Scott & Erik

Here are some pics of Scott & Erik. Scott loves Erik & is always looking for him or trying to call his name. Erik has been so awesome with him. We are so proud of him!

We found out today that Scott does have giardia which is a parasite which is causing his stomach problems. We knew it had to be something. It does not effect his mood at all. He will start the meds soon & hopefully it will take care of this.

Sorry I have not had much time to post on the blog. Just wanted to post these pics before Scott wakes up. The last one is what he does when he knows his picture is going to be taken.. he blinks his eyes Before. Its so cute. He is doing great & seems much more comfortable in our house. His favorite toys are balls & the Matrosyka doll we brought back from Russia. He seems to stil be trying to say Erik & is still sleeping great. Yeah! We hope this lasts. We took him to the dr last week & both docs were happy with is weight & development. He may have some verbal delays buts its too early to tell. We are still waiting on all the lab work. Gotta run he is waking up!

First 2 Days Home

Saturday 10:30 AM

Scott just went down for his morning nap so I have a few minutes. He has been fighting naps & cying more & more even though he is tired. Just a few minutes ago he fell asleep sitting up leaning his face against the crib as I was sitting in the rocker & he was looking at me. He falls asleep when I rock him but then wakes up when I put him in the crib, He has gotten very attached to me which is great but it can be exhausting. The first night he slept until 2 am, the next night until 4 am & then last night until 5:30 YEAH! It felt so good for us to be able to sleep 8 hrs. He is still an eating machine but is also still having bad BMs so its hard to know what to give him to eat. He lights up when he sees Erik. This morning he was actually pushing Erik on a toy. There is only about a 10 pound difference between them. Scott LOVES to practice walking & of course loves the stairs & giving mommy a hard attack as he tries to go head first down the stairs. We are going to make a trip to Babies R Us today to get another gate. I gave him his 3rd bath today & he is slowly getting used to them. Still wimpers but not as bad. We are all adjusting as a family & I am sure it will seem like he was always here soon. My mom & Dad are still here but are leaving today. Mom has been a huge help with all the house stuff as well as watching him so I can take a quick shower. I am a little nervous about this week as I need to take him to 2 doctors on my own but I guess I will manage. The first 3 pics were while in Russia & the last ones are at home

We are home!

Hi everyone... sorry I have been so bad about posting. I am in awe of other families who keep blogs & post detailed entries every day with pictures. I just found I did not have the energy to do it every day. I will try to post some more while we are home. We arrived home today about 6 pm. It was an incredible homecoming. My mom & dad were with Erik & about 20 other friends & neighbors on our cul-de-sac. They had decorated the front of our house with American Flags, signs & balloons & the older children had drawn welcome home signs & airplanes with chalk on the street. As soon as I saw Erik I lost it. I had been pretty good about not crying during most of this trip but I just lost it when I saw him. It was so good to see him & so good to be home. Our flight went well but Scott only slept a total of 1 hr of a 10 hour flight! It was a very draining flight but overall he was not so bad. He did not scream or cry just a lot of whining as he was tired but just would not sleep. He did great in the car seat though. He went into it no problem & within minutes was sleeping. When we got home he of course woke up & was staring at everyone. We kept him awake until everyone came by & then I put him to sleep in his new room after a bottle. He fell asleep within minutes. About an hr later I smelt a wiff of something in the hallway & went in to find out he had a big BM. He has been having bad BMs since we took him out of the baby home (sorry if this is TMI). It may what is called giardia which is a parasite a lot of kids have from the orphanges or it could be the formula. We will find out next week after we take him to the dr. I have been up since 2 am with jetlag. I am sure I will crash again tomorrow. Thanks everyone for your support & love. It really has helped us through this sometimes diffult journey

In Moscow

Hello... we are in Moscow now staying at a Marriot... so nice compared to Siberia. We had another fiacso with the flights yesterday but were able to fly here together. Its a very long story but basicallly everytime we turn around we need to pay more $ for something. I only have a little time as the internet is free here for 5 minute but then is more expensive. Some things we have learned about Scott
1. He likes to be rocked & falls asleep easily
2. He does not like baths at all. Screamed or more wimpered when we gave him one. Hopefully this will get better
3. He tires easily.. he seems to need naps almost every 2 hrs.
4. He has the cutest smile
5. He LOVES to eat pretty much anything
6. He knows who we are & his face lights up when we see him.
Thats all for now... See everyone on Wednesday!

