Rays of Light

Sometimes it is overwhelmingly wonderful knowing that on the other side of the world there is a tiny person that we will one day have as part of our family. I can't really describe this feeling. It's kind of like when you see the early morning sun pouring rays of light through the clouds. Do you know what I'm talking about? I am driving down the road and I have to pinch myself. I can't believe that I get to be a part of something so wonderful. How'd I get to be so lucky?

~mama

And the REALLY good news is...

That our court date has been confirmed! Hopefully the judge will say "da!" in a month or so. We haven't been able to make plans or ask any questions because of the holiday weekend, but we should be able to do this in the next few days as people return. We are still uncertain about the 10 day wait versus the 30 day wait. As you can see (previous post) the agency said for sure 30 days...but our facilitator in Russia said that this is not certain and the judge is out until the end of January. Hopefully some of these things will get cleared up this week and we can start the process of travel preparations one way or another. The Mister and I are very excited that we will be able to hold and kiss our girl again! We have missed her terribly. YAY!!

~mama

Merry Christmas Eve

It's 9:51 a.m. here in Florida and already 63 degrees. It's 27 degrees and snowing in Russia. Merry Christmas Eve friends! It's been a crazy year here and even though we are still physically two instead of three this year, having Baby Bee in our hearts makes us filled with joy as we spend time with family and friends that are also anxious about her arrival. We are in the final stretch and even though we have had some unexpected hurdles thrown in our way...the finish line is close. Thank you for supporting us these long two years (which, believe it or not, are starting to feel not so long).

Love to you all.

~mama

But the good news is...

That our facilitator called the orphanage today and they said that "baby bee is a healthy and nice child." :) I love my girl.

Changes?

We received this bit of information today but as you can see it is vague so we aren't sure what it means for us. I mentioned this in a previous blog. Stay tuned.

Changes to the 10 Day Waiting Period
"Our agency" has confirmed Russia has passed a law which extends its waiting period from 10 days to 30 days on all civil cases, taking effect on January 1, 2012.

As adoption falls under the civil court, we are expecting this law to apply to both international and domestic adoptions in the Russian Federation. At this time there has not been any formal instruction to the regional courts to exclude (waive the extension of the waiting period) adoptions cases from this law, therefore, we are anticipating this law will also apply to adoption cases.

The waiting period is the time that must elapse between your court date and the date which your adoption decree comes into force, at which time you legally become the parent to your child.

It is important to note this law is not designed specifically to adoption, but to all civil matters (ie - divorce, lawsuit, etc.).

We will forward additional information regarding the impact this law will have on adoption cases as we receive it. We are hoping to receive additional information after Russia returns from holiday, approximately the week of January 11, 2012.

Hang in there until we have news.

Mama

Wednesday

Okay...two weeks means today and I have no news.

I miss You

5191.75 miles is very far. To hold your child for three days and then be this far away from them for four months is torture.

Two Weeks-Week of Twos

Hey! The good news is that we have a tentative court day for February...wish it was a little sooner but we are happy to have a date!! We should know more in two weeks.

~mama

Little Bee...day of twos

2 months today since we met you.
Today you are 22 months old.

Love you.
Miss you.

~mama

101 Things to Do with a Toddler

I found this on another blog...good stuff!

1. Color
2. Blow Bubbles
3. Play Hide-and-Seek
4. Peek-a-Boo
5. Play Chase
6. Do Finger-plays
7. Sing a song
8. Collect rocks in a basket
9. Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
10. Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
11. Go for a Walk
12. Make a Car out of a Box
13. Read a book
14. Go to the park
15. Finger-paint
16. Play with Play-Dough
17. Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
18. Play the shell and pea game
19. Dance to music
20. Download games for toddlers from the Internet
21. Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
22. Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
23. Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
24. Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
25. Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
26. Put on a puppet show
27. Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
28. Make a Horseshoe game
29. Make a Shape Puzzle
30. Play paper basketball
31. Run through a Sprinkler
32. Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
33. Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
34. Play with a kazoo
35. Wash windows together
36. Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
37. Brush each other's teeth
38. Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
39. Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
40. Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
41. Make a playhouse out of a large box
42. Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)
43. Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
44. Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
45. Go on a Smelling Hunt
46. Frost Cookies
47. Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
48. Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
49. Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
50. Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
51. Have a splash party together in the bathtub
52. Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
53. Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
54. Make and try on paper hats
55. Give a piggy-back ride
56. Play "Horsey"
57. Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
58. Play tug-of-war with a blanket
59. Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
60. Make a camera and go on a Safari
61. Play games with frozen juice lids
62. Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
63. Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
64. String large beads onto or along a shoelace
65. Squirt each other with squirt bottles
66. Glue shapes onto paper
67. Make sock puppets
68. Make paper puppets
69. Fill an old purse with toys
70. Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
71. Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
72. Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
73. Act out a story from a book
74. Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
75. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
76. Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
77. Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
78. Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
79. Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
80. Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
81. Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
82. Do the Hokey Pokey
83. Make a super-hero costume out of household items
84. Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
85. Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
86. Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
87. Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
88. Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
89. Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
90. Learn numbers from a deck of cards
91. Play the matching game with a deck of cards
92. Make a domino chain
93. Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
94. Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
95. Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
96. Make a nature collage
97. Mirror each other
98. Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
99. Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
100. Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
101. TAKE A NAP!

