The Picture That Was Two Years In The Making - With Commentary

Being home is such a fabulous thing. There's just nothing like it in the whole world. I can't wait until it becomes home for Suzannah, too.

But let me finish our story.

When last I truly blogged, Suzannah and I were packed and ready to go. I was amazed I was able to sleep that night! I woke up before the alarm Saturday morning, but I didn't mind, as it gave me some time to read email, etc. before I needed to get Suzannah up and ready. As it was, I was still shoveling oatmeal into her mouth when our driver arrived to take up to the airport. We had a different driver - Sasha - and oh, he was such a delightful host. He talked eaily all the way to the airport, sharing stories about the drive, the sights, his visits to the States, whatever. It was almost enough to make me wish I could stay in Moscow another day or so, just to have him show us the sight. Almost being the operative word ;-)

Getting to the gate at Sheremetyevo (sp?) was the usual joy, only complicated by doing it while dealing with a very curious girlie. For those who've never had the experience, let me tell you how it goes. First you have to wait for your flight to show up on the master board. You can't go through security or anything until your flight is on the board - usually about 3 hours ahead. Once your flight is listed, you have to enter the secure area, where all your bags are put through an x-ray machine and stickered. You pile your bags back on your trolley, then wait in line to talk to a person who seems to be a pre-screener. You must show your documents (passport, visa, sometimes the hotel registration which is required, whatever.) Your passport number is recorded and you answer questions about your bags - the usual things about who packed them, any weapons, etc. Then you push your trolley over to long tables where grim-faced workers snap on rubber gloves and hand inspect the luggage you're checking. Maybe the carry-on, too - I'm trying to block the memories :-) Once your dirty unmentionables have been thoroughly checked for size, brand, and level of grossness, you can pack your things back onto the trolley and go stand in another line, where you finally check in for your flight.

But you're not done yet! There's still Passport Control to clear. Lucky for us, we had a very nice lady who inspected all our documents, yelled at the Very Important Man who kept trying to crowd into the booth behind us, and had a grand time waving at Suzannah. She had to go through all our papers (except, of course, for the Magic Envelope received at the consulate which can only be opened by US Immigration), so we were with her for quite a while. I bet the Very Important Man was sorry he parked his impatient butt behind us!

Having cleared Passport Control, it's time for the walk to the gate. This isn't so bad, but it becomes a bit disorienting when you pass your third version of the same duty-free shop and start to wonder if your gate has been kidnapped. Once you make it to the gate - at least to the one that serves flights to the U.S. - you get to have your carry-on luggage screened yet again. Why? I don't know. And once you enter that gate area, leaving becmes night-on impossible. You're trapped in a not-so-big room with only one vending machine and I believe no bathrooms. This is why no one wants to enter the gate area until the last minute, which means that when you do go through, there's yet another long line.

But finally, we were on the plane. Wooohooo! Our friends from the consulate, Judy and her two adorable boys, were sitting in the row behind us, but on the other side of the plane. Bummer. Suzannah didn't fuss about her seatbelt nearly as much this time. She still didn't like it, but it didn't lead to the horrendous melt-downs of the flight from Astrakhan.

The flight was ... well ... long. All in all, though, she did a fabulous job. She wasn't thrilled with any of the airline food, so her main fuel for the journey was 3 huge bananas and a bunch of crackers. Oh, and cherry tomatoes were a hit, too. But she was quite happy for quite a while simply standing in the seat and looking all around. She didn't like the bathroom at all, and going there led to one major meltdown.

Our only real problem on the flight was the guy across the aisle, who took it upon himself to critique my parenting skills when I was trying to get her to sleep. I was holding her, rocking her, trying to get her to settle & give in to a nap. She, of course, fought and wailed. After a few minutes, Jerko said, "She doesn't want to sleep. Why are you trying to force her?"

Now, the correct respone would have been either (a)She doesn't want to wear her seatbelt, either, but she has to do that, or (b) This may come a shock to you, but you're not helping. But I made the mistake of trying to explain - through gritted teeth - that we were two hours past naptime and we either listened to 10 minutes of crying now, or a lot more of it when she fell into an overtired tantrum. Jerko decided this was a cue for debate time! He's questioning my statements, I'm telling him I have 5 kids and I think I know what I'm doing, he's SCOFFING at me - and finally I slid across the seat, said, Here, honey, this man is the expert and he knows exactly how to help you, and plopped her on his lap.

He didn't back down - I doubt that particular skill was in his repertoire - but he sure deflated fast. Then I took her back, turned my butt squarely in his direction, and cuddled her close. She was asleep in two minutes.

(Evil woman that I am, I stayed in butt-first direction long after she settled, hoping against hope for an attack of severely nasty flatulence. Alas, no luck.)

Finally, after a few ice ages had passed, we landed. Woooohooo!

Immigration was a fun experience. We met up with Judy and her boys, and apparently were having too much fun as we waited for our turn, because we were politely but tersely asked to please be quiet. Ooops. But were were processed very quickly, and within 15 - 20 minutes we were out of there, ready to grab our bags and start another round of load the trolley/unload the trolly as we went through new and joyous paths of security. By the time we made it up to the gate levels we were both hot, sweaty, and totally ready to hit the nearest bar (well, at least I was). We had kids with us, though, so we settled for a trip to the bathroom and a visit to Burger King. Suzannah had her first french fries! She wasn't very impressed - but then, they weren't the hottest fries in the warmer. And at this point it was at least 1 in the morning, Moscow time. It was a miracle that she could even sit upright.

