Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas from Orphanage #20...

and the Carney family!

We all dressed in red just for you!

Tuesday Pics

Isn't this sweet!

We have his routine down for when he gets sleepy. He gets a little cranky, wants mom, two middle fingers in his mouth, and then he lays his head on me.

I wish I had a video of him and Jason dancing, they were swaying back and forth in this picture. And he is so entertained with a water bottle!

He loves this leap frog toy. Anything that makes noises and lights up.

Luda, Lena's sister.

Tuesday

I have much to tell, I know you all love pics but you are going to have to listen to me ramble first! I will try to post some pics of today because we have some cute ones but we are fixin' to go play some Marines in basketball so you may have to wait a little while.

I have been trying to not get too into the Christmas spirit because if I am it will only make me horribly home sick. But this morning I put on some Martina McBride Christmas and took a bath, oh yes, I shaved my legs! (You know that only happens once in a blue moon:) I know this is a very special Christmas for us but it's still hard not being at home. I just hope the next few days go by quickly! I think next year will be the best when we are all home for Christmas. Our plans for Christmas Eve is to go to the orphanage and then tomorrow night go to some friends of Janice and Jon's to eat. On Christmas morning we are going to get up and have a big breakfast with Janice and Jon and give them their presents then go to the orphanage. We are going to take family Christmas pictures and I hope we get some good ones.

Today we met with Luda, Lena's sister, she was so funny. Reminds me so so much of Lena, very sweet. I will post some pics of us together.

Today when we got to the orphanage it was a little later than normal because we spent extra time with Luda. So I walked in his room and the kids were playing but I didn't see him then a caretaker pointed to him and I saw his hair. He was playing on the other side of the room behind a play pen. I said, "Hudson" and he popped up started laughing and was trying as best as he could to get around everything. He was too cute. He also cried for me when I left the room today. He is so funny. I can't wait for you guys to hear him laugh and copy the noises you make with your mouth. He loves to dance. And he thinks Jason is the funniest thing. But then when he gets tired he's clingy to me.

We saw another couple today at the orphanage and they were adopting their son. Today was their first day to see him. They had just brought him out when Hudson was going back to his room. The little boy and Hudson are in the same room. The dad asked me if I spoke english and then I asked where he was from. They were from Italy. I told him I would take a picture of the three of them together. When he handed me the camera he started crying. There's something about a grown man crying that pierces my heart. He didn't have to say anything, I knew he was thinking about the first picture of him, his wife, and THEIR son. I could have cried with him. Funny how we can be from totally different parts of the world, barely able to communicate, yet still feel the same emotions and connect.

It snowed today probably a few inches so far but it's supposed to keep snowing. So we'll have a white Christmas! I have a feeling I may wipe out a time or two walking down all these stairs.

To Mom and Dad, Casey, Jeanna, Marty, and all of you that are so dear to our hearts...
I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams. We love you!

Sunday and Monday

Sorry I wasn't able to post yesterday, the internet was down. The weekend was great going to visit Hudson. The metro was not nearly as crowded and the orphanage was quiet. Everyday I love going and seeing him. He gets so excited to see us. Yesterday when we got there he was on the pot. There were about 8 kids sitting there on the little toilets and when he saw me his little tail was crawling to me as fast as he could, bare butt and all. It was pretty funny until I put him back on the pot and he started crying. Then because he wouldn't stop crying we were shooed out of the room and he cried until she brought him to us. He said "mama" more today :)

Yesterday we went to the market and finished all of our shopping. I'm so glad! It's pretty fun negotiating with the Russians. I tried Russian food again and let's just say I'm NOT doing that again!

Tomorrow we are meeting Luda, Lena's sister. We have a friend of Janice and Jon who is going to translate for us, I'm pretty excited about meeting her.

Only 4 more days of going to the orphanage. I'll be so glad to have him with us all of the time and no more getting on the metro! Our flight schedule is we leave here on the 1st at 9:00 am fly to Prague (Czech Republic) then an 11 hour flight to Atlanta then from Atl. to Nashville. We will land in Nashville at 8:10 p.m. on Jan. 1st. Be there or be square!!

Monday

Saturday

I'll make this post short and sweet. I will post pictures tomorrow, I only took a few today because I don't want my card to get too full. It gets better everyday! Today I went in the room to get him and all of the kids were playing. He say me, squeeled, and crawled as fast as he could to get to me laughing the whole time-it was awesome. Then I took him out and Jason was fixin' to come up the stairs and when he saw Jason he lit up and said, "Da da". Priceless! I love it! Also think he said "mama" today. We fed him again. I think mashed potatoes and ground beef is with every meal except breakfast. He also had soup today that looked as bad as it smelled but he really liked it.

After we left the orphanage we went to a market place that is where more Russians shop. The stuff is 1/2 price what you pay on Arbat street and around all of the tourist attractions. I was wheeling and dealing, it was funny! We had a blast. We are going back tomorrow to finish up shopping. I also got brave and ate some Russian food, remind me not to do that again! My stomach hurt for a while and is still not feeling that great. Jason ate some food yesterday and he really liked it and he ate the same thing I did today and he is fine. I think it was really greasy pork, uugh!

Friday

He couldn't even walk he had so many clothes on!

The picture above and the next two were taken back to back, I was making noises with my mouth and he thought it was hilarious!

This was the sweetest when he took his hands and put them on my cheeks!

