Hello, Experiment 626

(For those who don't understand the reference, get thee to a Netflix queue and watch Lilo and Stitch immediately. Trust me, it's worth the time.)

Well, Larry left this morning. Before he headed out the door, he said, "Keep your eye on experiment 626." Apparently she pulled a fast one on him last night when they went down to the lobby. Larry was at the desk and Little Miss Speedy decided to make a run for it. By the time Daddy caught up with her, she'd made it through the length of the lobby, past the computer desk, through the business center, and into someone's office. Thank heaven she didn't try to run the other way and head outside!

Also last night, as we were doing one of our hallway walks, she spied an open door. Next thing you know, I was retrieving her from a very surprised friendly stranger's room.

I'm thinking it's a VERY good thing I brought her little backpack/harness...

P.S.

Tonight I pulled out the photos of the house & kids, trying to explain where Poppy would go tomorrow. She stared at the picture of the house very intently. Then I showed her the pics of the kids, saying (in Russian) "This is your sister Miriam," "This is your brother Joshua/Daniel/Noah." And not only did she seem to get it - she tried to repeat the names! She definitely said "sestra" (sister) for Miriam, and she managed something which was was certainly an attempt at Noah. That was SO cool. We'll have to practice every night so she can greet everyone by name when we get home!

Tuesday - Our First Full Day

It was another busy and exciting day here in Astrakhan. And Suzannah Negina is starting to talk up a storm (relatively speaking).

We were getting picked up at 8:30 today, so we had to be up and out fairly early. Suzannah slept very well last night, straight through, and woke up just a few minutes before seven. She was very shivery in the morning, so we bundled her in two sweaters and jeans that drooped halfway down her butt, and went to breakfast. Once we got some food into her, she stopped shivering - though maybe it was the overheated dining room. Anyway, we brought the Hello Kitty fork down with us, and she used it with great speed, gobbling down an egg, two yogurts, and rice cereal. She also drank a boatload of apple juice. Apples seem to be her favorite fruit. Wait until we get her home to a central NY Empire!

The morning consisted of a lot of driving and even more waiting. We got the adoption certificate and her new birth certificate, then did a lot of back and forth-ing to get things notarized, go to the passport office, etc. We also went to the Aeroflot office and bought tickets for Suzannah and I to fly to Moscow. The countdown has begun! Luckily, Suzannah loves riding in cars - she tries to climb in any one she sees - so she was very patient with all the running around.

After a bit of lunch, we found Animal Planet on the TV and had a great half hour watching Top Dog (in Russian). Suzannah was in ecstasy - "Woof! Woof!" We also got some 2-word phrases out of her, which was a first with us. Progress! Larry and I had a great time cheering for Fluffy the underdog, who made a valiant showing in the Distraction competition to burst past Miffy the spaniel into second-from-last place. Hey, when all the shows are dubbed over in Russian, you find your fun where you can.

Naptime was easy - she wans't thrilled about being put down, but neither did she really protest. And she slept LONG. After 2 1/2 hours she was sort of waking, so we picked her up, but then she spent a good half hour simply cuddling on our laps, sucking her thumb, and being adored. When she did sit up, we were able to have some book time. That old classic Barney and Daddies kept her happy for a long time.

Then it was time for a walk to the grocery store (highlight of the day!) We saw lots of dogs ("woof!) and cats ("meeeeeeoooooo"). Great fun all around. The store was a source of great enjoyment yet again, and that's even without being able to understand how silly Mommy and Daddy look, trying to figure out whether they're buying sour cream or yogurt.

When we got back to the hotel, guess who made a present for her daddy? Yep, that particular dam finally broke. All I'll say is, it's a good thing there was time for an IMMEDIATE bath.

When I was cutting up food for dinner, she spotted an apple on the table and brought it over to me, then proceeded to eat it as fast as I could cut it up. We also introduced her to that All-American favorite, Cup a Soup. BIG smiles for that. Oh, and TPC? She did have a couple of chips last night, AFTER she ate her carrot salad. We are a well-balanced family :-)

Once dinner was over, someone decided she wanted an outing. She brought us her shoes, then her coat. Daddy obliged by bundling her up to dispose of some nuclear waste in the dumpster. Happy happy girl.

Now she's turned the TV on again - asking me for "woof" - and thank heaven, Animal Planet is showing another show with dogs. Okay, it looks like these ones are being rescued from horrible homes, but Suzannah is happy. She's talking to the TV a LOT, imitating me when I make pony noises, saying "paka" to the dogs being taken away in the beep-beeps. Life is good.

Tomorrow, Daddy flies home. She's going to miss her Poppy, that's for sure. But the time will pass, and sooner than we expect, she and I will be the ones hopping on the plane to fly home.

One Last First-Day Post

Yes, I know this is verging on the ridiculous, but it's been a momentous day. Indulge me :-)

After a very good nap and a snack of a lot of the same foods we had at lunch, we bundled Suzannah into her pretty pink coat and headed out for a walk. And walk she did! There was very little carrying involved - she likes to walk and did almost all of the trip on foot. I brought her little koala backpack/leash, so she could have a little independence and still be safe. We wandered into a nearby store in search of a kettle, but all they sold was Pier One-type furniture, so, no luck. We walked farther and found a playground! Suzannah had no idea what to do with the slide, and she still hasn't figured out that she's supposed to climb up the steps (as opposed to Mommy and Daddy lifting her onto the slide), but she soon figured out that flying down the slide part was FUN!

