Today was one of the greatest days of our lives. After 1 1/2 hours of court, the judge congratulated us on the addition of our son, Dmitry Shane Barney. We must wait the required 10 days before bringing him home so Teddi will return to Russia on the 18th to begin the "out-processing" paper work like getting his passport, visa, etc. She will be in the region for 1 week with him while this paperwork is being completed. We have decided that Shane will wait and come a week later and meet them in Moscow for the remainder of the paper work and trip home. This will trim the time away from the girls at home from 2 weeks to 1, not to mention reduce the time away from work.
Court went very well. The judge asked some tough questions, but she did so in the best interest of the children, which we respect.
Interesting note: Based on the orthodox calendar, today is the day that the angel came to Mary and told her that she would be a mother and bring forth a son.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Day 1 of Court
Had a close call last night when Teddi got some kind of stomach bug. She pulled through and is feeling better, but was feeling absolutely terrible during the night. We think that it may have been something that she ate, but aren't sure. She's been treading lightly today. Lot's of Sprite.
Today was our first of two days in court. This was considered the "pre-trial". The judge reviewed all of our documents and read for the permanent record. She asked some simple questions of us, but most were just to verify our documents accuracy. This was the easy part. Tomorrow is when the real fun begins. We will be questioned for nearly an hour on various aspects of our life, the adoption, etc. We begin at 3:00 p.m. local time, which is 7:00 a.m. EST. We will most likely update the results when we return to Moscow tomorrow evening. We have been told not to worry, but until the judge says those magic words, we aren't taking anything for granted. We have been asked to prepare short statements to present to the court tomorrow stating why we deserve to adopt.
After court, we were able to have another visit with "the little guy" this afternoon. He was his normal happy self, especially when we put him in the Johnny Jumper! Bounce..Bounce..Bounce.. We'll see him again in the morning and very quickly after court before we head back to Moscow. We will then fly back home on Wednesday and get home around 10:00 p.m.
Thank you all for your support and prayers. Tommorrow is the big day!
Today was our first of two days in court. This was considered the "pre-trial". The judge reviewed all of our documents and read for the permanent record. She asked some simple questions of us, but most were just to verify our documents accuracy. This was the easy part. Tomorrow is when the real fun begins. We will be questioned for nearly an hour on various aspects of our life, the adoption, etc. We begin at 3:00 p.m. local time, which is 7:00 a.m. EST. We will most likely update the results when we return to Moscow tomorrow evening. We have been told not to worry, but until the judge says those magic words, we aren't taking anything for granted. We have been asked to prepare short statements to present to the court tomorrow stating why we deserve to adopt.
After court, we were able to have another visit with "the little guy" this afternoon. He was his normal happy self, especially when we put him in the Johnny Jumper! Bounce..Bounce..Bounce.. We'll see him again in the morning and very quickly after court before we head back to Moscow. We will then fly back home on Wednesday and get home around 10:00 p.m.
Thank you all for your support and prayers. Tommorrow is the big day!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Favorites...
Dobre-dyen (Good afternoon)! We are updating our blog from our new favorite place in the region. We happened upon a groovy little coffee/tea shop that is around the corner from our hotel with yummy desserts and tea and free Wi-Fi. This will make calling home much better.
This morning before our visit with "Little Guy" we explored the flea market which is only open on the weekends. Another great experience that we will not forget. It was very similar to our flea markets at home. There were a LOT of people, and yet our coordinator said that it is nowhere the size that it used to be. They had everything from chickens and kittens to hub caps, underwear and hats (and everything in between). Shane found his own treasure...hand-made woodworking tools. I had to restrain him from hand-planing the furniture in our room with his new toys.
This morning before our visit with "Little Guy" we explored the flea market which is only open on the weekends. Another great experience that we will not forget. It was very similar to our flea markets at home. There were a LOT of people, and yet our coordinator said that it is nowhere the size that it used to be. They had everything from chickens and kittens to hub caps, underwear and hats (and everything in between). Shane found his own treasure...hand-made woodworking tools. I had to restrain him from hand-planing the furniture in our room with his new toys.
Here is one part of the market that sells various meats, cheeses, fish, etc. Here is Teddi and Tatiana standing by the "farmers cheese" counter.
Caviar anyone? And this was the small section. I've never seen so much caviar in my life.
More farmers cheese!
The outside of the market. Fresh chicken!
This evening we will prepare for court with our coordinator. We will be in court Monday morning and Tuesday. We have been told that each session will be approximately 1-1/2 hours. We will be happy for this part to be over. So close!
Hope to update again soon...