When we finished our delightful meal and headed to our gate, we learned that it was delayed an hour. Oh joy. Went to the bathroom, came out, and saw it was now delayed 90 minutes. That was it, no more bathrooms for me! We hunted through the hot, noisy, overcrowded gate area (LOTS of delayed flights) until a very nice man saw us looking and waved us over to an empty space beside him and his wife. They were from Morocco. I talked with them while Experiment 626 did her best to get into every suitcase surrounding her. The Moroccan folks left, and we talked with a lovely lady from Ireland who was also going to Syracuse. Finally, at about 7:40, Suzannah surrendered and fell asleep on my lap. Five minutes later, the Irish lady said that they'd altered our flight time yet again - but in the good directio! We'd just lost an hour of waiting and were scheduled to board in 15 minutes!

Suzannah slept all through the transfer to the plane, all through being buckled in, all through the flight and landing. She finally started to wake up as we were walking through the terminal in Syracuse - which meant she was fairly alert when we spotted the first sight of the whole family waiting for us on the other side. (This also meant she was fully aalert when Mommy statted sobbing like a baby.) We burst through the security point and were surrounded by the whole family. Lots of hugs, tons of tears, and the indescribable relief of knowing we were finally home at last.

We've neen back for 2 full days now, and so far, so good. She's settling into the family, everyone here is learnign her rhythms and preferences, and the process of becoming a full family has begun.

And so, we've come to the end of this part of the journey. I probably won't update again, but if anyone ever has a question, feel free to drop me an email. But before I finish, I have to hand out some very special thank yous:

- to my friends, especially those of the Purple variety, who have shared in this journey and talked me through the frustrations and never even complained when I sent them emails with subject headers that could have got them fired for opening them at work. Ladies, you are an amazing anchor. I am so lucky to have you all.

- to my sisters, Sandi and Terri, who have shared every bit of my life and always know how to make me laugh. You two are the reason I was so determined to make sure Miriam would know the special bond that only exists between sisters.

- to Shari Buskey, who gave up two weeks of her own life to stay with my children. It was so much easier to get on that plane, knowing that Shari was in charge.

- to my other kids, Josh, Dan, Noah, and Miriam, who have spent waaaay too many months waiting and hoping and having their lives jerked around by Mommy and Daddy's travel arrangements and constant absences. They pitched in, stepped up, held on, and their only complaint was that they wanted their sister sooner. I am so very proud of each and every one of you.

- and of course, to Larry, who pulled single parent duty and endured an extra round od transatlantic flights with only minimal complaints and who started this whole adventure when he said, two years ago, You know, if we ever want to get Miri a sister, this would be the time to do it. Definitely one of your best ideas yet, hon.

At long, long last

Suzannah and I will both sleep in our own home tonight, surrounded by our forever family. And I sound like a John Denver song: "Hey, it;s good, to be back home again ...."

More to come.

Paca, Moscow

It's our last night here. In just 15 hours from this moment, we should be on the plane, probably taking off. Another 15 hours (or so), and we should be landing in Syracuse. It feels like another whole world. I have never been this excited about a transatlantic flight in my life!

Suzannah's timing angel was on her side this morning. She slept until 8:30! This was an immense relief, since I knew nap time would be all messed up by our 2:00 consulate appointment. She was still going to be messed up, by at least now I knew she could make it until we returned to the apartment.

This morning's breakfast was a huge hit: mashed potatoes. She scarfed those down like it was Thanksgiving. Her lip was barely swollen today, though a couple of times she pointed to it and said bobo (which is how she says booboo.)She got lots of kisses each time she remembered to point out her guilt-inducing injury.

We went out for a walk this morning without the demon stroller, and had much more success - at least for the first half. She trotted along, happy with her koala backpack, chattering to herself as we walked about 20 minutes down the street. We never found the Metro station - the sign that I thought was directing us to it was just a sign for a highway. I'm bummed about missing out, since the stations are so famous here, but you know, I'm not going to stick around another day just to make sure I see one.

Anyway, after 20 minutes or so, someone decided she'd done enough walking. It was time to be carried. Which wouldn't be so bad, except she doesn't know how to rest on my hip as I carry her. Whenever I try to get her in that position, she cries and squirms away. I have to carry her upright, which also wouldn't be so bad if she would rest on my shoulder, but she wants to be fully upright and observant. So my arms carry the full brunt of her weight. Any guesses why my carpal tunnel is acting up again?

We made it back without my arms falling off, had a bite of lunch (the soup she inhaled yesterday got a big thumbs down today), played a bit, and got ready for the consulate appointment. As soon as I had her in her coat and ready to go, she pooped. Argh! But better then than while we were in the car or the consulate.

The appointment itself was very easy. There was a very long, very slow line of folks waiting to go through the metal detectors, but when the guard saw us waiting, he escorted us to the head of the line. The same thing happened in the next line, too. It's nice to be special :-)

Once we handed in our tickets & the receipt that showed we had paid for her visa, we got to sit in the waiting area. There was one other family there, a mom with 2 little boys. We were soon joined by another couple with their little guy. They were all such totally adorable children! It was so very nice to sit and chat and swap notes about our experiences. Best of all, I learned that the mom with the 2 boys will be on the same flight as Suzannah and I tomorrow! Yes! Someone to be company and to keep an eye on her while I go to the bathroom (and vice versa!)

