Bringing Home Korbin

Journal entries from our last trip...

September 2, 2007

Right now it is 7am. I’m sitting on the train watching the sunrise over the beautiful Russian landscape. I am trying to take pictures, but the beauty is hard to capture from a moving train. The temperature must be in the low 40’s. I hope I packed enough warm clothes!
We both finally got some sleep after yesterday’s very long day of traveling. I think we slept 10 of the 14 hours on the train!
We’ll be at our stop soon. Which means... we get to see Korbin, soon! ☺

September 3, 2007

It’s official! Korbin was permitted by the court to be our son! We heard the Judge’s verdict today around 11:30am.
Court was interesting. I was very nervous and asked Ryan to do most of the speaking. He handled it every well and spoke with confidence. Everyone had to sign a confidentiality form claiming this court procedure to be “secret”. Interesting. I showed Korbin’s Book to everyone in the room. Everyone loved it, especially the social worker from the orphanage.
We celebrated with a nice lunch and a trip out to the orphanage to visit Korbin (whom we can now call by his name). We took Korbin out to a photo studio for his passport photo. We’ll get to visit him for 2 hours a day until the 14th, when I get to take him to the hotel! I can’t wait. Korbin and I will head to Moscow on the 21st. My mother (Nonna) will meet us in Moscow for a few days. Should be fun.
Today we spent most of the evening sleeping. I guess that now we have nothing to worry about for a few weeks we could finally catch up on lost sleep! Ryan tried to wake me up from a nap three times (I normally don’t take naps… ever!) We took a 3.5-hour nap!
Gotta rest up now!
Photos are us getting ready for our court appointment and me at the orphanage after we were named his parents!

September 4, 2007

At noon we headed out to the orphanage to visit our son. We were a little early, but could hardly stand to wait… so we knocked on the door to see if he was ready. They showed us into the sleeping quarters. It was a dim-lit room full of cribs. It appeared that children had their own bed. Korbin was asleep with his thumb in his mouth. Ryan gave him a gentle nudge. He turned and stretched out his body. Then opened his eyes and gave us the familiar confused stare. The caretaker wanted us to feed him lunch. We stuck him in the highchair and were handed a bib and a small metal bowl with broth and bread. After a few spoonfuls she added more food to the bowl. It looked like cereal/oatmeal and mashed potatoes (maybe). He didn’t seem to mind it and ate very well. Later the caretaker took the food from us and finished off his feeding. She literally shoveled it into his mouth! He hardly had a chance to breath between bites. Huge spoonfuls followed by a cup full of water. Feeding time is short… but I guess when you have 10-15 hungry mouths to feed…
We took Korbin into the playroom for some post-meal fun. He was in a great mood and gave us many smiles and giggles. We were able to play with him for about 1.5 hours. Without supervision from Irina and/or a social worker we were all more relaxed. We brought a few toys, including a book. Ryan read the book to Korbin with him on his lap. Korbin did not act interested in the book, but we think that he has never been read to before. We would like to read to him everyday. He’ll get used to hearing our voices and hearing English! It was a good day with Korbin.
The grocery store was interesting. We wanted to buy a few items for the hotel room (so we wouldn’t have to eat out every meal). The concentration seemed to be on the fresh goods. Oh yeah, and each plastic bag was probably 10 cents. We bought three.
We had a nice dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hotel. They have an English menu! We’ll be eating there, again!

September 5, 2007

The morning we got up early to go to Kizhi Island. On our walk down to the harbor, we stopped in Lenin Square and marveled at the giant monument of him and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier with eternal flame. We also passed a beautiful puppet theater, drama theater, a fair, many parks and trails and finally a monument to Peter the Great. The waterfront reminded us of Chicago. We walked down to a sculpture of two fisherman with nets and enjoyed the brisk morning air. The hydrofoil boat ride took about 1.5 hours. Our tour guide was very good. Here are a few things we learned:
- Kizhi is only open from May to October because of severe winter weather (today was probably in the low 40’s)
- The island is 4km long by .5km wide
- The summer church was built in 1740s and the winter one about 50 years later.
- The summer church has 22 domes, all different sizes to make it look light.
- The summer church is a octahedron, and beautiful from all angles.
- The churches were used for services and festivals for all surrounding islands.
- Each log was individually picked and chopped with an axe to preserve the sap.
- A small chapel on the island is over 600 years old!
- A local mineral with a carbon base is in the lake water. The locals used it to make the water safe for drinking. They had to store the water in barrels for winter, due to the lake freezing with ice over a meter thick.

