Decision (the second try)

So the blog is back up and at least one of the blogs I had written was saved, here you go and once again we appreciated all the support and love you all have provided.

-- Written in the car on the way back from Kaluga - 06/26/2009 --

Well with happy hearts we would like to let the world know that we have a son! With sad hearts we had to leave him here for a little longer.

But I am getting a little ahead of myself; let me tell the entire story.

So the drive from Moscow was supposed to be a "short 2 hour" car ride. Well let's just say that we weren't that lucky. Five hours of traffic (about 3 hours of the 5) and speed racer like driving will ware on your nerves. I am very impressed with German's driving but I must be very confident that the dear Lord is riding with is on this trip. If He wasn't we would probably be dead. Doing 90+ mph on a wet highway that has hills and curves that reminded me of highway 12 in Idaho - scariest stretch of road I know - is probably the closest I have been to God in a long time. My pucker string has still not relaxed! But the bottom line is we made it to Kaluga.

Once in Kaluga we met our official interpreter, Kate and she us GREAT! She is a young English professor at the local university. She was born in Kaluga and went to school at the university where she now teaches but has studied in the US (Washington state and Colorado). She joined us for our meeting with the regional inspector for the ministry of education, who is responsible for representing the child's interest during the adoption process. She was a very nice lady that was very anxious for us to meet Aleks. She told us some information about Aleks and then gave us the official referral document that gave us permission to visit Aleks and have access to all of his records.

So then it was off to the orphanage. We arrived and had to wait for a few minutes in a large play room and then they brought Aleks in from his map and he was a little shy and confused at first but warmed up to us after a while. During the play time Connie got to speak with the social worker about his mother and the conditions that resulted in him being available fir adoption - not much is known but you can imagine that is known isn't good.

We played with him for about an hour, he can walk on his own and plays with toys and eventually engaged us in his play. After the hour was up it was time for his nap and we went in to speak with the doctor about his medical records. They have taken excellent care of Aleks and were very open with his current and past medical issues. We asked all the questions Dr. Heidi had given us and got good information from the doctor as well as observing Aleks during our play time.

Then it was off to our hotel and dinner at the local German restaurant the Oberswine which was good. Before dinner we were able to get online at our hotel and send Dr. Heidi out photos, medical reports and even some video. We then waited for her response and it was quick - she called us to discuss her overall impressions and her concerns. As you can imagine there are some major concerns about FAS given his mother's history but his physical development and facial features indicated low risk so it was a wash - negative information about mother cancels out the positive physical indicators so we were back at square one.

We were up almost all night looking at pictures and talking about everything you could imagine - very emotional to say the least. In many respects this is the very first truly faith based decision that Connie and I have ever made as a couple and I for one can say that it was easy and tough all at the same time.

When German arrived at our door to take us to breakfast we let him know that we had decided to proceed with the adoption - he was very happy for us and because he wanted to get the ball rolling our plans for the morning changed a little. We were suppose to visit Aleks at 9 to observe him with his caregivers but instead we went to the notary office get our paperwork in order and then we went to the orphanage to visit Aleks for 30 minutes and then back to the notary office to sign the official documents and officially apply to adopt Aleks. Then we had a few errands to run a quick bite to eat and then back to visit Aleks one last time before heading to Moscow. We were blessed to arrive just as he was waking up from his nap and was getting ready to eat lunch. When they asked if we wanted to feed him we jumped at the offer.

So Connie got down and they brought in a lunch big enough for me and set it down in front of her and then left the room. He is a great eater and you will have to see the pictures to believe how much he ate. We have plenty of pictures, I guess I went a little "proud papa" with the two cameras and took over 259 pictures and almost 15min of video during lunch. It was a really special time for us.

We then changed him into our "Baylor outfit" to see what size we were going to need to start getting once we get home - 18+ mo for those of you looking at home for something to get him (he will probably be in 2Ts before we see him again..

