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| Saturday, July 29, 2006 |
| First Haircuts |
Against my wishes, my husband cut the boys' hair last night. I wanted them to remain the little boys that I brought home from Russia for a little while longer. He wanted them to be like all the other "men" of our house. You see, all of the "men" have the same cut. I cut D's hair. He cuts the boys' hair. (He gave me a haircutting set/clippers for a Christmas present early on in our marriage. He's been a little better at giving girly gifts since then. ;-) )
Anyway, the above is the finished product. If you noticed in the pictures in the previous posts, the orphanage had left L's hair long and cut E's hair shorter in the back. This way they could be distinguished from behind. Not anymore!! They look more alike than ever! I have to say that it didn't turn out nearly as bad as I anticipated. They are cute no matter what cut they are sporting. |
posted by 6blessings @ 9:56 AM  |
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| Thursday, July 27, 2006 |
| New things |
Here's some of my favorite pics of them discovering things for the first time- plane ride, washing machine, portable CD player, and slide.
The plane ride was their first one, out of our region to Moscow. They both fell asleep about half an hour into the flight and slept for about 30 minutes. They loved looking out of the window.
The washing machine was a small washer/dryer in our apartment in Moscow. Yes, it washed and dried. It took about an hour and a half to wash and 3 hours to dry. It didn't hardly hold 2 outfits of theirs, but it provided a lot of entertainment! They watched it forever. When it would stop moving, they would bang on it in hopes of getting it going again.
They were non-stop movers in Moscow, until I pulled out the portable CD player. They were fascinated with it and sat for at least 30 minutes, still as could be, listening. It became our bedtime or resting time ritual. It was the only thing they would be still for.
The slide was in the bottom of the mall by our hotel in Stavropol. I don't think they had ever been down one before. L took right to it. El was a little more hesitant. He would walk up to it, sit down, then stand back up and walk away. Eventually, he held D's hand and went down. After a few times like this, he finally let go and went on his own. After that, there was no stopping them. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 7:38 AM |
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| Tuesday, July 25, 2006 |
| Quick Update |
The kids are finally all in bed. I'm about to fall over, but this is the only time I've had to answer some of your questions.
Age: The bwins turned 5 in June.
Name Tags: All of the people that met us at the airport had these around their necks. Each of them had their "title" in Russian. For example, the girls had Sistra H or Sistra E. I had tried to think of some kind of identification for them in case we were separated in the airport, but had not done it. This would have been a good idea. I think L just had one of his sister's tags on.
Sibling Bonding: The kids are all doing great! It's like they've always been siblings except not as much fighting between them yet. :-) The boys act like this is the only place they've ever lived. Today L was sitting on my lap and said something about the dietsky dom. I told him no more dietsky dom. He grinned and said, "Mama u Papa Dietsky Dom." I got a good laugh. H is such a big help and El. has really attached to her. Ed. and Z are little mothers, almost to the point of overkill. The boys have almost had enough of it. J is finding his role with them a little more each day. He loves them, but is very cautious with them. El. and L go to all of them, kiss them all goodnight, love on them all.
All in all, everything is going great! The transition has been fairly smooth. We are all sleeping through the night. In fact, I usually fall asleep putting the kids to bed and so does my dh. We sometimes could use a nap in the day, but that isn't going to happen around here.
D went back to work today, so I was all on my own with the six. I went to pick up our mail from the post office and blew a tire completely out on the way home. We sat on the side of the road for a while and then at the tire shop for a while. That was the way today started.
The boys never cried or even whined until about our 2nd or 3rd day in Moscow. Then we observed what they did when they were told "no", got in trouble, or got their feelings hurt. It is the most awful sight you have ever seen. It breaks my heart. They find a corner or get behind a door, duck their head and make soft whimpering noises. They never make any real noise, even if tears do come. If they are approached, they will not look at you. It was quite a scene around our house the first few days when this would happen. One of them would start. Soon after, E, who is very tender-hearted, would begin wailing because she couldn't bear to hear them cry. Then Z would start in too. One day, I even followed suit. It was quite a sight.