September 6, 2007

Ryan left a few hours ago (on the 7pm train). He’ll be home tomorrow night (Saturday morning my time). I miss him already! I wish we could be together during these last parts of the adoption process… but I know he needs to get back to work to support his new family!
Today was a good day. We relaxed and visited Korbin at noon. He was very quiet in a room full of crying babies (normally pretty quiet room). We played for about 2 hours. He was getting very tired and was ready to go back. Ryan said goodbye and that he couldn’t wait to see him again in THREE WEEKS! I can tell that Ryan was sad. He’s been very excited on this trip.

September 7, 2007

Today was my first day alone in Russia. I ate breakfast and lunch in my room and headed to visit Korbin at noon. Our visit was good. It was different without Ryan, but we still managed to have fun. I spent a little over an hour with him. He liked the handful of Cheerios I brought for him! ☺ I can tell that he’s warming up to me.
For dinner I ate at the café in the hotel. The food was excellent (as always) and it kept me full through my movie on the laptop and some Russian MTV (reality shows are stupid in any language).
Ryan should be home in a few hours.

September 8, 2007

When I showed up at noon for my play date with Korbin he was running a little fever. Poor guy! They took his temperature (and made me hold his arm down) and gave him some medicine. Hope his fever doesn’t come back.
The supermarket was packet! I needed some bread and fruit, so had the driver take me to the store on my way back to the hotel. They had several product sample booths, including one for beer! Yeah, they had a beer-girl at the grocery store! She was wearing a skimpy outfit, but not like the ones at bars/clubs. It was pretty funny.
I took a short walk this afternoon. A lot of people were out, including two girls on horseback. So random! I took some pictures of the town and discovered a nice park with a playground near the hotel.

September 10, 2007

Today was a good day. I gave myself a little pep talk and wore a fresh shirt to visit Korbin today (been wearing the same one for that 2 hour time slot every day). When I showed up at the orphanage the caretaker wanted me to put on his cloth diaper! Crap… I don’t know how to do that?! Well, it was actually a rag folded up and held up by a pair of underwear. Nice. Thankfully, Korbin was in a good mood today. We played for a while and then it came… the smile! First time he’s smiled at me since Ryan left 4 days ago! I was so happy. He even laughed a little! Wow. Made my day! Amazing! I brought him back to his class at the usual time. This time he watched me leave. No wave, yet.. but at least he looked at me (he waves at everyone). Who knows, maybe he waved at me after I left?!? I’d like to think so. ☺
Photo is Korbin playing his up-side-down game in the orphanage.

September 11, 2007

Today I wasted a lot of time watching MTV. I was having a lazy day… and if you concentrate on the background noise you can hear the English dialog. I have to laugh at all the mullets on the Russian shows! Mullets and man-purses everywhere!
Things I’ve noticed about Russian MTV: 1-Topless is OK. Doesn’t matter what time of day. 2- Cursing is OK, too. If it’s not bleeped in the background then they let it go. 3- Special effects are kept basic. 4- They play the same commercials over and over!
Side note - I bought 2 value packs of diapers for his class tomorrow.

September 12, 2007

RANDOM TIP: While eating out in Russia, don’t forget to order all your items separately. You order your salad (and usually soup), then your meat, then your side dish, then your sauces (ketchup included) and your drink. Most people order water and an alcoholic beverage. You can take as long as you want to eat and wave at the waitress when you want your check. Tips are not expected. 50-100 RR ($2-4) is the max you should leave. I have been leaving 60-70 RR just as a thank you for putting up with the language barrier (some nicer than others).

