More pictures

My absolute favorite pix - Brian and Nathan

Together at the hospital - Nathan sleeping

After his nap - notice the international symbol for "good job!" :)

more pixs - we're resizing to post more!

Some explanations:

Group at table are the Holmes (right) and Irena, Volga and Keesha at celebration dinner at Angarsk Hills

Us in funny hats in the "costume room" at the BH

Nathan with some favorite toys - the telephone and the calculator. I think he's calling "zay-zay" in the one pix! Note that dimple!!

saturday night's spaghetti dinner picture

Justin, look who joined us!

The day after the hearing

Silly picture from the other day (Nathan and mom)

Here is a car picture for Brian's friends - notice the early 50's Ford Styling. Who can come up with the name of it first?!? (Brian's betting on Craig).

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So what does one do the day after they're named parents after 4-years of waiting? Well, really the same thing as last Saturday! We slept in a bit – I slept great last night--- no dreams or anything! Brian didn't sleep as well but I think his fall from the morning started affecting him. He has a bit of a sore shoulder and side now and I'm sure it was because he just went down – no thought of stopping! So he's taking the Advil today – really the first time we're using anything out of my medicine chest of stuff I brought along!

We had some phone calls this morning and we're reading and re-reading the emails and comments. We love them! Thanks especially to you "first time posters!" It means so much to us!

Then we went out for lunch. We went back to the café where they speak English and explained why we missed the Rotary Meeting the other night – she understood. Then we had a nice lunch – tried some different salads…one with crab, one with 'meat" (ham), Brian had pizza and I had borsch (very good, much better than the Fiesta's). They gave us a piece of chocolate as a treat. We think the place just opened recently so we're happy to help support them while we're here!

Then we went grocery shopping – our fridge was bare! I'm making spaghetti for dinner tonight and picked up some more chicken. Got some staples and also makings for egg salad. We have a few meals available to us again! We probably will eat breakfast and supper in the apartment and lunch out somewhere as that's cheaper (under $10 for the both of us usually). Once we have Nathan we'll be eating in the apartment probably all the time so we need to experiment now while we're alone. We are getting pretty adventurous and not afraid to stop at places that don't have an English menu. Somehow we always get something to eat and it's always been good (other than those hamburgers the other day but we got what we had coming, right?) I try to use the big supermarket for the "basics" but I like to support the little stores across and down the street when possible also. So we'll be getting the cabbage rolls from the store by the stadium one of these nights… They had other good looking items also so we'll try!

Otherwise a very low key day. Even after sleeping so well I'm tired but trying not to nap so I sleep well again tonight. We continue to watch the Music Channel and some of our DVDs. We keep busy!

Alex came by with two friends who supposedly know electrical things about 5:30pm… they seem to know what they're doing! Brian assisted by holding the flashlight and turning the breakers on and off.

Note to anyone who might be in this apartment – don't run the washing machine and the hot water (for drinks) pot at the same time… it makes the power go out! Good thing Brian knows where the breaker box is!

We also asked Alex about next trip to Cheremkhovo. They are very cautious on procedures so we won't get Nathan Genya until the wait period is up but we'll travel up there 2-3 times more. It is very expensive (how much, don't know – was afraid to ask!) to go there so we'll plan out the trips in the coming days. But we know we have tomorrow free so will have to plan what to do!

pictures finally - in no particular order

The ones with the frog are for Justin.

The one of our family (less JJ) is for everyone!

The one of us two is in front of the courthouse yesterday afternoon.

We think we've figured out resizing pictures (well, Brian has so he gets that job!) so we'll post more soon!

So a little bit more

First, I'm not sure why pictures aren't posting so I'll have to try to figure that out this weekend! I'm not the most technical person.

As we were leaving the apartment this morning to walk to Alex's car, all of a sudden my sure-footed husband when DOWN! Just slipped right on the ice and was down in the ice/snow/sand mixture. Oh boy, I figured he injured something! But no, just covered with sand all over his good pants and coat. But it all brushed off. Talk about a start to the day! Then walking up the courthouse steps I tripped! The steps aren't even height and I guess I just wasn't paying attention. But at least I didn't go down, just looked a little less than graceful.

We went out for dinner to the Snowflake – had to do SOMETHING! Very nice dinner – Veggie salads to start, Brian had grilled pork with potatoes and I had grilled chicken breast with potatoes. Then he had ice cream for dessert – and proceeded to do his allergic sneezing for the very first time this trip! I had tiramisu for dessert – we both were stuffed then! Stopped at the liquor store on the way home and I got a bottle of wine – figure I can drink a little now! Then we checked and we again had a phone line so we knew we were back in contact!

First call was to JJ – my dad got him on the line and I said "Hi JJ, guess what?" And he said "we got him?" I said "we got him" – and he didn't say much more but then said "goodbye" and hung up! So I figured they'd call back. When my mom got to him minutes later she said "did you hang up?" and he said "yeah, she didn't have anything else to say!" LOL

So we're sitting here reading emails, posting and reading comments. We figure if you never commented before you better now! LOL

We don't have Nathan yet and might not until the 10-day appeal period is up but we'll ask next week. Regardless, for now we are just praising and thanking our amazing God who got us to this point!

And I just added time onto our calling card so you can keep calling us! (but mom, it did say $8.95 left b4 I added time)

Pinch us, we think we’re dreaming!

At approximately 4:30pm local Irkutsk time on Friday, January 30, 2009, we were named to be the parents of Nathan Eugeny Ninmann!!

We are still in a bit of a daze on the whole thing but we're going to type about it while it's fresh in our memory.

Last night Alex came by and practiced with us – that had us so much better prepared than the last time. We capably and confidently were able to answer any question tossed at us. Some were ridiculous in our opinion but most had a reason for being asked. There really was nothing we couldn't answer. And we both feel that we did get off somewhat easy as there were other questions we would have asked if we were the court! But the Judge listened to all our answers, had us comment if needed, and would go on.

At one point in the morning I felt more confident that things were going to be ok – the prosecutor was really quizzing me about the Bethany/Nightlight relationship and what would happen if Bethany lost their license and all sort of questions about that and I answered that the State of Wisconsin had addressed that and if it would happen they would get another agency to handle us and they would inform Nightlight about the change. The Judge concurred that there was a document like that in our files – one small victory!

The hearing started up with her wondering how we could prove where we were born as our passports didn't state it – Brian had that question and he thought our marriage certificate listed it. So she pulled out the certificate and it apparently doesn't list our cities of birth. But she sort of just dropped it then for Brian. So when I had to do my introduction I just said I was born in Wisconsin. She said "what city were you born in?" So I replied "Columbus, WI" – she again was saying she couldn't find the documentation on this and how could she approve our adoption petition since we couldn't prove what city we were born in (our cities of birth are part of the petition). Well, I knew that the Holmes had gone through this EXACT THING last week so I knew what answer they gave – and I replied "if it pleases the court, maybe you can just list our state of birth on the birth certificate and leave off the cities" (Alex in the background is going "yes!") – and she accepted that answer!

Next it was time for Brian to give his "speech" – to add to our petition. This is the prompt we completely missed last week and resulted in us getting lots of questions! Brian did EXCELLENT! The prayers were heard – he gave an excellent speech, clear and concise, looked everyone in the eyes and confidently talked about our adoption journey. He even had a little smile on his face! There were some questions directed to him but he answered them all wonderfully!

Then I added to our petition. At the beginning I got a little teary eyed but was able to get myself under control quickly. Then I was grilled by the prosecutor about the BCS/NLC arrangement, etc mentioned above. That went on for forever it seemed! But Alex said I handled it all correctly and good.

Then the guardianship committee and the representative from the baby home and the adoption center all gave presentations. We didn't get a lot of this translated to us but that was fine – it was very tense in the room! Later Olga, our translator, told Brian it's like that every time but we were a little worried for a bit. I honestly thought there would be a delay of a few days for some documentation on Nathan's medical conditions or another situation that came out (nothing big but you never know what will be taken as a big point!) This went on for quite some time.

Then there was a break for lunch. We went to Studio Coffee with Alex and Olga. They both said everything was going according to normal proceedings but of course we never know what will happen. We know, we were prepared for anything. Alex did say if the petition was denied he was going to immediately file an appeal as he thought our case was strong. I sort of was thinking then how he said the same thing right before our documents were accepted by the court and thought that might be a good sign.

So we went back into court after lunch. The Judge read through our ENTIRE DOSSIER – Volumes 1, 2 and 3 and addendums! There were some questions about some statements made in documents but nothing we couldn't handled. She was more concerned what kind of church we went to and Brian's school board involvement (from his employer letter) than making a comment that the person who signed his employer letter is his father-in-law ?!? God is Good! :) Then the prosecutor wanted to know more about me being president of the local ladies group. Told you I didn't want that job – LOL! So I made it to be a social organization which does good for the community – food drives and such. Not entirely untrue! And then they asked me what the population of Hustisford is ?!?

