I was right and I was wrong...

...it was an interesting week, but not for reasons I was anticipating.

We expected to get our updated list of paperwork requirements from Olga on Monday and run around all week begging for favors so we could get our documents to KF in time for Friday's mailing deadline. We didn't get it on Monday. We didn't get it Tuesday or Wednesday either. Yikes. This afternoon, Sarah called to tell me that we got our list. I laughed.

There is so much good news to report though:

1. Our dossier does not expire until May/June and Olga doesn't think it's going to be necessary to update it. (This makes my heart happy - and hopeful.)

2. Of all the requirements on the updated list, we had already completed all but three (thanks to Sarah's predictive-genius), which are commitment forms that just need our signatures.

3. Our psych evals arrived at KF today and will be in the Friday mailing (thank you Nanci!).

4. And, miracle of all miracles this week - our FBI clearances arrived today. TODAY!

I have to explain why this is so amazing. It has taken just under a month to get our FBI clearances back the other three times we submitted. Last Friday afternoon (1/25), we overnighted our fingerprints so they would arrive Monday morning - writing "URGENT, ADOPTION PAPERWORK ENCLOSED" on the outside of the enveloped. We also enclosed a letter in our packet explaining our circumstances and our confession that while we knew it was possibly beyond reason to even ask, we needed a huge favor in that they get our clearances returned to us by Thursday 1/31 (less than a week later). Yesterday, we received a voicemail from someone at the FBI assuring us that our clearances were in the mail and would arrive today - and, arrive today they did. How completely amazing is that?

At the beginning of November, when we submitted our third round of fingerprints (the FBI clearances expire every three months), I accidently threw the packet in the mailbox at the post office without postage. My heart sunk the second I pulled away and realized what I had done. i called the post office branch where I mailed them and was informed that if someone caught the error, they would send it back to the return address and we could send them out again. However, if the packet slipped under the radar, then it would arrive at the FBI c.o.d. - which means they would either have to pay the postage or deny the packet and send it back to us. I was bummed and thoroughly annoyed with myself. Much to our surprise 4 weeks later, our clearances arrived in the mail. We have no idea who paid our postage.

Someone at the FBI (or the USPS) has a very big heart.

And, interestingly enough, even though we recieved our updated list of document requirements today, we still met tomorrow's deadline.

Some of you have asked, so I'll explain quickly that these documents are being requested by Olga, our coordinator in Russia. Our dossier has not been submitted to the judge yet. Apparently Olga has a meeting scheduled with the judge sometime in February and she wants our documents to be 'perfect' so the judge gives fewer requirements after review. This judge always has revisions - she's amazingly (and unfortunately) attentive to detail.

So, that's where we stand - Still waiting.

But, waiting in the midst of movement is significantly more tolerable than waiting in the midst of bureaucratic stagnation.

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Thoroughly printed...

Matt and I trekked down to the Johnson County Sherriff's Office for our 4th fingerprinting extravaganza. We overnighted them for FBI clearance (also for the 4th time as they unfortunately expire every 3 months). Why, I wonder did it take 4 trips before I had the brainstorm to ask for 2 sets of prints. The JC Sherriff is a 1 hour round trip trek from our house. Now that we have an extra set - we'll never need them (which would be wonderful!).

Apparently P&B were given a list of document updates on Wednesday. We have not yet recieved our list from Olga. But, Sarah says that Olga has a meeting set up with the judge mid-late February (not entirely sure), so she wants our updated documents apostilled and in the mail on Friday next week. Next week should be interesting...

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Fear, fear, fear, hope...

Matt and I have riden an unbelievable emotional rollercoaster the past 7 days. Wednesday last week we received an update from Inna re: Nikolai's growth and development. This update set in motion much conversation, prayer, concern and emotion.

Reeling, on Thursday morning I overnight FedEx'd our video and pictures from trip 1, Nikolai's medical evaluation from Dr. Lada's examination and chart review on 10/23, results of the Denver Developmental screen that I filled out over the three days that we spent with him, and his measurement updates to Dr. Jenista, an IA medical assessment specialist in Michigan (whom we HIGHLY recommend, by the way). She called on Saturday morning and spent 45 minutes on the phone with me reviewing every minute detail of information we have acquired about our son. It was an incredible conversation. She offered us a raw and realistic picture of Nicholas' developmental concerns and gave us a sense of peace about the concerns that were flared on Wed/Thurs. Our little guy is okay, but he's not where he needs to be right now. He needs to be home.

Sundayand Monday we regrouped.

Today, Inna called again - this time beginning the voicemail message with, "Hi Carla, this is Inna calling. I hesitate to tell you this, but I think I may have some potentially good news from Ekat."

