We were able to get the official adoption decree today. Things have changed quite a bit from the way things were a year ago. We do not need to get a citizenship stamp before heading to the birth certificate office. This is great, and will cut a day or more out of the process.
Also, the passport office was only open 2 days a week - now, it is open 6 days a week - YAY!
Tomorrow Anya's new birth certificate. We'll head to the office at about 11am. Sounds like this will be like a trip to the DMV (i.e. you go, get a number and stand in line). The office shuts down from 1-2pm for lunch, so our hope is to be in and out by 1. Then, we'll head to the photography place to get Anya's picture taken for the passport.
Now, if I understood it right, we will then go to the passport office. I've been known to not understand what Andrew has said before (but I maintain that Andrew SAID one thing, but meant the other...his English and tense of words sometimes gets mixed up). In all reality, we will probably have to wait a day for the photos, and go to the passport office on Thursday. But who knows!
I am just praying that these last few steps in the process go smoothly and swiftly. We're all exhausted, ready to come home, and get on with life.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Monday, March 08, 2010
Our day at Baikal - in pictures
The Jackson clan...seriously don't know what we would do without this family.
Anya with her best friend, Melissa
Anya with her other favorite friend, Ashlee (that she calls Ashlea because all girls names here end with an 'a')
Fish - there are fish EVERYWHERE at Baikal
You can se the lake behind us - it is massive - if you don't know anything about Baikal...Google it - it is the a pretty amazing lake
People drive cars on the lake - 'back in the day' they would put railroad tracks across the lake, and a train would go across...just in the winter.
The water (well, ice) is so clear - pretty amazing
Anya might be the only year old that wears Cocah sunglasses...OK, they're mine, I like to share
In this photo, you can kind of see the depth of the ice. It is about a meter thick here

Someone was so excited about going to Baikal, she needed a nap on the way there
Anya with her best friend, Melissa
You can se the lake behind us - it is massive - if you don't know anything about Baikal...Google it - it is the a pretty amazing lake
People drive cars on the lake - 'back in the day' they would put railroad tracks across the lake, and a train would go across...just in the winter.
The water (well, ice) is so clear - pretty amazing
Anya might be the only year old that wears Cocah sunglasses...OK, they're mine, I like to share
In this photo, you can kind of see the depth of the ice. It is about a meter thick here
Someone was so excited about going to Baikal, she needed a nap on the way there
silly things Anya says
Out of mouth of babes (or 7 year olds) - "Mama is a big tomato, Daddy is meat, and I am ice cream"
Things about Anya
Last night we learned that Anya talks in her sleep. THe only thing I understood that she was saying was 'that's all'.
when to open up the blog
Today's question is when to open up the blog. For those who have been through the process, what do you think? When is a good time?
I feel like I am always juggling permissions, trying to see who I might be able to delete to make room for one more.
Any thoughts?
I feel like I am always juggling permissions, trying to see who I might be able to delete to make room for one more.
Any thoughts?
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Anyone?
OK, who wants to buy my daughter her own IPod Touch for her birthday the end of June. Anyone, anyone? (chirp chirp!)
Ice Cream on Walking Street
Really, eating ice cream when it is about zero outside is a fun thing to do - check it out...
Dog Sled
Here is a quick video of Anya dog sledding at the Jackson's. Astra was a good dog and very patient with his new passenger! This was taken on the Jackson's street - for all of you in subdivisions who get irritated with the lack of snow plow response - check out this video...this is on a road.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Saturday is fun day!
Today we decided to go out for lunch and walk downtown. We went to Fiesta for lunch on Walking Street. Anya got some chicken and french fries. She is now the world's biggest french fry fan!
After lunch, we decided to let her have ice cream. She has been talking about it all day, even saying (I think) that her name is Anya Ice Cream. She made her own grocery list and on it was:
We did a lot of sharing of the ice cream.
After lunch, we decided to let her have ice cream. She has been talking about it all day, even saying (I think) that her name is Anya Ice Cream. She made her own grocery list and on it was:
- ice cream
- milk
- juice
- candy
We did a lot of sharing of the ice cream.
more on Friday
Did I mention that she liked Popcorn?

