Two Good Days

Last night, about six families got together in a small room at the motel to socialize. Counting us, there were four families with their kids. The other three kids were 2 and under and I was worried how our son would act around them. I was not sure if he would be too rough around them so we kept an eye on him. He was an angel! He was so careful around the little ones! We stayed there until about 9:15PM and then it was time for bed. I told him I was so very proud of him. The afternoon had been filled with three or four instances of him acting out and disobeying. He even missed a treat in the cafe (ice cream) because he would not put his shoes on. He just kept saying “nyet”. I told Dawn to take the others and go get ice cream without us. He needed to learn that there are consequences to disobeying. His older sister even tried to tell him to put shoes on so he could get some ice cream. He refused to comply. He then decided to get puzzle pieces and throw them. When he refused to pick them up, that resulted in time in my lap, sitting still, with no television or distractions. These were all minor instances, but each time he was corrected and told to obey, he basically told us he did not have too.

Dawn and I have prayed that God would help us not to show anger, only love in these little episodes. It is very, very sad to sit and think what these kids have been through. Yesterday while Dawn was out getting ice cream with the others, D__ was in my lap crying and the kid does not cry like you would think. I noticed the same thing in his little sister earlier when she bumped her head. When they cry, they moan. It is not a cry like you are accustomed to hearing. I sat there holding him like a baby and rocking him telling him I loved him and he must obey Mama and Papa. He and his sisters really have no concept of living in a family and following the instructions of a mother and father. They are used to several adults watching them and giving them instructions. I'm sure some caretakers love the children, but their role is not that of a mother. It is now 4:30PM and he has been a good boy all day! Right now he is eating an ice cream cone and smiling ear to ear.

Most of the previous post have been about our son with few comments about the girls. The girls are doing fine. They too have their moments! I have had to be a mean dad and take her away from a friend who was adopted and staying just down the hall. I am trying to limit their time together because she needs to spend time with us - her family. She has shed some crocodile tears, but is doing fine. Her little sister flung a fit last night when we told her it was time to go to sleep. Dawn rocked and held her the same as I have done her brother.

To the folks back home, we look forward to seeing you soon. We miss Jeremy and Sarah terribly and can't wait to hold them and hug them. Although with Jeremy, we both have to look up to hug him. I know Christina misses her big brother and sister as well. Take care -

Baby Steps

Each day that passes is a little better than the previous one. Although there is a short spell once or twice per day where our youngest son has to sit in may lap for some bonding time, I can say we are making progress. He is a typical 5 year old boy with the added issue of never having a mother and father. As a result, there are times when he will openly disobey. We are trying our best to give them a little freedom and easing into the discipline. As Dawn has pointed out, all of them disobey to a degree, the youngest is just a little cuter in her own way. The oldest girl is really very good and will just blink her eyes, smile and say pazholstah (please).

Each night about 8:30, our son will start to act out and it is obvious it is time to settle down for the evening. I will tell him “D___ and Papa spaht” (D___ and Papa sleep – or something close to that anyway). He will go and climb into bed, but at times, like last night, he wants to act out by jumping up and down in bed. That his when I hold him, tell him I love him and to go to sleep. His older sister does not like to see or hear them upset. I assure her he is okay and she will usually go to her room once she sees that he is not hurt. After about 15 minutes, he is fine and settles down. He will then wake up in the morning and say “good morning Papa”.

Our youngest girl has had a a few bumps and bruises from playing with her brother, running on the playground and stuff. She is a real trooper and has handle these bumps like a trooper! She is a dancing machine and her Mama's baby. She too can be hard to settle down at night. This weird time zone where the sun does not go down until 10PM is unbelievable and does not help. In there eyes, the sun is out, it is time to play. Our local facilitator told us that the kids in the orphanage do not go to bed until around 10 for that very reason.

The oldest girl will go to sleep on her own very easy. She has attached herself to Christina and sleeps with her at night. She will get jealous occasionally if she thinks she is not getting enough attention.

Today we had a very special lunch in the restaurant – french fries and Sprite. We have been criticized for giving them a soft drink but that does not bother me. We don't have sweet tea and there are just few options. I am not going to drink one then tell them “no”. We brought tea and have some tea, but it is hard to get it to taste right for some reason.