First & Second Day with Scott

Friday
Fri morning we first went to the ticket office to try to see if we can change our flights & if Kris/Rich could get coach seats. We were both at a luck. After we finished we picked up the couple form Austria who was adopting a 19 month boy. Before going to the Baby Home we stopped to pick up cakes for the baby home workers & the other couple picked up tons of diapers to donate to the Baby Home. We had left a donation last time which they used to buy blinds in one of the baby rooms. When we got to the Baby home we went into the directors office & we had to take care of some more paper work & we also were given a fund the govt opens to orphans. It was only 10 rubles. For the older kids the amt is donated to the baby home. A few moments later the kids were brought it. Scott started crying right away. The nannies were trying to calm him down to no avail. We had to change him into a diaper & clothes we brought for him. He seems to fit in most of the 18 month clothes but some of the pants are lose. We took a whole bunch of pictures & as we were leaving the main dr told us Scott had not feeling well & gave some medicine to us with all these complicated instructions. There was so much commotion going on when we left it was a little overwhleming. THe russian all seem to talk loud & on top of one another. The dr started to cry as we left the office which naturally made me cry. Scott continued to cry in the car even when I offered him some juice in a bottle. When we got back to the room we fed him right away since it was his lunch time & he totally calmed down. Ed had to leave to go back to Kemerovo City to get the passports. I rocked Scott who proceeded to spit up on me.. not sure if it was too much juice or motion sickness. We was rubbing his eyes a lot & locked tired so I put him in the crib, He cried for a few minutes & I tried to rub his belly & back but he pushed my hand away . I then just stayed next to him & he stared into my eyes like he got he kind of got that I was not leaving & then he fell asleep. He slept for 2 1/2 hrs. And the big shocker was he went on the pottie when he woke up. In Russia they toilet train very young so I figure I would try it. I put him on it when he woke up & he peed right away. I am sure it kind of fluke but we will see. When he woke up I gave him a bottle of formula & then we had to get his passport picture. He loves being outside! We hung out in the room some more & went out to dinner with Kris & her son which actually went very well. Scott had 3 small pieces of bread as I had given him dinner already. He fell asleep right after Ed got him 9 & slept through the night until 7 am.
Saturday
Today we have been taking it easy & staying in the room with Scott mostly as it is raining outside. He already seems to start bonding with us. He has great eye contact with us & seems to look for me when I leave the room & then gives me a big smile when I return. He has been an eating machine. I don;t want to overfeed him that he will get sick but we are feeding him frequently. He has had 2 bottles of formula today & lots of baby food & yogurt & of course cheerios. He seemed really tired already at 10:30 so he took an early nap & slept for 1 1/2. Its now 2:30 & Ed just tried to put him down again as he was rubbing his eyes. I am sure even though we are not doing much its more activity then he is used to. He loves to look out the window & point to trees/cars. We leave tomorrow morning at 5:30 am to go to the airport to catch the flight to Moscow. Hopefully we can get seats together if not I am not so worried now as he seems more comfortable with us. I just hope his ears are ok.

First Day as a Family

I once again do not have much time but wante to post a few pictures of Scott from yesterday.. I will post more about our day later on. He was so much fun today after the intial crying at the BabyHome!

Erik officially has a baby brother!

Thursday 8/9 - 9 pm
We just got back from driving 3 hrs to & then 3 hrs back to Kemerovo City for court & I am happy to report the judge granted us parents to Scott Dimitri!!!! We were sooooo relieved due to the issues with the paperwork. It was not even brought up at all! The whole court proceeding took about 1/2 hr. It was much easier than our court session for Erik. We had to leave at 6:45 am this morning which was fine as I hardly slept at all last night as I was nervous about taking a sleeping pill & being too out of it in the morning. We were with 2 other couples who also had court. Kris & Rich were taken first & came down about 45 minutes later & then we were next. Its a very formal proceeding & the translator is with you the whole time translating everything which is being said. Ed had to give a little speech about why we wanted to adopt, how we feel about Dimitri & how we have prepared to bring him home. After Ed's speech they asked if I had anything to add & then they asked only a few more questions. They asked me mostly about Erik & if he knew he was going to have a brother & if we discuss his Russian heritage with him. THere was also a social worker & prosecutor in the room who made statements. THe one interesting thing we found out was that they had placed an ad in the Russian newspaper with a picture of Scott & that he was available for adoption to a Russian family. We were able to get a copy of this ad. He looks like a newborn in the picture so it is cool to have this early picture of him. We had to request to have the 10 days waived due to his medical conditions & we also found out from the social worker that the room which Scott is in has mostly handicapped children so this is another reason why they waived the 10 days. After the court decision was made we had to go to numerous offices to get documents processed. We also got to see our faciliators apt which was very nice.
More potential good news is we may be able to either fly out to Moscow together on Sunday or we may be able fly to Moscow on Sat. We are going to the ticket office tomorrow morning & after that we are going to pick up Scott!! Ed then has to do the 3 hr drive back to Kemerovo to pick up the passports while I hang out with Scott at the hotel. We can not wait to start to bond with him & I can not wait for everyone to meet him!

