This morning Jason and I were fingerprinted (I think this is the 4th time!). Would our fingerprints change that much!? I received an e-mail on Wednesday from our social worker wanting to know when we could have the final part of our paperwork finished. We had been told before that we were not to do our fingerprints or go to the dr. because it is time sensitive. It must be done within 3 months of our court date. So the last of our paperwork should be mailed off at the end of next week. That's a celebration all in itself because I have never seen so much paperwork as I have with the adoption process!!
We are almost positive I will stay over in Russia between our next trips. But I will first of course, run it past our wonderful host family!! Janice and Jon are the best, we felt so at home and relaxed with them. We have talked a lot since we left Russia about how thanful we are for them and we don't know what we would have done without them.
Our plan is for Jason to come back home to work and I'm hoping my sister can come over to Russia to help me with the trip back home. We asked my Russian friend Lena if she wanted to go. She has a sister who lives in Moscow. She really wanted to but she just started a new job last Monday and isn't going to be able to. I really hope Casey can go. Her college exams will be the first week of December and then she has a few more basketball games and this year she has a longer Christmas break for basketball so the timing may work out for her to get to go.
Next Friday I am taking my dad for hip surgery. He's supposed to be on crutches for 4-6 weeks. I told him I was kicking him out at Baptist Hospital, going shopping, and then picking him up and making him walk without crutches to the bed when we got back home! Before you all gasp, I'm just joking! I may get to dish out some of what he gave me growing up, though. The only time he ever showed me pitty was after I had jaw surgery, woke up dry heaving with my jaws wired shut, cried like a baby (I'm talking major crying here) all the way home with my head up on the dash. When he went to get my pain medicine at the pharmacy he patted me on the back and said, "I'll be right back, you'll be alright." Otherwise it was always, "What are you crying for, I can't feel anything" or "I'm gonna give you something to cry about". Yes, the rod ruled our house and me and Casey turned out just fine!!
Okay, I'm done rambling and taking a stroll down memory lane! Hope you all have a good Halloween!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Finally...
Many of you have asked where some more pics are and if we had anymore information. So I posted lots of pics below of Hudson and some more of our touring Moscow.
I hope to get back into a routine this week. I have a ton of laundry to do and I'm trying to lay out some things I know I need to take back to Moscow. I have most all of Hudson's things washed and ready to pack even though it'll be a little while before we go back.
Last week was rough and feels like a blur. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for Angelica and Bruce's family.
I'll try to not repeat myself from older posts, but here are a few things we found out about our little man...
In September he weighed 20lbs. 2 oz. He is small for his age as far as weight goes. He is average for height. We are thankful that he is able to eat 3 meals a day and a snack because we had heard that some orphanages could only feed 2 meals per day. I hope he hits a growth spurt when he gets home. The 12 month outfit I took over for him was a little big so I have taken back a few 18 months things and exchanged them for 12 month. But I don't want to get too many 12 month things because he will probably grow right out of them. OH ME!
Is Sep. he was given an EKG and he no longer has a heart murmur. I know I had said that below but I had to say it again, isn't God so good!
I asked if he has any allergies and they said to oranges/citrus.
We really didn't get to see his play room, I only stuck my head in a few times to tell the workers we were here for him and everytime there were 3 of them sitting on a couch while the kids were playing.
Orphanage #20 is in the southeast part of Moscow. There are 70 kids in his orphanage ages 4 and under. It is a 45 min. ride on the metro or a 2-3 hour ride by car because the traffic is so bad. Next trip we are going to ride the metro instead of having a driver. Our agency said we need to use a driver on the first trip, but on this next trip I only want to use a driver for court and taking Hudson to get his passport because it is $100 per day for a driver or around $0.50 per day for Metro!
We believe Hudson's heritage comes from the Caspian Sea/Georgia area. When I showed his picture to my friend Lena who is from Russia, that is exactly what she said and then when we got over there they told us that! His mother was 22 and had him in a maternity hospital in Moscow. She only gave him his last name, Mamadrizabekov. A lady who works in the orphanage gave him his first name. We were told that any last name ending in "kov" is from the Caspian Sea area, he also has the darker features of that area. In his journal I told him one thing I do know is that she cared a lot about him. While in Moscow we learned that abortions are very common and are VERY easy to get. And you can have abortions up to 7 months now. She cared so much about him that she chose life for him and carried him full term where he was born a very healthy baby. I also know she is beautiful because we have the cutest son!!
We were told that we should be back in Moscow the first week of Dec. I asked 3 different times about this and the last time she told me no worries he would be home by the end of December. I hope this is true. We should hear a court date in a few weeks. Once we have our court date we will know about when we should be home with him. We are seriously thinking about me staying over there instead of going back 2 different times. The airfare in December is outrageous. Also when we go to court we will have a 10 day wait period and then we can get custody of him. If we come back home after court they said we wouldn't return for 2 1/2 weeks, so I would rather stay and get custody of him after 10 days rather than wait 2 1/2 weeks. Then we have to get his visa, register him, and take him for a medical exam. I am not sure how long this takes but maybe if I stay we can move things along quicker, but I'm not sure about that. It would be hard being away from home for 3 weeks or so, but to be with him it's worth it!