December 5, 2009

Tomorrow marks the 2 year anniversary since we signed with our agency. It was a wonderful rainy day that started with butterflies in my stomach and ended with pizza. It's been a long two years but I haven't had any regrets. I love my agency and I am happy with every decision we have made, decisions that are leading us to the girl that is perfect for us, who makes us smile and makes our dreams at night and during the day a happy place to be (I really love it when I dream we are all together). She really looks like us! I can't wait to hear the next news about our little bee. I am ready to be on that plane to see her again. I love you. I love you.

~mama.

Here is my post from 12/5/2009:

Today we got up early and drove to Daytona Beach in the rain for our AGENCY seminar (see photo of library where we met above). We were pretty sure that we had made up our minds to apply with them, but I wanted to see how they were in person and make sure that after all the research I had done that I wasn't missing something. They didn't tell us anything new but it was reassuring to know that I have done all I can in making this life changing decision. Even though it rained on the entire drive the trip was nice and I enjoyed the sweet company of Mr. N. We had lunch at a cafe called The Dancing Avocado and made our way back home. We needed naps so we took care of that. He watched football. I picked up a delicious extra cheese and fresh basil pizza...and then I sent in the application. The journey has officially begun...of course they may look at the application and so NO WAY and then all will come to a screeching halt...either way, with fingers crossed and hopes high I sign off tonight.

Vintage Russian Nursery

As you may know, I have a love of mixing modern and vintage pieces together. I just found this site on Etsy that sells Vintage Items With Russian Soul. In fact the shop is called Russian Soul Vintage! They have all kinds of things (mostly paper things like cards and other ephemera) but I fell in love with these postcards. Aren't they sweet? The one I am showing here is one in a set of four for only $2.50 and they are adorable! Let me know if you are the lucky one to snatch them up!

~mama

The Buzz

My little bee is as sweet as honey. :)

Photo Updates

I just remembered that I said I would post a new picture of the Little Bee's room. I am attaching one here. I also made a little sign for the playhouse aka Gnome Home (as suggested by Stacey). Baba and Grandpa made her a cradle. Our friend Kim made her the hair clippies. They are so detailed! She's going to be one lucky little girl! Enjoy the pics!

~mama

Last Day of November...

Today is the last day of November and I was excited to know that the judge would return tomorrow...except I just found out that she is back today and has our papers! Maybe we will have a court date on our schedule in the next few weeks! We still hope that it will be in January. A social worker saw the Little Bee yesterday and said that she is doing very good. She also said that the doctor is very happy with her development. It is a good day! Yay! So happy to hear some news about our darling girl!

~mama

10 to 30? Say it Ain't So.

There are rumors about the 10 day wait being changed to a 30 day wait starting next year. I hope this isn't true. I don't know who this would benefit. I really hope this is a rumor that never comes true. Please keep your fingers crossed. I really want my girl to be here before her 2nd birthday. a little girl deserves a party...but most of all she deserves a family that loves her.

~mama

It won't be forever

Adoption is hard and we have been doing this for just a week short of two years (wow!). We've had our ups and downs and a lot of waiting and a lot asking what we are doing this for again? In Russia I had to pinch myself a few times and remind myself that not only were we in RUSSIA but we were going to meet a child that might be our child FOREVER. It really is surreal. Now we are home waiting to see her again, sometimes I am with heavy heart and I know I will miss her on Christmas but I just have to remember this (look to your left) to know that I will wait forever if I have to.
~mama

Thanksgiving for Two (last one!?)