Then we all gave closing comment – the prosecutor gave her approval of the adoption petition, the guardianship committee lady spoke, Olga from the Adoption Center talked and we each gave a short speech. I started crying about the 3^rd word – and I stole part of Brian's speech! I managed to get my 4 sentences out tho without too many waterworks. Brian then gave a great closing statement also. Alex spoke and then the Judge took a recess.

She was back in 5-minutes with a one page typed document. She relayed the official details about the case (case # etc) and Olga was translating. When she got to the part that the "petition is granted" I could hardly hear Olga and tried very hard to keep my chin from wobbling! His name is now Nathan Eugeny Ninmann and the official document will be available February 2^nd or 3^rd (we don't remember exactly now) – we still weren't really "hearing" what was being said.

So the Judge then left the room and there were hugs and congratulations all around. Everyone seems very happy that Nathan Genya has a family. We are very happy that we can now go on to the next steps in our lives. Now we're still here for awhile but Alex says it's just "bureaucracy" and is "downhill from here". I'm not exactly sure on timeframe yet but we figured we weren't going to ask those questions today!!

One now-funny moment in court – when it was time for the break Olga says to us – "We now take a break for one year" – One YEAR! I said? She said, "no, sorry, one HOUR!" – whew!! I wasn't sure what was happening that they needed a year break!

And now for some serious moments from court – before we left this morning I played the Babbie Mason DVD that Brandi had sent me years ago and the song "I'm praying for you" kept rolling through my mind as we were sitting there… I KNOW so many of you were praying for us and it would help me get my heart and breathing under control. Brian had one thought throughout court – he kept imagining Carleen praying for him. Carleen, he FELT your prayers and they brought him so much peace you cannot imagine. We are thankful for ALL OF YOU!

So now it's somewhat anticlimatical. Our phone bill was apparently paid this afternoon so we should have phone line this evening sometime Alex said. (And that means you'll be getting to read this post!) Otherwise we were just left to our own devices so we're going out to dinner. But more on that later….

Court is 10am our time Friday 1/30

That is 8PM Thursday night Central Time... It will be several hours long

No Phone!

Apparently Alex didn't pay the bill this month so we have no phone service in the apartment right now. It's 9:30pm and we're at the Angara Hotel's business center. We found it earlier today when we had to print the documents for the court out of my email because apparently Alex can't open PDF files - and I'm not sure where the faxed copies went ?!

Anyway, we woke up this morning and we were going to connect online and it said "no dial tone"- hmm, we pick up the phone and a lady is speaking Russian so we had no idea what was up. I went to the shop around the corner to borrow his phone to call Andrew to find out when he was coming by us. He was coming at noon and then found out our problem. He also said ÿou don't have lights here - we explained why not! So everything is falling apart in the apartment - lol. So we head to get some pictures developed to present at the hearing and then we were going to the internet cafe to print out those documents for Alex. We go to the cafe, get online, get the documents and hit print -- says install printer. Andrew asks what happened she said printer isn't working.... Cripes! and they still took our 11 rubles! So then we came to the Angara Hotel and had a no commotion visit getting it printed out. Then we went back to get our pictures and then went to a buffet lunch Andrew knew of -- 200r for Brian and I to eat -- 1/3 the price from last night and equally good!

We then went to the apartment and started practicing our speeches for tomorrow. Alex came later and told us to "charm them" so we might revise them a bit yet but he was very happy with Brian's presentation. He said it's ok to smile and show our personality (which is NOT in the documents he gave us before). We are MUCH more prepared now as we have it explained what will be happening, what is expected of us, we went over the document contents thoroughly, he asked practice questions and explained why the answers are important. This is 10,000x better than last week.

Keep those prayers coming. We will post as soon as we are able and we so hope to post that the adoption was approved but there is a chance she might ask for more paperwork on the Russian side.... PRAY!

PS - If I didn't post it before, Nathan's eye is just fine - you wouldn't know anything happened to it.

webcam

we got it to work tonight -- so hard -- "click to start webcam" and our IM people can see us! Talked to Neal, Dan and my dad... oh we feel much closer now! Samantha, we KNOW you'll want to try this out -- but we'll have to get on in the morning or we'll try on the weekend.... technology is so great!

Sitting

Last night Alex stopped by and was a little excited – I think his day in the court had pumped him up. We had to get revisions to one document from the state – adding the words "domestic & international adoptions" behind two statements. The court is accepting a FAXED copy of this document! Huge!! Again, it seems like such a little thing but this is what the H family had to do and in the "big picture" does make sense…even tho it's such a little thing. So I immediately emailed our Waukesha office and they jumped right on it. Sue and Heather are so wonderful! They even called last night to clarify what needed to be done. We love calls from home and remember if you use our Russian calling card it's cheap! I saw this morning now also that Alex had sent them emails while we were sleeping and he had written the same things I had told them to do so that was good – LOL! They had the letters written from the State by 11am their time, were faxing him the copy so he can start translating and the apostilling will be happening today WI time. Then the Sec of State office will fax a copy of the apostilles to the BCS office so they can fax them here to Alex. This is such great cooperation with the State of WI! Under two days turnaround time.

And our light switch? I don't think he realized what really had happened but said he has a "friend who knows electrical things" and he'd send him over. And he agreed we need more than a new light switch!

Alex also said we'll be practicing for court tomorrow (Thursday) – thank goodness! We needed that last week but maybe he too didn't think it was going to go past the medicals submission? Regardless, now we all think we have some ideas of questions that will be asked – and we also know some of what the H's were asked – so we are going to be better prepared. Alex explained in detail our adoption timeline in Russia since 2004 and some of the answers I gave last Monday, even tho they were trying to make me appear I didn't know what I was talking about, WERE the right answers. But now I can answer with more confidence!

Here are some pictures of us from the past days with the frog from Justin getting around the city! I'll have to get some with Brian holding it next!

Here's from the celebration dinner for the Holmes adoption! Mike, Skip, Harry and Judy on right. Volga, Keesha and Irena with me on the left. Notice the vodka? ;) The M&Ms were personalized in honor of Harry and the veggies on the plate were one of the "salads" – there are two others in front of Judy if you can spot them. They were all delicious!

So we are now back at the apartment to end the day. I entitled today's blog "sitting" because that's about all we did today. We sat around the apartment this morning (self-imposed, just lazy to get ready), sat in the car all the day to Cheremkhovo and back and then sat for dinner just now. I miss our daily walks -- back at them tomorrow!

Our trip to Cheremkhovo was nice because we had one of Andrew's friends, Igor, in the car with us. He is a paramedic in IRK and works 24-hours on and then is off 72-hours. He lives in Cherem so hitched a ride with us. He apparently has also been carrying some of our paperwork to the Guardianship committee so he had been working for us. He spoke quite good English and asked many questions – later we found out that he had taught himself English (had taken German in school). He also told us that he had "never spoken to foreigners before"! It was good to have him in the car also as he explained about some of the villages along the trip – one is called "half" because it's halfway between Moscow and (the easternmost city the Trans Siberian Railroad goes to) V something. Also we went through a "military town".

Because of Igor riding with us Brian got the front seat of the vehicle. So he sat in what would be our driver's seat – his comments about this is that he was able to see what would happen before the driver would and Brian says I wouldn't be able to handle that! They had Brian put his seat belt on but when he asked Andrey why he didn't put it on he said he'd be able to spot the police and put it on in time! (Kathy F, Andrey says "hi" back to you)

Once in Cherem we visited Galena at the guardianship committee office – she was very cordial and wishes us luck. Alex had sent copies of the paperwork we received this week so she can be assured this Bethany/Nightlight alliance is all legal and valid. We then went on to the orphanage where we waited a bit to see Genya but once he came in the room he was again happy to see us. We played with blocks and cars, read a few books (Sarah C, he loves the Dr Seuss one and repeats the sounds so well!) and flew paper airplanes. Brian and he had made some that flew long distances – mine? Flew about 6-inches! He laughed at that! And later, when he was leaving, he collected his and Brian's airplanes to take along but he crumpled mine up and tossed it away! Oh, also, when he came in the room he showed us how he had colored the Snow White coloring book we had left him at the hospital and he pointed out how he made the witch's nose red – he just laughed and laughed, like father like son?! (Brian and his red nose sayings I'm referencing). We had a much calmer visit this time – we wouldn't let him get crazy and I didn't pull out the balloon. We did get some really good pictures also that we'll be developing tomorrow to present in court. The funniest was when he and Brian had barrettes in their hair! (Kirstin, I thought of Vince when we were doing this!). So anyway it was a nice visit and when he was leaving the speech teacher had him say, in English, "I love you" and I said it back in Russian. They said he'll wait for us! And also his eye is just fine – you wouldn't even know it was injured last week!

