Last Morning at the VMI

It hardly seems possible that we're finally ready to hit the skies again.  We're sitting outside on the restaurant deck having our last breakfast together.  Our drive picks us up at 11:30 for our 2:15pm flight.  Next stop, Moscow!  We've got six nights ahead of us in an apartment that we're renting about five blocks from the Red Square.  I'll post more on our travel and Moscow adventure next time.

Since our train ride adventure, we've been busy passing the days by playing, partying and completing paperwork.


One of the blessings of being at the Vlad Motor Inn is that we get to enjoy the company of several other American families traveling the same adoption path.  We knew we'd all be missing out on the 4th of July festivities in the US, so we decided to have our own little get-together upstairs in the White Rabbit recreation room.  The gals at the front desk were kind enough to send out the information to all the US families and we were able to put together an impromptu potluck complete with entertainment for the kiddos.  


There were six families gathered for our event.  All of us are enduring the 10-day required wait, and all but one of us families had our new children with us.  Five of us have already have custody of our new children and our new friends Pete and Casey from Alabama are still waiting for the director of their new son's orphanage to let little AJ come live with them.  We all did our best to locate or whip up some yummy things to share.  We enjoyed  deviled eggs, fried sausages, cheeses, chips, sodas, olives, pickles, hot dogs in italian sauce, a smoked fish dip (I was finally able to use that fish), and baked beans.  By looking at pictures on the canned goods in the store, I was able to purchase what I thought were Heinz pork and beans in a tomato sauce.  It's funny how many brands are international... at least the brands are, all the foods have been adjusted to the tastes of each country.  Coca Cola here tastes like Diet Coke to me.  I haven't tried the Diet Coke, so I can't tell you how that tastes.  You may have seen the photos with the Lays potato chips on a facebook post...  the chips are the same, but the flavors are different.  (Bacon, Pickle, Shrimp, for example.)  To make the pork and beans, all I could come up with was the canned beans and I added some ketchup  (Heinz), some sugar cubes, and some cut up ham and let it cook for a while.  When I tasted them, they were really good... but they had a pretty spicy kick to them.  I'm not sure what type of pepper is in the Heinz recipe here, but I think it would be popular if they introduced it in the U.S.   We were all pleased that we were able to come up with quite a variety of foods.  


After we ate, we had arranged for a local clown to come entertain the kids.  This hotel seems to host a LOT of kids events and we've seen various clowns and balloon professionals here frequently.  On the 3rd of July, I noticed a clown in the lobby, so I asked the nice gal at the front desk if she could ask him if he were available for our 4th of July get together, if he could come and make red, white and blue balloon animals for the kids and how much he would charge for an hour.  It was only 1200 rubles.


He was terrific for the kids because he spoke Russian, of course, and so did all of our kids except for Evan. He also spoke some English so he was perfect.  We were so happy to see how much fun the kids were having... I would doubt that any of the kids had ever had a clown entertain them before.  Evan made a comment to me that he wasn't using red, white and blue balloons...  I said, "It's ok, nobody noticed except for us and I don't think any of the kids mind at all."  Evan didn't seem to mind either... he was so excited all evening.  Max had so much excitement that he fell asleep on the couch that night instead of giving us his normal bedtime battle.  We were grateful.

The last few days, we've spent running the paper chase.  Jose accompanied Ivan, our coordinator, to the Passport office, the orphanage, the notary, the bank, and who knows where else.  I just know it was lots of hours of running around.  I stayed with the boys both mornings.  On Tuesday I received a phone call explaining that Maxim's records were missing a current TB test and unfortunately, we'd have to take him to a clinic to get this fun test done.  It's no big deal if you're an adult, but when you're a kid and someone wants to inject a bubble of some liquid under your skin to see if you develop a skin reaction, it's just not a good time.  Jose and Ivan met us at the clinic and luckily Jose was there to hold Maxim.  He was a screamer and a kicker and it didn't help that the nurse administering the injection was a stereotypical, stern, non-smiling Russian woman.  She even filled the syringe facing Max so he could see exactly what she had planned for him.  The screaming started before she even got near him. No warm and fuzzies from her.  Somehow we got through it and we felt so badly that we headed directly to a toy store.