I was making his cup and he was VERY interested! Loves his cup.

One of his favorite things it to walk or crawl to me and I pick him up and swing him around and then he goes to Jason and he does the same thing. He also loves to be chased.

Today was pretty awesome! They let us do more with him today. We were able to take him to his crib at nap time and feed him his lunch. We also took him outside. I talked to the head Pysician and she said we could come anytime on Christmas and spend the whole day there doing whatever. She was very nice.

When we took him to his crib, the instant we walked into the room his two middle fingers stuck in his mouth. He was laid down, socks taken off and pants, he was covered up and he never moved a muscle. I didn't like it, it seemed so mechanical. But he knew to lay there and be still.

Then after nap he had lunch. They put the kids in small chairs and he ate soup. He was the only one we saw eating soup so I wasn't sure if he got that just because we were there or what. Then he had mashed potatoes with carrots in them and ground beef. They drank some sort of broth. He can feed himself, but I did it for him. The workers went from child to child feeding them very very quickly. No wonder everytime I put a bite in he was leaning down for another one.

Then as soon as they are done with lunch they immediately take them to a room and sit them all on a potty chair. They took him from me and when he came back he had been crying. I'm not sure how this whole thing works.

But things seem to be going well. When we walked into his room and he was sitting at his chair waiting to eat, when he saw us he threw his arms up in air towards us and when the caretaker told us to go sit down at another table he started crying. Then when we took him back to his room for his afternoon nap the caretaker took him and he was reaching back for me whinning. That made me feel so much better because he doesn't ever cry for the caretakers but he really likes them and will reach out for them when they come to get him for nap or lunch. So it was good to see him want us over them.

No video

Sorry, couldn't get the video uploaded on youtube will try again tomorrow, but it's time for me to go to bed. Goodnight!

Thursday

Okay, we have some news you've been waiting on. The good news is that we will be home on January 1st!! How Good is our God!! Isn't that great! I am going to book tickets tonight and I will let you know what time we will arrive in Nashville. I know that's a busy day for everyone but I hope lots of you will be there:)

The other thing is that I don't think we will get him for Christmas but that's still a week away. The head Physician said yes but Olga, who works for the adoption agency we are using while here said no. She said he will not have his signed papers yet and she thinks it would be best if we waited until we have the papers which will be Saturday, the 27th. Maybe she will talk to the physician and they will decide it's okay, who knows.

I was really wanting him for Christmas but I am THRILLED to be home at the first of the year. What a way to start the New Year. We will still get to visit him on Christmas so that's good, and I'm going to put his Christmas shirt on that I bought him.

Now you have to hear me vent...I'm really tired of going to the orphanage everyday. The space we get is very small and it's a hallway where people are constantly walking. When he hears Russian he is looking for whoever is saying it. He's not wanting to go to them but he's just nosy! And when you get him playing good then you have to move the toys and him so people can walk by. I'm just ready for him to be with us and have ONLY us, not some woman coming to get him to feed him and put him to bed and get him up, that's my job! But really, should I be complaining? NO! I am so blessed and only 8 more days of this and he's all ours! I just hope these next 8 days fly by!

We are trying to figure out how to post a video so hopefully we will get that done shortly so you can hear him laugh-he's so adorable!

Wednesday

Sorry I didn't have that many pics to post below. We were going to video today but forgot the camera so tomorrow we will hopefully have video to post.

We slept for 13 hours last night, I don't think I have done that since high school! I'm glad I finally got some sleep, though, all of the other night I had been waking up at 3 a.m. and not going back to sleep.

We went to the grocery store today, it was interesting. We didn't get to much. Tomorrow I am going to go to some fruit/vegetable stands because I'm going to make some soup tomorrow night.

Tonight Hudson said cup, well, we were saying cup and he was saying "up". He's really trying. I cannot wait to have him with us all of the time. He is so active now, I'm sure he's going to be into everything at home.

A few random things...
*Russian women are very talented- they walk down the street wearing 10 inch heels, smoke a cigarette (maybe that's why they don't have a long life span) , talk on the phone, and hold shopping bags all at the same time. I couldn't even chew gum and walk in those heels at the same time. Okay, I couldn't walk in those heels with people holding my hands on both sides.

*If you're adopting from Moscow try to figure out the Metro, it's saving us over $2,000 to use the Metro. It will freak you out the first few times but if we can do it so can you. A driver costs $100 per day and the Meto costs us not even $2 per day.

*Thank God I'm a country girl!

*Playing basketball for Phil Carr has helped me to get around in Moscow! How? Because these people are pushy and can be rude. After a few days of trying to smile at people and say excuse me and sorry- it gets you no where! You just have to root your way in there with them. Even the old women will move you out of their way! But they didn't call me bruiser for nothing! I can hang with these Russian's-thanks Coach Carr.

*So if you're planning to come to Moscow let me know and we can play some basketball before you leave. I'll teach you how to throw some elbows and push people around then you'll be ready for Moscow. And now you're thinking, how will Lindsey be able to play basketball without passing out? Because we're walking well over 3-4 miles per day. That's why all of these Russians are skinny!

Okay, I'll quit rambling. But one more thing...my second favorite thing to do (seeing Hudson is my first :), is turn the computer on and read all of your comforting comments. I love them. Thanks so much. I tear up everytime I turn the computer on! We love you all!