That's all for now, if I think of anything else I'll post it later.
I hope to get back into a routine this week. I have a ton of laundry to do and I'm trying to lay out some things I know I need to take back to Moscow. I have most all of Hudson's things washed and ready to pack even though it'll be a little while before we go back.
Last week was rough and feels like a blur. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for Angelica and Bruce's family.
I'll try to not repeat myself from older posts, but here are a few things we found out about our little man...
In September he weighed 20lbs. 2 oz. He is small for his age as far as weight goes. He is average for height. We are thankful that he is able to eat 3 meals a day and a snack because we had heard that some orphanages could only feed 2 meals per day. I hope he hits a growth spurt when he gets home. The 12 month outfit I took over for him was a little big so I have taken back a few 18 months things and exchanged them for 12 month. But I don't want to get too many 12 month things because he will probably grow right out of them. OH ME!
Is Sep. he was given an EKG and he no longer has a heart murmur. I know I had said that below but I had to say it again, isn't God so good!
I asked if he has any allergies and they said to oranges/citrus.
We really didn't get to see his play room, I only stuck my head in a few times to tell the workers we were here for him and everytime there were 3 of them sitting on a couch while the kids were playing.
Orphanage #20 is in the southeast part of Moscow. There are 70 kids in his orphanage ages 4 and under. It is a 45 min. ride on the metro or a 2-3 hour ride by car because the traffic is so bad. Next trip we are going to ride the metro instead of having a driver. Our agency said we need to use a driver on the first trip, but on this next trip I only want to use a driver for court and taking Hudson to get his passport because it is $100 per day for a driver or around $0.50 per day for Metro!
We believe Hudson's heritage comes from the Caspian Sea/Georgia area. When I showed his picture to my friend Lena who is from Russia, that is exactly what she said and then when we got over there they told us that! His mother was 22 and had him in a maternity hospital in Moscow. She only gave him his last name, Mamadrizabekov. A lady who works in the orphanage gave him his first name. We were told that any last name ending in "kov" is from the Caspian Sea area, he also has the darker features of that area. In his journal I told him one thing I do know is that she cared a lot about him. While in Moscow we learned that abortions are very common and are VERY easy to get. And you can have abortions up to 7 months now. She cared so much about him that she chose life for him and carried him full term where he was born a very healthy baby. I also know she is beautiful because we have the cutest son!!
We were told that we should be back in Moscow the first week of Dec. I asked 3 different times about this and the last time she told me no worries he would be home by the end of December. I hope this is true. We should hear a court date in a few weeks. Once we have our court date we will know about when we should be home with him. We are seriously thinking about me staying over there instead of going back 2 different times. The airfare in December is outrageous. Also when we go to court we will have a 10 day wait period and then we can get custody of him. If we come back home after court they said we wouldn't return for 2 1/2 weeks, so I would rather stay and get custody of him after 10 days rather than wait 2 1/2 weeks. Then we have to get his visa, register him, and take him for a medical exam. I am not sure how long this takes but maybe if I stay we can move things along quicker, but I'm not sure about that. It would be hard being away from home for 3 weeks or so, but to be with him it's worth it!
That's all for now, if I think of anything else I'll post it later.
More Hudson Pictures
Getting sleepy.
He loves to rock!
The playground at the orphanage was big and had lots of things to play with. But I don't think he has been outside very much because this past summer he was under a year and couldn't walk on his own.
The back of the orphanage.
Front of Orphanage #20. I know it says 19 but that is the address. I got in trouble by the guard for taking this picture so this is the only one I have. Jason took the one above it while no one was around.
This was our first picture together. They had just handed him to me, it had to have been taken within the first 2 or 3 minutes.More Moscow Pictures
Here are a few more pictures from when we spent the day touring Moscow. The detail on the Church was amazing!
This is the closest I came to seeing a horse.
This was a 3 story mall, we went inside, it was very fancy!!Monday, October 20, 2008
Home
We are home. Got to my parents around 7:30. My family and Jason's family were there and anxiously awaiting more pics and video. We went to bed around 11:00
A little after 1:00 am Jason's phone rang and it was the guy who worked for Jason for over 2 1/2 years dad. Bruce had been killed in a car wreck. He asked Jason to go to the scene on Pleasant View Road so we did and then we went to Angelica (Bruce's wife) parents home and stayed until early morning when we took Bruce's parents home. This is completely horrible and devestating. I wasn't close to him but Jason sure was. They had spent a ton of time together and this year Jason had put Bruce in charge of the mowing crew. Bruce was Jason's right hand. Jason talked to him on the phone on Satuday night around 10:20, they believe the accident happened not too long after that. We aren't sure what exactly happened but the way the marks looked he swerved to miss something, probably a deer. Please, please, pray for Bruce's wife, Angelica, and his family. My heart has been completely broken for her. This morning we went to Community Bank and Trust to set up an account for her. She is going to needs lots of help and support, so if you want to give you can go to any Community (Ashland City, Springfield, Pleasant View) and tell them you want to give for Bruce Traughber. I know some of you knew Bruce, he is going to be at the Robertson Co. funeral home and I will post the times and exact dates when we hear them. For those of you who have been around the barn a lot but maybe didn't know which one is Bruce, he is the one who drove the maroon mustange and had the blonde hair.