The next day, poor little Max had to go to another doctor's office to get a basic check up and report that we have to take the the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.  It's a requirement for his visa.  Luckily this doctor had a terrific manner for dealing with kids.  She calmed him and played with him and he made it through like a trooper.  It helped that she had no needles.


Well that's it for now.  I've got to go finish packing the last few things.  I'll try to post some photos when we get to Moscow.


Wish us luck on the flight.

Another Train Ride

A few days ago, in order to entertain ourselves while surviving another day of our 10-day wait, we decided to get adventurous and take the train down the coast and into Vladivostok.  Since Evan has this ongoing passion for trains, we seem to make it a habit to ride a train wherever we area traveling.  Between Jose and myself, we've traveled to quite a few foreign countries, so we felt fairly confident we would survive this excursion.  Because we still have an immense language gap, we stopped at the hotel's front desk and asked them to write down our "order" to present at the ticket window for train tickets.  Two adults and two kids round-trip from Sanatornaya station to the end of the line in Vladivostok cost just 110 rubles or $3.95.   Pretty inexpensive for a 35 minute ride there.  Most definitely the most inexpensive part of this entire journey.


The ride was pretty if you remain focused on the water, although the weather was a bit hazy.  Most of the train ride, until you get into downtown, runs along the coast, so you get a pretty view of the coast overlooking the Sea of Japan.  This area potentially could be a beautiful sea-side tourism destination, but unfortunately most of the buildings along the water are run-down, decrepit industrial sites.  In between buildings and clearings, the locals will find a patch of beach area (very rocky and not much sand) to camp out, cook out, lay out, you get the picture.  You don't see many people swimming in the ocean, as we understand, it's a well-known unfortunate fact to be quite polluted.

The boys in front of the Marine Terminal

The boys behaved marvelously on the ride and we enjoyed watching Maxim's expressions as he saw the sights with us.  It seemed like a new experience for him. Our plan was to walk 4-5 blocks from the downtown train station to a submarine museum that is situated near the Marine Terminal and the bay that is home to some of the Russian Naval Fleet.  After exiting the train station, we couldn't help but hear lots of commotion coming from the Bortsov Revolutsii Square that seemed to be on the way to our destination.  We were lucky enough to pick a day when there was a community festival happening.  We have no idea what it was called or why it was happening, but it was interesting to see the entertainment and exhibits as well as the local people out and about.  


After about an hour of that excitement, we decided it was time for lunch and to head toward the submarine.  Jose and I have a rule about trying to stick to local cuisine while we're traveling and we generally avoid fast food places as much as possible.  This was our first time attempting to eat outside the hotel (no english-speaking employees to help us) and our first time with two hungry little  boys on our hands.  We happened upon a "Magic Burger" restaurant.  The picture in the front window advertised a juicy hamburger sitting within a sesame studded bun, accompanied by fries and a Coke — looked good, especially to the boys. We looked at each other and said "how hard can it be to order a hamburger in Russian?"  We decided to break our own rule... plus we knew the boys would be happy with the french fries.  

Result:  a "where's the beef?"-type hamburger accompanied with "what's this on my hamburger?" (cole-slaw, we think) and a "Mommy I don't like the bun." and a "can I get more ketchup?" Magic Burger was definitely the most-uninspiring, unsavory, hamburger we've ever seen, not to mention, the most challenging to order, EVER.  We were even charged 5 rubles per ketchup pack.  It's not a lot, but something we're unaccustomed to.  After this experience, Jose and I were wondering aloud what a typical Russian would think once they experienced a Five Guys Hamburger. No comparison.






The kicker of the whole Russian fast-food restaurant experience...   the bathrooms.  We decided since we were there, we'd take the boys to the bathroom so we wouldn't have to worry about trying to ask for them somewhere else.  As we went down the stairs toward the bathrooms, we noticed a cashier sitting in front of the doorways.  Yes, a cashier.  Yes, we had to pay to use the bathrooms.  We learned that it cost 4 Rubles to use the bathroom — each.  Not a lot, but interesting nonetheless.   (It's about 27.5 Rubles to an American $1 so the bathroom adventure cost about 60 cents)  As we were standing in line waiting our turn, I noticed the people behind us each holding their own little wad of toilet paper which they had gotten from the cashier. Noticing that we had forgotten to acquire our necessary supplies for this portion of our adventure, I sent Evan back to Ms. Cashier to get TP for each of us.  Then we each took our turn.  Once I got into the ladies room, I couldn't help but giggle at the sight, and especially at myself because I was frantically digging through my purse praying I had the camera instead of Jose so I could get a silly tourist photo.   I'm so glad to live in the U.S.A.  Marisa — I thought of you during this episode.


