Mommy's Visit

Here is another picture I took today for you to enjoy "Her Royal Cuteness."

Today I went to the orphanage to visit our daughter on my own. Nathan had a huge headache and wasn't sure about his stomach so he decided to stay back at the hotel in case he had a virus. He didn't want to give anything to the orphans.

When I got there, our daughter seemed ready for our visit today. She told me through the translator that she was not going to cry today and was waiting all day for us to come. It took her a few minutes to notice that "Papa" was missing, but once I explained it to her she was okay and played away in her ordinary way.

Nothing super special happened today until I got ready to leave. Today came with a good twist. She began to cry and say that she did not want to go back to her groupa. She wanted me to stay. Woo hoo! This was so awesome to have her be upset about my coming and going! I promised her I would be back tomorrow and that I would bring "Papa" with me. That seemed to satisfy her.

1 Samuel 1:27 "I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."

1 Samuel 1:27

So we went to court...for the second time now. All of our documents had been translated and given to the judge and she had indicated to our coordinator earlier that she was pleased with them all. We had to wait in the court for a while...the prosecutor we had last time couldn't be found...so they had a different one fill in. Apparentlly it is just a formality. The judge mentioned she had seen all the new documents and they satisfied her and then gave us the opportunity again to add anything and ask for waiving the 10 days. We did and then she left the room to "consider" her final decisions. She came back no more than 45 seconds later with her typed up final decree. She announced that we were now the new parents of this child, but that we had to wait the 10 days to recieve the official paperwork. We're pretty confident she had already made all her decisions before the court ever started. We are very excited about our new little girl, but bummed that we have to wait. And also, we are not allowed to gain custody of her until that 10 days is up...but we will get to go visit her still in the orphanage. Perhaps something special will happen that God is still orchestrating.

Now that we are officially her parents, we can now share pictures with you. We were not allowed to until this point because she was an orphan. So here she is with her new name...Aeniah Natalya (Natasha is what everyone calls her).

We get to go visit her again this afternoon and tell her that she will be leaving with us soon. Hopefully, this will give her time to process what will be happening. Now we ask for prayer that she will understand and be happy with it all. It will be tough for her and for us since this orphanage and its staff is all she has ever known. Pray for us as we have to try and communicate with her during this difficult time.

Praise the Lord for he has blessed our family with another wonderful child!

N & B

1 Samuel 1:27 "I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."

On the Contrary

Today we were able to spend more time with our daughter at the orphanage. This morning was the typical routine we have. She plays "hard to get" at first while she adjusts to being in the room with us, but it is full of laughter and smiles. Eventually she comes over and engages in an activity with us. Nothing out of the ordinary. We played a little play dough and just hung out. We worked with her on saying some words in English--that was good. We did not have a tranlator during this time with her, but it was a good thing for us to have the time together and get a taste of what it will be like.

On the contrary, our visit this afternoon was enlightening to say the least. Thus far, we had never seen our daughter cry. We knew that everything was going a bit too smoothly and anticipated that to change once she was in our custody, but we got confirmation of that this afternoon. We had decided in advance that we wanted to either play in her groupa with her this time or go for a walk. We were tired of the same old room and toys. When we arrived, we asked our translator to explain to her that we were going for a walk, grabbed her outside snow clothes and started working on putting them on her. This would be the point that she started crying uncontrollably. It was so sad to hear her cry, but yet such a victorious sound. You see, it means that she is attached to her environment which means she has the ability to attach and bond to our family. Many adopted children are missing that. I know it sounds weird that we wanted to hear her cry, but it really is a good sign.

After we were able to get her to calm down (it was not a quick process), we were able to get her to explain to us why she was crying. She explained to her caregiver that she was crying because she thought we were taking her away today. In retrospect we can see how she thought that. We came in and changed the routine. In fact, we began getting her "ready to go." Poor thing! We always learn better in hindsight so if we were to able to go back and do it again, we would've done it differently. The good news is that once she calmed down she happily came outside in her snow clothes with a doll stroller and baby in hand and went for a walk with us. It was quite enjoyable to have our time with her end on a happy note.