She also really liked Peanut Butter.
Finger lickin' good! (and container licking...and plate licking...)
When she gets a little excited, we put the headphones on her and let her play with the IPod for a while. I read somewhere that this is a technique used with autistic children - Anya isn't autistic, but I thought I'd give it a go and see how it worked. LIKE A CHARM!

She also really liked Peanut Butter.
Finger lickin' good! (and container licking...and plate licking...)
When she gets a little excited, we put the headphones on her and let her play with the IPod for a while. I read somewhere that this is a technique used with autistic children - Anya isn't autistic, but I thought I'd give it a go and see how it worked. LIKE A CHARM!
what to do on a Friday..
Friday was quite a day around here. Anya had her second 'time out', and first melt down - and I mean MELT DOWN! Tears and everything. In hind-sight it was a good thing. The tears showed us that she understood that she did something wrong, and that she was being punished for it.
Before I go into the whole thing - let me get one thing perfectly clear. Anya is a very VERY good girl. We've heard all kinds of stories about kids, and the challenges they have had in the first days. She is polite (as polite as you can be when you've never been taught manners), understands rules, goes to bed without any trouble, takes a bath eagerly. It's all really very good.
What we're experiencing is simple a 7 year old girl who is trying to define her boundaries. She senses that I am in charge, since I seem to be the one always saying 'no'; therefore she is trying to see how far she can push me. I get that intellectually, but in the moment it isn't easy.
We have some pretty firm rules - things like no hitting, pulling hair, spitting. Also insist on things like waiting until everyone is done eating dinner before we get up and start playing, we must brush teeth in the morning, and we must pee pee before we go outside. Ya know - all mean parent stuff.
On Friday, Anya was really trying to find what buttons to push with me; it ended up in her trying to hit me and shake her fist in my face before we were going outside. That is not acceptable in our house. So, her behavior got her a 5 minute time out with firm voices from Mommy and Daddy. Anya didn't like that at all, and burst into tears. Hiding her face and everything. The shame of it all was horrible.
After the melt down, we went for a walk outside. She still wouldn't look at me and didn't want to hold my hand. She was very quiet the rest of the day.
Today (Saturday) she is fine. No boundary pushing. When I see that she is trying, I've been handing it all over to Daddy. That seems to be working out since Daddy is clearly her favorite. I've even used the 'do you want me to get Daddy' trick - and let me say, it works like a charm!
So - here are some photos of our Friday. Don't ask about this first one...let me just say that it needed to be done, and Marty was the only one around who had the skills to complete the task.

We've declared Friday night 'family night' (maybe kinda sotra borrowed it from the Jackson's...we don't have a cool family fun song yet, but we're working on it!). In the spirit of Family night, we watched a movie and ate popcorn. Anya loved the corn! The movie was Winnie Pooh (for about the millionth time).
Before I go into the whole thing - let me get one thing perfectly clear. Anya is a very VERY good girl. We've heard all kinds of stories about kids, and the challenges they have had in the first days. She is polite (as polite as you can be when you've never been taught manners), understands rules, goes to bed without any trouble, takes a bath eagerly. It's all really very good.
What we're experiencing is simple a 7 year old girl who is trying to define her boundaries. She senses that I am in charge, since I seem to be the one always saying 'no'; therefore she is trying to see how far she can push me. I get that intellectually, but in the moment it isn't easy.
We have some pretty firm rules - things like no hitting, pulling hair, spitting. Also insist on things like waiting until everyone is done eating dinner before we get up and start playing, we must brush teeth in the morning, and we must pee pee before we go outside. Ya know - all mean parent stuff.
On Friday, Anya was really trying to find what buttons to push with me; it ended up in her trying to hit me and shake her fist in my face before we were going outside. That is not acceptable in our house. So, her behavior got her a 5 minute time out with firm voices from Mommy and Daddy. Anya didn't like that at all, and burst into tears. Hiding her face and everything. The shame of it all was horrible.
After the melt down, we went for a walk outside. She still wouldn't look at me and didn't want to hold my hand. She was very quiet the rest of the day.
Today (Saturday) she is fine. No boundary pushing. When I see that she is trying, I've been handing it all over to Daddy. That seems to be working out since Daddy is clearly her favorite. I've even used the 'do you want me to get Daddy' trick - and let me say, it works like a charm!
So - here are some photos of our Friday. Don't ask about this first one...let me just say that it needed to be done, and Marty was the only one around who had the skills to complete the task.