Next we had to walk through a beautiful public park that adjoined the submarine memorial museum.  It was also a battle memorial for the Russian Pacific Fleet... lots of marble walls inscribed with WAY too many names of men and women who had given their lives for their country.  One of the most interesting things we observed were no less than three brides and their grooms with some of their wedding parties in this park.  It seems to be a tradition for the bride and groom to bring a bouquet of flowers to lay at the memorial and then take photographs there.


After Evan and Max climbed all over the canons and other old war relics, we finally made our way to the S-56 Memorial Submarine.  What boy doesn't love to look through the periscope and check out the torpedo bays.  Fun, fun, fun.   We then finished our time in downtown Vladivostok by backtracking through the festival to the train station.  The boys were gifted with yo yo's and bubbles to keep them entertained and we began the search for the right station platform where we would board our train.  Not a sign in sight, not even in Russian using the Cyrillic alphabet.  We had to guess which of the three platforms our train would arrive on.  It's quite obvious that this is not a big tourist destination.  Very few sights list names in Latin letters.  You really need to be a local to know your way around here. 


Luckily, we landed on the right platform and boarded the correct train in the right direction.  Unfortunately, we ended up getting off one stop too early.  We forgot to count how many stations we had to stop at to get back to the one closest to our hotel.  We kept listening for "Sanatornaya" which was our stop.  We got off when we heard it and then realized that they must have been saying, "Next stop, Sanatornaya."   We looked at each other as the train was pulling away and simultaneously let out an expletive.  Oh well.  First we considered walking to the hotel, but there was no clear, straight road or path that we knew of and we weren't sure what we would encounter between this stop and the next.  It had to be at least a mile or two at least.  We ended up calling our coordinator to get the hotel phone number.  Jose called the desk and asked if there were a driver who could come get us.  They suggested it would be quicker to walk to the end of the street and get on the bus.  I started feeling panicky but Jose reassured me that it would be all right.  "But what happens if we get on the wrong bus or go the wrong way?  How in the world will be we able to ask for help?  We don't understand anyone and they don't understand us!"  We and our two tired boys began walking.  About 1/4 mile into our walk a car pulled up and honked the horn.  It was none other than our our coordinator, who happened to be in the area.  Super Ivan came to our rescue and delivered us safely up the road to our hotel. Boy were we happy to be back at the Vlad Motor Inn.

Six days and a fish.

We've had Maxim with us now for six days.  We knew it would be a challenge—no book required to figure that out.  We only have limited information on Maxim's first four and a half years of life and have had only limited glimpses into his life at the orphanage.  We can only guess that some of his behavior now is a reflection of his past.


Maxim is, more often than not, a happy, sweet and generous boy.  His normal behavior (and misbehavior) as a four-year old is perfectly acceptable, except that it's extremely difficult to discipline while providing him some understanding to why he is being corrected.  This has provoked some incredible melt-downs where he turns away from every attempt to calm and comfort him.  We're attempting to use the "time-in" method which so many international adoption books recommend.  It's not easy.  He doesn't want to be held and kept close.  I'm guessing he's not accustomed to it.  I pray this will change with time.  With every interesting or chaotic instance, we hypothesize more about the orphanage experience... living with eighty to 100 children, all being cared for by a very small, underpaid, under-equipped staff in less than desirable conditions.  


I'm guessing that this little guy, at four years old, has had to defend himself, his turf, his food and who knows what else more than he should have to in an entire lifetime.  He can be a little rough playing with Evan, but we're slowly working out those behaviors.  Evan wants to get rough and tumble, but he's slowly learning that playing in that manner, more often than not, provokes some pinching, punching and kicking from his little brother.  We are doing our best to gently correct Maxim's behavior with love and "time ins" (sitting closely to us for a short period of time) and mostly, it seems to be working.  It's going to take more than a week, though, I'm sure.