This does bring up a good thing to be mindful of. When we eventually do get custody of our daughter...it will not be a pretty sight taking her from the orphanage. Our first few days/nights with her will not be easy as she greives the loss of the life she has always known. Once we have surpassed court, we will still need your prayers as we adjust to being a family. We are already praying for her that she will feel safe and secure with us.

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Round 2

This morning, 5 of the 8 documents were presented to the judge and she was happy with them. The remaining 3 did arrive and are being translated right now. They will be presented to the judge tomorrow at 9:00 am when we go for Round 2. The remaining 3 are supporting documents to the ones she has already seen so we think that these will only make her happier--we hope.

Please continue to pray for translation and for us to go through Round 2 at 9:00 am on Wednesday. This would be 10:00 pm your time on Tuesday. Please be praying for us at this time. The first time was already tough enough, we really don't want to be grilled in such a manner again. Also, don't forget...THE 10 DAYS TO BE WAIVED. That should be decided tomorrow.

We have already discussed with the orphanage director that if the 10-day is waived tomorrow, we will receive immediate custody of our daughter. However, if it is not waived, we will not be able to have custody until the end of the 10 days.

Our friends that are here with us completed their court date yesterday. It was also tough for them, but they did not have to provide more documentation. They did not get their 10-day waived, but were able to receive immediate custody of their daughter. They just cannot leave the region until that time is up. The difference for them is that their daughter is older and from a different orphanage.

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Translation

Since we left court this morning, we have been busy! We have obtained 5 of the 9 documents necessary and are waiting for the remaining documents to be e-mailed to us very soon. About a half hour ago, our translator came to the hotel with a zip drive in hand and took the documents we had completed home with her so that she can work all night to translate them. The poor thing has been translating in court all day long (for our appointment and our friend's court appointment) and now she has to tranlate all night long. I suppose you could say that we are getting our money's worth today in the daily fee we pay her, huh?

Please pray for the additional documents to reach us, but also keep our translator in your prayers. Her tranlation is pivotal. We also would ask that you pray for us as we go back to court tomorrow with these documents. Please pray specifically that these documents would satify the prosecutor and the judge and that we would not have to undergo any further interrogation nor any additonal documentation. We are exhausted from the 3 1/2 hours in court and the document chase we have done today.

The judge has still not granted us the privilege of being our daughter's parents. We still have not found out whether our 10-day waiting period will be waived or not. We hope to be able to blog some good news tomorrow. Keep up the prayers, you saints, because I don't want to know how much more difficult this would be without you.

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

The Gazillion Documents We Provided Weren't Enough

So we went to court today and the Judge (and the evil prosecutor) is asking for more documents. Did they forget that we live in California and we currently are here...in Russia? Hello!!!! So we have no answers to anything (confirming the adoption or the 10 days waiting period) until we get these documents back to the court. If you want to know more, check your email and see if we requested anything from you. If you didn't get an email from us...you'll have to just wait...we're to busy to explain it in detail now. (Basically, since Brandy homeschools, I work for a church and we give 10% of our income to the church, they want to make sure we are not a part of some crazy religious sect.)

PRAY!!

Nate

The View From Our Room

This is the view from our room--right across the alley (or courtyard of sorts) from our hotel. The housing here is very different than at home. Mostly everyone here lives in an apartment. As you can see from this picture and the ones below this, the apartment buildings are huge and go on and on. There don't seem to be a whole lot of entrances so I can only imagine what it's like to live right in the center of the building.

The weather today warmed up quite a bit today. We even found ourselves without our hat, coat and gloves. It was amazing! We ventured out to a mall and found another pizza place called Robin Bobin. It was interesting pizza, but it was pizza! The things that Russians put on their pizza is very different than what we are used to, but hey...we improvised by picking off what we did not want (yes, there was more than just cheese pizza left) and decided to be grateful for the familiarity of it. Not sure what the meat was, but we're pretty sure it was from a pig!