We've declared Friday night 'family night' (maybe kinda sotra borrowed it from the Jackson's...we don't have a cool family fun song yet, but we're working on it!). In the spirit of Family night, we watched a movie and ate popcorn. Anya loved the corn! The movie was Winnie Pooh (for about the millionth time).
routines - the end of Friday
the day at the Jackson's
On Thursday, we went to the Jackson's house for the afternoon. It was so nice to see Ans pay with other kids. I know she is bored out of her mind with us...and I hate that. There isn't much to do in the apartment (that I am not lovingly calling the 'cell'...bars on the windows, gray walls...kinda fits).
Anyway, it was a great afternoon.
Steve took the kids on a dog sled ride with their family's dog, Astra.

Anya and Melissa had a lot of fun playing. Melissa is 6. Here, they're having 'girl talk' over some hot chocolate.
When we first got to their house, Anya was shy, so we played Candy Land. This is one of her favorite games. She quickly warmed up to the other kids, and before I knew it - she was even being a little bossy! But the kids all had a good time, and we're very grateful for the invitation!
Anyway, it was a great afternoon.
Steve took the kids on a dog sled ride with their family's dog, Astra.

Anya and Melissa had a lot of fun playing. Melissa is 6. Here, they're having 'girl talk' over some hot chocolate.
When we first got to their house, Anya was shy, so we played Candy Land. This is one of her favorite games. She quickly warmed up to the other kids, and before I knew it - she was even being a little bossy! But the kids all had a good time, and we're very grateful for the invitation!
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
more on the famous sofa
To recap - here is what we have determined:
1. When you get out of college, that horrible cheap dorm furniture is sold at a garage sale to Russian people (we think), and then it is used to furnish the apartments of adoptive families.
2. We have also determined that this sofa was part of the Mayflower. It is old. It is rare. It is famous.
In an effort to answer your questions, we converted the sofa to a bed...or play area...or more comfortable sofa. First, we pulled out the bottom revealing this strange looking support device.

Then we unfolded the cushions over the top of the support...seems to be an ingenious design. Please note the roomy accommodations of this flat...the extra space between the sofa and the kitchen table (on the right...look for the bright yellow table cloth)
Finally, Marty tried out the new contraption to make sure it was safe for women and children.
After covering it's nastiness with a comforter, and using the baby crib mattress as a back support cushion - we have a new piece of furniture! And, apparently it is safe for children!
1. When you get out of college, that horrible cheap dorm furniture is sold at a garage sale to Russian people (we think), and then it is used to furnish the apartments of adoptive families.
2. We have also determined that this sofa was part of the Mayflower. It is old. It is rare. It is famous.
In an effort to answer your questions, we converted the sofa to a bed...or play area...or more comfortable sofa. First, we pulled out the bottom revealing this strange looking support device.