Dear Little B,

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone without you by our side. I am thankful that this will be the last one. Today we thought about you and talked about you and looked at your photographs with your huge family. I ate some sweet potatoes and thought that you would probably like them. I wonder what you did today? I hope that you played with Little R (but mostly I hope that he has found a forever family) and maybe did the sweeping game or got to sing songs. Your cousin Tori is here for the holiday and will spend tonight here with Uncle Lee. I think that the two of you will one day be close friends. We miss you little one and we can't wait to have you home.

~mama

Giving Thanks

I think the thing that I want to give thanks for the most this year can be summarized by this quote:

"Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life. No matter what."

Friends and Family,
Thank you for loving me and being there for me always.

~mama

Adoption Anyone?

Hi!

A special request has gone out to adoption bloggers about this little girl that needs a home! She is BEAUTIFUL!! If you have been thinking about adopting and are able to take care of a child with some special needs please go to this link http://reecesrainbow.org/28060/tera. She seems like an amazingly sweet girl who just needs a loving forever family.

~mama

Here's the information I have from a friend (aside from the link above)

Please spread the word about this little girl from Russia. She was born with bladder exstrophy and lumbar hernia. Her parents rejected her at birth because of her condition, and she spent all of her life in the orphanage. Lumbar hernia was removed after birth, and Natasha walks perfectly well. She is listed on Reece’s Rainbow foundation: http://reecesrainbow.org/28060/tera. I am a volunteer helping Russian orphans and I know Natasha personally.
She is a beautiful and a soulful young lady. The words that can describe her are “fragile” and “delicate”. The first desire you might experience when you meet her for the first time is to protect her, to shelter her from all the harshness of typical life in orphanage. She is quiet and soft-spoken but possesses internal strength and a sense of purpose in life.. When she was asked where she wishes her database pictures to be taken, she wanted it to be done in front of flowerbed, but she was afraid to step on ants living under flowers, which she always observes on her walks. Her favorite toy is a stuffed black kitten; she loves it dearly and carries it everywhere she goes. She loves animals and hopes someday to own a real kitten.
Natasha just underwent a very complex surgery in Moscow. Her recovery is steady, doctors give a good prognosis. She is listed in Krasnoyarsk district but is residing in one of the Moscow orphanages for now since she is scheduled to undergo another minor surgery in a month and a half. Authorities of Krasnoyarsk promise cooperation in her adoption process in Moscow. Natasha is available for adoption in USA trough HAPS New Jersey International Adoption Agency: http://haps.org/russia.html. Link to her page in Russian database: http://www.usynovite.ru/child/?id=148q5. I have more medical information, plenty of pictures and even a video of Natasha. Please write to sobachka02@yahoo.com
Natasha is waiting for her parents. She trusts us to help

Hey Bee

Looking at your picture with Daddy. You are so cute! We love you!

Three months today since we first saw your adorable face!

~mama

Letter for Little Bee

Dear Little Bee. I miss you so much my brain has stopped working.

love,
mama

14

I just found out the Russian holidays will go through January 14th. Killing me.

~mama

Stupid Waiting

I certainly wouldn't call them "dark days" because I do see a wonderful sparkling light at the end of this long long long tunnel (please see my ticker...we are so close to 2 years), but I do catch myself feeling horribly sad sometimes. I miss her so much...it's tough. It's hard to feel so close to something that is just out of reach. I want her so bad. I can't wait to bust her out. I hope that the caregivers are showing her the photos that we left for her so she just might...maybe...remember us when we return...

Hold on tight girl...we're coming for you soon!

~mama

Growing Growing...

Yesterday our little sweetheart turned 21 months old!! I hope she had a wonderful day. Rainy, cold and cloudy at her home. I can't wait to get her to the sunshine state!!

love you.

~mama

Grrrrrrrrr!

I was hoping we could at least get on the books for a court date while the judge was out in November. Apparently everything comes to a screeching halt...so no can freakin' do.

To The Bee

Good morning pretty baby!!

Donations are in the House!

We are now at $365 of our $500 goal! Wooott!!! Did I say that you guys rock? Well ya do!

