YES!

We signed the papers to officially adopt our sweet little girl! Today is our last full day here, and though we miss her already, we know she is receiving very good care at her baby home and that comforts us. We also know we will be back soon to bring her home forever, and that sustains us. We have had a great experience in St. Petersburg. We have enjoyed the people, the culture, and most of all, our little girl. Posted are photos of the inside of Church of the Spilled Blood.

Heaven

Tuesday was a busy day for us! We started the day with a 9 doctor exam. What a pleasant experience that was! Our afternoon with Our Baby was even better than yesterday. The 3 of us enjoyed each other immensly; we feel like a family already!

We are looking forward to our next visit with her and are thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We have posted some photos of the Church of Spilled Blood and also us at the Euromed Clinic. Enjoy!

We Aren't in Kansas Anymore . . . .

After 16 long hours of air travel, we finally made it! It is cold and beautiful here in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It has been snowing lightly ever since we arrived, which has only added to the beauty and charm of the city and the sense of magic and awe that we feel. We have been running on adrenaline for most of the journey and so far, our journey as been perfect! Today, we met with the Committee, and officially received our referral. We then traveled to the Baby Home and met The Sweetest Child in the World! In the matter of a couple of short hours, we lost our hearts to an innocent, sweet baby girl whose heart is filled with love and joy. She is perfect.

We will be spending time with her each day for the rest of our stay here, and we are so looking forward to that. We were surprised at how she is very nearly walking on her own, and expect she will be able to do so without any help soon. She is a smart cookie, and utterly delightful. We are in Heaven!

The city of St. Petersburg is beautiful and intriguing. Today, we visited St. Isaac's Cathedral (photos posted here). Russia is truly a beautiful country!

Until tomorrow,
Kathryn & Eric

3-2-1 . . . Russia, Here We Come!

And so it begins! Tomorrow morning we will be on our way to Orlando International Airport where the first leg of our journey launches. We will arrive in Russia early Sunday morning. We are so excited about this trip, we have hardly slept all week. Hopefully, that will amount to us getting some needed shut eye on the longest leg of the flight. We are nearly packed; just a few last minute items (snacks, dvd movies to watch during down time, chapstick, etc.). Our next post will come to you from Russia!

Our Dearest Baby: Momma and Pappa are on our way; we will be together soon!

Six Days to Departure!

We are officially in countdown mode! In only six short days, we will be on our way to Russia. In fact, this time next week, we will be in our hotel in Russia, getting ready for the week we have been waiting for and working towards all year. We are getting closer!

Is This Really Happening?

The days following our learning about a possible referral have felt like a dream. We wander around the house with equal parts excitement, disbelief, and panic. For reasons we cannot post on this blog, we will be traveling to Russia early next month, which gives us a bit more time than most PAPs to prepare. To that end, my hubby is diligently working on our airfare and hotel reservations, as well as the visa applications (my hero!). I am responsible for scheduling TB test and blood work re-dos (results need to be within one month of our visit) and packing. Together, we make a perfect team!

Now, when we enter the room we've prepared for our child, it feels different. I can't explain it because I don't entirely know why it is so. Everything feels different. We really are on a journey that will change us forever; it already has.

p.s. We'd love to hear suggestions from others who have made this trip!

WE GOT "THE CALL"!

It's true! Yesterday we received "The Call" telling us we may have a referral if we travel to Russia to meet with the Committee (only the Committee can provide a referral, and that is not done until you meet with the Committee, in Russia)! Here's how it happened . . .

I was on my lunch hour, shopping for shoes (a favorite past time of mine) when my cell phone started to ring. Barefoot and about to slip on the "new shoes" I glanced at the caller id - it wasn't a number I'm familiar with. Who could it be? Then it hit me . . . OMG! Could it be . . . "The Call" we've been waiting for? Is this the day? YES! YES! YES! The world around me seemed to slip away as our agency told me we may soon have our referral if we choose to travel Russia to meet with the Committee. I raced to my hubby's office and shared the news with him. Overwhelmed with emotion, we held each other and cried. From there, the rest of the day and into the night, seemed like a dream to us both. Is this really happening? Is the dream of our hearts really, finally starting to coming true? Yes, it is!