Then we unfolded the cushions over the top of the support...seems to be an ingenious design. Please note the roomy accommodations of this flat...the extra space between the sofa and the kitchen table (on the right...look for the bright yellow table cloth)
Finally, Marty tried out the new contraption to make sure it was safe for women and children.
After covering it's nastiness with a comforter, and using the baby crib mattress as a back support cushion - we have a new piece of furniture! And, apparently it is safe for children!
nuggets from today
We’ve learned that Anya is very long waisted. Most pants I’ve brought for her look like hip huggers.
Anya is good at entertaining herself, which is good since Mommy and Daddy aren’t the best at entertaining a 7 year old 24 hours a day
Anya got her first time out. I wish I knew what she was saying while she was sitting for 5 minutes…but ya know, maybe I DON’T want to know what she was saying
Not everyone likes to color as much as I do
You must always check your child’s pockets…ALWAYS. You will be amazed what you might find. Maybe chewed gum, maybe a grape, might even find a coin.
Best conversation of the day (in Russian of course)
Mama, can I have an orange
Neit
(5 minutes later)
Mama, can I have an apple?
Neit
(5 minutes later)
Mama, can I have a banana?
Neit, but thanks for asking
(5 minutes later)
Mama, can I have candy?
Um, neit
(5 minutes later)
Mama, can I have some chips?
Neit, how about water
Yes, please!
Anya is good at entertaining herself, which is good since Mommy and Daddy aren’t the best at entertaining a 7 year old 24 hours a day
Anya got her first time out. I wish I knew what she was saying while she was sitting for 5 minutes…but ya know, maybe I DON’T want to know what she was saying
Not everyone likes to color as much as I do
You must always check your child’s pockets…ALWAYS. You will be amazed what you might find. Maybe chewed gum, maybe a grape, might even find a coin.
Best conversation of the day (in Russian of course)
Mama, can I have an orange
Neit
(5 minutes later)
Mama, can I have an apple?
Neit
(5 minutes later)
Mama, can I have a banana?
Neit, but thanks for asking
(5 minutes later)
Mama, can I have candy?
Um, neit
(5 minutes later)
Mama, can I have some chips?
Neit, how about water
Yes, please!
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Day in photos
Anya LOVED our dinner (hee hee!)
Dinner - beef stew
She wasn't sure about the whole hair drying thing, but it was dripping all over the place. After about 2 minutes, she said 'eta fsol!' (that's all!)

On the phone with Auntie Larisa from America
Getting ready to go - in Anya's room at the orphanage.

All right then, let's go! Anya wasn't hesitant AT ALL to go.
Us with the Director - very VERY nice woman. Will post more about the actual 'going' later.
First walk together - at the ice sculptures on Mapata.
Anya decided she was sleepy after the walk.

Dinner - beef stew

She wasn't sure about the whole hair drying thing, but it was dripping all over the place. After about 2 minutes, she said 'eta fsol!' (that's all!)


On the phone with Auntie Larisa from America

Getting ready to go - in Anya's room at the orphanage.

All right then, let's go! Anya wasn't hesitant AT ALL to go.

Us with the Director - very VERY nice woman. Will post more about the actual 'going' later.

First walk together - at the ice sculptures on Mapata.