~mama

A Vacation to Recover from the REALLY Long Vacation (and other annoying things)

So there are what seems like a 1000 holidays in Russia and the judges take them all off along with the summer...yes, pretty much the whole summer. Come to find out our judge is also going to be gone the WHOLE month of November...and let's not forget the winter holidays between December 31 and January 8th. Did I mention that they only see international adoption cases on Thursdays? As you can see this really limits our court date options. It looks like we won't be back until January. We predicted this, but naturally behind the scenes my heart was hoping for a court date in December. I'm not sure if they will even schedule a court date while the judge is out. I am still waiting on answers to a small stack of questions.

On a positive note I was greeted via email this morning with some wonderful pictures of our little sweetheart just waking up in her crib. She's beautiful! She's so cute in her crib...she looks like a little jailbird waiting for mama and daddy to come bust her out of the big house. They also sent a few pictures of her from last January all dressed up for the New Year's celebration. Love this girl.

Here's to having her home soon...

~mama

Finishing Touches

We're almost done getting the nursery in order. It's looking really good. It's really bright and colorful. I hope she doesn't get overstimulated! I will post some pictures of it soon. Off to bed now. I always look forward to a new week starting...fingers-crossed that we get some news THIS week!

~mama

Kids are For Families

When the mister and I had been together only a short time we both talked about what a wonderful thing adoption is and that we would maybe like one day to expand our family through adoption. I never knew it would actually happen and let me say it's a wonderful thing! For one thing...kids are for families NOT for orphanages and foster homes. Kids deserve to be individuals, not just another one to feed, diaper, medicate. They need hugs, love, someone to hold them, rock them, kiss their ouchies and smile at them when they wake up in the morning...someone to hold them while they read a book...someone that thinks they outshine the moon and the stars (and let me say that the mister showed me the moon last night...and it is pretty darn bright). Every child should be the smartest, cutest, most creative human on the planet to someone somewhere. I want all these things, not just for our Little Bee, but for all of the kids that need homes, that need forever families- for the kids in foster care, for the kids all over the world in orphanages, for the other little babies in B's baby home (especially you Roman!). I'm not saying this today so that you will run out today and apply to adopt a child (but why don't you?). I'm saying this so that you will do something today to make a difference in a child's life. Hug a child! Donate to a charity! Volunteer! November is National Adoption Awareness Month...have I made you aware?

Loving the Bee,

Mama

P.S. If adoption has impacted you in any way please share your message this November and spread the awareness!!

Two Stray Cats

Two Stray Cats wins the cuteness of the week award with this new lovey blanket. This fabric is adorable!! I pretty much love it lots. Don't forget...her slogan is "Where Every Creation Helps a Critter." 10% of her sales help animals in need! A great blanket? Helping animals in need? Win win. Spread the love and check out Two Stray Cats on Etsy!

~mama

Nothingness

Another day of nothingness. It's almost 10:00 pm in Russia. I guess I can scratch this day off.

sigh.

Thanks Friends!!

We are at $215 of our $500 orphanage donation goal! Wow! It's only been three weeks! Thank you friends for your kindness and generosity! This will really make a difference for the babies at the Little B's (Former) orphanage!

xxooooxxoo!

mama

Not Exactly the Pony Express

"They have promised to send the papers from Moscow to the region in the next few days"...I thought they would have arrived at least a week ago. Sigh.




~mama

Valeriya...could her designs BE any sweeter??

Hi All! It's almost Christmas and you may have missed the deadline for Valeriya Christmas gifts ( it's worth checking with her!!) but who couldn't use adorable kid's fashion all year round? When it comes to sweet clothes for kids...Valeriya is the BEST! Please check out these amazing items. I know some of you have bought from her before and I've seen the pics of your girls in her outfits...SO CUTE!! Anyway, I love her stuff so much I had to share!! Happy shopping and I look forward to seeing more photos of your sweet babies in Valeriya designs!!

~mama

P.S. I've heard that she just went to a quilt show so keep an eye out for new fabrics!!!

Gadgets

I don't have an I-phone and I am about a 3 or 4 on the hierarchy of tech savvyness (thhhpppttt! To those of you that are thinking that I am more of a 1 or 2). I was really excited last night when I discovered that my free sprint phone that I had for a year has a voice command! Ooh lala, so fancy. It will be great to have a kid around to help me figure these things out.

~mama

Home Town Fella Speaks the Truth

I can't say I am a huge Tom Petty fan, although I do have to give him some credit for a few good tunes. I do have to say that he speaks the truth when he says "the waiting is the hardest part." Has it really only been two weeks since I kissed your forehead, let go of your tiny chubby hand and held back the tears as I looked the other way and walked out the door? Please, give me the strength to make this time pass fast.

