Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this season. Justin is doing so much better this week. We now average one major battle a day, which lasts about an hour. Tuesday it was bedtime, Wednesday going potty before bed, and yesterday it was nap time. Geoff and I put the kids to bed last night, then about 10 minutes later Joel came downstairs with Justin to say that Justin couldn't get to sleep. Geoff just walked them both back to bed and tucked them in. Justin was proud of himself for talking Joel into getting up. We have no idea how he did it, since he doesn't say much English, but he did.

We had unexpected (should have been expected) company on Tuesday, Jeff and Rhoda Phillips and his family. We had called them the day we got back from Russia, and they told us they were driving through and would visit. We'll blame it on jet lag and we didn't mention it to the kids, we forgot about their visit. On Tuesday evening we were finishing up dinner and the door bell rings. Low and behold our friends were standing there. Good thing they are really good friends. They got to see my house at one of its worst, and we had to go out to get them something to eat. It was so good to see them, though. Our kids were shocked and loved the visit. We all stayed up past mid-night playing games.

We didn't get to spend Thanksgiving with family this year. Geoff's mom was on call and my family took off for Florida to spend it with Lynette and her family. So we had a family from church over for food, fellowship, and football.

First full week at home

Now I know no one usually posts during the first week home. It is hard to find something positive to say. Justin has done so much better these last couple of days. The first several days I felt I told him "NO" all day long. The worst part was he would just turn around and smile, then do it again. He is definitely making sure that I stay consistent. Holding him in my arms for time out seems to be the best thing so far. He hates it and throws a fit for a very long time. It has been a challenge to keep his fingers out of the outlets and stopping him from unplugging everything.

Yesterday we finally had a really good day, we only had two battles, and he was very pleasant to be with. He really loves Mandy, she plays with him alot and they do very well together. Justin always tries to get Joel to build with him, and he is learning how to work together to get it done. Justin is figuring out that no one will take his toys away from him and he doesn't have to fight for everything. Melissa and Justin get along sometimes. She likes to act like a little mommy and Justin wants nothing to do with that, so they are trying to figure out how to play together.

Justin eats VERY well. He loves fruit and yogurt. Justin and Joel get a long very well when it concerns food. They seem to like the exact same thing.

Overall, we are doing well. It has been a big adjustment for Justin, but he is still learning that we are going to be with him forever.

How can I get out?

How can I get out?
Originally uploaded by akersgkajm

Apartment in Moscow

Here are some pictures we took while in the apartment in Moscow. This apartment was called the "White House Suite", because you can see the Russian "White House" out the back window.

Last days in Moscow

1st week at home

Okay, so I did not load any of these pictures in order. I am still learning how to upload pictures to a sideshow. Please bare with me. That is the reason to so many posts today.

Loving Home

We have now been home 4 full days and going strong. Justin is doing very well, and he is learning that when we say NO that we mean it. He loves to play the piano. Right now Melissa is playing the piano while Justin is singing along. He also loves to wash the dishes and build with blocks and Legos. He does not lack at all in his voice range. We call him our loud Russian.

We really don't struggle much with nap time or bed time. While in Russia we had several battles with it and won each one. I think that has helped us the most. He does throw some really good fits when told no, though. When possible we just let him let it all out and ignore him. When he notices no one is watching he quits.
I need to say thanks to Tiffany for the plate of cookies. They sure didn't last long!

Back in the USA

We finally made it home!! The flight from Frankfurt to Chicago had its up and downs. Overall, Justin did well for a 2-year old. He only slept about 2 hours of the 9 hour flight. For those of you traveling with a child, we did not have a problem bringing our bottle of Benadryl. We just made sure it was with Justin's carry-on in a plastic Ziploc bag. We did get questioned in Germany, but once they saw that it was for Justin, they had no problem with it. The flight itself was full, and our seats were not very comfortable. We had dividers between our seats that did not move. So we couldn't lay Justin out to sleep. Our flight from Chicago to MCI was most uncomfortable, due to the fact we got the very back seats in the plane that did not recline. Justin was able to spread out and sleep the entire trip. I am done flying for a very long time.