Five days after being home though, they have found their crying voices. L probably "cried"(threw a fit) 15 times today. I spent more time rocking him and calming him down than I did anything else today. He does not like having to share or being told "no". El. only had 3 of these "fits". One of them was at dinner when he didn't get to sit in the seat he wanted to sit in. He sat the entire meal with his head ducked to the side and refused to eat. He kept pushing himself away from the table. D would get up, push his chair back in, and go sit back down. After a few rounds of this, he stopped pushing his chair back. Every once in a while he would look up to see if we were watching him, then duck his head back down. Everyone finished eating, cleared their plates, except H and D. He ducked his head lower and a few minutes later I realized he was asleep. D woke him up and it was like he forgot he was being stubborn. He ate his food, cleared his plate, and went to play.
I know it sounds like a handful and I guess it was today, but the blessings so far outweigh these "adjustments". The bwins fit perfectly in our family. God knew what He was doing when He sent them to us. Every time they run to us and their little faces light up, my heart just melts. It is so hard to enforce the rules and require what is necessary, especially when their heads begin to droop and the whimpering starts. I know it is the right thing and we're saving ourselves and them a lot of heartache so we don't have to backtrack later. I never let the whining go on long before I hold them close and tell them how much Mama loves them. I'm kind of wondering if that's why L keeps doing it so much. He quits the minute I pick him up and hold him. He melts in my arms. He is also very jealous of the other kids being with me. He'll click his tongue and scold the others if they invade our snuggle time. He's going to be a handful, but he's so precious, as is his twin brother.
Well, that's a little insight into our last few days. Some day I will catch up on your blogs and maybe even throw in a post on them. Ha! Ha! Tomorrow we go to the pediatrician to get checked out. That should be a fun trip with all six! I need to head off to bed now and re-energize for another round tomorrow. Thanks for all of your support and prayers during this whole process. You are all wonderful!!! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 8:05 PM |
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| Monday, July 24, 2006 |
| Family pics |
This is my troops, from shortest to tallest. You can really see the boys' size in this picture. My oldest son is the smallest boy by far in his classes and he is only one year older than the bwins. You can also see from this picture how skinny they are. At the doctor in Moscow before the Embassy, they weighed in at a whopping 25 1/2 and 26 pounds.
This picture is when we arrived home at the airport late Thursday night. Our whole family is finally together, all eight of us!
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| posted by 6blessings @ 5:59 AM |
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| Sunday, July 23, 2006 |
| Introducing My 2 New Sons |
Introducing : Levi and Elijah
Joined their forever family on July 4, 2006
Home at last on July 20, 2006
This picture was taken in Red Square. Several Chinese were also snapping pictures of the little American twin boys. We had a good laugh. I will post many more pics soon. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 5:11 AM |
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| Friday, July 21, 2006 |
| We're home! |
I just wanted to put out a quick post to let everyone know we are back in the USA. We arrived home last night at about 9 p.m. It has been a whirlwind since then. Everyone is exhausted, yet excited. The flights went well. We traveled for about 23 hours. The boys slept about 2 of them. It has been a blast watching them love their new home and siblings. They are a perfect match.
Well, I'll get some pics posted soon and catch up on information. I can't hardly think right now. I may never find my house again. With my six children and my niece and nephew who they're also getting to enjoy, there is stuff everywhere. I think they probably think they've come to a new dietsky dom. :-) We're having a blast! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 8:00 PM |
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| Saturday, July 15, 2006 |
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Hello! This blog is actually being posted by K's sister because K & D have not had internet access since they got the boys. I talked to her tonight, Sat., and she wanted everyone to know that they have the boys and that they are all fine in Moscow. They will post again personally as soon as possible.