~mama

Halloween Like Screams

Every time I open my email and I've got no new information I hear a scream...I just realized it's coming from inside my head. I thought I could be more patient than this...apparently I was wrong.

~mama

Hot Helpful Hints (Things we've learned)

This will be an ongoing list of things we've learned to do (and maybe not to do) while traveling for Russian adoption. I will add to it as we go through the process.

• Several people said bring Ziploc bags for travel and I didn't heed the warning. I wished I had when the bottle for the shampoo decided to leak in my bag. Bring Ziploc bags.

• It makes life a little easier to know some Russian when traveling. I listened to CDs in the car and read a few books. I know the courtesies so I could come across as friendly enough. The MOST helpful thing was the husband learning the Russian alphabet and knowing the sounds for the letters. He's great with puzzles so this project was right up his alley. You'd be amazed at how many Russian words sound like the English equivalent when you know the phonetics of the Cyrillic alphabet. I highly recommend The Russian Language Map by Kristine Kershul. This was a hand-me-down from some previous APs that said it was their travel "bible." http://www.amazon.com/RUSSIAN-language-map%C2%AE-Kristine-Kershul/dp/0944502903 Learn the Cyrillic alphabet.

• If you are prone to cold sores when stressed or going from cold to hot locations like I am, bring some Abreva. Russian pharmacies are a challenge and dancing around pointing at your lip doesn't help either. At this time I should give a shout out to the nice man that figured out what I was saying and was able to help. I also want to thank him for walking with us three blocks over to save 40 cents. Thank you for your patience and understanding of my crazy sign language. Folks, bring your Abreva.

• If you plan on saving your receipts to track your expenses write what you bought on each receipt right after the transaction while still in-country. It's no fun trying to translate the receipt and remember what the heck it was for once you get home...trust me, you won't remember.
  

TRIP ONE PACKING LIST

I spent some time looking for a good packing list for trip one, so I thought I would put it here so hopefully someone else will find it useful.

Trip One Packing List (October 2011)

Mama- One pair of jeans (wear one on plane), two (three?) pants, long johns (shirt and pants), two tank tops, four long sleeve tops (wear one on plane), underwear and bras, coat and scarf, hat, three pair of socks.

Papa- Add later

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Moisturizer
• Tweezers
• Q-tips
• Wet wipes- toilet
• Small soaps
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Brush or comb
• Deodorant
• Shaving cream
• Razors (one each)
• Disposable cameras (leave at baby home)
  
• Camera
• Video Camera
• Chargers
• Extra camera card and battery
• Dr. paperwork (info from IA doctor)
  
• Visas
• Passports
• Plane tickets
• Agency Info (bound packet of information)
  
• Program fees
• Train money
• Money belts
• Travel book
• Russia language books
• Hotel reservation
• Measuring tape
• Umbrella
• Cereal bars/snacks
• Power strip
• Computer
• Journal
• Ziplocs
• Imodium tablets
• Tylenol
• Band-aids
• Alcohol wipes
• Hand sanitizer
• Melatonin for sleep?
• Photocopies of passports and visas (notarize)
• Cash
• Kindle
• Books and magazines
• Orphanage gifts
• Alarm clock
• Town postcards to hand out
  
• Lady products (in case you need them!)
• Small calculator (very handy for cost conversions)
  
• Our vitamins and medication
  
• Numbers to skype
• Little tripod for flipcamera
  
• Watch (can't use the cell phone clock!)
  
• Ipods
• Extra Money

Baby Stuff

• Diapers (didn't need)
  
• Wipes (didn't need for diaper changing but used for boogers!)
• Snacks (didn't need as we always went close to lunch or dinner- always ask if they can have snacks)
  
• Snack cups (didn't need as we always went close to lunch or dinner)
• Sippy (didn't need as we always went close to lunch or dinner)
• Soft book
• Teddy bear (ask if you can give them plush toys)
  
• Bubbles (too cold to use)
  
• Beach balls (HUGE HIT with the other kids and they pack easily)
  
• Small book
• Three shirts to try on for sizing
  

• Baby bag (I had a special bag so she would know that it was HERS)
  
• Photo album for photos of us
  
• Brag book photos (includes images of pets and toys and family)
  
• Crayons- Biggest hit and gave us a "first" drawing to take home- we could also trace hands and shoes(for sizing) but she wiggled too much.
  