The time with our daughter was ordinary. We liked that it was ordinary. We just kind of hung out and enjoyed being together, but no need for big entertainment this time.

We were prepped for court this afternoon--what to say, what not to say, etc. We've been watching LOST to fill the time so we don't think about how nervous we are. Even though we know that everyone is praying for us and that we will have the God of the universe in the court room with us, it's hard not to be nervous. We are praying that we would merely be God's mouthpiece--that He would do the speaking. Not sure how much I'll sleep tonight, but I expected that. Everything for the last two years has been culminating up to this day--court day and it scares the poop out of me! I've never even been in an American court and here I will be standing in a foreign one. Yikes!

Tomorrow (or is that tonight for you?) is THE DAY!! Please keep praying for us!

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Housing in Murmansk

Additional Thoughts from B

Here are a few more observations from our visit yesterday (Sat). I was sleeping while Nate posted last night. I'm still trying to adjust to the time change. I fall asleep early in the evening and then wake up at about 4:00 am and can't get back to sleep. I keep trying to shift a little more towards normal each night, but it's not easy!

Like Nate, one of my favorite moments was when she stood at the door way with her feet spread apart and hand on her hips and (with a smile) demanded to know where we had been. "I have been waiting for you!", she said.

She was very lively at first, I'm sure from excitement that we were finally there. Of course that was while the social worker who will be in court was there. She was wildly showing off, but of course she calmed down after she left. Why was I surprised?

Last time we were here, our daughter would call Nate "Papa", but never really referred to me as "Mama". It wasn't surprising to me since all of her caregivers are female. She doesn't need a mama, but she certainly is lacking a Daddy. Well, this time it was obvious to us that she has been studying the "family book" we had left with her. She calls me "Mama" all of the time now and still clearly knows her "Papa". What was so facinating to me was that when I brought out our school yearbook from last year, she was able to pick out me and the kids on every page. More evidence that she's been studying. She still doesn't say the kids names, but instead refers to them as "little sister" and "little brother." She's in a for a big surprise when she gets home and realizes that SHE is the little sister!

As we talked with her, it is clear that her caregivers have been preparing her for what will unfold in the next few days (or weeks). She knows that she will be leaving with us and not returning. She knows that she will be traveling in a plane and a car to get to America to her new home. She understands that she will be leaving her special friend here and will not be back. She would like to write to her friend--no problem! Please pray for this special relationship--not only for our daughter, but also for the adjustment of her friend. I am going to ask today if there is a way to keep in contact with her and keep tabs on whether she is adoptable and if anyone is coming for her.

Tomorrow is the BIG day. It's nerve wracking to know that it is so close and to find out that our coordinator is not in the courtroom with us. It is us, the judge, the prosecutor, the translator and the person who takes notes. That's it. It's up to us to defend ourselves. Ahh!! Nathan and I were discussing the fact that if we are asked questions and we have to answer, we will be fine. If we have to make an opening and closing arguement and such, we're in big trouble! We're going to confirm the details of court some more with our translator today. We do know that it is up to us to make the plea to the judge about the 10-day waiting period. We have been given tips as to what to say and what to use as a sake for arguement. Her medical urgency for care in the US is one, but also there is a quarantine for influenza in her orphanage right now. We will also ask that she can be released early so that she does not get it before she leaves and thus bring it home to her new siblings. Please pray for us to have clarity of thought and to be confident in what we say. We also know that there are a few different prosecutors and one is particularly difficult. Pray specifically that we would not get him on our case.

Off to have our last visit before court tomorrow...

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Where Have You Been?

Well, we went to the orphanage and got to spend some time with our little girl. Twice today, we spent about an hour and a half with her in the play room. At first sight, she put her hands on her hips and said she has been waiting for us. "Where have you been?" she asked! She was upset with us that it took us so long to return to her.