Now it's time to get ready for Russia! We are so excited!

Nest! Nest! Nest!

We have officially gone into "nesting" mode while we wait! It started with preparing our daughter's room for her (eventual) arrival - so exciting! - and quickly moved on to every unfinished project in every room of our home. We have never been so motivated to get things done, and our home has never been so organized!

We share the news of this adoption with everyone we encounter - colleagues, neighbors, and strangers alike. We are so filled with joy about this event that we want to share the news with everyone we meet!

And so while we wait - to pass the time - we are preparing our home for our daughter, preparing for our trip to Russia, and preparing to (finally) meet our precious child. In short, we are over-the-moon excited about this adoption and WE ARE READY to become parents!

Eyes Wide Open

It is said that adoption is a leap of faith. But then, that is how it is with all things in life, isn't it? Still, it would be foolish to undertake such an important responsibility as parenthood without doing all we could to ensure we are as prepared as possible for our daughter. To that end, we have secured the services of Dr. Laurie Miller, of Tufts Floating Hospital for Children, to assist us with the evaluation of the child referred to us for adoption. Dr. Miller specializes in international adoptive medicine and has published an invaluable handbook by the same name. She was also highly recommended to us by our adoption agency (Florence Crittenton League) as well as fellow adoptive parents (our life line during this process!). While we certainly are not seeking "perfection" - indeed no person is perfect - like any expecting parents, we hope and pray that our child will be healthy. Fortunately, we will have Dr. Miller and her staff to assist us with making that determination (thanks, Mom & Dad!).

And the wait continues . . .

Why Adoption? Why Russia?

Why adoption?
As many of you are aware, we tried unsuccessfully for several years to start our family. When it didn't "just happen naturally" we enlisted the help of specialists. They examined both of us, administered various tests, prescribed pills, shots, blood tests and various invasive procedures, all to no avail. Amid the blurrying number of doctor visits in any given month, it became easy to lose sight of what it really was that our hearts desired. We spent our time plotting our lives around the monthly calendar cycle. It became too much. And then we had an epiphany: it really wasn't about becoming pregnant. Rather, it was about being parents. About having the opportunity and responsibility of molding an innocent, precious child into a fulfilled adult. About showing a child the beauty and possibility that exists in this amazing world and helping her realize and reach her full potential in life. That is what it is about. And in realizing that, the choice to pursue adoption was simple. It was the right choice for us.

Why Russia?
Once we knew we wanted to adopt, the next question was from where? We decided early on that we wanted to adopt internationally. After much research and discussion,and factoring in our Eastern European heritage, we concluded that the child we are meant to parent awaits us in Russia. More to the point, we felt compelled to adopt from Russia. Initially, that our daughter was from Russia was a huge thing (and it still somewhat is). As we move further along in this process however, we can honestly say that it is less about where she is from (her birth country) and all about her. She was born to be our daughter, she just happened to be born in Russia.

That being said, adopting from Russia is no simple task. We spent the better part of five months collecting the myriad of documents required: A home study report providing an overview of who we are and how we live our lives, documents confirming where we reside and where we work, tests to prove that we are free from cancer, substance abuse, mental illness, tb, and other blood diseases and a letter confirming same. Documents proving we are who we say we are, we are married to each other, we are not criminals, we pay our taxes, our house is as we say it is and our daughter will be able to enter the country as a U.S. citizen. All of these documents were notarized and apostilled (see picture above) and shipped off to Russia in April 2010.

Now we are waiting. Waiting to be notified that we have finally been matched to a child. Waiting to be invited to Russia to meet her. So far, the waiting is the hardest part . . .

First Entry

Welcome!

We set up this blog so that You, our beloved Family and Friends (and others interested in Russian adoption), can follow along with us as we embark on the most exciting adventure of our lives - our international journey to parenthood! Thanks for visiting and stay tuned . . .