Well, that's about it. Another day at the Vlad Inn. This afternoon we are supposed to have the kids passport photos made. One step closer to going home...

Homeschooling and Court

Jackie: You asked about court (and any others interested). Please send us an e-mail to us at and we will send you info. Our internet connection is poor so we type out our notes in advance then paste them.

Five Nights and Counting

Dohbrehootra from Vladivostok! It is Sunday morning here and I am sitting on the couch with Christina and my “new” oldest daughter as we watch some Russian cartoon. We would love to go to church, but a driver and car would cost us $100, money we can't afford to spend right now.

Things have gotten better each day. Our son no longer fights bed time, and the oldest is no longer afraid of being in public. Previously, she would ask to go to sleep if we were in the lobby (or the playground) around other locals or other families. Last night we had supper with about four other couples. One of the couples adopted a daughter from the same home as our children and she is about two years older than our oldest. She was quite comfortable in the restaurant and never asked to go back to the room. She even walked to the market this morning with me. She got a little upset because she wanted to spend the night with her friend who is just a couple of rooms down from. Neither set of parents thought that would be a good idea right now. This is a period of adjustment and bonding that we need to work through. I am so happy we got the children during the 10 day wait. I can not imagine working through all that we have in the short time we have between the day we receive our documents and then fly to Moscow. That would be a little stressful!

We are all very, very tired. I am the jungle gym they all climb on and jump on and, mom is the giant teddy bear they all like to hug. Poor Christina is worn out as well – mostly from continuously telling our son nyet. For families coming to Vlad, there is a brand new swing and playground set, very big, for all the children. The weather now is still very cool and the kids have to bundle up to go outside. With their immune system weak, we are afraid to let them stay outside long.

We called our son this morning on Skype and it was good to talk to him. I told him when we got home, he had to take me somewhere to buy a large Coke full of ice. Ice is rare here. You can get some in a glass if you ask for it, but we don't have it in our rooms because the sink water is unfiltered. The staff here at the Inn are very accommodating and helpful. They will do what they can to help. The best thing is that they think nothing of kids running around. The restaurant is popular among the locals, particularly local officials and their families. As a result, there are many kids here running around.

Friday was the last day for Rebecca, our social worker with our agency in St. Louis. She was the best! Many would simply refer to her as a coordinator, but she was more than that to us. She became part of our extended family in the past 14 months. We sent her an e-mail thanking her for her help in making these children part of our family.

A small stomach bug appears to be making rounds. Our youngest threw up yesterday and Christina threw up last night. It has not hit me or Dawn yet. I know my stomach is a little more tolerable than Dawn and Christina's.

Tomorrow, we have photos for the kid's passport's taken. One step closer to getting home! In a couple of days we can use names and post pictures.

Getting Closer and Growing Pains

Good evening from Vladivostok! As I post this note, Dawn is reading to the two youngest, while their older sister is in the tub (koosaka). They love koosaka time! The two youngest will take the coldest baths you can imagine.

Tonight, another young girl, age 10, from the same orphanage came by to see the kids. Her parents had court today and she came back to the motel with her parents late this evening. Her mom said she was asking for the kids as soon as she walked through the doors of the motel. She knew they were here. I think it did the two of them good to see each other.

The kids continue to keep us in stitches, particularly the youngest. She will dance to any beat she happens to hear. And believe me, she can cut her eyes at you and give you a look that pretty much tells you her opinion of what you have said without a doubt. She is very expressive and loves her momma.

Our son is having difficulty obeying, but that was somewhat expected. Just about every class we went to indicated that the children will resist authority in the beginning to see how far they can go. So far, he is the only one to show resistance. These moments result in time in Papa's arms in the bedroom where there are no distractions. He fights for about 5 minutes straight and then settles down. He will scream “ya boylna” (I hurt) when all I am doing is cradling him in my arms like a baby. I know I am not hurting him and I tell him so. I tell him I love him and he is a good boy (in Russian). He is slowly getting better.