The whole procedure didn;t take too long. One by one, each family went to the window where a very nice man asked some questions, made sure all our paperwork was in order, and had us swear that all information we'd given was the truth. He went over some of the procedures once we hit the U.S. airport and had us sign some forms. Then we waited for a bit - not long, maybe 15 - 20 minutes - until we were called up to the next window to receive our packets for Immigration and the children's passports, complete with visas. It was all very relaxed and congenial, probably one of the nicest parts of this entire process.

And with that, all our official work was done!!! Yes, there are still a couple of steps to be done once we get home, like getting Suzannah a U.S. passport and all that other stuff, but the big chunk is now officially behind us. It was two years ago this month that we decided to adopt once more, and now it's done. Wow. I would say I don't know how I'll keep busy, but you know, I don't think that will be a problem :-)

With the visit over, Olga took us to another grocery store so I could buy some food for the plane. We could probably survive 3 round-the-world flights on what I bought, but there's no guarantee that the food she likes today will be a hit tomorrow. And I can't exactly zip out to the Quickie Mart when we're over Greenland.

We came home and called home to tell them everything went well. We played for a bit, then Suzannah pooped again and immediately ran to the bathroom and pointed to the tub. Well, what the heck. The whole day was messed up, we might as well have bath before supper.

She was definitely starting to show her fatigue by the time bath was finished, so I popped her in her chair and played Barney on the computer while I cooked supper. Noodles with spaghetti sauce weren't very well received, but the leftover mashed potatoes saved the day.

I planned to keep her up until 7 or 7:30, but by 6:30 I could see there was no way she was going to make it. So off to bed she went. I just hope I don't get a rude awakening at 3:00 in the morning!

So now I'm packed, the dishes are washed, sandwiches are made, all the paperwork is organized .... all that remains is to get some sleep, get to the airport, and get on the plane. I can't wait.

Catch you on the other side.

Hello, Moscow, Part Two: First Blood

So. The plan was that when nap was finished, we would go outside and explore the area. And that's how it began. We put on the coat and the snowpants (it's cold here in Moscow, especially after the tropic of Astrakhan) and the hat and the mitts, and off we went. There was lots of activity on the street, so she was happy for a while, even in the demon stroller.

But then she started to fuss. I was right at the spot where I wanted to get across the street anyway, so no big deal, right? Because to cross this very busy street, you have to go down a flight of stairs and use a tunnel to get across. Pretty good idea. So I took her out of the stroller and folded it up so we could walk down the stairs. Unfortunately, Suzannah wanted to push the stroller. She didn't like Mommy folding it up. So she fought and cried all the way down the stairs. Then she fought some more when we got to the tunnel. Then she lunged forward, tripped over something, and fell onto the tunnel floor, cutting her lip but good.

Oh, the poor baby. I have not yet seen the cut itself, but it bled a LOT, for a long time. It was probably 20 minutes before it stopped. I was getting worried that she needed a stitch. And of course we were 10 minutes from the apartment, so I had to carry/stroller push this wailing. bleeding child through the streets of Moscow, trying to soothe her while dodging all the people on the sidewalk ... it was awful. Worse for her, obviously, and so scary, but neither of us were in great shape by the time we got back into the apartment. She wanted nothing to do with me and threw herself onto the bed to rock. It was so pitiful. Finally, she let me lie down beside her, and cuddle her a bit, and clean her little face and hands.

Thus far, her lip looks only a bit puffy. I hope it doesn't swell overnight. Not only would she be miserable, but I can just imagine how lovely it would be to show up at the consulate tomorrow with a child who's lip is the size of Idaho.

Once everything was calm I made some homemade chicken noodle soup. Either the trauma made her hungry or she just really likes pasta, because she ate her whole bowl, plus a second helping, plus ate more out of the pot when I tried to put the rest away for her lunch tomorrow! It was the most I've ever seen her eat. I'm so glad I was able to do something right for her tonight, poor bunny.

She;d been begging for a bath since she woke up this morning, so I made sure she had a good long time in the tub. (I swear sometimes she forces herself to poop because she's knows that's the fastest way to get Mommy to start the water running.) But for the first time, we had a tub that actually had a working stopper, so she finally had a real, regular, the-water-stays-in-the-tub bath!

We were both pretty tired so we had a very quiet evening. I still can't make the TV work (there are TWO remotes, and I need to use them both, and even with the directions I can't get it right), so we watched Barney on the computer and had a ticklefest and told stories and watched the lights on the street below.

My camera is going to lose power any minute, but I did get some shots of the apartment tonight. This is a very poor attempt at shooting the view from our window to the street:



This is our door. It is SO cool. I feel like I'm in a castle every time I look at it.



Our living room, complete with little girl helping to squeeze the air out of our space bags by sitting on them:



Our kitchen!!!!



And also from our window, a great view of one of the buildings known as the Seven Sisters (this pic is FAR from as awesome as the reality):



We're free all morning tomorrow. There's a Metro station a couple of blocks from here. I don;t plan on actually riding the subway, but I understand that the stations themselves are supposed to be fabulous. I hope we can make it there without any more problems!

Hello, Moscow!

Hello, blog readers! We're in Moscow, safe and sound, with a napping girl and Wifi that is working once again. Life is very good :-)

So, yesterday was pretty wild, as Mommy got to experience the joy of packing with Suzannah. There's a reason it took me almost the entire day to pack 3 bags :-) But by 4:00 everything was set, all the bags were packed and zipped and sorted into piles, and we were ready for the the call that is was time to go get her passport. So we waited.