More farmers cheese!The outside of the market. Fresh chicken! After that adventure we went to the orphanage for our one and only visit for the day. Sunday is the day that they do a deep-cleaning of the facility. We were fortunate that they even allowed us one visit today.
We had lunch at our favorite restaurant in the region, Fortuna. So delicious! (I have to say that Russia has the most delicious feta cheese. I can not find anything like it in the U.S.) The experience at the restaurant this time was a little different. We had our coordinator with us to translate, as they only have menus in French and Russian. Our last trip to the region we went on our own thinking that they had a menu in English. They did not, nor did they speak English. Interesting, to say the least. We still loved it and were thrilled to return today. We are planning to have lunch at this restaurant again after our final court on Tuesday. Great way to celebrate! Below is a photo of Teddi's meal and one of the three of us together (Teddi, me, and our coordinator, Tatiana). The food is as good as it looks!
We had lunch at our favorite restaurant in the region, Fortuna. So delicious! (I have to say that Russia has the most delicious feta cheese. I can not find anything like it in the U.S.) The experience at the restaurant this time was a little different. We had our coordinator with us to translate, as they only have menus in French and Russian. Our last trip to the region we went on our own thinking that they had a menu in English. They did not, nor did they speak English. Interesting, to say the least. We still loved it and were thrilled to return today. We are planning to have lunch at this restaurant again after our final court on Tuesday. Great way to celebrate! Below is a photo of Teddi's meal and one of the three of us together (Teddi, me, and our coordinator, Tatiana). The food is as good as it looks!
This evening we will prepare for court with our coordinator. We will be in court Monday morning and Tuesday. We have been told that each session will be approximately 1-1/2 hours. We will be happy for this part to be over. So close!Hope to update again soon...
Saturday, April 4, 2009
A little sight seeing
We can't wait to publicly disclose the exact location of our "Region" and of course post pictures of our son, but according to law, we must wait until the process is final.
Today, we did a little sight-seeing on our own around town. Here is a photo of Teddi on a bridge over-looking the Volga river that runs through town.
Today, we did a little sight-seeing on our own around town. Here is a photo of Teddi on a bridge over-looking the Volga river that runs through town.
It is still very cold here, but a little warmer than our first trip. Much of the snow has melted and the sun even came out today!
Shane's second job...
This afternoon we were able to go back to to the orphanage. At the end of our visit, it was dinner time. They showed us how they feed him and what they feed him. Oh my goodness! We could not believe it!
First of all, the little thing cannot even sit up on his own, but they put the children in miniature plastic lawn chairs stacked in sets of 2 so they are high enough to reach the little table. They scoot the chair right up to the table. The caregiver fed him a HUGE bowl of something similar to baby rice cereal/oatmeal. When I asked if that entire bowl was all for him, they laughed and said "DA" (yes). Then they added that he eats plenty and that daddy might need to get a second job.
The next shock was when they gave him a cup to drink out of...a cup, not a bottle or sippy cup...a cup almost the size of his head. Envision this...a baby the size of a 3 month old, sitting (more like propped up) in a mini plastic lawn chair drinking out of a large camping/tin cup. Now, you may be wondering WHAT they were giving him to drink. Was it: A. Milk, B. Juice or C. Tea? Correct answer...C. tea. Nothing like a caffeine fix for a malnourished orphan baby. They also told us he won't drink his juice or tea unless it has enough sugar in it. He will fit right into our household!
First of all, the little thing cannot even sit up on his own, but they put the children in miniature plastic lawn chairs stacked in sets of 2 so they are high enough to reach the little table. They scoot the chair right up to the table. The caregiver fed him a HUGE bowl of something similar to baby rice cereal/oatmeal. When I asked if that entire bowl was all for him, they laughed and said "DA" (yes). Then they added that he eats plenty and that daddy might need to get a second job.
The next shock was when they gave him a cup to drink out of...a cup, not a bottle or sippy cup...a cup almost the size of his head. Envision this...a baby the size of a 3 month old, sitting (more like propped up) in a mini plastic lawn chair drinking out of a large camping/tin cup. Now, you may be wondering WHAT they were giving him to drink. Was it: A. Milk, B. Juice or C. Tea? Correct answer...C. tea. Nothing like a caffeine fix for a malnourished orphan baby. They also told us he won't drink his juice or tea unless it has enough sugar in it. He will fit right into our household!
Happy B-Day Tori!!
First, we want to wish a very Happy Birthday to our oldest daughter Tori. She turns 14 today and is spending her birthday on spring break in Florida with her best friend, Ava.