We got to visit tonight on the phone for about an hour and I got to hear a lot of fun stories of newness and discovery as they have spent their first few days together alone as a family. K said that the hotel room was like a playground...turning lights on and off and flushing the toilets. She said they were amazed at how much water washed through there. The boys have gotten a taste of some new foods like PB&J, Pringles, cucumbers, cheese, and their favorites, bananas and french fries. She said L is really a talker and they all have trouble going to sleep at night as he continues to talk until he falls asleep. They have found that they love music and that it helps calm them before sleep. K & D tried to interest them in a movie, but they couldn't be less interested. She said they really are on the move and don't slow down much. K & the boys tried to call our parents, but only received an answering machine. The boys said "hello" (in their language), then K was telling them to say "bye," but they were quite confused as to why they were saying "bye" when no one had ever said "hello." K has since then gotten ahold of mom & dad, so now everyone in the family has gotten to talk to them on the phone, which is kind of weird because we're not studied up on their language. It was a little bit of an awkward moment, but it was sweet to hear their voices and awesome for them to know that we're just some more people excited about meeting them and loving them.
Well, I'll finish there so that K will have something to share when she has the chance. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 10:19 PM |
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| Wednesday, July 12, 2006 |
| Waiting Period- Days 7 & 8 |
Well, only two more days left. We're at the end finally. A new couple came for their first trip a few days ago. Their orphanage was on the way to ours so we have been able to see our boys the last two days. Yea!!!
Yesterday it was overcast again and the day was very long. We were gone for 8 hours and only got to visit our sons for one of those hours. We had some other errands to run, got pulled over twice, had a flat tire, etc. It was a long day. Even though we sat in the van most of the day, we were exhausted and starving by the time we got back to the hotel.
Today we were suprised when we got to go again. It was a pretty day, in fact it was hot. We finally got to go outside with the boys to play. They love being outside. Their favorite thing today was bubbles. They said the word "bubouz" a lot. We also played catch again. I tried to get a hold of the director today to ask her some things. We haven't had a translator since the first day we were here. Therefore, I went in armed with my dictionary. She didn't understand anything I said. Finally we called one of the translators. We had found out that the boys had been advertised in the newspaper. We asked to see it. We even got a copy of it. The title said, "Looking for a Papa and Mama" and then had their pictures. We also found out that the people who are here getting the 5 and 9 year old boys had received pictures of our boys to consider before we got them. It's been amazing to see how God saved them just for us. They're perfect.
L has gotten quite good at saying "I love you." It is wonderful! E still won't say it in Russian or English. However, he has become very loving and will squeeze the breath out of us!! L has also started giving us kisses, long ones!! Both of them come running right to us. Today they asked the director if they were going with us. She told them that they would go with us in two days. In fact, all of our gifts have been sitting in her office. Today, while we had the translator on the phone, she informed us that they were going to have a big party Friday when we came to get them. Part of the party is us giving the gifts to the kids.
Kids: The boys have Z and J's names down. Z is a common sound here and hers was the first they remembered. J's sounds a little weird, but they say it. They still have a little trouble with E and H. There is a little girl in the orphanage who looks very much like H. Everytime we point to H's picture, they say, "Luba". I think we've finally convinced them you are not Luba, H.
I hope E and Z's ears are better. I'm glad you're getting to see your friends. We leave for Moscow on Saturday and will be able to call there. Hang in there. It's almost over!! We miss you terribly. We love you!!!! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 5:29 AM |
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| Monday, July 10, 2006 |
| Waiting Period- Days 5 & 6 |
Well, we're half-way there!! The last few days the weather has gotten down right hot. There is a fountain by our hotel and we've learned it serves as the local swimming hole. Kids flock there and swim in it. They just strip down to their underwear and jump in. It's quite interesting. A few days ago we needed jackets and now we're burning up.
We haven't been able to see the boys again yet. At first they told us Wednesday, but I fussed about it being too long. Then they said maybe Tuesday. We haven't heard anything yet and it is late Monday afternoon here. We're hopeful. We also asked about bringing them to the hotel with us. They said we couldn't. I heard them say something in Russian about the director, but it wasn't translated to us. I guess she's wanting to keep them until the last minute. I've got our bag packed anyway with their clothes. I did that this morning. I'm still hopeful!
We've met a lot of families here and everyone likes to sit and talk and get their fill of English conversation. One couple is older. They have 2 sons in their twenties. They have adopted a little boy who is 12. He is very small and they think he is really only 8 or 9. Another couple adopted a little girl who is 7, almost 8. She got her yesterday and is leaving tomorrow. Another family is getting brothers, ages 5 and 9. One last single woman has her parents travelling with her. She adopted a special needs girl that is seven. It is so precious seeing all of these families running around here. We are the only ones, besides the ones getting the other set of boys, that don't have their kids.