The trip back to IRK was in the dark so not a lot to see until we hit the traffic of the city. JJ, we were in a traffic jam! It was crazy! There was an accident and between that and the cars and the trolleys and then someone with a flat tire in the middle of the road – let's just say if we would have video taped you would KNOW why we don't even think of driving in Russia. We got back to the apt after 8pm so we missed the Rotary meeting – we'll have to go to that café and explain what happened! We were very hungry as we hadn't eaten since before lunch so we went across the street again to the place we had pizza the other night. Tonight we had a little bigger meal – we both had Greek salad to start (excellent – cucumbers, peppers, cheese, tomatoes and olives and put your own vinegar & oil dressing on); then Brian had 'spaghetti with meat' which was spaghetti with bacon which he said was good. I had Friscesse (?) with Chicken which was chicken breast pieces with onions, carrots and maybe something else in a light sauce – excellent! We also both had deep fried potatoes – comparable to In n Out's or 5-Guys! This was our $25 dinner but was very good and we hadn't spent money today! We do have to get grocery shopping again, the cupboards are bare!

Yesterday when we were down by the river we saw on the railing all sorts of engraved padlocks on it

Today we asked Andrew what that was about – he said it's a new custom, he thinks it came from Moscow, that when couples get married they put the lock on to symbolize the lasting marriage. We didn't think to ask him if they threw the key in the river then?!?

Tomorrow we're developing our pictures and then practicing for Friday's court. The stress level will be starting to build! Keep those prayers coming – when I start to get a nervous knot in my stomach & my heart starts racing I just think of all of you and it goes away!

Just hanging around Irkutsk

Tuesday morning we got a phone call from a friend at home – yeah! He was "Google mapping" and was able to pretty close pinpoint our apartment. I told him to show that to JJ when he's by them later this week. So all morning then we spent "on-line" but just downloading. We loaded on IM so we can maybe webcam with JJ one day. We have the software now I think so just have to figure how to activate the camera and set a time for the call. I'll work on that here.

Got some of our dossier documents emailed to us, mainly the ones I had never seen, so that will help us prepare a little better for court. Still hope to get some of the WI ones I don't entirely remember (I had started working on this in Feb 2008!) I go between utterly nervous for Friday (and worried I'll get a cold sore) and at total peace knowing God has this in his hands. Yes, I know he does but my human nature kicks in way too often. We really can feel the prayers when they are sent heavenward for us and for Nathan Genya also. I just can't believe that a little boy who gets an injury to the eye because he is proud he has parents wouldn't be able to become a part of our family! I just keep praying, talking to God and reading the Bible for reassurances!

So after the uneventful morning we decided to head out for lunch. Yesterday we had seen a fast-food type place so headed there. I had hoped we could just point but we couldn't – had to order with words and we got a gal who said "oh no" when I asked if she spoke English. So we made it through with my handy translation book. JJ, I ate ketchup!! (it came on the burgers) We ordered hamburgers and fries – the burgers I think were made in the morning and sat there until we foolishly got them. They sat in our stomach all afternoon – but the fries were passable. When we were at the counter there were some young boys, maybe about 10-11 years old, who wouldn't talk English to us but we know they knew what we were saying… Their table was near us and they ordered something really good looking (which I had tried to get by pointing but that didn't work for some reason). So I went over to them and in my very broken Russian asked them what they were eating is called – they said "shis-shiek" which is like shish-ka-bob. That is what we're ordering next time! It wasn't a cheap meal either – our afternoon tea/cake breaks are less expensive so that's what we'll do more I think. But it was nice to try another place and just explore.

After eating we headed to a different part of the city – past the courthouse and continued on down to the river. Pigeons everywhere – Brandi, I think of your pigeon stories with Evan when I seem them! On the way a whole cadet of either military or police type recruits marched by us – they were practicing formation at a memorial, I think to WWII. They were all very young looking and the girls all had bows in their hair. Down at the river there were all sorts of engraved locks attached to the metal wall. I said we have to ask Alex or Andrew what that's for. Then we walked by the area with all the ice sculptures and watched young kids and teenagers slide down the ice slides. They all were having fun! Then we just came back to the apartment as we don't know exactly anyone would be coming by.

The weather is much nicer today – it says -14c on the TV but there was no wind. You could tell it's warmer as the women were now in shorter jackets and mainly nylon, not the long furs anymore. That must be what they do?? And the sidewalks were much messier today – the snow and ice was melting. There were more sidewalk sweepers out today also.

So we got a phone call from Alex about 4:30 – he had been at the court all day with our documents and they were accepted! Including the medicals. There is one document requested yet from the State of WI but that can be faxed to the court along with a promise to send the original within two weeks. It is really just a clarification of a document she has already – but adding the words "international adoption" to a statement (that is implied by a previous statement is how I read it). He also said that we were going to go to Cheremo. today but he couldn't reach us ?? Brian said that is NOT what he said last night, he said specifically we "wouldn't go tomorrow" – but we are going to go Wednesday (tomorrow) – But Andrew, who really wants to go with us, isn't feeling well and Alex is unable to go with us so we might go with Andrew or we might just go with Andrey our driver. The language would be a bit of a barrier but we can handle it. I still have a list of questions to ask them at the BH but will have to wait for Andrew to help with that. So at least we have a plan for tomorrow! And we continue to review documents and get everything prepared for Friday morning – we have a few questions to ask Alex about proceedings and how to respond to questions but we're preparing for our "offense" (instead of the "defense" we've been doing for months!)

As we knew Alex wasn't coming by for a few hours we went out for one more walk – it was snowing slightly and windy again but overall not too bad. We walked for about 45-minutes. Now we're watching TV, this time of night there is this program on the MTV station where people get 1 or 2 minutes to do their own thing. Just saw a very bad violin player, now a belly dancer (not real attractive either!) and generally there are some American Idol wannabes who make it painful to listen to their songs!

Tonight we're just going to have some leftovers for dinner and might try the frozen blini's we bought at the supermarket the other day…then probably watch another episode or two of Moonlighting (we had forgotten how fun that show was! Good lines!). And maybe we'll get lights in the bedroom?!?

Right after we went off line last night we got two real phone calls. First Alex called and Brian talked to him– he had been working on document translation all day and would be submitting them to the court today. Also asked if we needed a new light switch and Brian said "yes" – and when he comes we'll tell him we want assurance this won't happen again! :) He said he would be by Tuesday afternoon but we weren't "to wait for him" – so I guess that means our morning is free anyway. I am guessing we'll head to Cheremkhovo tomorrow for another visit before court on Thursday. We don't have a Nathan Genya update but for sure today he should be back to the baby home.

Yesterday we were watching TV for a bit – their "ESPN" equivalent I think. Anyway we were watching a game that seemed to be a cross between basketball and soccer. It was played in a gym and there were goal on either end with a goalie. There was a round basketball type ball but smaller – they could dribble it and pass it and the object was to throw it into the goal. It was high scoring – it was 13 to 11 while we were watching. These were women playing the game also. Anyone know what it is ??

An observation from here – we never hear any sirens. For a city this size (over 500K) in America you'd hear something at least once a day – we heard a siren once and it was a long ways away. Interesting!

Temperature on the TV this morning says it's -14c so it is warming up slightly – we'll give the real report after we return for a morning walk!

 

(Wo)Man on the Street

So after waiting in the apartment most of the day, we decided at 3pm that we wouldn't be going to Cheremkhovo that day so we had to get out! The walls tend to close in a little after many hours of the grey walls. I had cleaned the apartment some earlier, we had had lunch, played games, listened to music and read but we needed to go outside! The TV said it was -16c today so we thought it would be warmer – WRONG! There was a wind and it was still as cold! But my feet were warm in my new wool socks!