Then came the hardest thing we have ever had to endure in our lives - we had to leave without him. As you can imagine it was emotional to say the least but we were able to keep it together long enough to get in the car and focus on the drive back to Moscow.

So here we sit on the outer loop of Moscow in TRAFFIC again. We will be getting up early in the morning to head to the airport for what I expect will be the longest and saddest flight of our lives. We have been told to anticipate our next trip in late August or early September and we will be over here for an extended stay - 4 days before court date then 10 days in Moscow waiting to pick him up and then 5 more days in Moscow with him and finally back home.

Well that is all for now, thanks to everyone for the prayers and support during this time it has been appreciated and felt! But we are going to need more for the wait and for the next trip. Get ready out little one is coming home soon.

CKL


-- Post From My iPhone

Quick update

Having some Internet issues in Kaluga, we will make a more detailed post when we are back in Moscow. Road trip was longer than anticipated but we made it safe and sound. Meeting with Aleks was good, lots of pictures, video and visit with doctor went well. We visit Aleks again in the morning and have to make a decision at that point. Very stressful, many considerations and emotions! Can't explain all we are feeling and I doubt anyone at home would understand if I could. Will update tomorrow with decision and more detail. Please pray for us!

-- Post From My iPhone

Beautiful morning

So it is over cast and 56 degrees this morning. We got up at 4:44am and started our day with the best cup of tea I have ever had! We are off to Kaluga and Aleks. Love to all and we will blog later.


-- Post From My iPhone

Привет from Moscow

Not sure if the last post made it so I am going to try again now that we are at German's house and we have wifi.

So the plane ride was rather uneventful, long and our butts hurt but we had the exit row so that made things more comfortable. There was quit the eclectic group of traveler on the plane, Russian nationals going home, hopeful adoptive parents, students traveling over seas for the summer, adoptive grandparents going over to help their daughter and son-in-law bring back twin girls and many more we didn't talk to. We were also blessed with a peak into what is to come on our trip back - the gutteral screams of the unconsolable child. This little girl sounded like a ferral child raised by apes. It was pretty impressive, all I can say is thank the dear Lord above for headphones and our laptop!

After landing in Moscow we could not deplane until the Russian health ministry boarded and took every passengers temperature and got medical information concerning swine flu risk, that was interesting. And no, there were no probes, our temperature was taken by an infrared device that I had never seen - pretty cool technology.

After getting off the plane those if us on our first trip followed the croud, like lemmings I might add, to the very long passport control line. Nothing too scarey but very serious. Then baggage claim and you will never believe it but you have to wait an eternity here as well, seems like one of those universal constants - I will have to ponder the physics if that process when I solve the rest of the world's problems.

Then CUSTOMS! It is totally not what you think. No armed gaurds no stern folks digging through bags, no strip searches. We walked through the doors and were directed through a corridor and emerged on the other side to find German waiti g for us with a sign. Very unentful! I like uneventful!

So German is our driver, host and interpreter - he is our life line here in Russia and he is good at what he does. He took us to meet Tatiana, the head if Gladney operations here in Russia. Tatiana lives on the top floor of a building with NO elevator. And it was not a two story building! No one had prepared us for the adoptive parent cardiac stress test that us what I am now calling the "Tatiana protocol". She must be in excellent shape to do that climb every day. We completed our paperwork there and we were off again.

Driving in Moscow is the second part if the adoptive parent stress test. It is not for the faint of heart. Greman was kind enough to take us by Red Square, Kremlin and numerous other famous sights - we have pictures.

We made it back to German & Mariana's home, the top floor of a building WITH an elevator, albeit the smallest elevator I have ever seen.

Mariana is an exellent cook and had fixed us a meal so we would have something in us and then it was NAP time. We woke up after three hours and had dinner and we have packed for Kaluga.

In the morning we will head out for the drive to Kaluga. When we get there we will meet with the head doctor to review medical reports and ask questions and the we meet Aleks!

So it is time to catch some z's so we will blog tomorrow.