We were so grateful to sleep in our own beds again. We came home and all three of us went right to bed. However, we all woke up just a little after 5am. Justin is doing very well, he really enjoys Mandy, Joel, and Melissa. Now we need to work on his biting. He already bit two of the kids today.
Thanks so much for your prayers.

Travel

Lesson Learned
Always check the name of your airport
You can go 100 miles in 35 minutes
140 kph may not be legal, but it got us to the airport on time

Our morning started out at 3:30 am with our bags packed and waiting for the driver at 4:30 am. We had an uneventful trip to the airport with 2 hours to spare. Checked the flight status and noticed our airline was not even listed. Geoff looked at our flight information and noticed we were at the wrong airport. Our driver told us that the airport we need is 100 miles away, but we can try to make it in time.

The trip took 32 minutes at speeds in excess of 140 kph. We got to the ticket counter about 30 seconds before hearing “Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt check-in is now closing.” The ticket counter had no record of our e-ticket. We’re not sure what she and her supervisor did, but we finally got our boarding passes and were told to “make rush” to our gate. Another two kiosks to check our passports, log Justin out of the country, and we made it to the gate as the last few people were boarding. Thirty-four days in Russia were plenty, we were not looking forward to making it 35.

Justin did fairly well on the flight to Frankfurt. He played well most of the time, and the seatbelt came in handy when he didn’t. He fell asleep after we landed, for about 30 seconds before we disembarked.

Time to Go Home

Our interview at the US Embassy went very well. We met again the couple from Pennsylvania who adopted a boy from Justin's baby home. The backpack we brought for the wait in the Embassy was a hit with their child, David, and two others. They had not been warned about the wait, which turned out to be about two-hours. Justin was certainly the most rambunctious child.

There were about nine adoptive families interviewed today. The interview itself was simple and included more information than questions. We found out that Russia still has an active draft, and Justin could be drafted if he returns to Russia as a teenager. He is a dual citizen of the Us and Russia until he is 18, and then he can apparently choose to retain both citizenships or renounce one of them.

We walked to Red Square from the Embassy after our interview. It took a little over 30-minutes, and Geoff carried Justin on his shoulders much of the way. Geoff had noticed some very unmarked police cars and what appeared to be a surveillance van. Then, as we were walking along New Arbat St (a main street toward the Kremlin) the traffic mysteriously disappeared. Moments later BMW, Mercedes, etc, patrol cars, a black limo, and black SUVs screamed down the street toward the Kremlin. We are not sure who the limo carried, but when we got closer to the Kremlin police had barricades in many areas and were screening people into walkway leading to the Kremlin. We don't know what was going on, but it seems we weren't invited.

We leave the apartment at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Again, Justin chose the night before traveling to be difficult to get to bed. We hope he can be peaceful for the first 3 hr flight to Frankfurt, and then sleep during the 8 hr flight to Chicago.

We are ready to be home, and hopefully the next post will be from there.

Low key day

Justin got up earlier than usual today, so that resulted in a much needed nap before lunch. We told him he needed to go potty before we left to go outside. He decided he did not want to even try so he threw a BIG fit. After making him sit for a few minutes, I finally decided he needed a nap. He was out in 5 minutes! After nap time (2 1/2 hours later) we fed him and then took him potty. No problem at all, but it started all over when we tried to get his snowsuit on. He refused and tried his best to take it off. So I picked him up and put him in bed with the bedroom door slightly closed. He screamed and cried for a while then came out and still refused. So I put him back in bed again. After a screaming fit again he came out still crying and trying to take the snowsuit off the rest of the way. At this time Geoff and I were quite in the kitchen and out of sight. After a while he finally gave up and put his shoes on. Score one for the parents! Now we need to work on his inside voice. Geoff calls him the loudest Russian.

Justin understands Russian very well, he just does not speak any. Well, he does say "da" which is yes in Russian. On the English side, he understands: No, sit, potty, mama, papa, and shoes. Words he can say: Mama, papa and he has said Joel. Geoff keeps showing him pictures of the kids back home and saying their names.

Here is a picture of Justin trying to put his shirt on instead of taking a bath. Another battle that we need to win tonight.