The hesitation about 'good news' is warranted. The Russian rug could be pulled out from under us at any moment. Nonetheless, we have something to hold onto today/tonight - and that's so much more than we've had for the past 3 months! My heart soars through the roof when we get these calls. I LOVE THESE CALLS!

Apparently Ekat is in motion. They requested a letter from us (re)stating our commitment to adopt Nicholas and (re)requesting that our dossier be submitted to the court. They're in motion a bit sooner than FF had estimated for us and Inna is hoping that this means we'll get back over there earlier (Maybe late March - April). If that's the case - then we are half way through our wait. We met Nicholas three months ago tomorrow.

It's news. And, it's not bad. In our world - that makes it good.

It has been exhilerating to give ourselves permission to imagine having him home with us. Big smile.

Please keep praying for our miracle. March or April would be great!

Slippy, sliddy hope.

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13-months-old (brrr...)

Happy thirteen month birthday, Nicholas. I hope you're staying warm...

Russian's Brace for the Big Chill

January 16, 2008 8:18 p.m. EST

Jupiter Kalambakal - AHN News Writer

Moscow, Russia (AHN) - Russians are bracing for temperatures of as low as minus 55 degrees Celsius (minus 67 degrees Fahrenheit) in Siberia as Russia's emergencies ministry warns on Wednesday of its impending dangers in the coming weeks.

Government agencies were placed on high alert, reports AFP. The ministry ordered local administration officials to prepare for the extreme chill expected to last until Jan. 21. The ministry warned that the unusually cold weather could kill, cause frost-bite, conk heaters and cut electricity to homes, disrupt transport, increase the rate of car accidents and even destroy buildings across Siberia.

The freezing temperatures have already caused overloading of electricity grids and power interruptions in the regions of Irkutsk and Tomsk because of overused heaters in homes. Two people have already died and more than 30 others hospitalized with forst-bite in Irkutsk, reports AFP citing state media.

Bloomberg reports that worst hit will be the Siberian region of Evenkiya, while neighbor Georgia, whose climate is subtropical, already plunged to as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius. Lake Paliastomi in the western Georgia froze for the first time in 50 years, reports Rustavi-2 television.

Average temperatures in large Siberian cities in January usually range between minus 15 degrees Celsius and minus 39 degrees Celsius, according to data from weatherbase.com. Schools have been closed down in at least four regions because of the cold.

What we did / When

Given that I’m using this blog as my travel journal, I’m posting my daily notes here for posterity’s sake. I think I’ve covered most of this along the way and I am feeling thoroughly caught up on my retro posting.

Thanks for indulging me.

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Sunday – napped, dinner at Park Inn

Monday – walked around Ekat, saw a couple churches, went to the reservoir, ate early (4p) at the Iset Hotel restaurant b/c of English language menu (M=beef stroganoff, C=stuffed chicken), coke lite, difficulty communicating with waiter, walked to the mall (music/book stores), felt intimidated that first day

Tuesday – driving, baby house, Ministry of Education – saw picture, 5-10 min meeting with Olga, whisked off to NT, got back late, dinner at the hotel, called grandparents, lunch at local disco (no sign, hidden in the midst of an apartment complex, very low income area, small dilapidated building, Yelena ordered for us – c=chicken, m=pork, was very filling) People: Lydia (Sunday pick up), Olga, Yelena, Viktor, Dr. Lada

Wednesday – to orphanage, cut trip short b/c Nikolai was sick and hadn’t slept well, napped in the afternoon, and joined P&B and Dr. Lada for dinner. Went to a German restaurant (interesting smoked cheese, very good Budweiser (maybe it doesn’t travel well), Matt=lamb, Carla=don’t remember).

Thursday – to orphanage ½ day visit, left donations (issues with lead concerns so no toys), expressed deep gratitude for clothes, medicines, hats, boots, mittens, blankets; video of the village on our drive home this day, went shopping w/Interpreter (alphabet book, English lang book of Russian fairytales, Matroshka dolls for our siblings kids, some gift pens and a Matroshka doll for our house), note from P&B that they were visiting one of their children in the afternoon, so early dinner at hotel for us, packed our things and went to bed

Friday – 25 hour travel day home. Left hotel room at 3:45a Ekat time arrived home at 6:45p Indy time (4:45a Ekat time); US customs is most difficult; M lost his phone in Chicago; Chicago airport is huge and exhausting at the end of a long travel day; appreciate the tram-less Indy airport each time we travel; bags arrived with our flight; good to see my mom and drive 65mph without traffic weaving; pizza with my family and sharing our videos; a very welcome shower!