So we headed to try and exchange some money. While Brian was in the bank I looked at the auto teller (ATM) and there were English directions so I thought we could do it on our own. When he came back out and the answer to changing our USA$ was the same as the other day – shaking head "no" – we decided to try the machine. It was so easy!! So now we have a way to get our rubles!! But it spit out 1000r bills, and I think you've heard us tell how hard it is to even spend the 500r's so we then went back into the bank and asked them to break them down into smaller bills – no problem doing that! So now we're flush for awhile – LOL

We were in a little different area than we usually walk but there wasn't much to see but we wound up on Karl Marx St again anyway – all roads lead there apparently. We were getting cold so we thought we'd go to a café to warm up a little. But we couldn't decide where to go so just headed back toward the river. We got close to the "Souvenirs from Irkutsk" store (yep, says that in English!) when two young ladies came up behind us. They said "excuse me, you're speaking English" – so we stopped! They studied English and wanted to practice talking it! So we went into the store, out of the cold, and visited with them a few minutes. Maria was the one who talked the most – she graduated the university last year after studying economics and English and was now looking for a job. She said she had never been outside Irkutsk but when we asked where she'd like to travel to she said "Sweden" – I said I had been there so she asked if there were "tall, blond boys there" – I said there sure were! Her friend, who had a really pretty name that I can't remember, studied English and Spanish and wanted to visit Spain one day! They asked what we were doing in the city and then asked if there was lots of paperwork to adopt! I said we were finding a few places in the city where English was spoken and she was a little surprised – she said it was more like "go away, we don't want you here" attitude (then laughed). We actually have felt very welcome this trip – maybe we're just getting out and about more. Anyway we told them to stop us anytime they see us out and that we walk that street everyday! I said to Maria that maybe she should get a job as a translator – her eyes lit up and said she'd love that but those jobs are hard to get. After we said goodbye I said we should have gotten her name and number – we could use her to order us a taxi or be our personal translator when in town! Maybe we'll run into her again and we'll get the info. I think she really just would love to be able to practice her English speaking! (She said she stopped us because she has a "radar" to hearing languages and besides, we didn't look Russian!)

So we still were on the hunt for a café and stopped at one on the same block as the souvenir store – just a non-descript door that had a picture of food and coke outside it. (next to the really expensive looking one).. The counter was way in the back and I was just about to ask for English Menu or if she spoke English when Brian said "it's on there" – the whole menu was in Russian AND ENGLISH!! The first time we've seen that! I was so excited. They have a little of everything – salads, main dishes, baked goods, etc. We just were in for our afternoon snack so I had an apple puff and Brian had a cheese puff – and we both had tea (Brian's going to try and start to like it – it's cheap and easy to order too!). We paid our 85r (under $3) and she brought our food to our table. My apple puff was delicious – I said I might need one every day! The cheese puff was good too but I didn't think as good as mine – LOL… So we did our little walking break and stimulated (such as it is) the economy and headed back outside. We love those little stops – even if there isn't the English menu we can point and order tea now! We did a quick stop at the store across from the apt and got more water – I can order it in Russian now (vada biz guzza means water, no bubbles) – and two ice cream bars for a little dessert later. After not eating sweets for almost a year I'm making up for it now. But we're doing a lot of walking in the cold and eating pretty good so as long as my clothes continue to fit – even with the long johns underneath – I'm continuing what I've been doing!

Brian is trying to master Spider Solitaire and did win a few times now at beginner and intermediate levels. I've been reading – trying to read slowly to make the books last! I made a dish of chicken and rice pilaf for dinner and soon we'll start our nightly movie – I think it will be Moonlighting, Season 1, tonight!

We're trying to guess when we'll hear from someone to find out our plans for tomorrow. I said I don't care what they are or aren't but they could just let us know! I'm hoping that the papers from the USA either came today or are coming tomorrow (they left Wed I think) so he's busy translating and giving to the court… Maybe he's making nice to the prosecutor also. But a call would be nice, and to let us know how Genya's doing AND to tell us if we'll ever gets lights in the bedroom again! Oh well, we're surviving but not quite the American way! Ha,ha

The phone just rang – but it was an automated voice on the other end talking in Russian! We get that about every other day… well we at least know the phone rings!

what I really dislike

is waiting around for phone calls that never come -- we have no idea on Genya's status and haven't seen or heard from Alex since Thursday (other than reporting our fire problem)... so now we're heading out (3pm our time) - figure no way to go anywhere today anymore! some things are beyond frustrating to me! :)

This and That

I always think of things to post later so here are just a few comments that I've thought of (this is my journal of the trip also – you all get to come along on it!) You know my life's an open book! Literally!

We have a found a few of the "infectious diseases" we were tested for the other day – we DON'T have gonorrhea, typhoid, dysentery or salmonella. We also know we DON'T have TB. In addition, of course, we don't have HIV which is something they did accept from the USA. Thankfully they did, with Alex's talking I am sure, accept the results of our USA medicals even tho we didn't have any back-up documentation.

One thing I wish we would have brought would be more converters/adapters. We only have the one so it's in use a lot. Our laptop runs about 4-hours on battery but we're on it a lot – mostly now with the games or my typing our journal (blog) and also our internet connections. We're going to buy another card today – we have no way of knowing when we run out of time other than it won't dial up so better safe than sorry. We get 5-hours of connection time for 300r (about $10). Today also we have to figure out how to get some more rubles – either exchanging money or trying a bank machine. We're down to about $60 equivalent in rubles right now! But we're not spending a lot of money either – groceries, little shopping and cafes mainly (and the cafes are cheap!)

Yesterday we did find a second hand store in a different part of town when we were walking – it was like ours at home, somewhat musty, but did have a decent selection of clothing. We just looked as there isn't anything we "have" to get. I might get a longer coat at some point if I'd find one but also have half a mind to purchase a NICE one to take home – who knows customs regulations about importing fur? The coats here are absolutely beautiful! And the hats mostly equally as beautiful! No PETA protesting here – LOL.

JJ, the kids here wear hats that have a heavier wool lining and the ear flaps can fold down… would you wear one of those if we got it for you? Dad thinks you would but I wanted to check with you – none of the clothing here is "cheap" but there sure is a lot of it! We have gone into many stores where all they have is children's clothing and toys – who is buying this stuff? It's all very nice but it's like having "Children's Place" "Gymboree" "Baby Gap" and "Kids r Us" lined up one after another in the same mall! And then having another one about 3-blocks away!

Brian has never wanted to go on a cruise or to a resort like in Mexico – he was worried what we'd do all day. Well, we have now spent more time together than I think we have EVER done and we're surviving and thriving! Our "vacations" have always been active ones – going to car shows, driving places, fixing things, etc… I think we've both learned how to just kick back and go with the flow – we hang out, take long walks, read, help each other with solitaire (I'm so mad I forgot my travel yatzee game!) and just observe life here in Russia. Brian does have a more relaxed personality than me (you think??) so he does sleep more than I do but he also probably has years more to catch up on – LOL! My "record" such as it is for quickest losing solitaire game is 33-seconds… man, that can be so frustrating!

Another thing for JJ – they have a TV show here, I have no idea what it is, but the lady in it could be Heather from TDI's sister – she looks just like her! I think of you every time I see the commercial for that show! We hope you can call soon and talk to us – we miss you! But since you have been too busy to call that is a good thing also. Grandpa keeps us informed on your busy social life! I'm happy Mikey and Emily have been over to play and also that you and Carissa are doing things together. Samantha, no cat update lately? How's Candy doing??

Anyone who runs Windows Vista – do you have it where Word just randomly shuts down at time? That happens to me every few days – but at least it always recovers my work. It's just an annoyance! Otherwise I'm starting to figure out where to find the different things in it!

Taylor Swift is on the video channel right now – first time I've seen her! Last night I think it was 80's hour or something – early Madonna, Michael Jackson, and other artists from our high school days were playing. Otherwise it's a nice mix of international music – the European videos are more risqué than the American ones!

 

Second Sunday in Siberia

A little about the food we've been buying and eating here. While it's easy to go to a restaurant when you have your translator, when we get by ourselves either to try and eat out or to the grocery store it's always an adventure! Brian is very good at ordering "coca-cola", even tho sometimes they say "pepsi?" – either is fine! We ask "English menu?" and they usually say "nyt" so then we do a lot of pointing and guessing. We understand more the routine now – they ask us if we want "salad" or "soup/borsch", then the main meat and a "garnish" (side). Then I ask them to write down how much we need to pay as I don't understand the numbers when said but I think I have the $$ figured out! I walk around the grocery store trying to decipher items with my translation book. The hardest thing for us to buy is milk – they have so many different kinds. Milk in cartons, milk in bags – different % numbers on them and then there is the liquid yogurt-like drink also. It's overwhelming. Yesterday I had my book open while we were trying to figure out what milk to get and a young lady says "Milk" to me – I said "spasiba" but really wanted to ask her "what do you drink??" But maybe I was afraid of the answer! The first day we got a box of milk and it's ok (not like home, but not terrible). The next time at the store we bought a bag of milk with a little higher % (I think it means milkfat?) Anyway yesterday I opened it to pour on our cereal and it is the equivalent of American buttermilk! Not the worst but certainly not what we want for everyday use. So yesterday we bought a different bagged milk – it tastes more like the first kind we got, not our favorite but drinkable. The meat is a bit of a challenge also. I either bought ham or beef to go with our eggs today (turns out to be ham/pork)! Otherwise you can really find most anything you want in the supermarket. By our standards the store is small but it is well stocked. Yesterday we found jalapeno peppers and tortilla chips in the store! We had found salsa previously so one night might have to make nachos – will just have to figure the best cheese to get for it! They also had a bottle of chili starter – "just add beef". All the stores have security guards – at the entrances and walking around. I don't have to check my bag at the grocery store like you usually have to do when entering stores but I make it a point to not try and be suspicious – carrying my "Russian-English" book should be a notable identifying mark if needed – lol! Every grocery store has a huge "deli counter" – premade foods, salads, sausages, lots of fish, etc. It really is fun to just look at what they sell here! The grocery carts are an adventure also – they're smaller but all four wheels spin! So you use all your muscle trying to keep it going straight down the aisles! I give Brian that job now! They also have little metal baskets that we use for smaller shopping trips – easier to handle!