And waited.

And then waited some more.

By 5:00 I was getting frantic. I knew we couldn't leave without that passport, but time was ticking past. All kinds of awful possibilities flooded my brain. (I can be SO creative when it's time to worry!)By 5:15 - after I'd tried to call Vala 4 times and failed to connect with her at any point - I was convinced that something had happened, there was a problem with the passport, we couldn't get it and we would have to miss our flight and all the flights for the next 5 days were booked solid and we would have to unpack everything and stay in Astrakhan forever ....

Then at 5:45, Vala appeared at the door, apologizing profusely. It was a last-minute rush for the passport, so she had brought it with her. All was well. Everything was okay.

WHEW!!!!

We loaded everything into the car for the last time and went to the airport. Suzannah loved watching the bags go through the x-ray machine. She would have stood there for hours if she could. We were early, so there was plenty of time to eat our sandwiches and run around the waiting area 4,297 times. Oh, and flirt with the poor man trying to read his newspaper in peace. All I can say is, he was incredibly patient, and Suzannah has excellent taste :-)

The plane ride ... everything was great until it was time to buckle her in. Then came the tears. And the wails. And the howling. And the squirming, blubbering, overheating, pounding, kicking, and utter heartbreak that only a 3 year old can pull off. I was terrified that she would be like this throughout the flight, but then the flight attendant came aorund with pre-takeoff candy (works for me) and Suzannah was calmed by a cheap fake strawberry . Thank you, God. After that, she did a totally fabulous job. She almost fell asleep a couple of times, though never really gave in. There was too much to see! She had to play peek-a-boo with the man in the seat behind us, and hold hands with the lady across the aisle from us, and raise & lower her tray table about 53 times, and throw goldfish into the air (oops) and simply soak in every little thing she saw and heard.

Then we had to buckle up for landing, and it was heartbreak city all over again.

All of our bags made it with us. Olga met us at the airport and brought us into the city. The drive took about an hour, and guess who stayed awake the whole time? (Hint: it wasn't Mommy.)

We arrived and found the apartment folks waiting as promised. The place is quite nice. It feels like I'm in an old building in Manhattan. We're on the 19th floor, and our windows overlook Arbat street. We have a little entryway that leads to the bathroom, a big main room with my bed, her crib, the TV, and all of the open suitcases, and the kitchen. (Excuse me for a moment while I exult in the joy of having a kitchen once again.) It's probably not much bigger than the hotel room, but it has a lot more character and privacy and location. And it has the most awesome door! I'll try to get pics later, when Suzannah is awake.

Olga and I had to go over some paperwork before she left. This didn't go over well with Little Miss, who was very uncertain about this whole New Place thing (and also tired, hungry, wet, and beyond overwhelmed.) When Olga finally finished & left, Suzannah fell apart. Can't say that I blame her. By this point it was 12:30! I put her into her crib, she rocked herself for about, oh, 45 seconds, and then she was out.

We had to be up fairly early this morning as Olga was picking us up at 8:45 for Suzannah's doctor appointment. I woke up before my alarm went off (dammit!), but it did give me time to have a shower & finish up the paperwork in peace. The Tsarina slept until 8, and probably would have slept longer if I hadn't opened the curtains to wake her. She was in much better spirits than last night. In fact, she was so busy prancing around the apartment that I had a hard time convincing her to sit down and eat breakfast! But she finally did, which was great, because (a) she didn't eat much the night before, (b) I wasn't sure how long our morning errands would last, and (c) I didn't have anything else to give her if she decided to be a diva. We made it downstairs just about 2 minutes before Olga arrived. Perfect.

Our first stop was the medical exam. Our doc was a briskly friendly guy who spoke flawless English. Even though he was obviously very busy he took the time to introduce himself, explain things thoroughly, and play with Suzannah as he examined her. He also said we were going to have a hard time keeping the boys away from her,
and that she had fabulous shoes :-)

She needed a chest x-ray (thanks to a very common false positive reaction to a previous TB test), and she did a GREAT job. She stood up there on the little platfor with not a fear in the world. She did turn away at the crucial moment the first two times, but other than that, it was smooth and easy. (I kept remembering when Josh was 2 and had to have a chest x-ray, and they strapped into this HORRID contraption that kept him blinded and immobile .... thank heaven this was so much more humane.)

The x-ray showed that her lungs were fine, except it seemed she'd had bronchitis in the past few weeks. Good to know! So with medical clearance in hand, we headed off to the consulate to drop off our paperwork.

This wasn't Suzannah's favorite part of the day. There was WAAAAAAAY too much waiting for a tired little girl who wanted to explore all the cool new things. it didn't help that we had to go through the entry procedure twice because Mommy the doofus forgot she had cameras in her bag, and they showed up on the x-ray ....

We paid for the visa and handed in all our paperwork to a lovely clerk who said we had a very wonderful girl. I was amazed that the poor woman had to go through our entire file right then, checking every single sheet of paper. And folks, this was close to a novella-sized manuscript. But she finally came back and said that everything looked fine. HOORAY! Now all that remains is to get through our appointment tomorrow afternoon!