We had one exciting thing happen yesterday. We bought our boys' airline tickets out of here. That was awesome!! I even took a picture of them. D thought I was crazy. E and L have their very own tickets to Moscow. We had been told many departure dates, but were able to get them for the 15th. We leave first thing that morning.
Other than that, we have no news. We just spend our days taking walks and trying to come up with something to do. We anxiously anticipate the phone ringing to bring us news of going to see our sons. For those of you who are now worried about the ten days. Don't be. I think everyone's situation is different. Our orphanage is so far away and there are so many of us here at once that I think the coordinators, drivers, etc. are just overloaded. We have watched some movies and are quite glad that we bought a portable DVD player. It sure takes up some time.
We watched our first TV last night- the World Cup Final. There is a big screen in the square right outside our hotel. We heard a lot of racket outside last night and looked out. Hundreds of people were standing out there watching the finals. We stayed in our room to watch.
Kids: I'm glad you enjoyed Oklahoma. Hope you're having fun at Nai's house and that you liked our e-card we sent you at MeMa's. Love you so much! Miss you so much!! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 4:49 AM |
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| Saturday, July 08, 2006 |
| Waiting Period- Days 3 & 4 |
I feel like I'm serving a prison sentence! This waiting is pure torture! It would be okay if we got to see the kids, but there is so much time between the short moments we have with them.
Yesterday was difficult. We spent all day around here. We did find a larger church and got to take it all in. It was so ornate. The art was incredible. It was very interesting. The rest of the day drug on forever. I thought it was never going to end! By the end of it, I was a basket case. I missed all my children- all six of them! I just wanted to be done and be home. The four walls of our tiny hotel room are closing in fast. The weather has been so nice, but it has been overcast and rainy the last few days. I think that has contributed some to my mood.
Today was better. We got to go see the boys. It was the best time ever!! Both boys ran right to us and jumped in our arms. They talked non-stop and were all smiles. They really opened up today and ventured out to test some limits. We said, "Nyet," several times today. They were hilarious. Once I was trying to get a picture of the two of them together. They started making silly faces. I got some great pictures and even greater memories! They are really funny. Looks like we've got some more hams. They'll fit right in with you, little J.
We had to stay inside the whole time we were there, about an hour and a half. They are really trying their hand at English and doing very well. They were hesitant at first, but will now repeat almost anything we ask them to, and some that we don't. I even got an "I love you" when we were leaving, repeated in English. They still seemed hesitant when we left and it's getting harder for us. Some of the other families now have their kids at the hotel with them. We are hoping maybe we can do that soon too. We're going to ask. We don't know when we will go back. They just say that they'll telephone us. I don't think I can take much more of this. I'm going stir crazy.
Tina: Yahoo!!! Court dates!! I had a feeling you might have received yours. We saw the lawyer hand M a piece of paper with dates on it. We thought you might be on there. I'm so excited. I'm working on a very special project for you to try and fill my time. I'm mapping out the places we've been and telling you what we've eaten and where. It's kind of a guide to living here in the hotel. Hopefully it will be of some use. Although, maybe you will be closer to your girls since there is a hotel in their city. That would be so much better. Then you wouldn't have to go through this agony! Congratulations once again, mama!!
Kids: We miss you more than words can say. I know this may be the last communication for a while. I'm sure Nai Nai or Candi would take you to the library to get on the internet. Once we're in Moscow, we'll be able to call. That will be even better. I'm sorry it is so long. Soon it will be over and we'll all be together- all 8 of us! Hope you enjoyed your next package. Three down, two to go! We love you! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 8:31 AM |
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| Thursday, July 06, 2006 |
| Waiting Period- Day 2 |
Not much news. We've just had a quiet day hanging out. We didn't get to go see the boys today and we won't tomorrow either. We will go again on Saturday morning. There are several other families here that are also waiting their ten days. Our orphanage is so far away and so are several of the others, all in different directions. We're having to take turns visiting our kids. Only one lady has her daughter here in the city. She walks to her orphanage and sees her every day. It has been good to visit with others who speak English! There is quite a variety of new families. Some are singles, some young couples, and one older couple (late 50s). They are all getting what would be considered older children, all ages 5 and up. We've not encountered any younger children adoptions here.
