Technical Difficulties...

Hopefully reposting will solve some of my lacking technical skills.  Sort of like a do-over!!
Andrei turned 2 this weekend. I can't believe he's two!! It seemed like it was just yesterday we were in that tiny apartment in Krasnoyarsk. He's come such a long way. We all have actually. Watching his transfiguration throughout this year has been short of amazing. He loved his birthday party. I think he knew he was the "star". Here's a short video of his last year....well, more like the last 14 months. I cheated just a bit and put our first trip to meet him on there as well. Doug creid; I even managed to shed a tear--OK, maybe two.  Then my husband asks me, "Why didn't you put pictures of you in there?"  Through gritted teeth I replied,"Because I'm the one always behind the camera!" He's pledged to do better in that arena.  We'll see.

2 Words!

EXCEL SPREADSHEET!  If anyone still reads this blog at all and you have just begun your adoption journey, do yourself a big favor and put all your expenses onto a spreadsheet as you're going along.  I've been going through ours (which has been stuffed in a FED EX tyvek envelope) to tally everything for our IRS tax return.  Trust Momma Shelly on this one!  I have spent this afternoon in adoption receipt hell. 

Oh, and highly intelligent people will label all those Russian receipts while in-country.  I can't tell what is a souvenir and what is cereal.  Should the IRS need to see our actual documents, they'll just have to trust me or find Vladimir to translate. 

Baby House #1

Last week a member of the Kras Yahoo group sent out a request of any who had adopted out of baby house #3.  He was trying to find others who had adopted about the same time and hopefully within their son's orphanage group.  There are approximately 100-150 children in each baby house, but they are grouped together in groups of 15 or so, and they stay within that group their entire tenure there.  Andrei was from the apple group--not their son's group.  We exchanged a few pictures, and I noticed that our children were not from the same orphanage either despite thinking we both were from baby house #3.  We had actually stopped at this orphanage to do paperwork, but then we traveled on to Andrei's orphanage. 

So, we started investigating. How could we both have #3?  There was another mom who had answered the request, and her daughter was from Andrei's orphanage AND was in his groupa!  Even though she brought home her sweet daughter 6 months after we did, she and Andrei would have been in the room together at some point.  So, I think that is pretty awesome that we can show him pictures later of one of his "groupies." 

The dad sent me a link with all the Krasnoyarsk orphanages listed on it.  There were two #3 Baby Houses listed there.  One was the orphanage where we had all been in to do paperwork (the actually orphanage was housed on the 2nd floor of that particular building), and another was listed there with the title Special Baby House #3 for Children with Mental Defectives.  That title just saddened me so much. I don't know if I had ever mentioned this, but an American couple whom we met at the orphanage had told us that this orphanage we were adopting out of was half special needs and half non-special needs.  I assumed, using that information, that this had to be Andrei's orphanage.

I decided to try out Google Earth and see if I could tell if this really was Andrei's orphanage.  I pulled up the address and I couldn't recognize a thing.  Then, this other mother emailed me saying she thought our children's orphanage was  Baby House #1 as she had the actual address of the home.  I remembered Lena, our translator, reading the emblem at the orphanage and telling us it was baby house #1, but there was a #3 at the bottom of the emblem, and I had just always assumed she had misspoken.  So, back to Google Earth in search of Baby House #1.  And what do you know! That one IS Andrei's orphanage!  Here's a snapshot of it:

I even recognized the pharmacy where our coordinator would stop for those simply smashing little blue booties we had to wear.  If you click on the picture, it will enlarge it.  You can vaguely see the wall around the orphanage property.  We entered from the street, would drive through the gate, drive around the east side of the orphanage, and park on the west.  You won't find a parking lot for the workers to park in.  They didn't have cars.  Most of them walked or took the bus. 

(We're still trying to clear up the confusion of #3 being on the emblems.  Jenn has an email to our translator to see if we can get an explanation.)

The emblem causing all the trouble!

And WHO Are YOU??

One year ago today, we met Andrei for the first time.  I'm having a hard time realizing that it was a year ago.  It seems like just last month!  Doug has been acutely aware of the "anniversary."  It's been like a countdown all week every time he looks at the calendar.  "Can you believe we were on our way to the airport this day??"  "Can you believe we were in Russia....?" and so forth.  He came home last night and said, "I heard that song." [What follows is our captivating conversation.]

Me:  "What song?"
Doug: (in a tone that says I should know what he's talking about.) "That song."
Me:  (This is getting nowhere.)  "Song about what???"
Doug:  "That song that I always think about Andrei when I hear it.  You know...the one from Russia."
Me:  (Still needing a bit more information to get myself up to speed...)  "The maddening disco tech beat?  The Veggie Tale song?  Celebrate Me Home?"  (I'm trying to list as many songs that we heard while in Russia as I can.)
Doug:  "Yes." 
Me:  (It's clear that he has NO earthly idea what the song is called--but I'm supposed to know.)  Then he says:
Doug:  "Today we saw Andrei for the first time didn't we?"
Me:  (Ah-ha! Now I know!)  "Celebrate Me Home."