With all our chores out of the way, Olga took us to a grocery store. Oh glory! I never thought I would be so happy to buy chicken and pasta and vegetables. We came home and I cooked my first meal in almost 2 weeks. It was nothing fancy - chicken & onions sauteed in butter, and little pockets that I thought were pierogies but actually tasted like cheese blintzes - but oh, it was so so SOOOOO good. Tonight, I'm going to make chicken noodle soup. What bliss.

Experiment 626 is unfamiliar with kitchens, so we had some challenges keeping her safe while Mommy cooked, In fact, she already managed to reach up and touch a hot pot while I was cooking. But thankfully, it wasn't hot enough to burn, and it did seem to get the message across, as she stayed a healthy distance from the stove for the rest of the time.

By the time we cleaned up from lunch it was seriously nap time. She went down with no problems. I hope she sleeps well today, because tomorrow's appt. is at 2:00 (who thought up THAT timing for little kids???), so we will be nap challenged tomorrow. And on Saturday, of course, we'll be on a plane at that time, wooohooo!

I'll try to get pictures after nap and post them tonight. We will probably go out and explore a bit, too - this looks like a very busy and interesting area.

Later!

Last Full Day in Astrakhan!

You know what's cool? That on our last full day in Astrakhan (thank you, God!), Suzannah had so many firsts.



Here was a big one. See this picture? It looks like a girl sitting in her crib, right? Well, that's what's so cool! Up until now, any time I put her in her crib, even when I'm just running in for a shower & give her lots of toys to keep her happy, the minute she hit the mattress she would go into almost Pavlovian rocking. Crib = rocking. But today I put her in, gave her a book, and lo and behold - she sat up and looked at the pages! Not a single rock through my entire shower.I was so pleased.



This was another eventful moment. Up until today, Suzannah has had nothing to do with the doll I brought for her. In face, much of the time she's seemed afraid of it. But last night she started to show some interest, and today, she actually started to care for it! She adjusted the clothes and gave it a kiss and even brought diapers for it. Hooray!



Once the doll had been cared for, it was time to hit the books. First she used the First Thousand Words in Russian to brush up on her vocabulary.




Then, time to review the family photo album and practice saying everyone's names.





With her studies done, it was time to put on her shoes and head outside. We did our usual routes, but with a difference: today we were saying goodbye to the places we've visited so often over the last week. Wednesday is supposed to be much colder, and we will need to pack, so I don't think we'll get out again. Thus, today was our farewell to the city. It was strangely wistful for Mommy - but not enough to make me want to stay!

We already said bye to the kremlin yesterday. Today we bid farewell to the Peter the Great statue and to the flower boulevard. Then, of course, we had to wave paca to the swan pond - though that one wasn't too bad, considering there's another swan pond waiting for us back home.

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We ambled over to the playground, which was deserted. (Everything was quiet today, undoubtedly because of the holiday. It felt like walking around home on Christmas morning.)We had another amazing first while we were there. Remember last week, how she was so unfamiliar with the slide (and very wary about it after Mommy let her do a face plant?) Well, today she figured out how to climb the steps AND how to slide down with nothng more than Mommy's finger for support!



After 25 solid minutes of the slide, it was time to move on to some other activities, like watching the sweet little boy who came in wearing a military hat and then proceeded to stare straight ahead, bark out orders, and march in perfect regimental style!

When I finally dragged her away from the playground we had to make one last visit to the store.



No batteries, dagnabbit, so no new videos, sorry. But they did have Milka chocolate bars!

After a classic lunch (banana, bread, and instant oatmeal) and nap it was time for another step. When I picked her up from her nap, she reached down for her blanky. I've been settling her in with all week, but she hasn't seemed remotely interested until today. Another breakthrough!

We wandered down to the lobby for a lollipop. Much to my surprise, the desk clerk asked if I'd heard anything about the election. Yes, it's being closely followed even here in Astrakhan!

Mommy spent some time reading some emails this evening, which gave a little girl the chance to get into some box-sized mischief.



She sat like that for at LEAST 20 minutes. How she balanced that way is beyond me, but heY - it kept her happy!

Once I finally pried her out of the box, we spent some time talking about tomorrow's adventure. She likes the word Moscow. She spent the entire evening wandering the room and saying, "Moscow! Moscow! Moscow! over an over. Let's hope she stays that excited while we're on the plane.

Of course, no day is complete without some splashy fun in the tub.



This was actually her second tub. The first time, Mommy dared turn around to brush her teeth, then looked back and saw that the water was now yellow. Ooops!

We polished off the evening with a good old-fashioned tickle-fest, some dancing, and much anticipation.

Not sure how much I'll be able to post tomorrow, but I shall be sure to update whenever possible. We're supposed to have wifi in Moscow. The days will be busier, but I shall do my best.

And now I'm going to bed so I can wake up as the polls are closing in California and find out who won the election!!

Suzannah and Mommy's Excellent Adventure

Okay, so it wasn't really an adventure, but work with me, okay?

Our one-week anniversary found Little Miss Suzannah feeling safe enough to attempt all sorts of new things today. At breakfast, she got down off the chair and tried to explore the room while Mommy the slowpoke was still eating. (They had hot rice cereal that tasted almost like rice pudding. Oh wow, it was so good!)She's also doing a LOT of imitating. And today she almost made a friend!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

After the usual morning routines and such, we wrestled for control of her soul as I strapped her into the Demon Stroller, and then we set out. When we headed out of the hotel, we took a right and walked to the end of the riverwalk. Something is being built there, don't know what, but there's construction all up and down the waterfront. This area of town certainly seems to be doing well.