We have done a lot of walking. We went to another city park today where there was a very large stone with three faces carved into it. It is at least 20 feet tall and 3 or 4 times as long. It was amazing. It had a flame burning by it too. We have no idea what it was for or who they were, but we are assuming it is a veteran's memorial. There were several plaques with names listed on them. We also went into a little nearby chapel. We looked at all of their icons and decorations and they even let us take a few pictures. I noticed that all of the women wear head coverings when they enter the church. I felt irreverant when we were there. The lady at the church was selling candles and icons. We wanted to buy something to help out but didn't know what. I saw some head coverings for sale and decided I could be more prepared the next time we went to a church. We're thinking about trying to catch a service.
We tried our hand at the billiard table in the hotel. We paid for an hour's time. Within that hour we were able to knock in approximatelly 6 balls. Yes, that is our total. It was a 10 foot pool table whose pockets were designed with edges pointing outward to where it was almost an impossibility to sink a ball unless it was a direct shot. Even then, you had to have luck on your side. The ball just barely edged through the opening. Needless to say, we had a lot of laughs!
Other than that, we've been reading a lot. Mom, I finished "Redeeming Love". It was very good. I've started "Even Now". We've also kept busy doing crossword puzzles and trying to learn Sudoku. We both hate it! I guess we aren't patient enough with it yet. We are also playing some cards.
To all of my bloggy adoption friends: I am not able to check all of your blogs because we only have access to dial up for about 30 minutes. If any of you receive your referrals or court dates, please post it here on my blog so I will know. I am still praying daily for all of you to get over here with me. I want to say "Yahoo" along with you. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 6:35 AM |
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| Wednesday, July 05, 2006 |
| Waiting Period- Day 1 |
Well, we finally got to see the bwins this afternoon. We hadn't heard anything by late morning so we went into action. We knew another couple had court this morning and approximately what time they would return. Therefore, we sat outside the hotel and waited for their arrival, knowing we'd get to talk to someone. Sure enough, our facilitator had brought them back and as soon as he got out of the car he said, "Three o'clock, orphanage." Our plan worked! :-)
The boys seemed a little hesitant at first today. I told the translator they looked tired. She asked them and they said that they were. We played puzzles and looked at a Pooh finding book. Then we pulled out the balls and gloves. They are the beginning ones that are soft and have the velcro in the bottom. The balls are soft and fuzzy, so if we aim okay, they catch them. They had a blast. We laughed so hard. E has an amazing arm, but no control. We chased so many balls. He thought it was funny. We taught them the word "ball". The most exciting thing was when we sat down to rest, L ran to me and hugged me. That was awesome! He also told me in Russian that he loved me (after I told him). I don't know if that counts or not, but it was good to hear it anyway. :-) E is a little more reserved. He is still a little unsure, but will let us love on him. He is starting to return the hugs a little now.
We bought 5 soccer balls, 2 basketballs, 2 badminton sets, a set of dominos, and some stuffed animals for the orphanage yesterday. We took them out today hoping to give them to the other children and play with them. We were told that all of the kids except four were all gone to a camp while they were doing some repairs on the orphanage. H, we also took your package. She said we could give it to the girls when they returned. Hopefully, we will get to do that.
After playing baseball for a while, we played some soccer, then went inside again. The remainder of the time, the boys did paint with water pictures. They took great care. We have noticed a few things about them. L will sit forever and work on something or read a book. He is very meticulous. E does well also, but is ready to move on to something more active. We also think L is ambidextrous. He switched his paintbrush between his hands a million times. He also tried to put his ball glove on his right hand many times.
