The Judge and the Minister

May 23

We started our day with a trip to the courthouse for our preliminary hearing. We were surprised to find out just before we entered the courtroom that our translator, Olga, was not permitted to go with us. Apparently, we must have an independent translator who has no interest in the outcome of the case. If we have leaned anything from this process, it is to expect the unexpected, so while we were surprised, we were not unsettled. I was just hoping that whoever it was would be good because it can be difficult to look attentively at someone speaking another language to you while listening to the person sitting next to you give the translation. Our translator turned out to be excellent. She is an English professor at the local university. She was very  fluent , and she was very careful to ensure we understood all the proceedings. 

When we adopted Riley, we only had one day in court so we didn't know what to expect with a two day hearing. Today the judge established the basic facts of the case and reviewed each of our documents. That's right, each and every document I spent years compiling (well, not really that long but it sure felt like it.) At one point, the judge wanted to clarify the age of our house. She thought perhaps it was built in 1995 rather than the 1895 that was recorded on our documents. We confirmed that indeed our house is 113 years old. She replied that it did not appear to be that old. I'll take that as a compliment. Our major hearing has been set for Monday. 

We returned to our hotel in the late morning to settle in for a long weekend of absolutely nothing to do. We had a bountiful lunch of pop-tarts and beef jerky, took a little nap, and were just settling down with some reading material and the Nintendo DS when the front desk called. We were being displaced by the Minister of Culture who had unexpectedly arrived a day early. So long large comfy room. We hastily packed our belongings and transfered to our new room which is smaller than some people's walk-in closets. It is slightly wider than the bed and a little more than twice the bed's length. The bathroom is so tiny there is only one faucet for both the sink and the tub. It has a long handle on it that swivels between the two. I was certainly spoiled by our last room. It look like things will be cozy for the long weekend.

Here is our new room. I wish I would have taken pictures of the old one for comparison. Notice the amount of space between the extra chair and the desk chair in the foreground. 

This is the spacious bathroom. Notice the duel purpose faucet.

A Visit with Colin

May 22

This is the one day of the trip I have been looking forward to. We were driven out to Vishny Volochyok this morning to see our little guy. It is a two hour drive from the hotel to the orphanage over some pretty interesting roads. I spent the entire ride wondering how much he had changed in the two months since we last saw him. We he bigger? Talking? Does he have any teeth now? Would he remember us? Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long to find out. 

When we arrived, one of Colin's caregivers brought him into the playroom and was eager to show us how well he is walking now. He was taking a few steps between us the last time we were there. He started to whimper when his caregiver turned to leave, but allowed me to comfort him. He warmed up to us very quickly again. It's difficult to tell if he remembers us or if it's just in his nature to be happy and easy-going. Several staff members at the baby home have described him as happy and quick to smile. He seems to have grown a little in the time we were gone. His hair is longer and thicker, and he has six teeth with two more on the way. He is a very handsome kid in my not-so-humble motherly opinion. 

We had two hours to play with Colin. His favorite toys seem to be a ride-on truck and the frog teether that Riley picked out for him. I have some great pictures of him, but I can't post any until we get him on the third trip. Colin has great eye contact and responds to our smiles with smiles of his own. He loves to be tickled and has an adorable little giggle. Toward the end of our time together, he was getting pretty tired. He wrapped his arms around my neck and put his head down on my shoulder. What a precious feeling. 

This is the outside of Colin's baby house. It has children from birth up to three years old.

This is a playground area at the orphanage.

The Lord has been so good to us. We feel so blessed that God has taken us halfway around the world twice now to become parents. While Colin won't officially be ours until the judge says so, he has been our son, according to the Lord's plan, since the creation of the Earth. We are so thankful. 

"Do not fear for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west." Isaiah 43:5

Marathon Medicals

May 21

We began our day with a trip to a Moscow hospital for our eight doctor medical visit. We already had extensive exams and lab work done back home with our doctor, but we have to have additional doctors here verify our health. I had been been a bit apprehensive about these exams, not really knowing what to expect. It turned out to be relatively painless. Some of the doctors were seen separately, but we saw four of the doctors simultaneously. It was a bit surreal to be standing there with Jeff as the four doctors circled us poking, prodding, and giving instructions in Russian as our translator sat behind a screen and relayed them in English. At times I was uncertain who was supposed to be sticking out their tongue and who should be taking a deep breath. At any rate, they finally pronounced us healthy. 

Once our medicals were completed, we were driven out to our region. We are staying in the city of Tver, which is the capital of the Tver region. It is about two hours northwest of Moscow. We are back at the Hotel Osnabruck, which after four visits is starting to feel like our home away from home. We currently have the nicest room to date. It is very large with a separate sitting area and balcony. The bathroom is also quite spacious. I could get used to this. 