It was a cloudy and gray day, but the river was still lovely.



I wish I had a wide-angle option so I could show you the whole sweep of my view.

Then we walked down the river to the Aeroflot office and the statue of Peter the Great.



There were some tourists there, but we shooed them away like pigeons when they tried to get into our shot.

Then we went up the floral boulevard, where Mommy had to get a picture of November ROSES!!



Suzannah doesn't understand why Mommy is so blown away by the flowers. Mwahahaha. Wait until she faces her first Syracuse winter.

(Somebody shoot me now. The bar across the street is playing what sounds like the Chipmunks singing We Will Rock You. Thank heaven Freddy Mercury didn't live long enough to hear it. Also, there's some smoke-like scent wafting in through my open window, and I'm pretty sure it's not from cigarettes. Do they sell Cheez Doodles in Russia?)

Anyway, after a break to introduce my girl to the glories of Ritz Mix, we walked up toward the Kremlin. Here's a shot that shows the old fortifications. So cool to think how much history those walls have seen.



This shot is for Phyllis, who wanted to know how many leaves are still on the trees.



Lots of leaves have fallen, and I think the peak of the color-change is over, but as you can see, many trees still have lots & lots of foliage :-)

Once we got inside the kremlin, it was time for some testing of wills. We tiptoed inside the church (where all they seem to do is sell things), but we got some odd looks so I took her out. Well, of COURSE she wanted to go back in. Insert lots of attempts at running away here, followed by many instances of Mommy hauling her back from the door. I finally had to put her in the Demon Stroller and push her into the center of the kremlin, where she proceeded to have a pitiful meltdown. We rocked and cuddled and worked our way through.

Meanwhile, another adorable girlie, about the same age, was watching with very big eyes. I spent a lot of time peeking at her and waving. She never came all the way over to us, but she did venture close. I finally got Suzannah to look at the girl - then to get off my lap - then to take a step in her direction - etc, etc. She never got to the point of actually approaching the other girl, but she did watch her and imitate her, which was the closest she's come to actual play since we picked her up. So, success!

There were more tears when it was time to leave, but they weren't as intense. Thank heaven.

Astrakhan just celebrated the 450th anniversary of the founding of the town, and there are still signs everywhere, such as this bench:



There was a photographer selling pictures of the town in the kremlin. One shot really called to me: fireworks over the Azimut, with the kremlin visible in the background. Really cool. It's a good thing I had no idea how to ask if they had an unframed copy!

We stopped at the store on the way home and found Russian goldfish, oh happy day! Okay, they're not in individual packets, but I can deal.

Someone has decided that - for today, at least - she likes diapers better than the toilet. I think she peed on the toilet maybe once all day. Oh well. Every day, another adventure!

We also had an exercise in creativity today. I put her in her cute little jeans, but they're really too big in the waist. Usually I would pin them, but guess who came to Russia without safety pins? So I scratched my head and looked around and finally found the ultimate fashion accessory:



Yes. it's true - y child's jeans are belted with a travel clothesline. You work with what you have.

We didn't go out after nap today, other than to wander down to the lobby and do some exploring. Mostly we hung out in the room and played. Suzannah is really focusing on what I do and trying to imitate me. I told her a story tonight and she chattered nonstop, mimicking my words, gestures, and tones with great accuracy. She tried to spit in the sink after brushing her teeth. When I wash clothes, she's right beside me with her hands in the water. But here's one she didn't learn from me:



Nope, long phone conversations are something she must have picked up in the baby home!

I debated having a pizza delivered tonight (thank you for the suggestion!), but decided that at this point, a facsimile would be worse than nothing at all. I can tough it out. Tuesday is our last full day in Astrakhan. We get her passport on Wednesday afternoon and then we fly the friendly skies. Home is coming closer by the hour!

Finally, after a long day of running and learning and testing and watching and rocking and somersaulting and tickling and cuddling, here's how all excellent adventures must end:



Sleep sweet, precious girl.

First Ice Cream!

There are times in life when the littlest things come to mean so very much. Like finding oatmeal on the buffet this morning - real, creamy, perfectly sweetened oatmeal. (Suzannah and I each gobbled it down.) Or opening my email this morning to find a photo sent by a friend, of Miri in her Halloween costume. I held my breath while the picture loaded and had to blink back tears when I saw my girl grinning on the screen, all decked out as a ladybug princess.

Damn, I miss being home.

Anyway, we made it through another day, woohoo! Tomorrow will make one week since Suzannah left the baby home. Tonight, as we were climbing the stairs to our floor, I realized that she's now taking them one foot at a time, instead of two-footing each step as she did last week. She's also FAR more communicative. Today she let me know that she had to pee! She chatters more, and is getting better at letting me know what she wants: when she' hungry, she brings me her plate or goes to the fridge, when she wants Barney she says "La la la," etc. It's still far from saying, Mommy, I want to watch Barney," but it's still a big leap in just a week.

She had s hard time with transitions today. Every time we needed to switch gears and do something else, she had a meltdown. Only the intensity wavered. I wish I knew how to say, "5 minutes until ..." because I think that helps. I do what I can to warn her that we're about to change activities, but the message doesn't always get across.

We went for a long walk in the Demon Stroller, up to the Astor Mall (first escalator ride, oh yeah!), then over to a park that runs along the canal. She had a grand time blowing bubbles and walking back and forth on the bench, over and over. And of course there was a goldfish break. On the way home we stopped at the playground, where she watched the other kids very intently to see what they were doing. She's still not approaching other kids, but she loves to watch them.