We're getting quite good at solitaire on the computer – Brian wins more than me but it's still only about 1 out of 20 games! We tried Spider Solitaire this morning and might try that again – little more strategy so takes longer. We drag out our days here when we have nowhere to go or be – today we dialed up the computer at 7am, I started breakfast at 8:30am and we'll get dressed around 11am. Then we'll go for another long walk and maybe some more window shopping. Probably then we'll nap and watch some DVDs – when we're in the apartment I keep the music/video TV station on. About 1/3 of the songs are in English and even the ones we don't understand usually have a catchy beat. There are a few songs we hear over and over – my favorite is "Our Potential Breakup Song" – some of you who know how to download might want to try and find it…. Otherwise we just keep replaying our statements for court in our minds and writing them down to help us become more fluent in our presentation.

Brian got an email from a friend saying that we need to get him to post to this blog sometime. We might have to do that – but it would definitely be less wordy than I!

We headed out walking a little after noon. We went by the Stadium nearby and found a nice little market there! It's only a few blocks from the apt and had a good selection of almost any food we'd need. And I think they take credit cards there! We'll be back. So then we walked the streets for a long time. There were street vendors set up everywhere! I bought a pair of wool socks as my feet keep getting cold when we walk. Otherwise we just looked in stores, stopped in the general market (the one with the meat all in the open) and there is anything you could need to buy there. And the sanitary conditions? Well, there was a dog walking around also! We wanted to stop for a little bite and drink so we went to the place next to Subway (restaurant). We had seen it the other day when we were in the area for a doctor and it says "Welcome" on the front so we thought someone there might know English. A very nice lady behind the counter spoke it a little so it was easy ordering! We got blini (pancakes) – mine with jam and Brian's with a sour cream. I had tea and he Coke. It came to 100r (about $3.00) – and then she invited us to come back tonight at 6pm to hear traditional Russian folk music! We stopped at the grocery store again for some breadcrumbs (for my chicken tonight which now we'll eat later) and then we headed back to the apt. It was a nice few hours out of the apt. The TV says it's -18c today but there is sunshine and no wind so it was very comfortable walking. Our faces still get cold but that's about all now.

So now we're back from our Russian Folk Music event – it was so neat! We got a light bite to eat (just by pointing, but the gal there did speak some English – this might become a new favorite place!) Anyway I thought we were getting two sweet things but turns out one was like a handheld pizza and the other was a pastry with jam – Brian likened that to Kringle. I had tea and Brian a coke-light – in a CAN! (usually get bottles). Soon then the music began. Three young guys – one on an accordion/concertina, one on a guitar like instrument but it was triangle, one guy on tambourine but the mixed it around a little too. Then two of the guys played "spoons" – that was really interesting. And the tambourine guy also did a horn type object. We took lots of video of this and I think they played it up for the camera some. One day we'll post that for you but we need help from our IT department (basically our friends in high school and younger!) LOL The lady who invited us to the music came in socially (not working) and came to talk to us. Now she invited us to come to their Rotary Meeting this Wednesday at 7pm at the same place. She said she was happy to see people from America and that the Rotary Club almost all spoke English and she'd really like us to come – so we probably will! Judy H said to "stay busy" this week before court – well that's one thing to keep us busy! So far this weekend has been the most action our social life has had in like forever! Out every night! So now I have our supper cooking – I got Panko Breadcrumbs today at the market and am making my favorite "Fake Fried Chicken", buttered noodles and corn. We're eating late but it's not like we have anywhere to go anymore! And the lights are still out in our bedroom and entry way (still have the breaker off, no word from Alex yet!!) so we have to hang out in the living area anyway. What's on tonight's DVD line-up? Probably either some Happy Days or Laverne & Shirley… we think we'll sleep well tonight after all the fresh air and walking we got in!

Tomorrow the baby home should be calling to let Alex know if Nathan Genya got released from the hospital or not. I'm not sure what the plans are for the day but stay tuned to find out what we did!

A slice of Russian life

Last night we had, beyond doubt, the scariest moment ever while in Russia. We were up a little later after our evening at the Jackson's (Kathy, did you give them my blog address?) Anyway we had caught up on emails and were going to lie in bed and watch some Happy Days, Season 1 DVDs. I had the washer going but everything else was quiet in the place. While we're lying there I said to Brian, "what's that smell?" and I don't know if he really thought I smelled something or not but didn't really answer (I do have a sensitive nose!) but then all of a sudden the overhead lights in our bedroom came blazing on! We went "what???" and all of a sudden smoke was pouring out of the light switch in the room!! Oh man, it stunk so bad and there was so much of it! Brian pulled off the switch cover and there weren't really flames but it was definitely sparking and glowing! I thought for sure the whole place was going to go up in flames and I had no idea how to call for a fire department – or what you do! We looked and couldn't find a fire extinguisher or the breaker box. I was frantically calling Alex's cell phone and home phone and no answers and no voice mail! Brian kept his cool – as he does so much better than I – and eventually (probably 3-minutes but seemed forever) found the breaker box and turned off the circuit to the bedroom. He said that we were fine now, no chance of fire. Well the adrenalin was still flowing and the stink was hanging in the air – we opened the bedroom window but it didn't do much to dissipate the smell or smoke. Shortly after then Alex called back and Brian answered – I'm sure his heart stopped when Brian said "we had a small fire…" – Brian said he just kept saying "I'm so glad you're okay!" - Yeah, no doubt! LOL So I'm sure he'll be over here today to check out the situation and hopefully restore our lighting. I didn't sleep well, partly due to fear but also the stink just made it hard to sleep. I should have moved into a different room but that was too much effort at the time – so instead early morning I fell asleep and slept until almost 9am.

Hey, Pastor P, I was going to email this but forgot when I was online before but could you forward us some of the bulletins and service programs and sermons too? I'm missing church and could use them to make our own services here for us two. I'd appreciate it!

Note to everyone: We are using my hotmail address to have our emails forwarded to as it loads way much sooner than charter does – so if you want to email us you can either use our charter addresses or just use dln0623@hotmail.com – and when we reply it will be the hotmail address you'll see.

So finally about noon today we started moving – we got ourselves ready and went for a walk. It's still bitter cold here! We walked by guys playing soccer in the snow and hockey on it also. We did a long walk and wound up at the Fiesta for some tea and Coke. Then a stop at the grocery store and back to the apartment. Once we were in the door we had a phone call from Irena as the Holmes weren't reaching us due to us being out. So then Judy called back and invited us to dinner tonight in Angarsk to celebrate Harry's adoption. We accepted pending transportation. So I called Alex but no answer, little later tried Irena – no answer. I somehow don't know how to dial here I think! So about 4:30 Mike called to see if we were coming and I said I couldn't reach anyone about a ride but we'd love to come so he said he'd call Irena and she'll call us back. We got ourselves ready as I figured we'd have a "10-minute taxi" call. Well instead we had a pounding on the door and young boy saying "taxi!" – I said "Angarsk"? He said "Da" – so we said we'd be right out and got in his car. He was a very good driver and it really was an uneventful trip – other than the scenery along the way! We were just looking out the window when we see a car parked on the side of the road and a guy taking a "leak" right there! Oh man, we laughed so hard! That was one for the books! Mind you it's like -26c yet and daylight! And this is like our interstate!

So we arrive at Angarsk Hills – a resort area outside Angarsk that has cabins and activities and a nice restaurant. Irena placed the order and then we went outside to "zip line" – (tubing). Brian and I went down together and we went way too fast – I screamed half the way! Then Brian went down with Skip also. The trip down was fun but the walk back up was tiring! So we then went in to have dinner and drinks. It was a wonderful meal and lots of vodka toasts and great conversation. Harry just sat nice and smiled all night! We were honored to be a part of this celebration meal. We are thankful we were able to meet this family in person – they'll be a part of our lives forever!