We had an incredibly difficult day yesterday, one that required lots of prayers and came with lots of tears (mostly on my part and Maxim's part)  Jose was a trooper and somehow we survived to live another day.  I'm hoping that memories of the outbursts will fade like memories of labor pains.  Today is going much better.  Maxim is a chatterbox and we feel awful that we can't understand him.  I'm confident that he's very entertaining.  One of the oddest feelings I get, though, is when we're on the playground behind the hotel.  It's close enough to a residential area, that some locals come use it as their own personal park.  I don't know what Maxim says to the other kids or their parents, but they don't seem to stick around long once we're there.  His tone doesn'tsound malicious, but I haven't the foggiest idea if our cute little guy has a potty mouth or is talking like a drunken sailor.  I assume those parents know that this hotel is full of American parents adopting children from the Russian orphanages.  Maybe once they realize that the kids on the playground are from the orphanage, they don't want their kids playing with them.  Like I said, I can only guess.  It sure is interesting, though.  Anyone other Vlad parents have the same experience?

Today seemed to go a little smoother.  Evan and Maxim are slowly settling into a common understanding.  It's not easy to be a brother after you've been the only child for seven years, especially when that little brother requires soooooo much parental attention.  Even so, Evan told me today that he likes being a big brother because he always has someone to play with.  When I asked him the thing he likes least about having a brother, he said it was when his little brother pinches him when they're playing.  It seems Maxim learned a mean pinch at that orphanage. I pray that every day will be a little bit easier.


I seem to be praying a lot more these days.  I guess that's a good thing.  God and I are having lots of conversations, mostly one-way, but once in a while I get a much needed sign that I've asked for.  When you take on something as big as this, let me tell you, you ask for a lot of signs that you're on the right path.  Somehow they seem to come when you're most desperate for direction or reassurance.  I am confident that Maxim's guardian angels are helping too and smiling all the while that he's finally in a place of hope.  I keep asking them to whisper gently to him in a language that he can understand that all is well, to be at peace, to be calm.  It seems to help - thank heaven.

Ok, onto another interesting thing.... the fish:

Three days ago, we scheduled a driver to take us shopping.  Our plan was to go the the GUM department store to try to do some souvenir shopping followed by a stop at the grocery store.  Well, due to the incessantly pock-marked, pot-holed, construction-laden roads in combination with the VERY offensive driving style of Sergei, our little Maxim just couldn't help but vomit all over himself and the car just 20 minutes into the ride.  We stopped, cleaned up, turned around and brought Jose, Evan and Max back to the hotel (where Maxim proceeded to hurl twice more on the sidewalk leading up to the front door) and then I went out again with Sergei to get some groceries.

Like I said in a previous post, one of my favorite things to do in a foreign country is wander the aisles of a local grocery store.  It's super fascinating to me.  I've decided what I like even more is to do that by myself.  Our driver, Sergei, insisted on accompanying me AND pushing my cart for me.  Not only could I NOT communicate with the man, I felt obligated to try to communicate what I was looking for, instead of just being left alone to wander and explore and joyously fill my cart.  Halfway through the store, I did end up taking one of his recommendations (at least I think it was a recommendation) when we were in the fish area of the market.  Jose and I LOVE smoked fish.  I usually make smoked fish dip to put on crackers.  Sergei noticed me studying the smoked fish in the deli case.  He sign-language-questioned me if I wanted some.  He somehow expressed to me that these, in specific, were REALLY good.  (imagine a smile and a thumbs up) So I let him ask the lady behind the counter for one on my behalf.  Here's what I got...


I have no idea what type of fish it is and I have never bought a smoked fish still dressed in it's own skin and tail, but I threw caution to the wind and said "what the heck, we'll figure out what to do with it when I get back to the hotel."  Jose is still laughing.  Here we are three days later and I'm afraid to touch the thing.  It's got lots of fish bones and the skin is really hard and difficult to remove.  Jose thinks I should use my charm and ask the cooks in the hotel restaurant for some help.  I may just do that.  Unless any of you out there know what to do with this thing so we can enjoy it.

Good night all.

Three Days Down

It's nearly 7:30 am here in Vladivostok on Tuesday morning, which makes it about 4:30 pm in Florida.  All the boys are still sleeping, thank goodness, and I have some Mommy time at the moment.  

