Welcome back, everyone. If you're just now joining us, tomorrow Tyler & I are leaving for our third trip to Russia. This time we ARE bringing Calvin and Silas home with us. Hooray! The praise be to my Father in heaven, as He has made all of this come about and we are eternally grateful for the opportunity to have these sweet boys join our family. We should be in Russia for just over 2 weeks and then return home.
As you can imagine (those of you who have done this whole international adoption thing) I've been running around like crazy getting all those last minute details done - haircut, post office, cleaning house, laundry, decorating...oh, yeah, I wanted for their rooms to be extra perfect. And I even took pictures. I'll pat myself on my own back since you're not here to do it. And I blogged them on my other blog. Click here to see the pictures and then make sure to come back here and tell me how adorable they are and how talented I am and how you've never EVER seen anything so cute, etc, etc, etc. Go ahead. I'll just wait here.
If you're reading this, that means you have seen the pictures, right? Good. So, I am picking up Danielle from the airport today and then we will leave tomorrow morning. I am not feeling as nervous this time around. Perhaps it's because 2 months ago I was in Russia. Before then, it had been 9 months since our trip and I was trying to get everything ready for the kids and Danielle, etc. I know this time not to have the kids accompany us to the airport, as I was a blubbering disaster saying goodbye to them. I'll just send them off to school and be sure I get all the blubbering out of the way in the shower before the airport. And this trip will only be 2 weeks long, instead of 3 1/2 weeks (2nd trip) or 4 weeks (1st trip). And there's no court, nothing that will stand in our way or could prevent those boys from becoming ours.
I have been gearing the kids up for our leaving and been giving them extra long snuggles and love. Before our second trip, I videoed myself singing the bedtime songs that I sing every night. Danielle said they watched it every evening before bed during the second trip. At least they will hear my voice each night, even if I can't be there to snuggle them, too. In a few weeks, I will be snuggling 5 kids each night and singing them songs. I can't wait.
As for the process during this trip (just for you, Mom), here it is. We will fly in to Moscow, ride the taxi to Nizhny Novgorod, stay in a hotel, get our visas registered that night. Next morning, head to an office to begin the process for passports for the boys. Wait a week. Pick up passports and boys and head to Moscow where the boys will be thoroughly examined by a doctor and then we'll go to the US Embassy to drop off paperwork, then return the next day to pick up paperwork. Then we are free to leave Russia and come home. The boys will be legally ours when we leave Russia. As for when we will actually pick up the boys during this trip...I am not certain. Technically, the orphanages can hand them over immediately upon our arrival, since the 30 days are up. We shall see what they decide to do. I still need to learn what medications they are on, if any, and get their schedules written down (naps, food aversions, allergies, if any, etc).
If there are any of you reading this blog and you are beginning your adoption or thinking about international adoption, I would be happy to answer any questions (provided that I know the answers). Feel free to comment here or email me at jilldpierce @ yahoo . com (remove the spaces).
Pierce Family Adoption Registry
5 comments:
On my 2nd trip during Alex's adoption, I heard a rumor that my agency didn't always "let" you get custody of your child (even through the required - then - 10 days had passed) right away. I was LIVID about this. Then I remembered what a hectic first day it is. You have to get your court degree (maybe your in country contact has done this, maybe not), then you have to take the court degree to the "ZAKS" office to get the adoption/birth certificate - which can take a bit, then you have to take all that (plus the pictures) to the passport office. Thankfully, on my son's adoption the agency rep had already picked up the court decree and dropped it off at the ZAKS office -- so all we had to do was pick it up and then drop it all off at the passport office. But the wait (with a "present" - shampoo, etc for the passport agent) was 45 minutes. Without it -- I am told the wait in St Petes for a passport submission is 4 hours +++.
So anyway, long story short, we waited until day 2 after all that was done, and I am glad I didn't have to schlep him around. He was pretty overwhelmed being out of the baby home -- so it would NOT have been fun.
On the flip side, you want time to bond so they are comfortable with you 24/7 before having to put them on a plane!
Good luck! I'll be praying for you!!
OH!! And I love the rooms!
Good work on the rooms--they look perfect!!! Good luck this week--can't wait until you start sending details :D Glad this rolled around quickly!!
The rooms look awesome! Good luck on your trip. So happy you're finally bringing your boys home for good!
I am so excited for you! You have worked hard and waited a long time for this. I am happy you get to bring them home soon.
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