I will describe dinner as I know you all love my meal commentaries – We started with some different salads. I'm not sure what they all were but every one was delicious. We also had a platter of fresh veggies. Then I had a chicken dish with boiled potatoes – again, I'm not sure what it was but it was delicious. Brian had pork and boiled potatoes (had tried to get beef but "no beef" was again the answer). We also had ice cream for dessert. And, as mentioned, some vodka toasts! The Vodka was Ukrainian and was very smooth! I had some French wine also so it was a fun night! Then Irene called us a taxi to get us back to Irkutsk. It was less $ going back than coming – but the rate for the amount of distance is very reasonable! So we again have a young driver – he too was a good driver (maybe a little faster than the other guy) but once we got in IRK I got a little nervous. Twice he stopped and asked for directions! We were in parts of the town we hadn't seen yet – not unsafe, just not known to us! So finally after the second stop we were on Karl Marx St and then we knew where we were. He turned to us at the stop light at Marx & Lenin and said something – of course we didn't know what but I said "5^th Army" and he said "bla,bla, bla Army! And I said said "da!" and we were all happy. He turned on our street and got us home. We gave him a little tip also and it was still 400r less than the trip the other direction.

So we're again just hanging out – no lights in our bedroom or entry way yet as we didn't see or hear from Alex all day – but at least we have lights and power in the other rooms! Maybe tomorrow we'll find out more about our lights situation…

The visit that almost wasn’t

We were to be ready to leave at 7am so we were – but Andrew overslept so we didn't leave town until almost 8am. Arrived at the baby home and they were happy to see us there but told us Genya was in the hospital! Not to worry, has a problem with his eye but got taken there this morning (I believe). So at first we thought we drove all that way for nothing. But things turned out ok – after telling us many times "don't worry" and "we think it happened on the playground" and other reassuring statements we asked if we could visit him at the hospital – even if just for a few minutes. At first she didn't think so as they have their own routine over there – so I gave a box of crayons and one coloring book for her to give Genya and we started out of the building. Also I don't think we were to visit as the hospital was on quarantine for flu. But shortly after ran after us to tell us they were going to try and see if we could get in at the hospital. After many phone calls between Andrew, Alex, the Guardianship committee, the hospital doctor, and probably some others we were given permission to visit Genya for a short while.

We drove across Cheremkhovo, which is a bigger town than you would think, and found the hospital. Nothing to look at from the outside or really the inside either. We got into the reception area and they brought Nathan Genya to see us. He had a piece of gauze taped over his right eye and you could tell it was all swollen and hurting him. I believe they were telling us he has a scratched cornea. If he doesn't scratch it or aggravate it it should be healed in a day, otherwise it might take a few days. Everyone is thinking he'll be in the hospital until Monday sometime. Later, while we were playing, he told Andrew how the injury happened – he was hit by a bedpan by another kid! Yikes! Apparently he and this other boy get into things once in awhile and this was the result this time. He said he didn't sleep well because of it and was tired. So after we had read a book & played cars I held him on my lap for a bit and started rocking him. I then gave him to Brian and Genya snuggled right in on him and dozed off for awhile! It was precious and we have great pictures (which I'll post after the adoption happens!) So we just sat there with him for awhile – then he woke up and said he was ready to go again so we raced the car some more! I had only grabbed a few toys out of the bag as I didn't think we'd be there long but it was probably a 45-60 minute visit! Again, no shyness and nice playing. He was repeating words nicely and we were able to communicate fairly well. He also must have a bit of a cold so I had to keep wiping his nose and having him blow! We left him with another coloring book and the car we had played with. On the way out of the hospital I was concentrating so much on not falling through the broken wooden step that I slipped on the metal section of the step – I didn't go down or really hurt myself other than I wretched my neck a little…I'll live but it's giving me something to complain about right now!

So after the visit we said goodbye and he went off to eat and then nap. I hope they have him lay quietly and sleep as that should help his eye heal faster! Other than itching it didn't seem to be bothering him too bad, we just had to stop him from rubbing it a few times.

We then ate lunch at the same place we had the other day – but this time in the dining room rather than the bar. Same menu tho but much fancier surroundings. Three glasses on the table – one small one for vodka, a middle size for brandy/whiskey and a bit larger one for wine. But we had tea and tomato juice! Our meals were wonderful. Brian had a stuffed meatball with veggie side and a veggie salad to start – I had the veggie salad and this time ordered "meat" and I got meat! Two generous sized pork chops and a sweet bbq-like sauce with a side of French fries. I gave one chop to Brian immediately and was plenty full after the one. Our driver, Andrey, doesn't say much English but we know he understands some but when he saw his plate – as he had ordered the same thing I had – he said in English "Oh my god!" – it was so funny! We also learned this fun little thing at lunch – our driver and translator/companion are both Andrey – so Andrew(Andrey) said "come between us and say a wish" – apparently if there are two people with the same name it's a fun game to then use them to make a wish… not a "tradition" but just a game. We thought that was interesting!

Our drive home was uneventful until we got a flat tire! Took about 10-minutes to change it on the side of the road (I stayed in the car, Brian watched outside) and we were back on our way. Once in IRK we were trying to exchange some dollars for rubles – Brian was able to xchg $100 but we wanted to do a bit more for the weekend. So he and Andrew went to a second bank but heard there also "no rubles"! What do the Russian's do?? They told him to "try tomorrow" so we'll probably walk up that way as we want to check out the ice sculptures anyway. For those of you who've been to IRK we'll be heading by the Kanzandova St (sp?) apt to do all this tomorrow. Not the pink bank but the one across from it.

Kirstin, we did do some shopping at the market yesterday but I only bought bleeni to try first – I saw the dumplings but held off for now until I can figure out the stuffings – I don't want to get something I just can't eat! (like carp or something!) I did get some meatballs and chicken so will cook a few meals this weekend. Also, I gave Alex your items for Tanya, I don't think I mentioned that earlier.

This evening we were invited to an American Family's home for pizza dinner – the Jacksons are missionaries and have lived here since 2000. They have three children who are delightful! We enjoyed our evening with them and hope to spend time with them again during our trip. Thanks, Steve and Tami for a nice evening!

Justin, we can answer a few of your questions now from what we learned this evening – the family we visited have their own home and their own well… but they and only a few others in their village (of about 1000 people) have their own running water in their home. Otherwise they have to gather it in what we'd call milk pails and cart it to their house. We did see this in several of the villages we drive through. Tami said she read that 60-70% of households in Russia do NOT have running water! The children here go to school 6 days a week and most everyone works 6 days a week also. If they get off for a holiday, they make it up on a following Sunday… As for what they eat, I think in many ways it's similar to us – meat, potatoes, fish, salads – they use mayonnaise in most of their salads, if not mayo then oil. One traditional dish is peel'myenee (phonetically) which is like a stuffed dumpling. Otherwise meatballs are huge and Brian found pig tails in a market today! (I guess those are used for like a jelly type dish, not eaten as is). As we learn more we'll try and type. We do have your frog in pictures by the Subway Restaurant here in IRK and by another café (Giraffe) also. Someday we'll learn how to download those!

So far now we'll be heading to bed soon. We go to sleep knowing that the "other American family" had success in court today and their adoption was granted. We continue to pray for the same success next week Friday. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!!!

(The downside of being able to blog, then go online and then upload is I do get wordy! Oh well, it's my blog! )

Out of internet time!

Our card ran out of time so we're having to go purchase another one this morning. It is so cold here we didn't venture out last night. JJ called about 8:30pm our time – we've loving those nightly calls! Then we were trying to watch some episodes of WAT but between the two of us I don't think we saw one full episode – so we can watch those again! I slept pretty well last night, Brian not as well, but we are adjusting after almost 1-week here. We got a call at 6:30am that a taxi would be here for us at 7:30am so we got ready quickly. We went back to the bigger hospital that we had done our different tests at the other day and we waited in the lobby while Alex got the paperwork completed. We're on our own for the rest of the day now – he said he will call later once he hears what happens with the H's in court and also to confirm plans for upcoming days. He is doing some running around yet with the papers/stamps for these medicals but nothing he needs us for. He needs to talk to Andrew and find out when we can plan to go to the BH again also and visit Nathan Genya. We need to get better pictures of Brian interacting with Nathan Genya – I will have to be taking some these visits!

So we're going to head out into the cold (-25c) and explore the town some! We have a dinner invitation for tomorrow night from a missionary family living here in Irkutsk (found them via Kathy Friend!) so will connect with them later to confirm. I'll continue on the report of our day once we return with more time on the dial-up card!

We ventured out into the bitter cold – with a wind – and were numb within blocks – but we pressed on. First stopped at the office supply store Kirsten gave me direction to for some coloring books for Nathan Genya at our next visit (he said last time he liked coloring books) and we bought a cheap book of paper to make paper airplanes next visit also. We then went to the "Fiesta" for lunch – Brian had a sausage with noodles and most of my borsch soup as I had a piece of chicken with lemon on it and a side of boiled potatoes (along with the borsch). The potatoes started barely warm and were cold by the end of the meal so I left a lot of them but the chicken was good if not completely tender. But it was overall a good meal – I think we ate there in 2004 and we'll go back again. Then we went on to the shopping mall and got Brian a woolen scarf to keep the wind off his neck and face as needed. Nice clerks helped us. Then I stopped and got some face cleaner and we headed out to the cold again. Snapped a few pictures of the frog picture nephew Justin sent with us so will have to figure out how to download those! Then we went grocery shopping – it's not as easy without the translator along. I was able to make sure I was buying chicken and the rest we bought pretty much by picture – we'll see what we got! Honey Nut Cheerios is the same English and Russian lol Walked back to the apartment and now we're just hanging out happy to be able to be "online" again – and also waiting to hear what happened with the H's hearing today.

