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.