Tonight we dined at the restaurant in the hotel. We will probably eat here every night as it is the only restaurant we have been able to find. Before we left, I searched the web for dining possibilities and found this place described as the finest restaurant in the city. Given that description and the fact that the food here is "not too bad," we aren't very motivated to search out the lesser establishments in town. My usual meal here is the chicken schnitzel although I will probably branch out and try some new items, just not the enigmatic "Salmon in a Mysterious Way." Perhaps that dish would do well paired with the "Refueling Spicy Greens" from the hotel in Moscow. 

We have seem many familiar faces at our hotel. Many of these people worked here 2 1/2 years ago when we adopted Riley. One of the most beloved is the keyboard player at the restaurant. He begins his performance each night promptly at 7:00. As best as we tell, this man has not changed his repertoire since Gorbechev was in power. Every evening we are serenaded by the synthesized strains of " The Girl from Ipanini." Another favorite is "Let it Be," which he plays using the human voice setting on his keyboard. Even though we find his performance a little quirky, there is some comfort in the familiarity of it. 

Tomorrow we see Colin!

Eating a lot and Getting Confused

I wrote out my blog entries the old fashioned way while in Russia because I didn't feel like trying to type them on a Blackberry or paying to use the hotel's "business center" which is really just a particle board desk with a computer on it sitting in a back hallway. So, I will just write the actual date of the entry at the beginning of my posts. Here goes . . . 

May 19/20

We're here again in Russia. We arrived safely after some minor delays. The flight over here always leaves me feeling exhausted and rather confused. I know it's Tuesday, but thanks to sleep deprivation and an eight hour time difference, it still feels like Monday. 

Mom and Riley dropped us off at the airport yesterday morning. This is when the eating started. The last time we made this trip, we were starving by the time we arrived, so we decided to avoid that unpleasantness this time around by grabbing a quick bite to eat before catching our plane to NY.  I ordered a Dr. Pepper and a hamburger satisfying both my desire for caffeine  and my doctor's order to eat a hunk of meat the size of my hand every day. On our flight to NY, we were given a light snack of cookies, crackers and pop. Upon our arrival at JFK, Jeff and I took advantage of his new company credit card to gain access to the business class lounge. While relaxing there with its quiet atmosphere, comfortable chairs and people generally dressed better than we were, we decided to take full advantage of the complimentary snacks and beverages. We munched on goldfish and pretzels and had another glass of pop. We were preparing to head for our gate when they set out a spread of warm appetizers, cheeses and sweets. We naturally felt it would be a good idea to fill up our plates since it was already 3:30 and the horror of Polish Airway's meals was still fresh in our minds from the last trip. 

We checked in at the ticket counter and were informed that the plane would begin boarding in fifteen minutes. My hubby looked at me and prophetically smirked, not believing we would actually board on time. An hour and a half later, we were listening to the tenth announcement that the maintenance crew was working real hard to solve the problem (they wouldn't tell us what that problem was) and that the plane was now delayed until 7:00. 

With nothing better to do, we decided to go get some supper. We found a nice sit-down restaurant and ordered. I wish I could remember the name of the place because it turned out to be the classiest airport joint I've even been to. Jeff laughed at me when I ordered the Kobe beef corn dogs, but they were really fantastic. The presentation alone would have made any Iron Chef proud. 

We returned to the gate after dinner and found Delta employees trying to appease angry travelers with beverages and snacks. Not being one to turn down anything free, I grabbed a Coke. If you're counting, that's my 4th carbonated beverage of the day. They finally began boarding the plane three hours later than planned. Jeff had scored us some awesome exit row seats. When the flight attendant asked if we were willing to perform all the duties required of us in the event of an emergency, Jeff answered something along the lines of, "Heck yes!" The extra leg room was wonderful and we were able to catch a few winks. Supper was served at around 9:30. It wasn't too bad - not Kobe beef corn dogs, mind you, but not Polish mystery meat either. I was beginning to feel like a Hobbit with all these extra meals worked into the day.

The rest of the flight was long but relatively uneventful. I watched some old sitcoms and did some reading. (Thanks for the magazines, Becky!) We breezed through Moscow customs, being seasoned veterans of the process and were taken to our hotel in the mid afternoon. We crashed for a while, and now I've got nothing better to do than sit around recording everything I ate yesterday. 

I miss Riley terribly. Right now she is probably playing at the park with her favorite cousin, Maria. I am so thankful for everyone back home who is taking such good care of her while we are gone. Soon our family will be complete and all this separation will be over.