These Russians are tough – we're not weather wimps but we are bundled up and we look cold. They run around with their beautiful fur jackets (I would take just about ANY of them!) but often with just tights on their legs or maybe not even zipped up – and their faces aren't all red like ours gets! That probably gives us away as foreigners if nothing else does!

So we'll say "da zvedena" (goodbye) for now!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

One thing about buying a first laptop computer two days before flying halfway around the world – you don't know how to do many things on it. This computer has "vista" which I've never used so am learning as we go with it. But one really neat feature of the word program we loaded is that it has a "publish" feature and you can write your blog and upload to blogger (or some others too) directly from word. So that allows me to type my chapters without taking the time off the dial-up connection AND I can start in the morning and finish in the evening!

This computer also has a built in webcam and skype but we have NO IDEA how to use that! Might have to ask Mike & Judy – and then find someone in Hustisford who has a web cam (Dave P, I'm thinking you might?) and maybe we can conference in with JJ someday! We do have plenty of time on our hands so have to just check out what else this machine can do!

Tuesday evening we decided not to venture far into the cold but did try the pizza place directly across the street. They did have an English menu but the servers didn't speak English. They did like we do –just kept repeating what they wanted to say but louder each time! LOL But we got our points across and had a delicious pizza. Most everyone who came in gets just an individual slice but we had ordered a whole pizza – it was like our regular 12" size. It was very good – not a tomato sauce on it but a oil/garlic type one, then we had "meat" (sausage, very good), tomato slices and cheese. We'll go back! Then we had our first Russian Ice Cream for dessert. It was like frozen cream – oh man, it coated the tongue! We probably should have split one (due to fat calories) but no, we each had our own. Chocolate shavings on the top – it was a delicious treat! Paid our bill (about $20 with the sodas and tip) and walked back across the street. We then watched several more episodes of "Without a Trace" – I was falling asleep way too early watching it but then JJ called. "Mom, I miss you!" – boy if that doesn't break your heart! "Do you know when you are coming home yet?" "Will it be right away after the 30^th?" (he's listening!) "Will I still be able to go to Sarah's house tho?" (lol, that made it real and much easier to deal with!) I asked him if he liked his present – the DVD "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (great movie!) - but he said he wasn't going to watch it until he can watch it with ME. I said "no" we can watch it again when I'm home but watch it with Grandma and Grandpa – that's why I got it for you! He can be stubborn tho when he gets something in his head so I'll have to wait to hear if he watches it or not. We had such a nice conversation – he sounded so much more grown up than a week ago!

When I get tired things become a "blurr" so I had to ask Brian what else happened last night! He said I fell asleep during the last episode he watched so I need to watch it again, too complicated to explain what happened. I actually slept quite well last night and woke up a little before 6am today! Jumped online to check comments and emails – our WI Bethany office has everything under control and the needed documents should be on their way to Russia in just a day or so. I can't Thank God enough for the wonderful ladies we work with – both in WI and MI – when you are so far from home it is priceless to know you have people covering you So many people have helped so much in this adoption! As some of my friends are blogging – when our kids get older and say "you don't love me", we have LOTS of ways to tell them how much we have loved them, including as Judy says "we got swabbed for you!" LOL

So now we are just waiting to be picked up to head to the TB specialist this morning. I am not sure if I posted this earlier or not but the reason we're having to do these again (and the H's for the 2^nd time in a week) is that the Judge says she got a new directive/law (like last week Friday?!?) that all international families must complete the medicals like Russian families do. So if we do exactly as that it "should" suffice… And JJ's medical form is just fine – children only need the one page documentation, just the adoptive parents need the 8-specialist one.

JJ, dad says that you need to get that Mario book so the next time you call you can explain better to him where the secret door is – he's having problems finding it! The DS is a good companion for Brian but JJ sure can kick his butt in most of the games!

We're back now from the TB hospital and got our stamps-our lungs look good. Tomorrow we get the infectionist results and then Alex will take the medicals to the judge to see if they are acceptable. If not, we have time to correct yet.

Alex did get a call that wasn't as good – apparently the prosecutor wasn't happy with Brian's presentation in court so we're going to have to work hard to change her mind at the next hearing. We're going to go in with pictures to prove Brian wants to be a dad to Genya and Brian is going to be working really hard in the next week to have his testimony ready. I really don't know why he was chosen to go first in the presentation – he shouldn't have according to our "court outline" and historical precedence but Alex probably should have prepared us a little more also. We specifically ask for prayers for Brian – to help him realize he didn't "fail" this first time and that he does a pleasing presentation to the court next Friday. We have the time now to prepare for this and I think he and I will both be better prepared. I know God didn't get us this far to have something like this stop us – we will be "on" next week! Also learned our necessary documents will be on their way to Russia by Wednesday afternoon your time… God is good and the State of Wisconsin SO helpful!!

This afternoon Skip H. came to visit while his parents ran around IRK a little more. He is an active 6-year old boy and we had to stay inside because it is SO COLD (-23c) today but we all had fun. He pretended he was a dog most of the time LOL. After he left we ate some dinner and now will be watching some more DVDs. I'm not exactly sure what's happening all tomorrow but pray for the H family as they're back in court at 10am. I think we're going to get the results of our last medical test tomorrow but not sure what else is happening. Sometimes we just go when called rather than trying to preplan anything.

You want us to put what where?

Day two of medical paperwork chase had us out of the apartment a little after 8am. We had fallen asleep easily last night but the dreaded 4am wake-up still happened… so we watched a few episodes of "Without a Trace" on DVD. We went to the huge State hospital directly – so much traffic on the way. It was about a 30-minute+ drive from the apartment. We gave our coats to the coat check and put on the plastic blue booties… Two things about Russia that aren't all bad – when you enter a building you have a coat check for free! And you put little booties over your snowy shoes to help keep the floor cleaner! So we went up a level and waited in a hallway for a long time – the Holmes joined us there again. Brian helped keep Skip entertained throughout most of the morning – Skip's no longer shy with us! So then we had to do our first tests for the Infectionist – Irena (Holmes facilitator/translator, like our Alex) says to Judy "be brave!" But Mike went in first and got the instructions… Basically we had a long stick that had to go "where the sun don't shine" and then we put it into a test tube and it self-closed. This was done by us all individually in the privacy of a big room (but we were in there alone-it wasn't some wierd group activity LOL)… It was, to say the least, interesting. So then we went back up the steps for more swabs – we got our nostrils and throats swabbed. We'll find out the results Thursday morning but we're also not sure exactly what they were testing us for (parasites maybe?) – but overall it really wasn't bad. As Judy said "will make for interesting blogging tonight!". Then we were seen by the Neurologist. He was a Dennis Brendemuehl look alike (so some of you can visualize this)! He did reflex tests on us and made sure we could touch our noses when our eyes were closed. Next we went to a general doctor who took our blood pressure and listed to our hearts. We then split from the Holmes and we came back to the apartment for a quick lunch – I made Brian a cheese & egg sandwich and I made some of the rice pilaf Kathy had given me. Then we went to the dermatologist that we weren't able to see yesterday. That was a great visit as Alex just got the signatures and stamps without us having to be seen. Then it was on to the diagnostic hospital – last time we had done a number of tests here, this time I think it is only one or two. But we had our oncologist appointment – this was painless also as Brian and Alex went into the room and came out a while later with the signatures and stamps for both of us. So I didn't get my examination this time (that's ok!). So we have the TB specialist yet and will do that tomorrow – we'll have to get a chest Xray for that and then the infectionist results Thursday and we'll be done with the medical forms! Alex also said he had talked to Judy D @ Bethany headquarters last night so I know first thing today that's all going to be worked on. I forgot you had MLK Day in America yesterday!

So now we're back at the apartment warming up our feet – somehow they got very cold today. It was snowing for awhile in the afternoon and the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. It's still not too bad tho, but we haven't been out in the elements much either. There is a restaurant just across the street from the apartment that says "pizza" so I think we might try that for dinner tonight. We were going to head to Subway but that will be a longer, colder walk. And there is a place next to Subway I want to try also – says "Welcome" on the sign on front so hopefully they have an English menu – Alex says they serve salads, pancakes, etc.

And tonight we'll probably just hang out in the apartment watching DVDs and maybe jump online later to watch the inauguration.