Culinary obstacles & feats (retro)

Eating while in Ekat turned out to be significantly more difficult than we anticipated. Ethnocentric though it may be, I never really considered the difficulty we would face in ordered food in Russia! Admittedly, eating at our hotel was simple. But, it was also pretty expensive and, in light of my money money money money post, we didn’t want to break the budget on food. We did end up eating there three times, which I hope to not repeat on our subsequent trips. Really, what’s international travel without a local culinary experience?

In addition to our lunch adventure in Nizhny Tagil with Yelana, we ventured out for dinner in Ekat twice. Now that I’m reminiscing, I do remember that on Sunday night we intended to eat outside the hotel, but two things happened. 1. We had been walking around Ekat for a few hours and it started to rain, and 2. We did walk into an Irish pub where I inquired in Russian whether they had an English language menu and we were told no. That was our first night in Russia and I wasn’t feeling brave. Given I was the only quasi-Russian speaker in our quad, we tucked tail and moved on. Next time, we’re eating at that pub (heads up P&B!).

Monday evening we opted for an early dinner ~4p and walked ~1/4 mile to the Iset hotel restaurant for dinner. We had received an insider tip that they had English language menus. While our waiter did not speak English, we did manage to acquire a menu and we pointed to the items we wanted. Matt ordered beef stroganoff and I ordered a cheese stuffed chicken dish. Yummers. Matt ordered a diet coke and got a kick out of the Coke Lite - very Euro. In fact, I think B may have even taken a picture! She’s a foodie and was snapping pictures of our plates every time we turned around! (I’m getting a kick out of myself, B!).

We had a complimentary breakfast buffet served at the hotel every morning. And, since we were on the road so much, we satisfied our lunch hunger with kasha bars that we brought from home. So, aside from the lunch diner / disco in NT, the Iset Hotel and the German restaurant (where Dr. Lada ordered for us) in Ekat – we didn’t get out much.

The food that we did eat was certainly different, but quite good. Though, in my adult years, I’m not sure I’ve been introduced to a culinary experience that I did not enjoy!

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What we're doing in the meantime

I really expected January to hit me like a ton of bricks emotionally and I’m pleasantly surprised that hasn’t.

When Matt and I sat down to consolidate our 2008 commitments, we were both fairly amused by the fact that there was not a single thing on either of our 2008 calendars after January 12th. We clearly expected to be in Ekat in February. C’est la vie.

So, we’re starting to fill the time…

We have tickets to a couple of IRT shows downtown the next couple of months.
We booked our tickets to CA in February.
My mom and I are trekking to PA and meeting up with my Aunt for a long weekend in March.
We’re scheduling a couple of nights at the BC Cabin in March or April.
I’ll have baby shower #2 sometime in April or May.

And, apparently we will be getting an updated list of document requirements at the end of this month, so as some of you have experienced yourselves, February will be another head-spinning paperwork month for us.

So far, so good! There are lots of other day to day things that we are working on. Before Christmas, I was so fortunate to be on the receiving end of a very special prayer event where I was challenged to "be the mother that I am intended to be for Nicholas, despite the distance." That hit me to the core. I am Nicholas’ mother. And, it is okay to behave accordingly!

I will tell you that we are NOT taking dance lessons these next few months. As you will see in the video clip on the previous post, we are naturally talented and can’t imagine that dance classes will challenge us to improve...

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Russia facts & legends

Interesting tidbits...

With an area of over 6 ½ million square miles, Russia is the largest country in the world.

Its population is over 140 million and the capital city, also the largest, is Moscow.

Ekaterinburg is the third largest city in Russia.

“Kremlin” is the Russian word for “fortress”, “citadel”, or “castle”.

Although there are several Kremlins in Russia, the most popular is the Moscow Kremlin, the official residence of the Russian President.

Matryoshka or “Nesting” dolls were first produced in Russia in the late 1800s, supposedly after inspiration provided by similar Japanese dolls.

They were first introduced publicly at the 1900 Word’s Fair in Paris and were mass-produced soon after.

Anthem of the Russian Federation:
Russia – our sacred state,
Russia – our beloved country,
A might will, a great glory
Are yours forever for all time!
Chorus: Be glorious, our free Fatherland,
Ancient union of brotherly peoples,
Ancestor given wisdom of the people!
Be glorious country! We are proud of you!
From the southern seas to the polar region
Lay our forests and our fields.You
are one in the world! You are one of a kind,
Native land protected by God!
Chorus
Wide spaces for dreams and for living
Are open to us by the coming years.
Our faith in our Fatherland gives us strength.
So it was, so it is, and so it will always be!
Chorus

The Russian flag has three horizontal stripes – the top one is white for nobility, the middle is blue for honesty and the bottom is red for courage and love.