She is walking so good! Her doctor has her doing some kind of physical therapy that really seems to be working. She moves around much faster than before and she seems to use her knees a tad more than last time we visited. But her legs still bend wrong at times and are still flexible like rubber. Monday we will get to talk with her doctor to learn more about what they are doing so we can bring that information home and share with her new doctor.

While at the orphanage we played with her baby (the one we gave her last time we were here), colored, played with stickers, looked through russian magazines and played with a variety of other toys they have in the room. An hour and a half seems like a really long time when you can't leave that room or go outside...some toys get old really fast!

Tomorrow is Sunday and is Easter for Russians here. We will get to go see our little daughter again, but only one time. Many of the shops and businesses are expected to be closed. Monday, we will go to court and make a petition to adopt this child. Our coordinator and translator gave us a bit of information about the process and what we need to do and say. We will go to the court at 10am Russian time. Pray, pray, pray!!! After some typical proceedings, we are the one's who ask the judge to waive the waiting period, so please pray for the right words and for those words to be convincing!!

Room 8160

Please....tell me what's wrong with this sign in the hotel. And in addition to the labeling problem, we were in room 8160...which way do we go?

Stones and Seatbelts

Well, we're here! After a 4 hour drive to LA and a 12.5 hour flight to Moscow, a stay overnight (at a hotel that did not have internet working), a 2 hour flight to our region today and we are finally in a place that feels like home (sort of). The weather is warmer--kind of. It was about 50 degrees in Moscow with no snow, but it is right back to the same old Murmansk weather--freezing cold and snow everywhere.

We had a very good belly laugh as Nathan tried to get off the plane here in Murmansk. We're pretty sure it was the oldest plane still in service. It was falling apart in many different ways and we flew literally on a wing and a prayer. The funny part though was when Nathan tried to get out of his seat. His seat belt was stuck on! The seat belt would not come apart to save his life. He struggled quite awhile as we laughed our heads off (the Russians all gave us dirty looks--how dare we smile or laugh so hard in public). Finally, he had to be grateful for his skinny self and wiggle his way out. Never did get those two parts to disconnect.

We met up with the other American couple this morning. We have communicated via e-mail, but finally got to meet them in person. It has been so good to have other English speakers on this trip. We did miss that last time.

Tomorrow morning (Sat) and Sunday we will visit our daughter in the orphanage. Court is on Monday at 10:00 am. We've gotten the "official word" on that time. We have also gotten the "official word" from our Coordinator to not be hopeful about the 10-day waiting period to be waived. Please continue to pray for this to be waived. I feel like David in the midst of the Israelites who have no faith. I have faith that our God is bigger than the "giant" Russian judge. I'm at the brook looking for my 5 small stones...Nathan's looking for one big honkin' one. Whatever. You get the point. All of the prayers of the saints can take down this giant.

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane...

...don't know when I'll be back again. Never really got into that song before, but it seems so fitting now! I should be taking a shower and running around like a wild-woman as we aim to get out the door by 9:00 am, but no, instead I am here with you. Can't help it! Just wanted to share our excitement that we leave today to pick up our daughter! Woo hoo! This trip is over 2 years in the making and it's finally here! Pinch me! It doesn't seem real, but it's happening. I can't believe that when we leave Russia this time, we'll be leaving with our daughter.

Although I haven't always understood God's timing along the way, I am grateful that it has worked out this way...to be matched with such a perfect child for our family. I didn't say it would be easy, but I know that in the long run it will be worth it all.

Off we go...by the way, consult the clock in the sidebar for Russia's time. Since I checked last, they are on their form of daylight savings, so now they are back at 11 hours ahead of us.

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Today is THE day

We are on our way! Yeah! Moscow and Murmansk here we come!

We Have a Date!

Well, we've know this info for awhile, but were unable to post until our agency heard yesterday whether another couple would be able to get the same court date as us or not. You see, this couple has become friends of ours through e-mail and yahoo groups for Russian adoption. So since we are friends, we read each others blog. So if we posted anything here, they would know something was up and we didn't want to cause they any undue stress!