I then remembered I had made a little video when we had returned home from our first trip.  We watched it almost nightly until trip 2.  I found it on the computer last night and watched it for the first time in a long time.  Much like that day in the orphanage, Doug started crying.  Then he started laughing.  "Now that we know him, I can see what he's thinking.  Like in that one..."Lady, get your hands off of me!!" 

So, here's that little video.  It was made about midnight shortly after returning from our first trip.  So coupled with our jet lag and my first attempt at using the movie maker on our computer, you'll have to excuse the fine cinematography skills. He was only 10 months old here!

Friends of Russian Orphans

I had meant to write about this months ago, but it didn't happen.  Kinda like a lot of things around here these days!  Anyway, we have our kids tithe any money they recieve.  Annsley had racked up quite a bit from all her teeth falling out--we don't do the tooth fairy around here but Daddy supplies money and candy for teeth. (It's actually quite comical.  He has her list on paper what she wants in exchange for her tooth.  She write things like 5 quarters, 10 dimes, 11 pennies, sour gummy worms... Her chivalrous father has on more than one occasion made a 10:00PM run to the convenience store to get the "goods.")

 She wanted to give her money to an orphanage in Russia.  I asked her if she wanted to give it to an organization that helped families to adopt, but she was adamant about sending it directly to help orphans--actually Andrei's orphanage.  I was rather leery about sending $$ directly to any Russian agency even if I could find the actual mailing address, but after searching a bit, I found this awesome organization whose donations go directly to the Russian orphans in a particular region.  Although it wasn't Andrei's region, Annsley agreed.  I had her write a letter explaining why she was wanting to donate her own money.  Lisa, the president of FORO, wrote her a personal letter in return.  I was amazed and honored that she would take the time to respond to my 7 year old daughter.  Check it out when you have a moment!
Friends of Russian Orphans

Another Celebrated Dancing Bear

I'm just popping in here from our family blog to make mention of a wonderful children's book I found this week at our library.  Since a lot of the moms who read this blog are/have adopted from Russia, I thought this was appropriate.  I've been on the search for children's books about Russia to include in our children's library without all of them being adoption related. I figure the pounding in of "you are adopted" books can get quite old.  I've been on the lookout for books that we can add that have elements of the Russian culture in them.  I found this one by accident and thought I'd share in case any of you are searching as well.  If you have found others, please leave a comment! 

Moving On...

I write this last full blown entry with bittersweetness. I began this blog as a way to document our adoption journey for us, our extended family, and strangers as well. I have tried my best to be transparent with the adoption highs, lows, feelings of inadequacies, frustrations, and needing my wonderful God more than ever up front and center in my life. I have made many blogger friends, and I have so much enjoyed sharing in your journeys. But, it is time to move on for several reasons. One is to alleviate this self imposed pressure to get something up on this adoption blog at least weekly. Don't ask me where that perceived pressure comes from, but for whatever reason, it is there. Maybe it's because the adoption itself is over, and I'm having a hard time coming up with related things....Next, three children are making me reprioritize my day, and well, the thought right now of regularly blogging is making me tired! Third, I do have three children, and one of these days Annsley and Kennedi are going to notice that they have not had near as much "screen time" as their little brother. Fourth, I have lots of other things to write about besides just the next milestone Andrei makes. I have a ridiculously funny husband who makes me laugh and two beautiful daughters whom I need to introduce "out there". Our adoption journey is over and it is time to concentrate on becoming a family of 5, so it is a great time to transition to a family blog.

My original thoughts were to have two blogs--but who am I kidding??? I've been trying to blog on both for a while now, and I'm failing miserably. So, my plans are to update Andrei's pictures on this blog from time to time, and if anything really pertinent to adoption comes to the forefront, I'll post about that here. Other than that you can find me at Planted By the River. Feel free to visit although I'm not quite sure how exciting watching Annsley navigate our driveway's ditch using skiis and poles (IE: scrap wood and shovels) would be to those of you or reading tales about Kennedi's two imaginary friends, but we welcome you just the same. I will certainly be continuing to follow my blogger friends' continued journeys and watching your children grow. For those not venturing over to the family blog, I want to thank you all who commented and sent such support and encouragement throughout our entire adoption journey. You were/have been such a blessing to me!

Andrei's new best friend--Dog! (Not a fancy name, but it works!)

"Taggy!"  The "Don't Leave Your Crib Without It" severe attachment object.

Until next time! Dasvidaniya!