fed his Cheerios to Josh and I which we felt was a good sense of trust from Sam. He didn't really want to play much today. We tried the car (which yesterday was more interesting to him) and encouraged him to push it but he didn't seem to interested. Sam simply wanted to sit on Daddy's lap or lay his head on Daddy's shoulder. We played with the pop beads for a couple of minutes.

He was pointing to what he wanted more today and pushing our hands away from things he didn't want. We gave him Cheerios and when we didn't want him to have any more we closed the container. Then he picked it up and gave it to Daddy as if to say "you open it". Then when we tried to get him to drink some water he pushed it away as if to say"I don't want it now."
He was also pointing to toys he wanted or didn't want.

Mommy's Moscow Pictures

Mommy took many pictures of me and Daddy playing and resting together, she also took many pictures of the apartment buildings and industries on the M5 and in the neighborhoods around Baby Home #20. We also posted pictures of our walking tours around Moscow. Mommy & Daddy also took video today, but you'll have to wait until we get home before you will be able to see this.

Mommy's Moscow Pictures

I thought maybe you would like some Russian history. There is something called the Seven Sisters - these are seven Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow, Russia. They were built between 1947-1953 in an elaborate style combining elements of Russian Baroque and Gothlic styles and the early twentieth century technology of American skyscrapers. Similar buildings were built in Warsaw, Chelyabinsk, Kiev and Riga. To see the pictures of these amazing buildings and read more about them go to this website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sisters_(Moscow)). I hope you find them as interesting as I do.

Who was Lenin?

Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov) was a Russian revolutionary, a communist politician, the main leader of the October Revolution, the first head of the Soviet Union, and the primary theorist of Leninism, a variant of Marxism.

Who was Stalin?

Joseph Stalin (Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) was the General Secretary/First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist party of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953.

Friday, March 23, 2007

We arrived at the Baby Home a little after 9:30am. We had to wait about 5 minutes, and then they brought Sam to us. He did his usual 2 minutes of crying, until we gave him a biter biscuit, which he quickly crunched away from, and calmed down.

He was very quiet today, neither smiling or verbalizing.

After about 20 minutes with us, Max came and told us that they needed to take the kids out to get their passport pictures. We put on the additional layers (another pair of pants and shirt, along with a snow suit, hats, and boots). He did not like to be all wrapped up, and we couldn't blame him. While it wasn't 50 degrees out, it was at least in the upper 30's to low 40's and he probably didn't need all the layers. Daddy went in the car with Sam, and 2 other children, with another woman from the agency, and a driver, while Mommy waited at the Baby Home. The kids were all very quiet in the car, but none of them seemed to happy to have the layers on or be put on a chair all alone and have the pictures taken. Eventually they all gave an acceptable pose, and were all layered back up and brought back to the Baby Home.

We played with a car today, and simply pushed it back and forth between Sam and Mommy. Eventually he figured out how the car worked and was pushing it too. It seemed that his favorite activity (after eating) was playing with one of the pop-up books. He like the pictures of the animals, particularly the Giraffe. He also was very curious about how the books works. It seems that this is the case with everything he plays with. He doesn't really start to play with something, until he has figured out how it works. (I think we have another engineer here.) We tried to get him to speak today. He did quietly say "Ba" as he pointed to a book Daddy was holding. We kept at it, by saying "Book, very good" and then playing with the book for a little bit.

He also had some Apple Juice (cut with some water) in a sippy cup (w/o the valve). He has finally figured out that he has to lean his head back while drinking, but he also continues to lick the cup on the sides, like he can drink the Juice that way. If nothing else, it makes us laugh.

We have taken to calling him Sam, exclusively now. While the caregivers still refer to him by his Russian name, he does respond when we call him too. Daddy played Pick-A-Boo with him again today, and he did seem a little perplexed by it, but still smiled and pushed Daddy's hands away from his eyes, so he could see us.