PS Just had to tell you how our battle with the tub went. I took off his clothes and he screamed like mad. Put him in the tub with him screaming and crying, washed him and then dried him. He calmed down right a way. Put his diaper on for the night, then he decided to play in the tub water, now we can't keep him out of it.

Beef, Bacon, and Arbat St

We made it through another day, although today went very well. We all took a nice long walk down Arbat street. It had a lot of souvenir shops and restaurants. We saw a McDonald's, two Star Bucks and a Hard Rock Cafe. We were going to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe till Geoff saw the prices on the menu. He didn't want to spend $28 on a burger! We ended up eating at a place called "My-My" (pronounced moo moo). The picture of Justin and the cow is outside that restaurant. It was a cafeteria style place, so we were able to point at what we wanted. Geoff got some kind of side dish that really tasted nasty, but he insisted he eat it since he paid for it. Justin has been eating very well. He eats enough for an adult. Sure hope this doesn't last too long. He will eat us out of our home.

The long walk did Justin really well. He has so much energy it is very hard to keep up with him. He has definitely part of the family now. Geoff and I have already called him Joel a few times and Geoff has called him Ellis, too (our former dog's name).

We did manage to find a nice big grocery store. Food is so much more expensive here than even Krasnoyarsk. Six slices of bacon cost $3! The picture above has Justin playing with pots appearing to eye our six pieces bacon.

Good Morning

Our first night in Moscow will always hold a lot of memories for us. For dinner we finally decided on fried egg sandwiches, since we had purchased eggs, bread, milk, OJ, and refrigerated pizza. We had no oven, so pizza was a bust. Geoff started to search for oil and ended up finding a small wooded bowl with straight sides on a top shelf in the cabinet. It was full of salt and had no lid. Needless to say he ended up dumping the salt all over the floor and on Justin's freshly washed hair! We never did find oil, so Geoff had to run to the small grocery store for butter. He also managed to bring bananas too, which Justin really enjoyed. The (yes, the only) market employee knows Geoff by sight and seems to enjoy the challenge of the communication barrier.

Around 8 pm we turned out the lights and I held Justin till he fell asleep. I was surprised it only took him about 5 minutes. We laid him down and then went to bed ourselves. Justin woke up around 5am and I took him to bed with us and he went right back to sleep. It is now 9 am and he is still sleeping. The space heater is working very well and Geoff and I both feel well rested this morning. The weather is supposed to get up to 35 degrees today, so we hope to get out and see some sights. Right now Geoff is back on his research taking advantage to the peace and quite.

I was able to get Justin in the bathtub tonight with out crying. We found a cup for him to play with while standing outside the tub, then I picked him up and let him stand in the tub playing with his cup. When I saw that he was relaxed enough I sat him down. He really enjoyed the bath, and of course he figured out how to pour his cup of water out of the tub. So here is his bath time fun.

Justin just woke up, so now it is time for breakfast and a brand new day of excitement.

PS, yesterday we finally found a Subway-like restaurant that specializes in baked potatoes. The favorite topping seems fish. Geoff ordered cheese and bacon for me--Justin ate most of it.

Melt Down

As a warning, this post is long. Read at your own risk (to you schedule).

The morning started off at 3:30 am in order to catch a ride to the airport by 4:30 am. The drive for the most part was uneventful, although we did figure out that you must pull up close to the parking ticket machine (at the airport) for it to give you a ticket. When we had been seated on the airplane for about 15 minutes, Justin was already getting antsy. The first hour of the flight was a bit tense, he was talking very loudly and kicking the chair in front of him. The airline gave him a "junior pilot" backpack with some fun stuff in it. The markers were a hit, till I finally had to take them away, he kept dropping them and the kind lady behind us would pick them up. He also had marker all over his hands. After a crying fit, we decided on some good old medication. They served breakfast on the plane, which looked like dinner to me. Justin would have nothing to do with the food, for that matter I didn't eat much either. After about 20 minutes, Geoff took him to the bathroom and walked him to calm him down. By the time they made it back to the seats Justin looked exhausted. Within 10 minutes of holding him he was fast asleep. We laid him in the seat between us and he stayed their till the plane was ready to land.

