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. 

Roo at the Zoo

My friend Becky had the brilliant idea to take the kids to the zoo on Friday. I was all over this idea because (1) I'm all over any idea that gets us out of the house and (2) I love zoos. I get just as excited about going to the zoo now as I did when I was a kid. I get the biggest kick out of watching the animals. We took the kids to the Akron Zoo. My dad informs me that I've been there before, sometime way back in my youth, but I have no recollection of it. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I thought it was very nice. It wasn't the Cleveland Zoo but what do you expect from a city whose claim to fame is tires and sauerkraut balls. 

Riley loved the zoo. I was afraid the day was going to be a wash when Riley spent most of lunch either throwing herself on the floor or standing in time-out, but her mood greatly improved when we started walking around looking at animals. The sun bears provided a lot of entertainment. The male was pacing back and forth in his enclosure, and Riley thought he was chasing her from window to window. Meanwhile, the female bear was laying stretched out on her back in her artificial cave with one enormous paw thrown dramatically across her eyes. Becky and I speculated about her thoughts, probably something along the lines of, "Will you stop pacing and get a real job?" 

The zoo had several play areas for the kids so they were able to run off some additional energy. They seemed to prefer the monster truck and pirate ship play sets that are identical to the ones we have three blocks away at the local park except these didn't have nasty comments about high school girls written on them. The highlight of Riley's day was riding the train. She is completely fascinated with trains so the chance to ride one - even if it was only two times around a tiny loop on the slow-poke express- was a big thrill. 

Here's Riley and Ethan checking out a gibbon.

Dang, these guys are cute.

Miss Maddie is just along for the ride.

I asked Riley to pose for a photo with the tulips. I'm not sure how she came up with this interpretation but it's not exactly what I had in mind. Has she been been reading fashion magazines without my knowledge?

Hang on to you hats kids. It's a wild ride. . . Ok maybe not. 

The Crazy Lady at the Library

Riley and I were at the library yesterday making more copies of paperwork for Colin's adoption. I was letting Riley put the money in the machine and press the buttons when one of the librarians came over and asked if I needed any help. She had an odd expression on her face, and I thought, "What's up with that? Do I look like I don't know how to operate a copy machine?" She proceeded to walk around half wall we were standing behind and approach the copier. Now I'm feeling really insulted because it seems she doesn't believe me. She then looked down at Riley and started laughing. She explained that she didn't see that I had a little person with me, and she thought I was talking to myself. No wonder she thought I was crazy. I was saying things like, "Now let's put a quarter in. Good! Here's another quarter. Let's put a dime in. These little ones are dimes. They're worth ten pennies. Let's make a copy. Woohooo, here comes the paper."

The Watch Game

Riley has a new favorite game thanks to her Uncle Mike. She calls it, "hide da watch." She learned this game recently at my folks' house when we were celebrating my niece Maria's second birthday. Mike plays this game with Maria. He hides an object, usually his watch, and lets her search for it. Here's a video of Riley and Maria playing the game. They're looking for a treat that Memaw (my mom) got them.

The Adventures of Riley and Lil' Worm

Easter was a very quiet affair at our house this year, having just returned the day before from Russia. I did want to post a couple pictures of Riley's egg decorating. We sponge painted a couple of eggs before Jeff and I left. Riley was so proud of her work she actually ate one of the eggs. 
The other day Riley spotted a pint size shovel while we were grocery shopping. She loves digging in the dirt with her trowel and I'm happy to have the "help" while I'm pulling weeds so when she said, "Mommy, may I have da shuble please?" I splurged and spend a whole $2.50. That afternoon, she was very eager to try her new tool. I offered to show her how it was done but she insisted, "I do it mine own myself." She soon discovered a worm in the dirt and declared it was yucky. Now if you know me well, you know I take great pride in having no fear of little creepy crawly things. I once squashed a cockroach with my bare hand in front of a guy who mistakenly thought I needed to be protected from it just to prove a point. I can't have any daughter of mine afraid of a worm, so I picked him up and told her how cute he was and that he tickled my hand. Well that was it, she wanted that worm. I placed him in her hand and she giggled. She then took the worm on a tour of the yard before settling down on a rock. I heard her talking and asked what she had said. "I not talking to you. I talking to Lil' Worm," was her reply. She told the worm she loved him and then gave him a kiss. That's my girl. When it was time to go in, the trouble started. 