Thanks for all of your prayers. I will post more on the adoption whenever things are a little more clear. We have been on an emotional roller coaster with little sleep.
A little after 1:00 am Jason's phone rang and it was the guy who worked for Jason for over 2 1/2 years dad. Bruce had been killed in a car wreck. He asked Jason to go to the scene on Pleasant View Road so we did and then we went to Angelica (Bruce's wife) parents home and stayed until early morning when we took Bruce's parents home. This is completely horrible and devestating. I wasn't close to him but Jason sure was. They had spent a ton of time together and this year Jason had put Bruce in charge of the mowing crew. Bruce was Jason's right hand. Jason talked to him on the phone on Satuday night around 10:20, they believe the accident happened not too long after that. We aren't sure what exactly happened but the way the marks looked he swerved to miss something, probably a deer. Please, please, pray for Bruce's wife, Angelica, and his family. My heart has been completely broken for her. This morning we went to Community Bank and Trust to set up an account for her. She is going to needs lots of help and support, so if you want to give you can go to any Community (Ashland City, Springfield, Pleasant View) and tell them you want to give for Bruce Traughber. I know some of you knew Bruce, he is going to be at the Robertson Co. funeral home and I will post the times and exact dates when we hear them. For those of you who have been around the barn a lot but maybe didn't know which one is Bruce, he is the one who drove the maroon mustange and had the blonde hair.
Thanks for all of your prayers. I will post more on the adoption whenever things are a little more clear. We have been on an emotional roller coaster with little sleep.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Different day, same clothes
Linds has been wanting me to post and I wanted to clarify the whole clothes situation, so here goes nothing. These really are pictures from today and not yesterday. We haven't really figured out the changing schedule yet, or if they even have one. But we were glad to see him still in boy clothes even if they were the same ones. What an awesome experience this has been! Met MY SON, flew across the ocean, seen so many sights that many people will never see! I'll have to admit that this last day has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. It feels like Hudson has come so far in such little time. It never has been as bad as we had expected (Thank our Awesome Lord). But for him to get excited to see us on this last day was the best feeling EVER! I just pray this next month and half goes by fast and there are no more hold ups or changes in plans.
Jason
Jason
Last Day
Well, tomorrow we fly out and will be home in the afternoon. Today went by fast, too fast! I think today was the best day yet, but I think I say that everyday. But today he got very excited when he saw us, smiling ear to ear and bouncing up and down. He laughed and laughed and would reach out for us. There was a new lady today that we had never seen and she said his nap time was 3:00 but all of the other days they had come and gotten him around 2:00 or a little after. So we were glad to have extra time with him. I was holding him and said (you Beth Moore girls will know what I mean...) "Delight me Lord" and next thing I knew his head full of curls was laid on my shoulders, two middle fingers in his mouth, and those eye lids were closed over those big brown eyes. Boy was I delighted!! That was the sweetest thing and I cannot wait for the next time! He seemed to be so much more comfortable. When people came into the room or he heard Russian he wasn't looking for it, he was just having a good time with us. We would say "Mama" and "Dada" and point to our pictures and then he would point to us. We left the photo album with him which he loves so hopefully they will let him keep it. When we left today he was still smiling at us. As she walked away neither of us were smiling. What a heartbreaker. I know I'll be back and it won't be too long, but I don't think that makes it any easier. In only 4 days he has come a long way. One day away from him is too long. But there are a few things I'm looking forward to when I get home and it's a tie between Andy & Foxxy or my bed!! I miss my horses and my girls (and boys), too!
Enjoy these photos. Once we get home and get our feet back up underneath us I will post a few more and update with his latest measurements and info. on his orphanage, etc.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Day 3
He loved it when Daddy chased him, and he's a very fast crawler.
FINALLY-The Carney's!!
When he gets sleepy he sucks his middle two fingers! It's cute!!
He likes to wave and he immitates the noises you make with your mouth.
Today was awesome! When we got there he had just woke up from his morning nap (he takes 2 naps a day) and he was in a very good mood. I think he's getting more comfortable in front of us today he babbled on and on it was so funny listening to his little noises. I also took his clothes to try on and see what size he is. The outfit was 12 month and it's a little big so I think when I get home I will take back a few of the 18 month clothes to get some 12 month but I won't take too many back because usually they grow a lot when they get home. We were just happy to have him in boy clothes! I also changed his shoes because everday he has been in pink shoes so today I changed them into some I brought and they were too big but were cuter!!When I get home and have more time I will post more information and facts about him and his schedule. But for now I am just trying to put lots of pics!
I am really dreading tomorrow. It's our last day to see him. I don't want it to end. I cannot find words to tell you how I've felt being with him, so complete, and tomorrow it will be torn away. I have two major prayer requests. The first one is that his adoption will be complete and he will be home by Christmas. It's possible but it will be tight. But my God is Big! Second one is for us tomorrow as we tell him bye, it's going to be so hard.
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