(Side note: Oh, lovely. There's some very off-tune, very drunken singing going on out on the riverwalk. Monday and Tuesday are holidays here, and I guess some folks decided to make the most of it :-)

I'm kind of annoyed with housekeeping. We were gone for 2 1/2 hours this morning, but when we came back, they still had not made it to our room. When did she knock? Five minutes before naptime. Of course I sent her away then, and so of course, we never got service today. Which I wouldn't mind so much if I could remember which towel got peed on last night ...

It was a treat to call home today without needing to stay up until ridiculous hours to talk to everyone. I might even make it to bed before 11:30 tonight!

I wanted to try eating in the hotel restaurant tonight, but someone couldn't do it. She was too hungry to wait for the leisurely service that happens there. We gave it a valiant effort, but finally had to give up when we'd been waiting 10 minutes, run out of distractions, and still hadn;t had anyone come to take our order. So much for having a real meal. If only the pizza place delivered!

For excitement after bath tonight we went down to the lobby to test out the money exchange machine & get Mommy a bottle of fizzy Bon Aqua. The machine was NOT a hit: she didn't like the noises and lights, and kept backing away. The drink purchase was pretty easy. She surprised me by running back into the restaurant, and since I'd just changed money, I decided to go wild and order us some ice cream. Oh, how I wished I'd brought the Flip camera! The look on her face after that first bite ...
the only way to describe it is that she looked like someone had just dropped an ice cube down her back. Total stunned bewilderment, topped by a shiver that ran through her entire body. She actually tried to get out of the chair when I offered her more. Then I gave her some of the melty bits, and she decided that was far more acceptable. By the end she was matching me bite for bite. That's my girl :-)

Before bed tonight, we abandoned Animal Planet in favor of watching the videos I;ve made of her during this trip. Total attention. She loved every one of them.

Sorry this is kind of a lame post, but I'm really beat tonight. I promise more pictures, etc. tomorrow.

Video, Take Two

Saturday, Part 2, AKA Super-Special-Excremental-Day-With-Rock-A-Tosis

Well, just when you think you have a plan in place, life happens.

Someone woke up in a VERY bad mood. (I would say it was me, but I didn't nap, so ....) She smiled when I picked her up, but then she dropped to the floor and start rocking again. When I tried to cuddle her she pushed me away in favor of solo rocking. She whipped her little body back and forth, thumb in mouth, looking totally miserable but refusing all attempts at comfort. I thought she was hungry, given the sparse lunch (Molly, I would have blamed the goldfish, too, but she had those two whole hours before lunch). I grabbed some yogurt. She shook her head. I offered some on a spoon. She shook her head again. I figured she might be like Daniel was at that age, when he would be starved but too stubborn to eat until we managed to get a bite of cheese into him, and then he would inhale his food. So I slipped a bit of yogurt into her mouth.

Guess who isn't just like Daniel?

She was furious. And heartbroken. She cried big sobbing tears around her yogurt until she managed to spit it all out. I wiped her cheeks and wiped her mouth and picked her up and held on, even when she pushed and kicked and squirmed. I held her and rocked her back and forth in my arms, singing total nonsense tunes to try to get it across that if she needed comfort, there was a better way than rolling herself across the wooden floor. She finally let go and rested herself against me, letting me rub her back and rock her and be with her. Of course, as soon as she settled, I started crying ... but we both made it. After we cuddled for a long time, she slipped off my knee and pointed to the banana on the windowsill. I gave her half. She ate that, then the other half, and then - surprise, surprise - polished off the entire carton of yogurt. Yep, the same one she'd rejected so violently just a few minutes earlier.

Then she gave me the second present of the day. Oh joy.

Once we got through all of that, it was too late to go to either the park or the playground, and I no longer felt ready to take on the restaurant. So we walked to the store. On the way we passed a woman selling something on the street (I never did see what). She was talking to a man who was with her and another, younger woman. The young one heard us talking and said, "You speak English?" Oh, what sweet words! As it turns out, that was her very best phrase, but it was still lovely to hear. They all fussed over Suzannah, who stood silently staring at them all, then the English-speaking one gave Suzannah an apple. Oh, what treasure! That apple did not leave that little hand all the way to the store, through the store, or home from the store.

Minor victory: I got the money right at the store tonight!! It's really pathetic, the things that make me proud these days. Every time I manage to ask for a meatball from the hot food lady, I feel like I just won a frickin' Nobel prize.

On the way home, a nice lady tried to talk to me as we were crossing the road, but once again, my "I don't understand Russian" fell on disbelieving ears. She had quite the conversation with me. I wish I could have taken part.

The same street vendors were at the corner on our way back, and they had lots of questions for us. They fussed some more over Suzannah and tried to figure out how she & I went together. One woman kept asking me something about documents and problem, and then mimicked Suzannah's eyes - asking, I think, if she had Down's syndrome. I did my best to answer, but mostly we spent a lot of time laughing and saying, "Sorry!" But the older woman was entranced by Suzannah, told us to wait, and disappeared for a couple of minutes while we talked. When she came back, she had a great big Nestle's hazelnut chocolate bar for my girl. I didn't bother trying to tell her that Suzannah isn't fond of chocolate. I mean, that would have just been rude, right?