Leaving was hard, as usual. We think it is very confusing to the boys. They get a worried look and become very hestitant with us, kind of like when we first show up. I think they've been told they will go with us one day. So everytime they walk us out, they probably wonder if this is the time or not. They stand and wave goodbye to us. I'm sure they don't understand. We don't. Today when we were hugging goodbye, I was holding L and hugging him. After I got done giving him the hug, he kept holding me tight with his arms. It was very hard to put him down and tell him goodbye. Soon, I won't have to.
One other bit of information we finally got is who is older. We found out that E is older than L. This is opposite of what everyone thought, but is good information to know.
Kids: We want you to know that we may not blog everyday. We will try to keep in touch, but our days are very unpredictable here. No matter what, we are okay and we love you. Keep having lots of fun. Take lots of pictures with your disposable cameras. I hope you liked what was in your second package. Two down, three more to go before mom and dad get home. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 9:44 AM |
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| Tuesday, July 04, 2006 |
| Independence Day |
Happy Independence Day to all of you back in the good ole USA!!! Boy, would we like to be there enjoying the fireworks! We have a lot to celebrate. We have our own fireworks going off in our hearts and we are celebrating our own independence day here. At approximately 2:40 a.m. Oklahoma time, the boys became our sons officially. I can't describe the feelings that overtook me when the judge made her decree. There were many wet eyes in the courtroom! Their "Gotcha Day" will always be celebrated big, as not only will we celebrate America's freedom, but also theirs. What an awesome day!
Thanks for all of the comments about taking in their culture. We fully plan on doing that. We have been taking lots of pictures. We bought little Stavropol Krai flags yesterday for both boys to put in their memory books. (Tonya, I will take you up on the scrapbooking help.) We are going later today to see an old fortress and statue dedicated to soldiers in WWII. We haven't heard when we will get to return to the orphanage to see our sons. It's kind of weird to know they are ours, but we can't even see them on the day they enter our family. We want to give them big hugs and hold them tightly. I guess we have forever to do that!
Family: Glad to hear the wedding went well. H, I'm glad you saved the day!
J: You're officially a big brother now!! I am so proud of you! I can't wait to see you at the airport in a few weeks with your "Big Brother" shirt on. The bwins couldn't ask for a better big brother!! I love you.
H, E, and Z: You are already the best 3 big sisters in the world! Now you will be the best to not just one, but three brothers! I'm so proud of each of you for your understanding of our time away from each other so we can bring them home. I love all of you.
To everyone else:
Clarification of some vocabulary: To all of you out there wondering about the word "bwins":
Since our family now has two sets of twins, we devised some new words to be able to tell them apart. Bwins: Boy twins Gwins: Girl twins
Now you know! A little strange, but it works.
Happy Independence Day to all! Set off some fireworks and celebrate big for us too! |
| posted by 6blessings @ 1:30 AM |
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| Monday, July 03, 2006 |
| Court- Day 1 |
Well, the first day of court is done. It went well, I think. :-) It was about an hour long. The judge asked us all kinds of questions and then asked the social worker a lot of questions. We will share more specifics later. Tomorrow we go to "final court" at about 1 a.m. Oklahoma time. They say tomorrow will take one and a half to two hours. At that time the judge will make her ruling.
The coordinator told us that we will not have our ten days waived. They are not even considering it or accepting applications for it. Therefore, we hit the local grocery store today. We bought some meat, cheese, bread and Pringles. It was hard finding ordinary flavored chips. I guess we could have tried Paprika or Shrimp Flavors. Yuck!
We are learning our city a little bit and can make it around our little area quite well. We have found some balls that we are going to buy to take to the orphanage when we go back. They have told us we will get to go some during the 10 days, but not every day because it is so far. We have also found a good place to eat pizza- Dorito's Pizza. The sign looks exactly like Domino's, but it is Dorito's. The pizza is a little different too. Kids, I'm not sure you'd like it. We like the deluxe pizza, kind of like supreme, except with a few substitutions. For example, it has corn all over it. It is also topped with sour cream swirled on top and cilantro and dill sprinkled all over. Guess you wouldn't eat it either, huh, dad? :-)
Well, hopefully the next post will be filled with some official news. Thanks for all of the comments. That is what we miss most over here is communication. It lifts my mood to read your posts. Thanks.