We arrived in Moscow @ 8am. Our rep met us and ready to whisked us away to the Embassy. Whisked may not be the correct word, it took nearly two hours to get to the Embassy because of Moscow traffic. Geoff and our rep filled out paperwork en route, then our rep presented our documents to the Embassy. We got an invitation to return on Monday at 2pm! After that we headed to the "American doctor" for Justin's physical. Not sure why it is called the American clinic, they all spoke Russian (the doctor did speak English to us and Russian to Justin). We had forgotten the medical was included in our fee to our adoption agency, so we were glad we didn't have to spend the $500 in cash.

The doctor gave Justin a good health report and told us not to spoil him. The doctor called him the drama king. After the medical our driver took us to the apartment that we booked on our own. Let's just say the day went downhill from there. By this time we were all very tired and hungry. We walk into the apartment and were surprised that it looked nothing like the pictures advertised on the internet. Our room was called the "White House Suite" because of the view of the Russian White House (Parliament). We can see the White House from the balcony by looking to the right between 2 apartment buildings. This suit is definitely dated, and the worst part for me was that it is very cold. There was no way to turn the heat up, so we decided to go out to find something to eat. After walking about almost an hour we finally found a reasonable place to eat. Our apartment building is located in a ritzy area, and the British Embassy is just around the corner from our apartment.

The weather here is below 30 degrees. After eating we decided to head home and get Justin to take a nap. There are four doors between the street and our apartment. We got through the first three, and Geoff couldn't unlock the fourth, the inner door. The apartment manager had told us that the maid would prepare Justin's bed this afternoon, so we had assumed she had locked the inner door. He called the Agency with the apartment and they sent someone to open it. Needless to say, it just needed a big shove, it doesn't lock.

The melt down started when Geoff told Justin to go potty. For some reason he screamed and cried, after 5 minutes of nothing Geoff decided to put him in a pull-up. That really set him off, and by that time I was very tired and cold. So I took off to the bedroom for my nap while Geoff held a screaming child. Justin never did fall asleep, Geoff said he was almost asleep when he door bell rung and the maid arrived.

We have free internet (really good connection), free international calls, a washing machine, and a kitchen. During this time of thinking, the door bell rang and the guy from the agency had brought us a heater!! Geoff calls the heater my new boyfriend. I am never far from it! Geoff was going to take Justin out to a grocery store for some food. We got Justin dressed and ready to go, I had planned to stay and take a nice hot bath. I guess Justin has never gone anywhere without me, Geoff got him out the door and he stared crying hard. So I kept him at the apartment and gave up on my bath. Needless to say the grocery store near us is VERY small (smaller than our living room. Geoff came home with juice, milk, eggs, bread, and uncooked pizzas. When we decided to eat supper we noticed we don't have an oven. So now we have to think of something else.

Go West, to Moscow

In less than six hours we are leaving for the airport and then to Moscow. Justin just fell asleep 30 minutes ago, so tomorrow is sure to be an adventure in more ways than one. We should arrive in Moscow by 8 am. Then we check into our apartment, apply for Justin's US visa (he is not yet an American citizen), and then he has a medical exam. Justin is still a Russian citizen, and we got his passport today ($150). His passport pictures were about $18 (490 roubles).

We'll post again once we are settled in Moscow. For now, good night, and enjoy a picture of Justin outside today.

2-Years Old

Justin is certainly a two-year old boy. His plan today did not include a nap, but it did include finding everything we had forgotten to put above 5-feet high. Fortunately, nothing is broken.

Justin cried when we left his baby home, but after a few minutes and some Cheerios he was sitting back observing everything his little eyes could take in on our trip back to the apartment. After lunch and an attempted nap we decided to meet Todd & Lori at the mall. Apparently, children must be seated when on the bus. The fare taker scolded a teenage girl who then reluctantly gave her seat up to Karey and Justin. The weather was much too cold to walk.

The mall has two play areas and escalators! He loved both. He is not the least bit intimidated by moving stairs and could have spent all day on them.

It is now just after 7:30 pm, and Karey and Justin are sleeping. Quiet time for me to work on my dissertation. Good night.

Gotcha!

Alot has changed today, both for Justin and the USA. The US has elected a new president, and Justin has a new name, new parents, and a whole new family. He is currently learning how to use a remote. We are going to try to get him to take a nap. We just had lunch, next is potty, then nap. Right now, a nap sounds great.