• Paper- for drawing and notes
  
• Links- Plastic colorful links for babies...she LOVED these
  
• Toy cell phone- She loved this. It played music

~mama

Making Miracles

If I check my email every 5 minutes will a miracle occur? I could use a little magic. I could use a little news.

~mama

Fall Food Comforts

Anyone who knows me knows I love the fall food. I look forward to the day when the pumpkin baked goods start showing up on the shelf like most kids wait for Santa (don't get me wrong, I am first in line for Santa too). This morning I made apple cinnamon cobbler for breakfast. It's kinda like pancakes, right? Anyway, that put me in the spirit of cooking so I made a Pumpkin and Potato Soup and some Sweet Crescent Rolls. These sweet rolls are quick and easy so little ones can easily help!! If you try that let me know how it goes. You might also add some chopped pecans or walnuts to the rolls if you are so inclined. I apologize in advance for the lack of measurements but I pretty much always cook to taste. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Potato Soup

• · Cubed red russet potatoes with skins on
• Diced whole onion
• · One small can of pumpkin
• · Whipping cream
• · Coriander
• · Cayenne
• · Cumin
• · Nutmeg
• · Salt
• · Pepper
• · Seasoned croutons (make em' buy em' whatever)
  

Put cubed potatoes and onions in a pot just barely covering the top of potatoes with water. Boil. Once boiling, turn to simmer. Cook until fork tender. Smash a little with a fork. Add canned pumpkin. Stir. Add some whipping cream to thicken. Add seasoning to taste (coriander, cayenne, cumin, nutmeg, salt and pepper). Cook on low for a ½ hour. Taste again and season if needed. I like it a little spicy. Put in bowl and put croutons on top.

Fall Fun Sweet Crescent Rolls

• · One can of crescent rolls
• · Sugar
• · Cinnamon
• · Pumpkin pie spice
• · Butter
• Chopped nuts (optional)
  

Topping

• · Powdered sugar
• · Milk

Unroll crescent rolls on a cookie sheet

Spread butter on each triangle of dough

Mix sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice together (and chopped nuts if you like!)

Put sugar mixture on top of butter (save a little for the top)

Roll triangles large flat side to the point (like the crescent roll instructions)

Put left over sugar mixture on top

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes (refer to crescent roll package)

Cool

Mix powdered sugar and milk to make a glaze

Spoon over cooled rolls.

~mama

Weekend Home Stuff

We had apple cobbler for breakfast and it was yummy. It's afternoon and I am still in my pajamas. That's what I'm talkin' about! This is the life!! We have been productive though. We lowered the crib, hung some pictures in the nursery, hung the curtains in the nursery and hung up a little zip-line thingee in the hallway for displaying family and holiday stuff. Right now it has photos from our trip...and The Bees's FIRST drawings that she did with us at the baby home. The zip-line looks good, but will take some time to get used to since we really have never had much hanging in the hallway. I hit up some yard sales yesterday and got the B a really nice Little Tykes shopping cart for $2.00! Mama loves a bargain. There are a few more things left on the "to do" list for today but they require putting on clothes other than my gnome pajama pants and my old Tallahassee Tiger Sharks t-shirt and fuzzy socks...I think I will procrastinate those things a little longer.

~mama

P.S- I have a wish and that wish is that we are with our Little Bee for Christmas! Please keep us in your thoughts!

Quote

On the first day as we were leaving the baby home and walking down the stairs our translator and coordinator asked what our first thoughts were regarding the Little B. The Mister said "do you have the term, walking on air in Russian?

~mama :)

Thanks! Keep it Up!!

Thanks to those of you that have made contributions to the orphanage. Every penny makes a dollar (or a ruble) so please keep up the good work! I would say that we are still at least $375 away from our goal of $500 (or more, of course). With love...always!

~mama

Home Again and Passing the Hat

Hey! We are still recovering from the trip. I'm not sure that we've managed to stay up until 9:00 since we have been home. We got home late after spending the night in the airport. It wasn't as bad as it sounds...kind of like Night at the Museum but with a few random people walking around and sleeping on the floor. I was going to ask the janitors if I could take the floor polisher for a spin but they didn't look like they had a sense of humor. The whole trip seems really surreal at the moment. My love for this little girl grows more and more each second. It's kind of unbelievable really. We are waiting to see if we need to do anymore paperwork. All of our pre-court documents were in Moscow when we left. They were being translated before being sent to the region. Once they are there, the judge may ask for more documents or for us to re-do documents...or may simply give us a court date (could it really be that easy?) I am hoping HOPING HOPING that we will know something in the next week or two.