До свидания


-- Post From My iPhone

We are here

Well we made it just fine. It is truely a different world and at the same time it is the same - traffic and construction. Greman seems to be very nice and has put me at ease with being here. We have met Tatiana and everything is on track. We found out that German was the one that took the pictures of Aleks and he say that Aleks is a great boy. We will stay with German and his wife tonight and then tomorrow morning we will get up early and make the drive to Kaluga but will not meet Aleks until after his nap and lunch. Got to run. Keep praying.


-- Post From My iPhone

Adventures in the airport

Wow! So we got to the airport this morning at 7am anticipating the worst and we were treated to a display of every conceivable bad behavior known to man kind. Crying, yelling, stomping feet, name calling, cutting in line, sulking, hand gestures, blamming, shoving... and that was the adults! Trust me the list could go on and on!

It is truely amazig how there are still people out there that still think they can arrive at the airport with less than an hour before their flight departs and think that they are going to be able to make it.

But the Lord continues to bless this trip and we were able to ge through the line without a "situation". I feel for those that work at the ticket desk! Those folks deserve extra pay to deal with the short tempers and abusive language that we saw. But I will say that they don't put up with it for very long before they call in for "reinforcements". And when that happens hold on cause someone is going to be "escorted" to some place I assume is other than their flight.

Well we continue on our journey and can't wait to see Russia and more importantly Aleks.

More to come...


-- Post From My iPhone

WORD!

Connie was kind enough to put the story down and send it to my parents so they could include it in our "adoption book" my mother is creating.

This is the story of how we heard about our son, waiting for us in Russia……..

It is 3:58pm on Thursday, June 4, 2009

Kevin was at work and I was at home washing clothes and getting ready for a busy weekend. Robin Longoria, our contact at the Gladney Adoption Agency, called the house and asked me what I was doing and she just laughed. I said, “Oh my gosh Robin, are you calling for THE CALL?”. She laughed and said, “ YES, Connie, take a minute to catch your breath”. Then she asked if Kevin was at home because she needed to talk to both of us.

I told her no, he was not home but I would call him on his cell, since he has it with him all the time. Kevin and I had worked out a signal so Kevin would know what to do when I called with the signal. I put the house phone down and got my cell phone and ran through the plan with the cell…………no return call from Kevin. I ended up sending the signal MANY times with NO RESPONSE.

I finally got on my computer and just started emailing Kevin so that he would get frustrated with his phone going off and my email would be all he saw on his computer. I just kept typing in the subject line ADOPTION CALL ME. I still have Robin on the house phone and FINALLY after literally 5 minutes of doing this, Kevin calls, but not on my cell phone but the HOUSE phone! I see that he is calling so I pick up my cell phone and call him. I tell him that I have Robin on hold on the house phone and that she needs his phone number of where he is at this very moment so that she can conference him in on the phone call with me. Kevin asks, why and then it hits him and he says, with a shaky voice, “Is this THE CALL?” I laughed and said “YES it is, are you ready?” He responds, with a shaky “Okay”.

He can’t remember his phone number at the office and so I ask him if he is in his office or some where else since I had called him on his cell phone I wasn’t sure. He finally says, yes that he is and continues to struggle to remember his office number. He finally gets it out and I tell him to not leave the spot he is at right now because Robin will call him in a few minutes. I tell Robin the phone number and she calls and tells us about our son, whose name, given by his birth mother is Aleksandr L.

Kevin had stepped away from his desk, without his cell phone, and gone down the hall to speak with the Dean of the Business School, Terry Maness. The bad thing is that he didn’t come back to his desk because of everything I was doing, but because his phone was ringing at his desk and he was coming to answer it. Thank God that he sent an angel to get Kevin back to his desk.

We have been told at this point that we will be making our first trip to Russia June 23-27, 2009 to meet our son, Aleksandr. We will probably wait 2-3 months before we go back for our second trip and actually get to bring him home.