I discovered yesterday that there is actually free wifi in the lobby and restaurant of the hotel.  When we asked about it during check-in, we were told that we needed to purchase the Vostoktelecom cards to be able to use the internet.  I kept seeing one of the other adoptive dads using his computer in and around the lobby so I finally asked him if he had found a way to use the wifi for free.  He handed over a card which had the password which he was given at the front desk....  I just scratched my head and thought, hmmm.  This place is frustrating.  So yesterday, I finally was able to use some of the apps on my iphone without worrying about incurring crazy roaming charges.  I already racked up a $200 charge from the telephone calls I frantically made from our first entry attempt into Moscow last week.  Chalk that lesson up to "frustrations of international travel."

Yesterday was day 3 with Maxim in our family.  We were told by several other families that everything was terrific with their new little Russian angels — until day 3.  They were of the opinion that it's when the honeymoon begins to wear off and all the parental testing begins.  I'm not sure if it was that or the fact that we had an entire day weather which alternated between drizzle and rain.  We slipped in one quick walk on the path that goes around the hotel.  The playground was full of mud puddles, so we quickly passed that zone on our walk.  We attempted to get together with other families upstairs in the hotel's White Rabbit recreation room, but were not allowed in.  We're guessing it was due to the "eau de gas" that lingered in the air.  Since the housekeeping and maintenance departments aren't as multi-lingual as their counterparts at the front desk and in the restaurant, we didn't get the whole story.  So we, meaning our family and three other adoptive families, ended up hanging out in the "play lounge" just outside the restaurant and near the front desk.  (that's when I discovered the wifi secret, so maybe it was a financial blessing in disguise)  

Evan met a Russian friend, one of the waitress' sons who is also seven years old.  They spent most of the afternoon playing games on each others DS players and kicking a small ball back and forth between them.  It was a wonderful thing for Evan as this adjustment to being a brother is getting challenging.  He needed someone else to spend some energy with for a bit and Maxim had several other little boys to play with closer to his age.  I pray that Evan will get accustomed to the huge change that has arrived in his life without too much difficulty.  We already noticed him a lot more withdrawn yesterday and he had several melt-downs when Maxim "infringed" on his playtime with his new friend.  One minute he would be furious with Max and the next minute he would be hugging and loving him.  I have a feeling it's going to be a bit of a roller coaster ride with this transition.

Maxim just woke up and asked about Papa and "Kevin"  ...  he still wavers between calling his brother Evan and Kevin, it's really cute.  When I asked him if he wanted an apple (Yahblahkah), he shook his head yes and smiled.  While I rinsed off the apple and began to cut it up, I heard him pitter patter over the the bathroom.  When he returned and saw the apple, his face dropped into a frown and he ran into the bedroom and was pouting under the sheets.  It took a minute before it dawned on me that maybe he didn't want it cut up with the seeds removed like I always do for Evan.  So I grabbed a whole apple and took it to the bedroom and asked him if that was what he wanted (Hochish yahblahkah?)  He shook his head yes and when I handed it to him he smiled.  He finally agreed to come back to the kitchen with me.  This learning curve is steep... I have to keep realizing that in the Children's home, all children's care is done as simply as possible.  They don't have the time or resources to cut up apples for all the kids.  The kids just get used to what they get.  After Maxim ate about a half-dozen bites, he ran to the kitchen and grabbed the 1/2 of an apple that wasn't cut up yet and said to me in Russian that it was for "Kevin."  He ran into the bedroom and tried to wake Evan up.  Luckily I caught him and assured him we'd save it for Evan when he woke up.  What a sweet, generous, caring child.  He wanted to be sure his brother had some apple, too. 

When Evan woke up, Maxim was trying to give him the apple (which Evan didn't want).  I asked Evan to please take it from him and say thank you because Maxim had saved it especially for him.  At this point, we can tell Evan just to play along because Maxim doesn't understand the English yet.  We did get a "Good morning" out of him though.  

Anyway... time to get the boys ready.  Our driver is coming at 10:00 to take us to the GUM... (I'll write about it later) and also grocery shopping.  Pa Kah!  (bye, bye)  Dosvidanya.