Did I mention that the orphanage staff were amazing? These people work so hard and obviously want to do everything they can for these children. It really wasn't what we imagined at all. Because we want the best for them and the children we would like to be able to make a donation directly to them. If you would like to contribute a monetary donation in any amount please let me know. We would be extremely grateful.

I will add that part of our fees include an orphanage donation, but this is split among all of the baby homes in the region- the full amount does not go directly to the Bee's baby home...a place that is really deserving of something special.

love,
mama

Stuck

Our flight was late and we can't get home. We are spending the night in the airport. On a positive note...did I mention that Baby B said "mama" on the last day? Not once, but twice. I know she wasn't making the connection to me, but she was making a connection to her photo album. Maybe she thinks the album is called mama? So hard to say goodbye. Watching videos of her is helping our long night in the airport go by a little faster.

~mama

P.S. I hate United Airlines

Moving on to Moscow

We just arrived back to our hotel in Moscow. We both slept pretty well on the train so the night went fast. Today we will do some tourist things in the city and get some rest before our long travels tomorrow when we leave for the airport at 8:30.

Yesterday things went extremely well. We have officially petitioned to have Baby B as our daughter. It was very moving seeing her name as ours on the forms. I am excited to get back home and prepare (and wait) for our next trip back to Russia.

This trip has gone by so quickly and our moments with Baby B have gone by even quicker.

Love,

~mama

P.S. Baby B wanted me to send you a message...da da dad dada da daa daa ddaa da da :) I think this means see you soon!!

Super Fantastic

Just wanted to say that today was an unbelievably good day. Everyone has been so good to us. Tomorrow we sign the documents to proceed and meet with the notary and maybe the MOE with our bottle of cognac. The people here are amazing! All of the people that work at the orphanage are so kind and loving and incredibly helpful. They have answered all of our questions and shown us so much with this little girl. Whatever we ask, they help, they provide answers and let us see how she lives everyday (and even ask us to participate). I cannot thank these people enough. The team with our agency is 100% fantastic. We have been so lucky.

Most of all I want to say that we have so much love for the little B. Tomorrow it will be a hard day to say goodbye....maybe not "goodbye" but see you soon my love, my little yum-yum.

Love you all,

~mama

Rainy Tuesday

What a great anniversary present! I will have to make this brief, but if summary we were met in the morning and went to the MOE office, followed by a trip to a bakery to buy a small cake for the children. The cake we selected had a little fondant bear and some flowers and mushrooms on it. I looked for one with a bee but I didn't see one. We met with the doctor for a discussion and then we went to the playroom...and guess who was standing at the door!! You got it! We went inside and had an opportunity to play with her and watch her interact with the children (p.s. we want to bring them all home). We then moved to another room where we were allowed to play with her on our own. She loved being tossed in the air by John and coloring in her note pad (she was singing while coloring!!) We took pictures and video. They then came in and said it was time for "yum yum" which means lunch. She heard those words and took off running to the door. This baby loves "yum yum" and I have now started calling her Baby Yum Yum. They said that we could talk to the doctor again. He is VERY nice and loves American sports. They also said that we would not see her again until Tuesday (today). All in all the day went very well. We meet with different doctors today and will have more time to spend with her. Gotta go. We will be leaving soon for another day.

~mama

Sunday

We spent the day at the Kremlin and Red Square. It was overcast and rainy. The buildings were quite impressive and we took lots of pictures. Afterwards we went to lunch at the Avocado restaurant that I wanted to try, and then we went to a store to try to get a wireless card to use in P**ov. We found someone to help that spoke some English and helped put a card on the computer. I hope it works! I guess we will find out tomorrow. It is now 3:50. Dimitry will be here at 5:30 to take us to the train station. We checked out of the hotel but we are in the lobby using the internet and because we left our luggage here this morning. Well, if you don't hear from us you will know that the internet card didn't work :) Oh, I have been practicing my Russian without too many funny looks. Must go now. Hugs from Russia. I can't believe we will meet the Little B tomorrow!!!!

~mama