Oh also, the US Embassy in Moscow called Alex this afternoon inquiring how our case went and also how the Holmes are doing. I was impressed with that and happy they know we're here! And Alex also talked to the Guardianship Committee (who is in charge of Nathan's wellbeing) and said he told them what we were doing with the medicals and getting additional documents from the USA – he said he told them to "cheer them up" so they must have been upset at yesterday's events also.

I will answer some of the questions posed in comments:

Barb U – the ice cream here is so smooth – it's like custard but not as heavy – definitely beats Blue Bunny! If I could I'd bring you some home!

Dave P/Jim – you guys play nice and continue to make comments and maybe someday you'll get a gift from us!

Morgan – You would say "dra-stwit-za" to say hello, but when most everyone answers their cell phones they say "hello"

Pete – I didn't have to go into the cage, but Brian… No, not really – It was empty during our hearing! Thank goodness!

Craig - the documents are all in English but then translated into Russian and attached. No real interesting food yet. And the interesting tests you learned about above!

We're doing ok – not sure when we'll see Nathan Genya again but working hard to get everything done so we can have some good news soon! When I told Alex about JJ's phone call last night and his sadness at my response he said "well hopefully we'll be able to give him some good news soon" – and we pray we will!

After the court hearing

I'm sure there are many of you who have been checking this throughout the night to find a report and here it is. Overall, even though an adoption did not get approved it was NOT a totally bad experience. Let me explain. First of all, we aren't denied – we have another court hearing scheduled for January 30^th at 10am. We need to have our medicals done here in IRK and we need to get a number of updated or new documents from the USA. The biggest issue right now is that the judge doesn't understand the relationship between Bethany Christian Services (our homestudy agency) and Nightlight Christian Services (our overviewing agency who is accredited to work in Russia). She doesn't know why it's not just Nightlight for home study, etc. Alex tried to explain but we need to get better documentation on this and get letters from the State of Wisconsin to say they're aware of this. She doesn't want Nathan to get forgotten due to the different states involved. I've already emailed the list off.

So we get to court for our 10am appointment and waited in the courtroom. (My hair looked very nice due to the flat iron Kathy left for me to use!) The court room is very small and has the cage for criminal trials in there also. It was not nearly as formal or imposing as I expected it to be – even the judge's seat was on the same level as us, not elevated like in the USA. We were prepared for the judge and she really was quite like I expected – she's of Asian descent, wears glasses, never really changes her expression but wasn't as scary as I thought. Brian said she didn't really like direct eye contact either, she'd often look away when he looked at her. So anyway, we all state who were are, we say we don't speak Russian and need an interpreter and Olga (works with Alex) was our interpreter. She did well – lots of talking. When we first came in the room the window was open and it was a little chilly but not too bad. Before we started that window was closed and by the end of the 3 hours it was stifling in there!

So we were prepared that I would talk first and then Brian would present – and he could pick up some of the items he might get asked from my presentation. But for some unknown reason (Alex doesn't even know why) she called on Brian to go first and he got grilled with lots of questions he really didn't know the answers to or wasn't prepared enough with answers. For the most part he did really, really well – there are only a few I said later what she was looking for. I think he, and later I, were so nervous we were reading things into questions and for awhile it was confusing if they were asking us questions about Nathan or JJ and we really need to clarify those for next time. There were lots of mentions of Joshua – what he is like, how he does in school, how are we involved in his education, what does he think about a sibling, will they sleep in the same room, some questions about his adoption… his ears were probably ringing!

We did feel all the prayers – I really was not nervous after the first few minutes and really just more observant on what was happening. The hearing was postponed until the 10-days we asked for a little after 1pm. The time had gone fast. I was so hot and thirsty that I needed something to drink (just water, not vodka!) Alex, Olga, Brian and I went to a place near the courthouse – they had an English menu – and we downed some water and cokes. Nice lunch. We went over what the judge all wants for the next hearing so that I could get a handle on it to request from our agency. The Holmes family and their facilitator met us at the restaurant – we are working on doing our medicals together so they appear the same as we're both going after the same thing right now. It was nice to meet them in person finally! So after lunch we all headed out to get some of our medicals done – we already have the drug & alcohol specialist, the psychiatrist and I think one other done. Tomorrow we have three meetings (the oncologist had our names in the system from last time!) and then the final two will be done on Wednesday I think. But we really have to get the documentation from the USA to make it worthwhile to head back to court on the appointed day. It is doable but will be a lot of work for our wonderful support people in the states!

We finally got back to the apartment around 5:45pm and I made dinner. We've just hung out here again tonight – like we did last night also, never got out for ice cream! We haven't ventured out once yet but really due to no time. Maybe during these next few days. Hey, Kathy or Kirsten, do you know if they sell Clinique product here? I really have to get some face cleaner – the cheap stuff I brought along just isn't cutting it! J

So I know this isn't the report you were hoping for but it's as well as we expected it to be – JJ called just a bit ago asking "how'd it go?" and was very disappointed to hear we don't have Nathan – give him a little extra support today please!

Until later – keep commenting!

And dial up is very, very slow and jerky! :)

Kathy, yes - got the suitcase this afternoon so can have straight hair for tomorrow! Trying that download now also -- couldn't get the internet card to work that you sent me? I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but have a different one now... Trying that download now! Seeing Judy tomorrow, we're apparently doing some of the medicals together! More update tomorrow!

First Sunday in Siberia

We had a good night's sleep and woke at 6am to be ready to leave at 7am again. Uneventful trip and a nice visit. We had brought a little Fisher Price flip phone that says numbers and teaches numbers and letters, etc - and takes some fake pictures. Nathan Genya loved that and would not give it up! He was very sad leaving the room without it at the end of the day! And you all know how Brian continually opens and closes his phone??? Well, Nathan Genya does the same thing! Somewhat annoying - LOL! We played with a balloon again, watched a Russian DVD, saw his "costume room" and got a picture with us all in funny hats and just had a nice, though much quieter than the previous days, visit. Maybe he realized he doesn't have to entertain us all the time. We did some color with water and played cars awhile too - but the phone was the big star.

After we got back into IRK Alex came by to go over the court hearing with us. He wasn't able yet to make any medical appointments for us as he's trying to check what "correct hospitals" we need to go to. So we're not certain how far the court hearing will go tomorrow - if it will end after we do all the introductions, etc and after she rejects our medical papers (that we know will happen) or if she'll go further before postponing. The postponement length is uncertain at this time - after we would resubmit the papers it could be a few days or many days. Life is just full of lack of timeframes right now.

I was thinking of this on the trip home today - how it's so hard to be away from JJ for this length of time but yet this is not a trip for him to have taken. He is at the best place he can be right now (surrounded by friends and family and in competent care) - and he has known us as his mom & dad since he was 1-day old and he's 8 3/4 years old -- so now JJ needs to give us up for 1-week for every year he's been alive so we can give another little boy a chance to have a family. We are Nathan's chance - he probably won't get another one - and we press on.

As for the communication barrier - yeah, it's there! But we do manage to get our points across - Nathan Genya pulls you to where/what he wants you to do or says "nyet" when you pull something out to do and he doesn't want to or if all else fails we just go to something else. Starting to do a little bit with "signing" and saying the english and russian work -- but he really does repeat so well that once he stops hearing the Russian so much I think the English will come. And once we're home in WI I do have a friend lined up to come in and translate for us -- she's a native Russian speaker and will be an immeasurable help to our family (Hi, Elena!) :)

Tonight for dinner I'm making pork chops with some "tex fries" - we didn't have lunch so it will be an early dinner. We'll probably hit a convenience store for some sodas and ice cream too - yummy russian ice cream! My travel scale says I've dropped 5 lbs in these last days (which probably isn't right) but gives me some room to eat ice cream. Since we now don't have to go to the internet cafes to post we don't get out of the apartment as much!

The trip to Cheremkhovo today was again done in the dark - the sun doesn't rise until after 8:30am! But the trip back today I actually got to see the countryside and small villages we go through as I didn't fall asleep! It has to be a very hard life for many people here.

Few final things - 1. Happy Birthday, Betty! I never remember the exact day but I know it either just was, is or is coming soon (the 17th is it?) and 2. JJ you can have the gift when Grandma gives it to you - remember I said Sunday or Monday?? You don't have many this time so you have to spread them out! 3. Samantha, how's Candy doing?

And to all of you suffering in the cold in Wisconsin - it's actually very pleasant here in Siberia - it was -11c this morning and is much warmer when the sun comes out -- yep, we came here to warm up!

JJ, we love you and miss you so much! Everyone, please keep us in your prayers tonight - we're anxious but not nervous for tomorrow - we will answer any questions honestly and feel quite prepared for what she might ask us. We'll just review and review in our heads tonight and then get a good night's sleep and have breakfast and then we'll be there. We give our trust to God.

Love the comments - keep them coming!