What's that weight limit?

The good news is that we're almost packed. The bad news is that our bags seem to be taking on a life of their own. I'm sure one of them just swallowed the couch! We got an umbrella stroller bag for a shower present. Really nice and really handy except we discovered there was all kinds of extra room around the stroller. No need to waste it right? It's not wasted now! Actually, we have that bag (with the stroller, gifts and some baby things in it), a bag each for me and my husband and a small carry on and "purse" each. I think we're okay.

It's hard to believe that it's finally happening. Soon we'll be home with our daughter. It doesn't seem like long at all when I look back at when we started and what all we've been through. Then I look at the TV Guide and WOW! what we're missing - hours of American Idol, 2 weeks of Grey's Anatomy, the return of Lost, Survivor and ER, not to mention Studio 60, Beauty and the Geek and the Apprentice which I've given up on this season anyway. We'll never catch up! Oh well - I guess I'll be learning all the words to Goodnight Moon and Guess How Much I Love You instead. That sounds like a fair trade to me. Wonder if I've packed those? Better go check.

The countdown is starting

We got the last documents apostilled today and just to put an exclamation point on that, our visas came. This is SO much better than week before last when every day brought another thing that WASN'T done. I think that the main thing we have to do now is pack...and clean house for the company that will be here when we get back...and buy our daughter some food (do you think it would impress the officials if we had absolutely nothing for her to eat?). Never mind, I won't be brought down - with our passports, visas, tickets and paperwork, WE CAN GO GET OUR DAUGHTER. Anything else we can get there if we have to.

Yesterday, my co-workers gave us a shower. It was overwhelming. The clothes, toys, a jogging stroller, several handmade gifts (the good heirloom kind), books...I think we are set (except for that food thing...oh yeah and bottles...how could I have forgotten to ever buy bottles??). The only questionable gift we got was a Di*per G*nie. I've heard pretty mixed reviews on whether they're useful or worth it so we hadn't put it on our registry but now we have one...with a gift receipt. What do you guys think??? Do you have one?...use it?...recommend it?

Oh yeah - if by chance we get home and realize that she's lacking anything, her birthday's only a week away. Tell me this - when we've just given her a new home, new family, new country, new name, new room, all new toys and clothes and even a puppy...WHAT DO YOU GET HER FOR A BIRTHDAY PRESENT???

Fiddle-dee-dee, I'll worry about that tomorrow. For now, I've gotta go pack something or check a list!

Breathing again

Our CIS fingerprints are taken care of. I found an email address, they responded quickly that they were very overloaded but (I assume because we had a specific date) said we'd have our updated I 171H within 5 days and we got it in 2.

We got our fingerprints and money order to the SBI along with a picture and a note asking (begging) to please do whatever they can to rush the process so we'll have time to get it and have it apostilled before we are supposed to travel. My mom asked what happens if it's not done in time and I told her that it just has to be.

Next quandary is the car seat that we ordered is on back order until after we leave. We have 2 options:

1. We've found a store here that has it in stock but it costs about $40 more than ordering it online.
2. A friend's mother has an extra car seat that we could use until we can order ours.

The debate is whether it's worth $40 (which is really a drop in the bucket in the whole process, right?) to have her very own car seat from the beginning. Or is it worth standing on principle to not pay extra when you KNOW it's available cheaper, just not right now. I may let my husband decide that one. He feels like he gets to make so few decisions right now (what will she wear for her homecoming outfit, how many pairs of tights she needs, are the C*rters socks warm enough or do we need others, etc.). But then, isn't that the way it is with pregnancies too?

For the time being we're breathing a little easier. We're assuming our visas will come in time, we'll have a car seat one way or the other and the state police clearances will be here by...Wed.? Please?!

Aaaaccck!!!

I feel like Charlie Brown. Just when you can see the finish line, you trip over you own shoe strings.

We were notified yesterday that our state police clearance forms (which we asked for on the phone when we were trying to figure out how to get them and then wrote on the cover letter that we had to send in order to have them sent to us) are actually county level clearances which will not do. The good news is that we can hand carry the new forms with us rather than having to postpone our court date until we can get them and send them. When my husband (Mr. Paperwork Extraordinaire), called the office that he talked to before and explained the problem, the response was "oh yeah, we don't do those, you have to go through the SBI". Okay - would have been nice to know that when he asked the first time, but whatever. So, he contacts the SBI...no problem, just go get fingerprints, mail them to the SBI office (the campus is secure, you CAN NOT drive there and hand deliver them, not even if you offer to take the nice lady to lunch and slip them to her under the table), they will run the check and send the needed forms back to us. Shouldn't take more than 2 or 3 weeks. What?! We're on a plane to Russia in 2 weeks and those forms have to be apostilled, scanned, emailed to Russia and in my bag with me. She did say that if we included a letter reminding her of who we are and why we need this, she would do whatever she could to expedite the matter. I think this might be when we also slip in a picture of Creecher?

Prayers please!!!

Here we come!

Here we come blustery, snowy, freezing cold birth city of my daughter...here we come little Creecher...WE HAVE OUR COURT DATE!!!!

On Feb. 6, we'll become the parents of our very own little Creecher! I can't even believe it. I don't think I realized how nervous I was until I felt such huge relief when our case manager told us our court date. In the back of my mind I think I was painfully aware that any level of Russian government could decide to delay the process or stop it indefinitely. There's no question that we would wait a good long time for this little girl that we are already so in love with, but I can't help but think about how quickly children change at this age. Their hair is growing, their teeth are coming in, they're picking things up more quickly, holding themselves up better, the awareness in their eyes seems to make them look a little more grown up every time you see them.

I just wonder how much she's changed? In almost exactly 2 months, how much weight has she gained, has she learned to crawl, does she have top teeth to match the bottom ones, does she have more hair?

I can't wait to find out all of these things and more! I'm off soon to order visas, book flights, FINALLY wash those new little outfits that WILL still fit her when we bring her home.

Somewhere along the way, when I didn't even realize it, I switched from being excited about being a mom to feeling so lucky and blessed to be able to share a part of our lives with this precious little Creecher!

So...now's the time - unleash all of your trip 2 helpful hints!!!

Travel tips?

Amid all the shopping, washing, organizing drawers and closets I keep avoiding the thought that we actually have to go through the process of bringing Creecher home. I know there are a lot of forever families out there already. I'm interested to hear what arrangements you made for your return trip. Did you get the bulk head seats with the airline bassinet? Did you buy a one way ticket for your child? How do 2 first class tickets compare to the price and space of three coach tickets? What kind of snacks did you have with you on the plane? Did you use any medication (for your child) to help her sleep or to help with her ears? What kinds of toys provided good entertainment without annoying other travelers?

Other than those specific things - what did you do that worked well? What would you do differently?

All thoughts, suggestions and advice are more than welcome.

Happy New Year!

We SO need to have a child so we'll have an excuse for being total homebodies on New Year's Eve. Yesterday was cold and rainy so after church, we ate a snack and packed up Christmas decorations. (My family holds to the tradition that it's bad luck to have your tree up on New Year's Day - I don't really believe in superstitions but it IS a good excuse to make sure our tree isn't still up in June!). I paused a moment at 2 to wish Creecher a Happy New Year in her town and wish that she could know how much I hope that 2007 is the year that she will come home! At midnight, we popped a cork (on sparkling grape juice) and rang in the New Year with Dick Clark one more time.

I hope that 2007 holds all good things for both the recent and the soon-to-be forever families. Happy New Year!