Gotcha <12 hrs

After complaining about the wet soupy mess, it is now all frozen over. It was a cold day walking downtown, but it was nice to get out of the apartment. For anyone coming to Kras bus 71 goes from Karl Marks St (behind Hotel Kras) to Planyeta Mall. It is about a 20 min ride. Bus 71 also returns to Lenin St and then Karl Marks St. It costs 11 roubles each way. It also travels to 9 Maya St, for those visiting the Jones' church, although it turns right two blocks before the church.

There are several bronze statues throughout the city. Here you see the two of us hanging out with a lady we found at a street corner. In another picture Todd and Lori demonstrate what sardines would feel like on a city bus, and the final picture is of the Jones' family.

Today was Kevin Jones birthday. We stayed with their kids while they went out this evening. They have great kids, and we enjoyed our time with them. Jessica's carrot cake was delicious.

We get Justin tomorrow. More to follow...

Gotcha Day Tomorrow!

We are getting so close to gotcha day now that excitement is in the air (along with the snow)! We didn't do much at all yesterday, Geoff worked a lot on his dissertation while I watched movies. In the evening we went out to dinner with the Kippers. The restaurant had a lot of pictures, so that made it easier to order.

Today we plan to take the bus downtown by Hotel Kras to do some shopping and sightseeing. It should be a lot of fun, today is a Russian holiday "Russia--the family" day. There is suppose to be a parade, and downtown should be packed.

We do have a prayer request, a friend of ours just found out that her son has internal bleeding. The couple is due to travel here for their 2nd trip next week. Please keep them in your prayers.

Geoff had mentioned the inaccuracy of Accuweather. Fortunately for us, it is usually warmer than Accuweather's reported current conditions. For instance, Accuweather reports 26 degrees, while the TV says it is about 32. It has snowed every day for almost a week, but there has been no accumulation. The snow melts into a soupy, muddy mess.

Dinner with Lenin

We went to church with the Jones' again this morning. Sunday School started at 10, and the service was at 11. If we were to go again, we would just go to the service. The man teaching Sunday School interpreted the sermon highlights during the service, but we had no clue what was going on during Sunday School. We also got to participate in the Lord's Supper with the church. The worship leader asked when we were leaving Kras, and he said we would see each other again...then pointed up. He is right. We serve the same God.

This evening we ate with the Kippers, Oleg, and Sveta. The restaurant had a traditional Russian name that is not translatable, and Lenin and Soviet Union symbols were everywhere. The portrait above Oleg's head is actually a print of Lenin.

The picture of the restaurant's entrance has an American "stop" sign on the left. That is the first one we have seen, and we didn't see it until posting it just now.

We pick up Justin Wednesday morning, and we get to post actual pictures of his face then. Until then, you have to look at us.

American Food?

We realize we did not post yesterday. We did get to see Justin again, and Karey is visiting him now (Saturday). We had not expected to be able to visit, but we think our driver wanted to disco with her friends and needed some extra spending money. I (Geoff) am in the apartment working on my dissertation. It's not going well, so I am updating the blog.

Yesterday Karey went shopping with the Jones' (missionaries here in Kras) for boots for Justin. We rode the bus for the first time. The 1 hour walk turned into a 9 minute ride. It only cost 11 roubles (a taxi is 200). Remember the song "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round?" In Russia the wheels refers to the steering wheel. Karey's arms were sore from holding on to the hand rails, because we had to stand and the driver handled that bus like a sports car.

Last night we finally got to play spades with the Kippers. Tonight we plan to go bowling with them. The Planyeta mall has a cinema and bowling alley on the second level and a food court. There is a KFC and an "American Food" stand in the food court. The "American" food looks nothing like anything I have seen in America, and when Kevin Jones told that to the cashier she said it wasn't Russian either.

It has just started snowing enough that I cannot see across the river. BTW, don't trust the Accuweather forcast (or even current conditions) that we have on our blog. I don't know where they get their info, but the forecaster should find a new job, maybe at the American Food stand...

Karey just called, and I am going to meet her at the Kipper's apartment. Until tomorrow...