Operation Maximus Springus

It's official, we are now a family of four.  Yesterday we had our long-awaited court date.  Our driver picked us up from the Vlad Motor Inn at 8:30 am and we survived the drive into downtown Vladivostok to the courthouse.  It is one of the few buildings we've seen since our arrival that has actually been recently painted — on the outside.  Apparently, in preparation for next year's APEC Conference, many public buildings are getting a fresh look.  But, like I said, only on the outside.


Our coordinator was in charge of looking after Evan during our court session.  Prior to sending Evan off with Ivan, I had Jose take Evan to use the bathroom.  Next I took my turn since I knew that we could possibly be in court for two hours.  When I returned to the courtroom to await the judges arrival, I mentioned to Jose, "you could have told me I needed to bring my own toilet paper and hand towel."  I had forgotten about this piece of advice I read somewhere before our first trip back in February.  Most public bathrooms are sorely lacking in basic bathroom necessities including paper products and even toilet seats.  Yuck.  


Our judge arrived in the courtroom at 10:05 am.  There were eight of us total, all women except for Jose.  It was a very serious proceeding that for some reason equalled nearly three hours of questions from both the judge and the prosecutor.  The judge wanted to hear from Jose first.  After his hour of questions, it was my turn.  I'll attempt to make another post with some of the questions we were asked.  I found it quite interesting, actually, to entertain their questions of choice.  It almost felt as if some of the questions were purely out of foreign curiosity about our lives.  They wanted to know who took care of the house, the garden, who cut the yard, how mortgages work in the US..., if Jose teaches Evan "manly jobs, like using tools."  I had to prevent myself from laughing at some of the questions.  But like I said, more on that in another post.


Somewhere around 12:45 pm, it was pronounced that everyone was in agreement that we should be Maxim's parents.  We were ecstatic, tired, and hungry.  After that, we stopped at a toy store on the way back to the hotel so that we could pick up a few extra "gifts" for the children's home.  We also learned, en route, that Ivan had spoken with the orphanage director and had received permission for us to pick up Maxim the next day.


Well that next day was today. It's nearly 9:30 pm our time and we're exhausted.  We left the hotel at 9:00 am this morning to go to the orphanage.  It was a complete surprise to Maxim since when we left him last, we told him we'd be back Monday to see him.  Being able to pick up the child the day after court is not a common thing.  There's a mandatory 10 day waiting period after the declaration before you can even begin processing the visa for them to enter your own country.  Maxim will have dual citizenship until the age of 18, but that doesn't begin until we touch soil in the US.  It is up to the director of each orphanage as to when they allow the parents to receive the adopted child.  Many have to wait the entire 10 days.  This trip, we've met several other couples who have gotten their child "early."  

Evan & Max on the drive to the hotel.

So back to our day with Maxim.  At first he was happy to see us, but then got very sad when the bags of toys we had brought with us were carried away and into the children's home.  Apparently he expected that they were for him since each time we visited, we brought something special for him in our bag.  It took him a while to warm up to us again and his caretaker had to explain to him that he was going with us.  Since it was Saturday, many of the kids of all ages were playing outside.  His caretaker allowed us to take a group photo of Maxim and all his friends.  We wanted him to have this to remember where he came from.  I wish I could post it here for you all, but I am extremely certain that it would be frowned upon.  I can't even tell you the emotions that I encountered marching up the long walk to the car, with about a dozen of Maxim's friends in tow, Maxim being carried by Jose, Evan alongside, and myself behind with two adorable girls, each holding one of my hands.  They were so excited just to learn that Maxim was getting to leave in a car.  (MA sheen a .... like Machine with an A at the end)  It was impossible to ignore that Maxim was the envy of nearly every child there today.  I had to steel myself attempting not to cry.  I didn't do very well. I know in my heart that we've done so much just to make this adoption happen.  When I left that children's home today, it just didn't feel like very much at all, leaving some eighty kids there behind.  I so wish every child there would have a family step up to take them home.  


I think it was on the drive back to the hotel when the realization hit — we had no idea how to communicate with this little being.  He is a jabber mouth at 4 and 1/2 years old and  I understand maybe one word out of 100.  I had to remind myself to not freak out, just to take today one minute at a time and deal with the now.  It's simple to get perfectly out of control if you start to focus on an entire day or week of how you will handle everything.  I was grateful for having read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.  

Maxim in the Park... Happy Boy.