Dinner went much better than lunch. She loved my cheese and tomato sandwich, and then discovered the joy of bread and butter. Or, sometimes, just butter. She also polished off a whole serving of tomato cup-a-soup and a crapload of grapes - with "crapload" being the operative word. Yep, soon it was time for the third present of the day. I surrendered at that point and popped her into the tub. She splashed and poured and giggled, and then I pulled her out, all clean and fresh and sweet smelling - until she pulled the towel away and peed all over the hotel carpet.

Insert major sigh here. Oh, and Larry? If you're going to BJ's before I get home, you might want to buy a mega-case of Pull-Ups.

We finally got into jammies, and looked at books, and watched more Animal Planet, and played some hide-and-run-into-Mommy's-arms games. Then she stood very still for a minute, then led me into the bathroom and presented me with a freshly soaked diaper. Ah, well.

Once she was dry & fresh AGAIN, she led me into the bedroom and plopped on the bed for another tickle-fest. She also imitated the snoring sounds I'd made last night while we were playing, and then stuck her thumb in her mouth and cuddled up next to me. I was half tempted to let us both fall asleep just like that, but came to my senses when she sat up and climbed off the bed. There were no tears when I tucked her in tonight. YAY!

To address a couple of comments - um, when I tried to help Suzannah play with another little girl, it was the innocent bystander child I pushed to tears, not Suzannah. And Sara, I have a big note by the phone bearing your name, to remind me to ask Vala about your letter next time she calls. And thanks for the tips!

Tomorrow's plan: make it through the day. If all goes as originally planned, today was the halfway point in this trip. I so, SOOOO want to start counting down the days ...

(Dagnabbit! I just spent 20 minutes uploading a video, and something failed. ARGH. I'll try again tomorrow.)

Saturday, In The Park (Part One)

Signs that you've been in Astrakhan too long:
- you welcome the need to do hand laundry, as it gives you something to do
- you find yourself plotting the longest possible route to get from here to there, as it will take up more time
- you realize you've figured out the schedule for the ferry that chugs past your window
- you walk outside in the morning, see that the begger women are missing, and actually miss them

We had a very long outing this morning. I popped Suzannah into the Demon Stroller (insert outraged howls here) and headed off toward the park. Along the way, we passed this pretty area:



This is a statue of Lenin, in front of the Astrakhan Kremlin. Suzannah is totally unimpressed. Or maybe the Demon Stroller was trying to eat her.

Then we went into the Kremlin.



The gleaming white structure behind her is the entrance. The one to her left (your right)is a gorgeous old church. The flowers are still so beautiful November 1, and there's still petunias and mums and other bloomers! The landscaped areas are still very lush and colorful - a strong contrast to the dusty, falling-down homes just 5 minutes walk away.

Here's another building inside the Kremlin. I think it was a monastary, though I can't remember for sure:



We then proceeded to the park. It wasn't even 10 yet, so there weren't a lot of people, but Suzannah had great fun pushing the Demon Stroller up and down the paths. She also loved watching a couple of kids who were trying out their rollerblades. But mostly, she liked sitting on a bench to eat goldfish.



Can you see the pigeon perched on the top of the bench? There was quite a crowd of them by the times she was done. All I could think of was Auntie Carol and the bird who jumped on her lap to share her bread. Luckily these birds were a little more cautious - though not by much.

It was too early for brides, but there were super-bundled kids who Suzannah clearly wanted to play with, but didn't know how to approach. I tried to start a game with one little girl and she immediately burst into tears. Forget Scum Mom, I am now Scum Female.

Right behind the park is a pedestrian mall. After almost an hour in the park we went into the mall, where the big attraction was 2 horse! They were being used to give pony rides to kids. No, I didn't get her a ride - figuring out how to ask about it would be too hard for a wimp such as I. But Suzannah was happy simply watching them and making a "clop, clop" sound with her mouth. We stood in one place and stared at them for at least 10 minutes. I finally had to pick her up and haul her away, squirming and screaming in protest.

We spent almost 2 hours in the park, not really doing much, just watching anf running and pushing. Eventually we had to walk back to the hotel. I took a different route on the way back and we walked past the Ministry of Education.



I tried to explain to Suzannah that the MoE was the place where she was matched with us, but for some reason she didn't seem to care.

We got back just in time for Mommy to make a lovely lunch which the Tsarina refused to eat. (Larry, you would never know that this is the same child who spent every minute of our baby home visits trying to rifle through our backpacks for food.) I made 2 kinds of sandwiches, some instant oatmeal (the good kind), and cut up some fruit. What did she eat? Maybe 6 bites of apple & banana. And she drank a bunch of juice. She won't drink from her sippy cup, but she LOVES to drink from a real cup or a bottle. When it's time to brush her teeth she'll stick the toothbrush in her mouth over & over, just so she can get more water.

She doesn;t talk much in the mornings, or around other people, but as the day goes by she talks more & more. She kept up a whole running monologue as I was making lunch. Of course, the minute I grab the camera she stops, but it's good to know she's capable of saying a lot more than "beep-beep," "woof," and "meow."

When I told her it was time for nap, she plopped down on the floor & started the rolling thing. But when I ignored it, she eventually started humming to herself as she rolled. It took me a couple of minutes but I finally realized she was humming "Skip to my Lou" from the Barney video!

This afternoon, we'll either go back to the park in search of brides, or to the playground. And maybe we'll try eating in the restaurant tonight. Oooh, the drama!