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. :)