The first thing we did upon getting back to the hotel was throw him into the bathtub.  What's bizarre is that just a bath and a new set of clothes can provide a new fresh outlook for one of these little children.  We were lucky, he loves to play in the tub.  So it appears that bath time will not be an issue.  After that, we served up some yogurts and apple slices for the boys.  Another success, although Maxim didn't seem to care for peanut butter with his apple.  After that, we walked outside the hotel and around the back to the beautiful little playground.  He did wonderfully and only ran off about three times.  That is going to be our challenge... to get him to understand that he needs to come when he is called and that it's not ok for him to wander off on his own.  Evan was such a terrific brother today, he helped us keep Max close (almost like a sheep herding dog), and they also had a great time on the teeter totter.  Evan was so happy to finally have someone to teeter totter with.  That weight and balance just doesn't work so well with your parents on the other end.  

Evan, Max & Jose next to the Sea of Japan

Next we came back to our room for lunch (we've been moved into a "suite" with a kitchen).  This kid is going to have no problems with food.  I made macaroni just because it was what he said was his favorite.  We bought a jar of tomato sauce and it worked just fine for italian sauce.  After lunch we watched  a Sesame Street video on the computer, then headed out for a walk down in the park that's on the Sea of Japan.  The boys got to go in a bounce house, throw rocks into the ocean and then enjoy an ice cream.  It was a successful outing with not too many attempts at running off.  Upon returning to the hotel, we learned that we have to watch Maxim like a hawk whenever he gets near the front door of our room... he wants to be an escapee.  Even tonight, after we put the boys in bed, we caught Maxim trying to sneak out the locked door.  I'm not sure we'll be sleeping a lot tonight.  I hope he doesn't run off.


Anyway... I'm signing off now before I start sleeping on the keyboard.  More tomorrow if I can summon some energy.  Life is good.  

It's a Great Day When...

you get to watch your seven-year-old meet his new little brother for the first time.


After our driver picked us up this morning, we headed toward the children's home where Little M and his orphanage friends are hanging for the summer.  On the way, we picked up our translator, Elena.  What a cool job she has.  Imagine getting to witness first-time family connections and communication for a job.  I can only imagine how good it must feel.  I think I wouldn't be so good at it, I'd be sobbing with joy every time.  

Waiting for M to come outside.

We arrived at Children's Home #2 Summer place.  I'm still not sure if they move the kids over from the home in Vladivostok every summer or just this summer in particular because of the renovations.  We were met by Ivan, our coordinator, and also the social worker assigned to our case.  We had met her in February when she came along once when we were visiting Little M to "observe" us, ask questions, and answer our questions about the history that exists in his file.  From the road, this summer home, in Evan's words, "looks kind of deserted."  When we arrived, there weren't any kids playing outside yet and the buildings both looked like they were wanting of a paint job and a good window scrubbing -- at least 20 years ago.  While we weren't allowed in the buildings, except for Evan at one point, we were happy to enjoy the playground and gardens which lay between the two buildings. Ivan went in and asked for Little M.  His caretaker brought out a timid little boy with his standard summer haircut...  shaved super short.  I was feeling a bit sad about the haircut until the rest of his friends came out a bit later and we saw some of the girls haircuts.  His looked terrific.  I'll leave the rest to your imaginations.  The shyness lasted all of one minute.  Evan gave Little M a huge hug and a smile and then M relaxed and gave us hugs, too.  They immediately started playing when Evan dug out the Go Go Crazy Bones he had brought for him.  That was it...  we taught Evan how to say "I'm your brother" (Ya dvoy brat) and everything was easy peasy from then on.


We played and snapped pictures for the next two hours on the playground.  Evan and M played on the swings, the slides, the climbing gear.  They blew the fuzzy heads off the dandelions together.  They divided and negotiated over the Go Go Crazy Bones.  They threw a ball, they ran around, learned they have a common like of Transformers, laughed and smiled and somehow, some way managed to communicate without understanding the words.  Evan learned "davai" which means "go" or "your turn."  M learned "thank you" and remembered "bye bye."  Our hearts are very full of joy today.  

Here's a teaser for you...

