The last few weeks have been a whirl wind of events. We drove to Michigan at the beginning of the month so the boys would be cared for by my mom and dad. Jason and I were on a flight the next morning to Moscow for our court hearing on the 5th and to visit with Natalia.
We got to Chicago to realize that our flight to Dulles Airport was canceled. This was a little unsettling because we did not have much of a cushion in our itinerary. If we missed our flight to Moscow it would very likely cause our court date to be canceled. After talking to customer service, they arranged for us to fly into Reagan National (the other airport in DC), then we had to catch a cab to Dulles to make our connecting flight. The plan went off with out a hitch and we were on our way to Moscow.
Although the trip is always exhausting, we were glad we made it safely and happy to see Vladimir waiting for us as we exited immigration. As we drove to our apartment he briefed us on what would happen at the court hearing in the morning and also said that these were all formalities to confirm the decision that has already been made which made me feel better as I was intimidated with the idea of having to earn the judges approval.
The court hearing went smoothly. Jason went to the stand first, he was asked a series of questions from his name to why he wanted to adopt. I followed Jason up to the stand and received the same line of questioning (maybe a little less drilling than his). I was very nervous but for some reason could not keep a huge grin off my face. I probably looked very ridiculous with my permagrin as she is asking me if I might love Natalia less than my biological boys. But to me I was so excited and the question was so silly that I could not help but smile with great delight!! The truth is, I already love her! God chose us to be her family and I don't think He is worried about biology ;-)
So, the judge ruled in favor of us being Natalia's mom and dad!!!! Yay!!! That afternoon we went to the orphanage to visit our sweet girl. The weather has gotten much colder since our last visit and spending time outside was out of the question, so we met with her is a common area that had couches and toys to sit and play. I was overjoyed to see that she was healthy and happy. She was a complete joy to be with. She was not only crawling all over the room but also pulling herself up onto furniture and had two more teeth. How much changes in just over a month. My last trip she was crawling but not too far and now she is on the go!! When our time was almost done, we asked if we could see where she lived. They agreed and we were led to the second floor, we went through the entryway and saw a nicely organized room with plenty of toys and play areas. It seemed clean, functional and cheerful. There was another room off the the left that we were led into where we found about 10 cribs all set side by side. I wish I could remember this better, by mind is foggy, I think due to the overwhelming emotional moments of it all. We were able to visit her crib, she was in number 5. After taking plenty pictures of her throughout her room (mostly because her caretaker was putting her in all difference positions for us) we said goodbye and went back to our apartment.
The next day we went back to the orphanage again and spent more precious time with our daughter. I was able to ask several questions about her eating and sleeping habits. Knowing that this was the last time we would see her on this trip, we didn't want it to end. But she began to get tired and Vladimir called for the caretaker to come and get her. Although I know it is perfectly normal, it made me sad to see Natalia smile when her caretaker walked in the room. I couldn't wait until that smile was for me!!!
So fast forward a 12 day waiting period and lots of fun with the boys and family in Michigan, here we are on the last day of our last trip!!!!! We arrived on Monday, and went to the orphanage on Tuesday to get our baby. It was different knowing that we were there for the last time. I found myself looking around taking it all in and not wanting to miss a thing. We were led into the office of the orphanage director where we gave her the gifts that we had brought and thanked her. Then walked over to another office where we were asked to sit. We waited only a minute before Natalia was brought in. I wonder if she recognized us. We took off the clothes she had on and put on the outfit that we brought for her first day with us. It was funny, she had a one piece outfit on with a Kermit the Frog t-shirt underneath, cute. We put her in a pink shirt with "my heart belongs to my daddy" on the front, pink worm and fuzzy pants and a pink and gray sweater vest. After a small about of paperwork Vladimir said it was time to bundle her up and go. We had a thick pink coat with a stripped hat and mittens. She was completely adorable!!!!
Walking out of the orphanage with her in our arms was beyond words. She fell asleep in my arms while sucking on her two middle fingers on the way to our apartment. This has been an amazing journey with great joy and upset along the way, but as Jason said earlier "God saved the best for last!!"
We have spent the rest of the week with our girl in Moscow, enjoying each other and getting to know her. She not only smiles when I walk in the room but when I put my hands out to hold her she actually laughs with joy and anticipation of being held. What a sweet gift!!! My heart is so humbled and grateful to our gracious Heavenly Father who gave her to us!!
Yesterday (Friday) was the final formality, we received her passport and visa and are now free to take our Natalia home to meet her brothers. We leave tomorrow morning and could not be happier. We have tasted the food, walked the streets, bought souvenirs and are now ready to say goodbye to Moscow!! It would be fun to come back someday, but not any time soon. ;-)