When Mommy and Daddy;s aging arms finally gave out, we went to the grocery store. She loved sitting in the cart and being pushed through the aisles. There wasn't too much grabbing for food, which surprised me. I'm sure it will come, and soon. We loaded up a bag with the essentials - salad, chicken, chips - and walked back to the hotel. The highlight of the trip? Larry ran into one store real quick and when he came back, Suzannah pointed and said, "Poppy!"

Her favorite part of dinner was her milk, the carrot salad, and the ketchup (eaten with the Hello Kitty fork, of course.) After dinner she had a long, splashy time in the tub. We made sure to film it so we have a blackmail shot to show at her wedding :-)

There were two times when I said, "Want to walk in the hall?" and opened the door so she could run/crawl/stomp up and down the length. Later in the evening, I said it again, but without moving, and the next thing I knew, she was at the door trying to get out. I think she's picking up on some things already!

the Russian kids DVD we bought earned no attention. The hockey game on TV did. So did being tickled, being turned upside-down, clomping around in Mommy's shoes, and watching Barney on the computer. In fact, the only tears of the entire day came when it was time to turn off Barney and go to bed. She cried hard for a couple of minutes, then lay down in her crib and rocked herself to sleep.

Oh, and she finally peed on the toilet - twice!

Details

Hey - guess who's napping? That's right, Larry! Oh, wait, Suzannah is asleep, too. Great time to post some details of the day.

We left the hotel at 9:30. First stop, the court, where we picked up the court papers making her ours. Next we tried to find an umbrella stroller in a kids store, but no luck. Lots of lovely fancy ones, but no simple umbrellas. We then had to stop at a grocery store to pick up cakes for the baby home staff, and then we were on our way. Hard to believe it was the last time we would ever make the drive to the baby home.

Once we got there, they took the clothes we'd brought and the caregivers dressed her for the last time. We signed a couple of papers - that we were aware of her medical history, and one other. Mostly we tried to keep from hyperventilating :-) Then they brought her to us in her new little dress & shiny black Mary Janes. Everything fit perfectly. Did she remember us? Hard to tell, but she had no trouble coming to us. She seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the activity, and I'm sure none of it really registered at the time. The staff all said goodbye to her, and we headed for the door - then the kids from her group & her caregivers came to the front hall to say paka (bye-bye). We did think to get a picture of her with her caregiver, and actually that was the only time she started to cry. I think she thought we were leaving her again. But I'm glad we got even that one shot for her to keep. Next thing you know, she was making a beeline for the door.

She loves riding in cars, so it was no problem getting her ready for the ride. We gave her the little stuffed bear big sister Miri sent for her, and some animal crackers, and she was very happy.

We tried a couple of other stores on the way back, still in search of an umbrella stroller, but no luck. However, Suzannah did a great job in the stores - curious, obviously, but not overwhelmed.

Finally, we made it back to the hotel. She spent a minute checking out the lobby, then we came to the room. (Hey, Amy - we're in 314, too!!!) She spent a happy hour wandering the room, opening drawers, lying down on the big bed and grinning. She loved the little Hello Kitty fork we brought, and used it to eat all of her lunch (banana, cheese, even her yogurt!)We tried to make soup using my little electric kettle, but alas, we fried BOTH of our voltage converters. Maybe we can get a cheap one here. It would be very convenient.

The only thing she has refused to do thus far is sit on the toilet. Not surprising - they probably have only potty seats in the baby home. She'll get used to it, and in the meantime, she was happy to put on a Pull Up.

After a while it was nap time. We put her in the crib and told her it was time to sleep. She tried to get out a few times, but Larry and I went and laid down in our bed, so she could see that everyone was napping. She bopped around for a while but never cried - peeked at us, rocked herself back and forth, and finally settled into sleep. She has her thumb in her mouth and looks beyond adorable, all nestled under her blankies.

This afternoon, we'll probably go for a walk to the grocery store, get some more milk, that kind of thing. You know. Family stuff :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSH!!!

At Last!!!!

Hello, Suzannah Negina, you beautiful doll. Welcome to the family.

We Are Here, We Are Here, We Are Here!

It was another of those looooooong travel days ... hopped a plane in Syracuse just after noon on Saturday, landed in Astrakhan at 6:30 Sunday night. Allowing for the time difference, that's 23 hours of travel time. No wonder I was ready for a shower when we landed :-)

Everything went pretty well on the trip, yay. There was a LOT of turbulence on the flight from Atlanta, right around when we were over Quebec. I shall refrain from comments about hot air :-) Otherwise, not too bad. Larry and I both got some half-decent sleep in, which helps immensely. We had about 6 hours to wait in Moscow, which was rather trying. They won't let you check in until about 2 hours before the flight, so we spent much of the time sitting in a crowded, hot & smoky area with no bathrooms. Not fun. However, we survived all that, and the Aeroflot flight, and I read 2 good books over the course of the flights. So, not too bad.

We're back in the Azimut hotel now, on the third floor this time, but still overlooking the river. Vala took us shopping to buy some foods that will be familiar to Little Sister. Larry was very happy because they sold cold beer.

So now we've called home, shopped, eaten, and showered. Time to get everything unpacked and ready, because tomorrow we get picked up at 9:30, and then it's off to the baby home for the very last time!!!!