Got a few smiles today

Today we got to take Scott outside! When we first got to the babyhome & he saw us he started to cry again. There was another couple today who was also in the playroom & their was a lot of noise so I think it was very overwhelming for him. One of his nannies came in to calm him down but he still would not stop crying so they suggested we take him outside as the rest of the kids were outside. As soon as we got him outside he was a different child. I guess he will be like Ed! He stopped crying & wanted to walk around. He is so close to walking but still needed to hold onto our fingers. He loved touching all the plants & trees. We even got him to laugh when we had him on a swing & when we threw him up in the air. He definitely likes being around the other kids & nannies from his room. We did some videotaping of the other kids but were asked to only videotape Scott. It was so sad as the kids were eating the leaves & sticks on the ground & no one was saying anything to them. Ed & I tried to interact with as many kids as we could. At one point Scott walked into a different area where the older kids were & a few of them starting coming up to us. They were all so adorable. One child was playing peek a boo with Ed. At one point I got so emotional to see these children in the conditions they are in who are starving for attention. We got to spend about 1 hr outside with Scott. He again had no diaper on & I saw the other caregivers take the tights(yes tights) off most of the kids as they were wet & put new tights on them. We were able to see his room again as well as the room he plays & eats in.

After our visit with Scott we did some shopping at a mall to buy supplies for Scott & we also bought him a pair of shoes as I did not estimate his shoe size well.

Some potential bad news is we found out today that 2 of our documents may have issues. We still have court tomorrow & we are told to hope for the best but we are still very nervous that we may not be able to finalize the adoption tomorrow. The issues have to do with something the Secy of State of NJ messed up & no one noticed including us. We really hope all goes well but this coulld mean we are here for a few more days. We will let everyone know tomorrow how it goes

THanks for all your good wishes. It is so nice to here from the States while here!

Cathy & Ed

Greetings from Russia

Tuesday 11Pm

Hi! Sorry we have not been able to post sooner. We have been so tired & had computer problems. I will start from today when we saw Scott! As you can see from the pictures he was not such a happy camper. We went to visit him at the Baby Hone at 3 pm which was right after his nap time. He definitely has developed stranger anxiety & did not remember us at all. He also seems to be getting sick or teething really bad. He cried a large part of the time or just studied what we were doing. One big difference was his hair.. it was almost Blond! It is either from being outside a lot or I think his real hair color is reddish. He is not walking yet but they say he is cruising. We did not get to see him do this today as all he wanted to do was be held or sit on our lap. THey brought in a snack for us to give him.. 3 tea biscuits/cookies & a glass cup full of some sort ofjuice or warm tea. Yes tea for a 14 month old. He was SOOOO thirsty & all he wanted was the tea. He could not hold the cup & a lot of the tea was dribbling down his shirt but he finished all of it. He ate 1/2 of the cookie but was choking on it most of the time. He has grown since April but no longer seems so big. I think he is 21 pounds now. We were able to ask the Baby Home director some questions we had & they were very open with answering. We spent about 2 hrs today with him today & will go back tomorrow again with another family who also has their son in the same baby home. We are very happy that we came to the region one day early to help with him adjusting to us

We have had some hiccups with the plane reservations getting back to Moscow... needless to say it was a 2 hr process & we almost could not get a flight. We are tired now & will not write all the details but for those fellow Adoptive parents who are flying soon to a region I would highly recommend making sure he get round trip tickets back to Moscow for any Aug flights as there are not many flights available. In the end we had to switch our flights to Sun & I have to fly by myself with Scott to Moscow & could not get him a seat. Ed is flying on a different airlines also on Sunday. It should be interesting! Right now we should still be home on Wed.

Please email or post comments. We should be online again sometime tomorrow.

Leaving the House...

We are heading out in 2 ours for my mom & dad's place in South Jersey. We will be staying overnight there & driving to JFK from their house (a 2 hr drive). We are very excited to complete this part of the journey. I pray this trip goes well & we return home on the Aug 15th.

Some pics

Here is Scotts stuff & his packed bag. THe next pic is his dossier! It alone is going to weigh a ton & this is just some of the paperwork we are bringing with us!

2 more days to go!

Yesterday was my last day in the office & today is my last working day from home! I am starting to have trouble falling asleep as my mind is racing about everything. I am not nearly as worried about Erik this time but I still have to remember all the things which need to be packed for him as well as what he needs once he comes back. My mom will be staying with him at our house for 3 days & he will be going back to school.

Yesterday I bought up a double stroller from someone who was selling one on Craigslist. The women was actually also an adoptive mom. How cool is that? The stroller is in perfect condition & we saved a lot of $. It just does not make sense to buy one new when we may not use it much

I found out there will be another family in Moscow when we get to the Courtyard Marriot. We have been emailing each other & they are leaving on Friday. It will be nice to have other families to hang out with.

We still have to BabyProof the bathroom believe it or not. Hopefully Ed can get to that tonight.
I am trying to take all my vitamins & get enough sleep. I will start taking the Airborne today. The last thing we need is one of us sick.

Thanks everyone for your love & support! We can't wait for everyone to meet Scott