We had the fortune to be able to ask questions of one of M's two caretakers.  We asked her, naturally, if M remembered us or asked about us since meeting in February.  She told us that he hoped we would remember him and that he kept asking when we would be back.  Finally, he was told, "when the green leaves appear on the trees."  She said since then, every time they came outside, he would go check the branches on the trees, looking for the green leaves as a sign that we would be there soon.  We learned that he was told last night of our return and that he was VERY excited and happy.  Through our interpreter, we asked M if he was excited to go on an airplane and see his new home.  He told us he wanted to go today.  Our hearts melted. I will never look at new leaves on a tree the same way again.  

About a 1/2 hour into our visit, we noticed another couple coming up the walk to the Children's Home.  We were told that they were a couple from Spain and were there, too, to see a child.  When the little girl came outside, I was so happy to see who it was.  She's from M's group of playmates, about 4 or 5 years old.  It's impossible to put into words the feeling you get when you visit an orphanage and see all the kids who won't be going home with you.  It's almost as if an unspoken prayer heads straight to heaven asking for parents to step up and come get these kids.  This little girl, on our first visit in February, was the one whose timid smile stuck with me as we left to return home to the States.  I remember saying to Jose that if we were ever able to do this again, I would want to see if she were available.  It was such a gift to see that God spoke to someone else's hearts and somehow, they were able to come for her.  We shared with them how sweet she was when we met her with little M and their friends on our first trip and how happy we were for them to be adopting her.  We exchanged cards and are hoping someday to be able to meet somewhere in Madrid and share "una copa."  Thank God for answered prayers.  Her new parents will be back when the leaves are changing and falling. 


We left with the promise that we would come back again tomorrow to visit and play.  After our visit with M, I was able to experience one of my other favorite things to do while visiting a foreign country... visit a grocery store!  To me it's fascinating to see what's available, how it's packaged, how much it costs, what's different, what's the same.  It's like a cultural study in one room.  Fun fun fun.  After that, we returned to the hotel.  Jose had a BLT and I had a salad.  We both enjoyed the Borscht soup, and Evan had a hamburger.  Now Evan's watching a movie on the ipad, Jose is napping and I'm updating this blog.  It's been a very good day and we are grateful.

Arrival in Vladivostok

Today's a big day...  this morning our driver will pick us up at 9:15 and take us to go see Little M.  Evan finally gets to meet his new little brother.  We learned yesterday from our coordinator, Ivan, that Little M has been moved to a summer house.  Apparently Children's Home #2 is undergoing renovations.  Apparently it's about a 45 minute drive.


With the 15 hour difference between Vladivostok and Florida, our internal clocks kept us waking up every few hours or so and as of 4:30 Vlad time, we were up for the day.  (with a little luck, I'll be able to fit in a nap later) The hotel's restaurant doesn't open until 7:30am, so we're biding the time with some beef jerky, Nutella and peanut butter which we combined with an apple we picked up yesterday from the restaurant on our dash to our medical appointments.  Not a bad appetizer.


Let me back up to our mad dash.  Our flight from Moscow to Vladivostok lasted about nine hours, landing at 1:30 pm here.  By the time we found our driver, collected all our luggage and got on our way, it was nearly 2:15 pm.  Our coordinator, Ivan, was meeting us at the hotel at 3:00 pm and another driver would take us from there, to our medical appointments in downtown Vlad.  If you could see the roads in Vladivostok right now, you'd understand that the ENTIRE highway system we had to travel is under construction for the coming APEC conference next year.  Our arrival at the hotel at 3:00 was a miraculous event.  Our medical appointment was at 4:00 pm and we couldn't be late.  We needed this panel of physicians to sign off on our medical health as part of the court requirements for the adoption.  That left us about 10 minutes to get our luggage to our room, rinse off in the shower and change into fresh clothes, not to mention locating our xray chest films which we hand carried over to prove that we're not carriers of TB.  Somehow we made it on time.  Evan was so tired, he fell asleep, again.  First he slept the entire car ride from the airport to the hotel, then he slept the entire car ride from the hotel to the medical building.  He was so sound asleep that we actually left him sleeping in the car (with our trusted driver who spoke no English) while we dashed in for our appointments.  He was still snoozing when we returned to the hotel.  We were left with just enough energy to have a light dinner in the restaurant, walk around the outside of the hotel to the kids playground, and then get settled into our room for the night.  More on that later...