Purple Folder Adventure

Saturday morning here.  We got up about midnight EST to shower and pack and have breakfast.  We are both tired.  We are ready to be home.  The travel will take long.  We have a wait at the St Petersburg airport and a lay over of about 3 hours in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Not much to do during the layover.  An empty terminal with rows of seats. 

Thank you for your emails and comments.  Cracks us up how many of you like “Kricket” as a name.  You are welcome to call her what you like, we’ll let you know her first name when we get home.

Our love,

Bill and Heidi

Happy Anniversary to us!  11 years ago we married on a beautiful summer day at the Cape.  Never did we dream that we’d get to spend an anniversary in St Petersburg, Russia.  And here we are.  Another beautiful summer day.

Friday morning we got to visit Her Sweetness one more time.  Today she was much happier.  Yesterday she had been woken from her nap only to be stripped by strangers and poked and prodded by a doctor and talked to in a language she’d never heard before.   Nice day to you too!

Today, we go to go outside just the three of us and sit on the playground together.  We sat, talked, hugged, and kissed.  Then we let Her Sweetness down off my lap and watched her walk.  She can walk.  She went for the toys and helped herself.  I showed her how to bang the shovels together when I said boom boom boom.  After, when I said boom boom boom again, again she would bang the shovels together.  I took this as a sign of high intelligence (like a true Mama would).

When we pulled out a book called, “ABC, I love you” she clutched it and didn’t want to let it go.  Not that she wanted to read it, but she definitely wanted that book!

She also smiled at the stuffed bunny blankie and wanted to hold it and she giggled when we played peek-a-boo bunny.

Her shyness reminds us of Kylor and her determination reminds us of Madi.  She has sweet brown eyes, and is a little peanut.

The hard part now, as Bill says, is leaving without her.

The rest of our day is free.  We’ve found a place that has waffles on the menu from 2 – 4pm.  Go figure?  Don’t understand the timing, but at this point it doesn’t matter.  I hope they are all I’m dreaming of.  Off we go for our Waffle Anniversary Luncheon!

Love to all!

Friday morning here.  Off for another day of meetings and paper work.  Not sure how busy the day will be, will try to write more later.

For now, our little girl has nick names… her sweetness, cricket (we kept seeing crickets around us the day we left for the airport), peanut, and although it doesn’t reflect her looks in anyway, she sure holds on to me like a baby monkey holds on to her Mama, for dear life.

Kylor and Madi are now having the time of their lives at Richard and Eileen’s.  The comfort is undescribable, to know your kids are both safe and happy when you’re a world away… is the best gift someone can give you.

We only wish it were the same when we say goodbye to Her Sweetness this time.

Good evening from Russia.  We’ve had a busy day. 

Today we met our daughter for the first time.  She’s a small little peanut.  Her eyes remind us of Kylor and her strength reminds us of Madi.  And now she’s ours.

Friday will be another day to visit her sweetness.  We look forward to it.

Now, after a very long week, we collapse, satisfied and ready for sleep.

More on Friday. 

Thank you for your emails, comments and love from afar, they really do help.

Things learned today:

1. We’ve accomplished nothing here so far
2. I hate hand washing clothes (don’t even follow such directions on labels of favorite items at home!.)  Would it have killed me to bring 2 more pairs of undies and 1 more shirt?  But alas, I was leaving as much room as possible for orphanage clothes donations… so my heart was in the right place.
3. Listen to your mother.  Mine told me to buy those new travel undies that wash and dry real easy and quick.  (Ma, I need underwear).
4. Even Ambien won’t help me sleep here
5. Sweat smells different here (TMI?)

The Folcik’s Top 10 Things to do when stuck in a Russian Hotel*:

  (we’ve done six of these, you guess which)

1. Pick your nose
2. Eat a can of tuna with no mayonnaise
3. Clean your wallet
4. Check belly button for soap scum
5. Brush up on your Russian
6. Clean hotel room’s rug with tweezers
7. watch the BBC station on TV and enjoy it
8. Pluck unwanted body hair
9. Develop and plan “B&B Investments, Inc”
10. Look out the window and think, What the ?%$# am I doing here? 

* Now this top 10 list may not be particularly funny to all, it has some adoption humor in it in a kind of “had to be there” kinda way.

News flash:  The water is back on at our hotel!  Yipee!