September 14, 2007

Finally! It’s the day we will always remember and call “family day”. Today was fabulous! Not only because I have Korbin sleeping in my hotel room, but also because everything went smoothly. I was supposed to change hotel rooms – and didn’t have to (awesome). We got his new birth certificate and adoption certificate without any problems and we delivered everything they needed to process his passport. I pick up his passport on Thursday afternoon.
The orphanage visit today was emotional. One of the caretakers was on the verge of tears, while the other one eagerly helped me dress him. We took some pictures and then said “baka baka” (bye bye) on our way out the door. It felt weird leaving with him… finally!
Photos are me picking him up from the orphanage.
Unfortuatley, today I figured out why I hate this hotel room. The long skinny layout with nothing on the walls is like an echo chamber! He started to cry and the ringing in my ears was unbearable. I held him and started singing. My off-key melodies only took 15-20 minutes to take affect.
Then, dinner time… boy do I wish I had some kind of high chair… or even table! It’s hard to feed him when he’s on my lap. He hasn’t figured out the sippy cup, yet, so I had to hold a cup for him. As soon as dinner was over he started wailing, again! I calmly talked to him while laying him in bed. Then, I know I shouldn’t have, we played a little while laying in bed. His smile and laugh are just irresistible. He smiled at me and starred into my eyes. I realized something and said it out loud: “Korbin, I love you!” I thought to myself, “I hope I never forget this moment”. I cried. Love, stress, frustrations and total exhaustion caused the tears. Today, love was the main component.
I’m so happy right now… well, maybe content is a better word. ☺

September 16, 2007

Happy birthday Katrina!
Yesterday, was a really tough day! I called Ryan. I was loosing my mind! I’m not used to dealing with such a demanding little boy!
I keep telling myself “just 10 more days… I can do this!” There are worse things a person has to deal with for 10 days. Alone in a strange country with a child that doesn’t know you isn’t the worst thing! Well, it might be on the list… ☺
10 more days! And, only 6 more days until I get relief from Nonna! I’m very happy she’s coming to Moscow.
Thank goodness Ryan calls me everyday. The phone calls help A LOT! I wake up every morning shortly before the phone rings and eagerly wait to hear his voice. I knew I would miss him… but didn’t know I would miss him this much!
We went for a walk today. It was great. The weather was great and the roads were blocked off for some walk/run here in town.
Photo is of Korbin in front of Lenin Monument.

September 20, 2007

These past few days have had it’s ups and downs. I’m not going to lie and say that everything is peachy and wonderful. He’s one… and knows how to throw a screaming tantrum. Which, is not cool when you are in a tiny hotel room that has a bad echo! Thank goodness those only happen a few times a day (hungry and tired times).
We enjoy daily walks around town and getting groceries for the room. We try to make the best of our time. He laughs a lot, which makes me feel like he’s comfortable with me.
Photo is of entire hotel room. I was standing up against the wall...
Today I got Korbin’s passport. We leave for Moscow tomorrow night (on that 14 hour overnight train). Nonna (Korbin’s grandmother) will meet us at our hotel on Saturday. Then, off to Texas on Wednesday! Can’t wait.
Oh, I asked the translator what the event was on the 16th. She said it was a benefit against “Selling People”. Interesting…

September 26, 2007

Moscow was great. But, thank goodness it’s over and I’m on my way home! Everything went so well. The weather in Moscow was wonderful and all the appointments went well. The doctor said that Korbin’s medical was “bull shit” and wrote him a new one. Pretty funny. Also, I got his visa with no problems. By the way, the American Embassy doesn’t look anything like the one in The Saint! ☺
Thanks to my mother's help, we were able to eat out. I was getting really tired of sandwiches in the room! Korbin did really well in the restaurants. Only McDonalds and Hard Rock Cafe had high-chairs! Funny. Right photo is us at the Hard Rock Cafe on Arbat Street. Left photo is me feeding him breakfast in our hotel room.
My flight leaves in a few hours. Can’t wait!

September 28, 2007

We’re home! Wow!
It’s so nice to sleep in my own bed and take a nice long shower. It’s been a looooong journey! Hearing Ryan and Korbin play makes it all worth it.
The flight was great. Korbin slept for most of it (thank goodness). Left photo is Korbin on the plane. We had a nice “welcome” crowd waiting for us at DFW. We only had a few minutes to say hello, before we headed home to go to bed (finally!).
It’s over. He’s home. We’re a family.

Amazing.