This morning we were able to go back to the orphanage to see the little man. Although physically he has not grown much, his demeanor has. I think we laughed the entire time. When we played the music on one of his toys he began to dance. So fun! He certainly loves to entertain. I had brought a few outfits in different sizes to try on him to see just where he was at. I think he is smaller than what they originally told us he was. Although he is about to turn one year, he is in 3 to 6 month clothing. However, we have been told that orphans tend to grow about 5x the normal rate once they come home. The boy has some growing to do once we get him home!
We will be returning to the orphanage after a while to see him again today. We should be able to see him two times on Sunday as well. We are scheduled for court on Monday and Tuesday, but will be able to see him in the afternoon on those days.
This morning we were able to go back to the orphanage to see the little man. Although physically he has not grown much, his demeanor has. I think we laughed the entire time. When we played the music on one of his toys he began to dance. So fun! He certainly loves to entertain. I had brought a few outfits in different sizes to try on him to see just where he was at. I think he is smaller than what they originally told us he was. Although he is about to turn one year, he is in 3 to 6 month clothing. However, we have been told that orphans tend to grow about 5x the normal rate once they come home. The boy has some growing to do once we get him home!
We will be returning to the orphanage after a while to see him again today. We should be able to see him two times on Sunday as well. We are scheduled for court on Monday and Tuesday, but will be able to see him in the afternoon on those days.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Sunny Boy!
This is the first chance we have had to update our blog since leaving Wednesday (April 1st) and arriving Thursday. Our flights went well, although our flight from New York to Moscow provided a LOT of entertainment. Incredibly, while waiting for our flight in Indianapolis on Wednesday morning, I saw the woman responsible for leading us to KidsFirst (our adoption agency). I really don't believe much in coincedences and this whole process of adoption has further cemented my lack of belief. I do believe that God has orchestrated every detail and has continued to confirm this step of faith all along the way. We have story after story like this from the moment we even vaguely considered adoption in the spring of 2007. It has been incredible to see how God has led us here.
Well, we arrived into Moscow on Thursday morning and went straight to the American Medical Center. We never quite figured out why it was called the "American" Medical Center, as there were no Americans. We were there for about 3 hours, and I think we saw a total of 7 doctors during that time. This examination was yet another process we had to complete for court. It was an interesting experience to say the least. But hey, the tea was good. By the time we finished there we went straight to our hotel, ate dinner and crashed. The traffic in Moscow was crazy on Thursday and it took us forever to get from one place to the other.
Friday morning started with a trip back to the "American" Medical Center to pick up our bloodwork results and other paperwork. After more waiting (and tea) we were on our way to the region where our "Little Guy" is. We made several stops once in the city for the purpose of more paperwork required for court. We finally were able to see our little dude late Friday afternoon.
It didn't take long for him to warm right back up to us. Again, he was all smiles and laughs. His teeth have still not broken through, but they are close. He has a little more hair, but not much. His caregivers told us that he has been demanding more attention since we were here last. It must be so hard for him. They all refer to him as "Sunny Boy." When it was time to take him back to his room, he didn't want to go. He latched on to my arm and turn away from his caregiver. It was definitely a bittersweet moment.
Sorry for such a long post, but this serves as a memory for us as well. I hope that everyone is wonderful. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.
Shane and Teddi
Well, we arrived into Moscow on Thursday morning and went straight to the American Medical Center. We never quite figured out why it was called the "American" Medical Center, as there were no Americans. We were there for about 3 hours, and I think we saw a total of 7 doctors during that time. This examination was yet another process we had to complete for court. It was an interesting experience to say the least. But hey, the tea was good. By the time we finished there we went straight to our hotel, ate dinner and crashed. The traffic in Moscow was crazy on Thursday and it took us forever to get from one place to the other.
Friday morning started with a trip back to the "American" Medical Center to pick up our bloodwork results and other paperwork. After more waiting (and tea) we were on our way to the region where our "Little Guy" is. We made several stops once in the city for the purpose of more paperwork required for court. We finally were able to see our little dude late Friday afternoon.
It didn't take long for him to warm right back up to us. Again, he was all smiles and laughs. His teeth have still not broken through, but they are close. He has a little more hair, but not much. His caregivers told us that he has been demanding more attention since we were here last. It must be so hard for him. They all refer to him as "Sunny Boy." When it was time to take him back to his room, he didn't want to go. He latched on to my arm and turn away from his caregiver. It was definitely a bittersweet moment.
Sorry for such a long post, but this serves as a memory for us as well. I hope that everyone is wonderful. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.
Shane and Teddi
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