I had explained to Riley that worms live in the dirt and that they are very happy there. Despite this, she kept insisting that Lil' Worm wanted to come live in the house with her. I said he would be sad in the house but we could make a nice blanket out of leaves to keep him warm while he crawled back into the dirt. She gave in but sobbed as she covered him with leaves. She continued to sob for another ten minutes after we came back in the house. Only a promise to look for him later calmed her down. 

Wednesday we were out in the yard again. The first thing Riley wanted to do was look for Lil' Worm. We soon dug one up. I think Riley assumed this was the same one. Unfortunately this worm was not a hearty as the last one. After a few trips down the slide with Riley, she came to tell me, "Lil' Worm not wiggling any more. I think he sleeping." I agreed that he was (may he rest in peace) and we put him back in the dirt for a little nap. 

Update

I'm finally getting around to posting about the end of our trip. In my last post, I mentioned that we would get to see Colin again the following day. Jeff was able to go see him, but I spent the day sick in out hotel room. I had been feeling a little crummy on Wednesday evening and then was awake all night with an upset stomach. By morning I knew I wasn't going to be able to make the two hour ride out to our son's baby home. Jeff went by himself while I tried to get some sleep and recover. When Jeff returned, he reported that Colin was still covered in chicken pox. He was not feeling well and just wanted Jeff to walk around the room holding him. I was so disappointed that I was not able to go that day. 

I was feeling better by the afternoon thanks to some medicine another adoptive mom sent with Jeff when she heard I wasn't feeling well (God bless Emily!) Jeff and I had dinner that night with Emily and her sister and another adoptive family, Michael and Carrie. These were the first Americans we had run into on our trip. This is quite a change from two years ago when there were so many more Americans adopting from Russia. It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to hang out with these guys. There is a special kind of fellowship among adoptive parents. 

We left the following day for home. Actually, it is probably more accurate to say we left that night. We had an early flight out of Moscow so we had to leave the hotel at 2:00AM. I didn't sleep again that night. There wasn't much point when we had to get up at 1:00AM. I didn't feel the greatest again when we left for the airport and deteriorated from there. Our flight to Frankfurt was uneventful. When we arrived in Frankfurt, we discovered our plane was delayed so our three hour layover turned into a five hour layover. That's when I went from feeling crummy to outright sick. I actually had a conversation (silently) with myself that went something like this: "Come on, just throw up. You'll feel better. - Oh no! I hate throwing up. - But you're already in the restroom. Better in here than out there in front of hundreds of people. - There's people in here too. Besides, who wants to throw up in a public toilet? That's just sick. - You are sick. - That's beside the point. - Hey, I think the restroom just cleared out now's your chance. - Oh alright. Here I go. One, two . . . nope, not gonna do it." Did I mention I was running a fever too. I managed to make it home without embarrassing myself in front of hundreds of other travels who probably would have just assumed that since we were in Germany, I had just had a few too many of the local beers. 

Because of the delay in Frankfurt, we missed our flight from D.C. to Cleveland but were fortunate enough to get another flight three hours later. There were many others on our transatlantic flight who could not get connecting flights until the following day. In all, it took us about 29 hours to get home. I slept perhaps an hour or  two in a 60 hour period. I think that and the irregular meals contributed to my getting sick. Right now, we are anxiously awaiting our court date so we can return for trip two. Please pray that all our paperwork would be in place and that the judge would find everything acceptable. We have discovered that they are extremely particular about every piece of paperwork being perfect. Our agency even had us redo some paperwork because it had an extra staple hole in it. We're hoping to get our little guy home soon.