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow sits proudly on the south end of the square in Moscow, and is a symbol for the country and people of Russia. The cathedral was built in the 1550’s by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate his victory over the Tartars in Kazan in Central Asia. Originally, it was white-sided with gilded domes. The colorful patterns on the domes were not added until about a century after the cathedral was erected. Today, St. Basil’s Cathedral is a museum, no longer a place of worship.

Christmas in Russia:
St. Nicholas is especially popular in Russia. Legend holds that the 11th century Prince Vladimir traveled to Constantinople to be baptized, and returned with stories of miracles performed by St. Nicholas of Myra. Since then many Eastern Orthodox Churches have been named for the saint, and to this day, Nicholas is one of the most common names for Russian boys.

Many religious and folk traditions were suppressed during the communist era. Before the revolution, a figure called Babushka would bring gifts for the children. The story is that failed to give food and shelter to eh three wise men during their journey to visit the Christ Child. According to tradition, she still roams the countryside searching for the Christ Child and visiting the homes of children during the Christmas season!

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Russian Orthodox Christmas

Today (1/7) Christmas is celebrated in Russia - in accordance with the old Julian calendar. After the 1917 Revolution, Christmas was banned in Russia and not until 1992 was the holiday openly celebrated again - for the first time in 75 years. 1992!

Creatively, Russians shifted many of the traditional Christmas customs to their New Years celerations, making New Years the biggest, most celebrated holiday in Russia to this day. This 75-year ban has made it a bit difficult to resesarch on-going Christmas customs celebrated in Russia, but I did learn about one in particular that I thought I'd pass along.

An old Russian tradition is the Christmas Eve meal following a fast. After the evening worship service, the dinner celebration, called 'The Holy Supper', holds deep symbolism connected to the Christian faith.

Families gather around a table covered by a white table-cloth, symbolic of Christ's swaddling clothes.

Hay is brought forth as a reminder of the poverty into which Jesus was born.

A tall white candle is place in the center of the Table, symbolic of the light Christ brings to the world.

A large round loaf of Lenten bread (called pagach) is placed next to the candle, symbolic of Christ as the Bread of Life.

The meal begins with the Lord's Prayer, led by the father of the family. A prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings of the past year is said and then prayers for the good things in the coming year are offered.

The head of the family greets those present with the traditional Christmas greeting, 'Christ is Born!' The family members respond, 'Glorify Him!'

The Mother of the family blesses each person present with honey in the form of a cross on each forehead, saying: 'In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may you have sweetness and many good things in life and in the new year.'

Following this, everyone partakes of the bread, dipping it first in honey and then in chopped garlic. Honey is symbolic of the sweetness of life, and garlic of the bitterness.

Then the family eats the 'Holy Supper'.

Traditionally, the Holy Supper consists of 12 different foods, symbolic of the 12 Apostles. The following is considered a summary of what was typically served.

1. Mushroom soup or Sauerkraut soup
2. Lenten bread (pagach)
3. Grated garlic
4. Bowl of honey
5. Baked cod
6. Fresh Apricots, Oranges, Figs and Dates
7. Nuts
8. Kidney beans (slow cooked all day) seasoned with shredded potatoes, lots of garlic, salt and pepper to taste
9. Peas
10. Parsley Potatoes (boiled new potatoes with chopped parsley and margarine)
11. Bobal'ki (small biscuits combined with sauerkraut or poppyseed with honey)
12. and, Red Wine

It's a Lenten meal (meatless), but is served in a festive and anticipatory manner.
I thought it was interesting info - and, I didn't even find it on Wikipedia!

Merry Christmas, Nicholas. I wonder...so many things.

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Showered with love

My baby shower was lovely yesterday.

Russian themed - red, white, blue (with US & Russian flags), Russian music, cuisine, decor. There was even a quiz for guests to answer questions / learn about our Russian adoption process. I loved every thoughtful detail (and, I'll have some pictures to post soon).

And, of course, our Russian baby was the hit of the party. We watched the photo/video montage of our trip to meet Nicholas - many tears.

I received so many generous gifts! Thank you.

Most profoundly, I was surrounded by the people who love me most in this world and the day closed with me feeling all over the map: loved, celebrated, lifted up, grateful, encouraged, humbled, validated, and sad - because it's easy to access the perpetual emotional void I feel knowing I won't see my son again before this summer.

It seems that everything is more intense and more bittersweet these days.

The sweet part, however, was/is fantastic!

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