Anya decided she was sleepy after the walk.
FIRST DAY
FIRST DAY
The only thing that comes to mind is God Blessed. Seriously. Now that the first day is over, I will admit that I was scared – borderline terrified. Not that I couldn’t do it, not that we couldn’t handle whatever came up…but just that things would be hard and go badly for Anya. And, just the opposite happened.
After we picked up Anya from the Orphanage, we were dropped off back at the apartment. We ate a late lunch (grill cheese sandwiches, pickles and fish crackers), and then went out to the market. We were out of milk and other necessities that we needed before our weekly trek to the big supermarket with the Jacksons.
Anyway, we walked down Karl Marks Street to the Clata grocery store. It is quite a walk, and Anya did such a good job. We stopped on the way at the ice sculptures, and Anya slid down some of the ice slides. She was pretty wide-eyed in the store. She wanted to be sure that I saw everything there was to see in the store!
On the walk home, Anya got tired. I can only imagine all the build up and excitement from the day! We was a little trooper! We got back to the apartment, and Anya played some games (on the IPod of course), had great fun changing the channel on the TV a million times, and blew bubbles in the Kitchen (I know…bad mom for letting her do that!).
By then, it was about dinner time, I made beef stew. It was ochen fakoosna! (very tasty!)
Then bath time – Anya loved bath time. I tell you, her hair is a completely different color after I washed it! Her little feet are so ticklish that it was hard to really scrub her tootsies, but that’s ok. At least I know they’re clean!
She thought it was pretty funny that I insisted on some baby oil for her arms and legs. My mom made her some new jammies, and Anya was very excited to put them on. I dried her hair a little bit with the hair dryer, just so it wasn’t dripping wet. We then sat on the couch (yes, the most uncomfortable sofa on the planet!), and watched Little Mermaid.
Then Larisa called – my Russian friend from home. We let Anya talk on the phone with Larisa…she wasn’t sure what to make of that!
She almost feel asleep watching the movie, so at about 8:45 we decided it was time for her to go to bed. We thought 8:30 was a good bedtime, so we were generally right on track.
Got her into bed kissed her goodnight and that was that! She is out like a light – snoring and everything!
Marty and I have been watching the SyFi Channel series called Eureka. I hate science fiction, but this series is really good. Every night we watch an episode. So, tonight – we got to do that too! That is one thing that I didn’t think we were going to be able to do again for a while. Yay!
We misunderstood what Andrew was telling us about the documents on the way home from the orphanage today. I thought he said that we were going right then to some office to get some official document and deal with the birth certificate thing right away. Well, not so much. Apparently the court has to mail that final document to some office (that is called the ‘marriage office’), and that will take until maybe Friday. Then once they get that piece of mail, then we can deal with the birth certificate. Andrew said that the passport thing can take 3 maybe 4 weeks (someone shoot me NOW!). I am praying about that. That would mean that we have another 5-6 weeks ahead of us…and I can’t really even think about that right now.
(will add photos when bandwidth will allow)
The only thing that comes to mind is God Blessed. Seriously. Now that the first day is over, I will admit that I was scared – borderline terrified. Not that I couldn’t do it, not that we couldn’t handle whatever came up…but just that things would be hard and go badly for Anya. And, just the opposite happened.
After we picked up Anya from the Orphanage, we were dropped off back at the apartment. We ate a late lunch (grill cheese sandwiches, pickles and fish crackers), and then went out to the market. We were out of milk and other necessities that we needed before our weekly trek to the big supermarket with the Jacksons.
Anyway, we walked down Karl Marks Street to the Clata grocery store. It is quite a walk, and Anya did such a good job. We stopped on the way at the ice sculptures, and Anya slid down some of the ice slides. She was pretty wide-eyed in the store. She wanted to be sure that I saw everything there was to see in the store!
On the walk home, Anya got tired. I can only imagine all the build up and excitement from the day! We was a little trooper! We got back to the apartment, and Anya played some games (on the IPod of course), had great fun changing the channel on the TV a million times, and blew bubbles in the Kitchen (I know…bad mom for letting her do that!).
By then, it was about dinner time, I made beef stew. It was ochen fakoosna! (very tasty!)
Then bath time – Anya loved bath time. I tell you, her hair is a completely different color after I washed it! Her little feet are so ticklish that it was hard to really scrub her tootsies, but that’s ok. At least I know they’re clean!
She thought it was pretty funny that I insisted on some baby oil for her arms and legs. My mom made her some new jammies, and Anya was very excited to put them on. I dried her hair a little bit with the hair dryer, just so it wasn’t dripping wet. We then sat on the couch (yes, the most uncomfortable sofa on the planet!), and watched Little Mermaid.
Then Larisa called – my Russian friend from home. We let Anya talk on the phone with Larisa…she wasn’t sure what to make of that!
She almost feel asleep watching the movie, so at about 8:45 we decided it was time for her to go to bed. We thought 8:30 was a good bedtime, so we were generally right on track.
Got her into bed kissed her goodnight and that was that! She is out like a light – snoring and everything!
Marty and I have been watching the SyFi Channel series called Eureka. I hate science fiction, but this series is really good. Every night we watch an episode. So, tonight – we got to do that too! That is one thing that I didn’t think we were going to be able to do again for a while. Yay!