Thus said, we have a court date, along with our friends, on Monday, April 28th. Woo hoo! We will be leaving next week in order to get there with enough time to visit our daughter for the 2 days previous to our court date. I can already imagine her little voice coming down the hallway because we've come back to get her. I can't wait!

We are excited that on this trip, our entry/exit point to the US will be from Los Angeles instead of somewhere on the East coast. It will save us so much time and wear and tear on our bodies. We didn't even know this was an option until now, but we will drive down to LA and then have a 12.5 hour flight to Moscow. I can do that! It was the previous trip with 30 hours of travel that was so tough.

Please remember to be praying for our family as we do not know, at this point, when we will be returning home. We will not know that information until we have our court date on April 28th. Previously, our daughter's region was pretty easy-going about waiving the 10-day waiting period. However, recently there has been a new prosecutor that is adamant about keeping the 10-day waiting period. Thus, we would have to stay in Russia an additional 10 days and not be able to have custody of our daughter until that waiting period is over. Until we stand in court, we do not know if our trip will be 15 days or 25. That is a long period of time to be away.

Please be praying, as you go to bed on April 27 (Russia is 10 hours ahead of you) for us to get the 10-day waiting period waived. When you wake up on the 28th we will know when we will be returning.

Please don't take this lightly. We would covet your prayers on this issue. If we have to stay for the longer trip, it is more expense, Nate would miss work and we, as parents, would miss a lot of things that wrap up the end of the school year. Some examples would be our children's Awana Awards night and also the musical performance they've been working on all semester. This Mama really doesn't want to miss those things!

So please pray for the 10-day waiting period to be waived. I believe your prayers will make all the difference!

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Reality

Reality is setting in. As much as we'd like our court date to April 14th, only a miracle could get us there in time. To meet that court date, we would have to leave on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. Well, we don't have Visas yet, nor do we have hotel or airline reservations. Nor has our grant money arrived at our doorstep (it's on its way). Hmm...those are all problems.

At this point, our agency is now telling us that it looks very probable that our court date will be on April 21st. I'm not holding my breath. I'm tired of getting excited for no purpose. So until they tell us to book our flights, I'm holding out.

With the new projected court date comes another document I must re-do. Ugh! Of course another document must be done. There's always another document to re-do. I'm so burned out on documents that part of me wants to be rebellious and just take my chances, but the wisdom side of my tells me I'd be a fool, especially since this particular document requires us to be fingerprinted for the 400th time. I don't exactly think they have Live Scan in Russia so that would pose a problem to do remotely. As you can tell we have to have our State Level Police Check done. I asked if we could just have it re-printed with a new date, but the DOJ says it must be re-done just in case we've become criminals in the last 3 months.

Realistically, I know that God is in control and there must be a reason for our waiting. I just have to keep pressing forward and doing what must be done because on the other side of this wait is a beautiful little girl that is probably studying her "family book" we left for her each day. I just pray that we get there before she gives up hope that we are coming back for her.

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Still Waiting...

For some reason, people think we have left for Russia already or maybe that little child walking along with me at Cubbies is "her" and we're back, but no, we're still here. Still here waiting...waiting for travel dates. Still waiting, waiting, waiting. In essence, we are over 9 months pregnant and waking up each day and wondering if today will be "the day" we find out when we will be traveling.

We are still hopeful (but with each day it dims) to get a court date on April 14th. It could happen, but each day means that it becomes more and more impossible. At this point, everything is out of our control and we just have to sit back and let God drive. It is difficult though to not grab the wheel so that we at least have the illusion of control. God keeps yelling, "M-O-V-E!!!" I keep yelling back, "I'm trying, I'm trying!!!"

With the thought of "MOVE" in mind, if we all join together in a united prayer, I believe we can move mountains. Please join us in praying for the impossible--an April 14th court date. Along with that though, please pray that whatever God's will is that we would be content with what He has in mind.

II Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."