Ma:  You are wonderful.  I feel your love and support.  And I want everyone to know that you are the best Mom in the world.  Thank you for the long distance hugs. I feel them!

Uncle Mark:  Please accept our formal invitation to accompany us on our next trip as our personal “Tour Guide”.

Auntie Bonnie: You’re a hard act to follow!

Bergen’s:  We’ll call you Thursday, but don’t worry if you’re out, we’ll catch you at some point.  Thanks for all you’re doing!  Hope Connor got back okay.

Dad & Mom:  Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.  Make sure the “Aunt’s” get these updates too!

Alexander The Great!

Ah, yes, we skipped writing Tuesday, didn’t we.  That we did.  What a different day it turned out to be, way different than expected.  A difficult day with let’s just say, “Delays”.

As we round out to the end of Wednesday here, the day has been much better.  We did some paperwork this morning and then had the day to ourselves.  We went “out on the town” with an extravegant lunch at the Grand Hotel Europe.  Worth every penny as we’ve been starving and only eating 2 meals a day.  Then some fun shopping for touristy stuff.  All the walking is doing us good too.

The hard part is our hotel is bloody hot and now the water is off and is expected to be turned on by 6pm.  Of what day?  Hmmm?

Kylor and Madi go from Auntie Bonnie’s to Richard and Eileen’s today.  They should continue their extra fun vacation as Connor is just back from France and I’m sure Kylor will have many questions about his trip and Madi will keep Leland on his toes too!  We’re afraid our kids are going to be extra bored with us upon our return home as they have been having so much fun with everyone else.  Unfortunately, this hasn’t been a restful and relaxed, fun filled vacation away from them.  We miss them terribly.

Thanks Auntie Bonnie, Uncle Mark, Kayla and Owen!  You guys were the greatest… a beach day, icecream, extra syrup on pancakes, movies, a magic show, bowling, a pool party and so much more!  Can I come stay with you next week?

So, if you haven’t surmised, Thursday is our “Big Day”.  Pray for… well, just pray.

From Russia with love!

Our travels went fine, although we are tired.  The first flight offered a selection of movies and games on video in front of each individual.  Not much room for legs and the food was nothing to write home about.  I watched “Wild Hogs” with John Travolta (a favorite of mine since the sweat hog days) and “Premonition’ with Sandra Bulock and some of a movie called “In the Land of Women” (which I slept for some of).

Our hotel could be advertised as “cozy and intimate” translated to “small and without air conditioning”.    As some of you know, it’s not a good time for me to be without air conditioning… but I’ll suck it up and be in survival mode for just one week.  This is my week for “camping,” as fond as I am of that.

Sunday night we ventured out on our own and found a little place to eat.  It was called McDonald’s.  Please note for future visits that you should answer “yes” when asked “Mayonnaise or Mustard?” after ordering a salad.  We ate salad and waters and split the fries.

Today is Monday and we’ve finished our litany of medical tests at the clinic.  We have passed and been congratulated.  We even have our chest x-rays to bring home – great souvenirs!   But they won’t fit into the baby book.  What to do?

Tomorrow we will be picked up at 10am and brought to the office of the committee.  It is here we pick up our invitation to the orphanage and when we will find out who we are meeting.

Our team here is taking good care of us.  And thanks to Auntie Bonnie we even have a pet fish in our room we call Alexander the Great!

More tomorrow my friends!

Here we go.  Just like that we’re off.  The day is here and here we go.  Is it really time?  Can you wait for something for so long that when it finally comes it feels like it’s happening at light speed?

No complaints, we’re ready.  We’re measuring our travel liquids and packing them in the required zip top quart clear plastic bag (one per person please).  We’ve got some cute baby toys (thank you Auntie Bonnie!) for our girl on our play dates.  The softest pink and white bankie (no, that’s not a typo, that’s what they’re called in our family) to keep her snuggly and loved when we part.  And peanut butter crackers.  What are we missing?

Here is your chance to participate.  And by participate I mean click on the comment button below and leave a message.  We are looking for… #1) What you think her birth date is (Jan ’06 is all we know) and #2) What your favorite girl names are (first and middle please).  Winner gets a great prize… to be named later.  Come on, this is the part were you get to treat us like we’re expecting, get it?!  Please play.

Saturday we’ll be traveling and arriving Sunday.  Look for more updates then. Hope it works!  Talk to you from St Petersburg Russia!

Journey safe.