We misunderstood what Andrew was telling us about the documents on the way home from the orphanage today. I thought he said that we were going right then to some office to get some official document and deal with the birth certificate thing right away. Well, not so much. Apparently the court has to mail that final document to some office (that is called the ‘marriage office’), and that will take until maybe Friday. Then once they get that piece of mail, then we can deal with the birth certificate. Andrew said that the passport thing can take 3 maybe 4 weeks (someone shoot me NOW!). I am praying about that. That would mean that we have another 5-6 weeks ahead of us…and I can’t really even think about that right now.
(will add photos when bandwidth will allow)
GOING TO GET ANYA
As I anticipated, Andrew wasn’t as punctual as we were told he would be. That’s fine – when we got the call this morning, we hadn’t even begun to get ready for the day, so a little extra time to get ready and eat some breakfast was fine. Currently, it’s 11:15, and still no Andrew.
One thing I have learned is when you stop expecting something to happen, it happens. When you stop trying to control the happenings around you, you allow God to move to work everything out for good. So in taking my own advice, I didn’t expect to get Anya today. I figured something would come up – so last night, I didn’t get anything together, didn’t clean the apartment, didn’t run to the grocery store, and didn’t put away the laundry that is drying on the racks in our room. But I think that is OK. It’s ok that everything is a mess; at home, goodness knows things aren’t perfect! I don’t always have the house picked up and laundry put away. To be honest, the opposite is generally true!
I am trying to get a handle on my feelings this a.m. My stomach feels weird, I can tell my blood pressure is probably through the roof, and I have a zit on my chin.
We ate oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. Took some beef out of the freezer for dinner (thinking a stew, potato – carrot – celery and beef for the man and child).
I am making all these mental lists of things I need to do – and I remembered I think I forgot to pay some bills online. No worries Tara, nothing will get shut off!
CURRENT TIME: 11:30 – still waiting.
CURRENT TIME: 11:54 – still waiting.
CURRENT TIME: 12:22 – still waiting.
CURRENT TIME: 12:40 – still waiting.
FINALLY 12:45 – we’re outta here!
UPDATE: 3:00 - late lunchtime. First meal together as a family. Grilled Cheese sandwiches, pickles and fish crackers. GOTCHA! 5 years, 7 months and 2 days after we started down this path, we've finally come to the dead end, and are able to jump up on the highway!
One thing I have learned is when you stop expecting something to happen, it happens. When you stop trying to control the happenings around you, you allow God to move to work everything out for good. So in taking my own advice, I didn’t expect to get Anya today. I figured something would come up – so last night, I didn’t get anything together, didn’t clean the apartment, didn’t run to the grocery store, and didn’t put away the laundry that is drying on the racks in our room. But I think that is OK. It’s ok that everything is a mess; at home, goodness knows things aren’t perfect! I don’t always have the house picked up and laundry put away. To be honest, the opposite is generally true!
I am trying to get a handle on my feelings this a.m. My stomach feels weird, I can tell my blood pressure is probably through the roof, and I have a zit on my chin.
We ate oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. Took some beef out of the freezer for dinner (thinking a stew, potato – carrot – celery and beef for the man and child).
I am making all these mental lists of things I need to do – and I remembered I think I forgot to pay some bills online. No worries Tara, nothing will get shut off!
CURRENT TIME: 11:30 – still waiting.
CURRENT TIME: 11:54 – still waiting.
CURRENT TIME: 12:22 – still waiting.
CURRENT TIME: 12:40 – still waiting.
FINALLY 12:45 – we’re outta here!
UPDATE: 3:00 - late lunchtime. First meal together as a family. Grilled Cheese sandwiches, pickles and fish crackers. GOTCHA! 5 years, 7 months and 2 days after we started down this path, we've finally come to the dead end, and are able to jump up on the highway!
Monday, March 01, 2010
here we go
For those of you who aren't on Facebook, I wanted to be sure you know.
We're going to pick up Anya this morning!
Got a cal at about 9:15 that said Andres (Alex's assistant) would be here to go get Anya sometime between 10 and 11...which in Andrew time means 11 - 11:15.
I am trying to get off the computer so that I cam get myself together.
(deep breath) = HERE WE GO! YAHOO!
We're going to pick up Anya this morning!
Got a cal at about 9:15 that said Andres (Alex's assistant) would be here to go get Anya sometime between 10 and 11...which in Andrew time means 11 - 11:15.
I am trying to get off the computer so that I cam get myself together.
(deep breath) = HERE WE GO! YAHOO!
more on boys
I just wanted to echo something that my friend Brenda said about the boys. They need Jesus. (This isn't to say the girls don't - for the record).
Maybe that is the lesson in all of this. Maybe that is what I am supposed to get from seeing this; maybe that is why I can't seem to quiet the stirring in the pit of my stomach. These boys.
As for me, I am going to start praying for these boys - fully, completely. They need Jesus more than I ever let myself think about.
Maybe that is the lesson in all of this. Maybe that is what I am supposed to get from seeing this; maybe that is why I can't seem to quiet the stirring in the pit of my stomach. These boys.
As for me, I am going to start praying for these boys - fully, completely. They need Jesus more than I ever let myself think about.
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