We left the Baby Home around 11:30am. It seems that everyone decided to go out in their cars this afternoon on the M5 (a small highway - similar to Rt. 1 through Philly or Princeton), as there was plenty of traffic. As you get closer the the center of Moscow, the apartment building have storefronts on the 1st level.

On the M5, we pass both a Renault Factory and a Ford Factory. It seems that many of the cars driven here, are also built here in Russia. There is also a Mercedes and VW dealerships on the M5 that we drive by daily.

An interesting thing (at least for us Americans), is that the homes and building in Moscow, don't have individual hot water heaters. There is a Hot Water Plant with its very large Cooling Towers (looks like Nuclear Power plant towers, but we were told "NO!" when we asked). They then pipe hot and cold water separately to every home and building.

We have been very lucky with the weather here. While it was a little cooler today, then it has been, the sky has been blue with plenty of sunshine everyday we have been here (on this trip). There is a lot of haze, but that is mostly pollution. It could be worse; we could be getting snow.

Capitalism has definitely taken root in Moscow. McDonald's is plentiful in downtown Moscow, along with Sparros, and we even saw a Hard Rock Cafe. The other thing that has popped up all over town is the Coffee Shops. We haven't seen a Starbucks yet, but Coffee Shops / Internet Cafes, are all over the place.

We drive by Red Square every day, both to and from the Baby Home. We haven't taken the official tour yet (we hope to next week, once we really get used to the environs). Most of the buildings in the city are concrete high rises. There are some shorter buildings tucked in behind the high rises too. It seems that most of the buildings aren't even painted, but the ones that are painted are done in bright pastels (yellow, light blue, light turquoise, pink). Considering the lack of color, these buildings definitely pop out. We have also noticed many theatres and music halls throughout the city, as well as museums. It seems they use every square inch of real-estate in the city. In fact we saw a car repair shop, tucked in under a overpass to a highway.

Here are today's pictures.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

We ate breakfast with Michelle, who is adopting a little girl from Baby home #20 also. She had court this morning and was nervous. So we talked about the children and things we had heard or read.

We were then off again at 8:40am to see Sam at the baby home. The baby home is located in a residential neighborhood in the Southeastern part of Moscow, surrounded by many high rise apartment buildings. Its about a 30 minute drive (when there isn't a lot of traffic, which is hardly the case). The neighborhood seems in pretty good condition. There is a park we pass where yesterday all the mothers where out with their babies. They seem to spend a lot of money on carriages for their children, so I don't know if that means that neighborhood is wealthier. It's hard to tell, because the buildings are old and made of concrete and not very distinct.

Upon arrival at the baby home we went up to Sam's room and peaked in the door. Sam was in the care giver's arms and started to cry. The caregiver came out into the hallway where she passed him off to Josh. He fussed a little and then was fine. We gave him a biter biscuit which he happily took and started chewing on. It looks like he is cutting two molars as he has been chewing on the pop beads or anything he can fit in his mouth. We sat on the sofa and held him a lot today. We played with the pop beads and he again tried to pull and push them apart and together. He kept making these funny faces like he was up to something or perplexed about something. Every so often we get a smile out of him. He pointed to the mirror, to the bears in the hallway, to the window and outside. When mommy brought out the Cheerios, he pointed when he wanted more. We tried to get him to drink out of a sippy cup but he had trouble. We ended up having to take out the anti-drip valve as he couldn't suck hard enough to get the liquid out of the spout. He kept looking at the water inside the cup trying to figure out how to get to it. A couple of times he licked the cup which made us laugh.

He seems to be trusting us more everyday. Today when he was eating the Cheerios he even fed Daddy a few. He did look surprised when Daddy actually ate them out of his hands. He then started to tease Daddy, by putting them toward Daddy's mouth, and then taking them back and eating them himself. After a couple hours of play, we took him back to his room, and he quickly went to the caregivers arms, but still (with some coaxing) gave Daddy a wave good-bye.

Here are today's pictures