Just a few personal notes:
Tina: Your package is in A's hands and hopefully on the way to F. I have so much to fill you in on about court.
Mom: Our "weight" is gone. Breathe. :-)
H, E, Z, J: We think about you constantly and miss you so much. Sorry the wait will be so long. Have fun and stay busy. I'm glad you're going to see Oklahoma. That will be so much fun. You will love it. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 7:34 AM |
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| Sunday, July 02, 2006 |
| Longest Day and the Best Morning |
| After 36 hours of travel, we are here! All three of our flights were delayed once we were on the plane. In OKC we were only delayed about 30 minutes. In Atlanta, two people checked their baggage, but never showed up for the flight. By law, they had to unload all of the luggage on the entire plane, pull out their pieces and then load it all back on the plane. We sat on the plane at the terminal for 2 hours before we took off. So, we were sitting in that cramped space for 12 hours instead of 10 hours. We had a 9 hour layover in Moscow. Once we got on the plane, we sat on it for an hour and a half before it took off. I'm sure they told us why, but all they spoke was Russian. We finally arrived, checked in to our hotel and hit a bed for the first time in 36 hours.I slept for four hours. Damon slept for five. Then it was time to get ready to go to the orphanage. It is an hour and forty-five minute drive one way to the orphanage. Along the way, we picked up a social worker who came with us. When we got to our village the social worker made them pull over at the church. She told us to get out and take pictures. She told us that the boys had been baptised there 2 weeks ago. When I asked why two weeks ago, she replied that they discovered that the parents had never baptised them as infants so they were baptised. We later saw pictures of many of the orphans being baptised.We asked if we could peek inside. They said we could. We had no idea what we were going to see. It was one of the most amazing and awe-inspiring things I have ever been a part of. They were having service. We stood at the back and were completely humbled. The place was ornate, gorgeous, indescribable. The service was like none I have ever been a part of, but you felt so overwhelmed with the reverence of it all. There was the most beautiful singing in the background that I have ever heard. Everyone stood. All of the women had their heads covered. We stayed for quite a while, but then had to leave. We hope to go back and take some pictures when they are not having service. We felt it would be disrespectful at the time today.We then went to the orphanage. We went into the director's room and started showing the social worker our pictures. Soon our sons were standing in the door, hands full of the things we had sent them. They came right to us and sat on our laps. The social worker asked them if they wanted to go with us and live in America with us. They shook their heads "yes". We played for the next 2 hours with them. We did things inside and then went outside. Outside there were four little girls, probably between 7 and 10 years old. They joined right in and I learned their names. They were fascinated with the video camera and wanted to use it. I let the older ones hold it and they had a blast. Then everyone decided to go inside. On the way in, a little girl, about 8 or 9, was walking beside me. She had stayed very close to me and had looked deep into my eyes several times. As we were walking, I reached over and patted her and ruffled her short blonde hair. Then she said words that pierced my heart. With blank, empty, lonely, longing eyes she looked and me and said, "I want a mama and papa too." I can't describe the pain that shot through my body at that moment. She was a beautiful child all dressed in her pink frilly dress. She didn't want much, just a mom and dad. I cannot get what she said out of my mind. I wish I could magically find her and her little sister a family. Her words will forever pierce my heart and make me cry.Inside once again, we played some more and then went over their court papers. We had to sign a paper saying we understood their medical issues. During this time we found out why they are such small children. We had always known that they were premature, we just didn't know how small they were. One was barely over 2 pounds at birth and the other one topped out at almost 3 pounds. They are miracles!!! I can't believe they survived in the little village hospital they were born in about 20 minutes from the orphanage. They are truly miracles and we feel so honored to become their parents.We came back to the hotel and got a bite to eat and then allowed ourselves a 2 hour nap. We are trying to reset our body clocks, but boy was it hard to get up then!!I want to thank you for all of the prayers for our travel. We will go to our first day of court tomorrow. We have court at about 5 a.m. Oklahoma time on Monday morning. I will post more later. |
| posted by 6blessings @ 1:22 PM |
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