The oldest girl continues to watch after her brother and sister. During meal time, she shares her food with them even though there is plenty to go around. She is a sweetheart and can look-up and say “pazhalsta (please) Papa” when she wants something – usually candy. She knows exacatly what she is doing and yes, I have given in on occasion.

Well, time to go. It is bedtime, almost 9PM. Some have requested info on questions about homeschooling and court. I promise to answer soon. Our internet connection is very poor and somewhat expensive. We are saving as much time as possible to speak to our kids over Skype ( I recommend this for families traveling with kids back home.

Blessings and Lessons from God

In my walk with the Lord, I have learned that He blesses each person in a different way. Dawn and I have been blessed by six wonderful children, each very special in their own way. We could not have made it this far without the many, many prayers and support of family and friends. So, thank you from the bottom of our heart.

Our new children have shown me patience, love and humbleness. Patience in dealing with the language difference. I am learning new words every day to lessen the frustration they must feel. Last night, our new son had an accident in his pants while we were eating supper with another CHI family. He very well could have told me had to go, but I missed it. I thought I had learned the two potty words, and he did say something earlier in the meal, but I could not tell what he was saying. I assured him it was okay. I think he was afraid we would be mad.

The innocent love they show is genuine and so wonderful! They wake up each morning with a hug and a smile. One of the things they tell you in adoption classes is that you should prepare yourself that your children may never love you. They are very open with their love towards us and are very guarded when we are in public. They stay close to us. I believe our oldest thinks someone may take her away from us because she does not like being around other locals. They also care very much for each other and do not like being to far away from each other. I think the fact that they understand each other helps with the transition.

Humbleness. Last night, the two youngest got in the tub – they love the tub! After a while, their sister came in, took off her tights and got in the tub and washed each of her siblings hair and bathed them. Afterwards, she got out, dried her legs and put her tights back on. Poor child has had to look after her brother and sister her whole life and she will show her care and affection towards them when you least expect it.

I will not sugar coat the past couple of days. There have been some difficult times but nothing that comes close to the joy the experience has been. Night times are tough because they do not like to settle down. The fact that the sun is out until 9:30PM does not help! We did manage to get to bed at 8PM last night which is better.

We miss our two back home a lot. Speaking to Jeremy each morning is wonderful, but it does not replace me hugging him good night each night. Yes, I hug my tall 17 year old each night I'm home and tell him I love him. I do that with each child and not being able to do it with Jeremy and Sarah right now is hard.

So long for now....

Our First Supper

This afternoon, we went to the orphanage to pick up the kids and we had the opportunity to meet their aunt. She was a very nice woman, about 6 or 7 years younger than we are. She was very sad to see the children go, but we assured her we would take very good care of the children and that we loved them very, very much. She was afraid we would not let the children write her, but we told her we would send pictures on their birthday, Christmas and, Women's Day (sort of like our Mother's Day). We had to stop at the store and buy them some shoes. Wow, the stores are really proud of their shoes! No Payless or discount store prices here.

After about an hour in the motel room, we went to the hotel dining room to eat. We ordered chicken fingers and fries for everyone. Little Sister is a hoot! Definitely a Baggett! She was eating ketchup by the spoonful. And like her big sister Sarah back home, butter by the spoonful! She kept us in stitches the whole time by mixing things and trying to get us to eat it.

They are in the tub now and having a ball. First one in was brother. He started out by saying “no – not ever, no- not ever”. When he finally saw the water, he started taking his clothes off. Soon his sisters were joining him once they figured out what was going on.

Thanks heavens for a Russian to English dictionary! Have to stop now and try and get them to calm down for dinner.

For the folks back home – we presented the director with the donation from church. Our social worker recommended we give it to them instead of trying to buy the clothes ourselves. When I presented the money, she was shocked and very appreciative. She told me she would use it to purchase summer clothes for the children to wear to camp this summer. In most places, the kids go to camp for a day or two during the summer as a retreat from the orphanage. She told me to tell everyone it was a very special gift and was very thankful.

Petition Accepted!

We are pleased to announce that our petition was accepted and Dawn and I are the proud parents of three wonderful children from southern Siberia. The rules are a little uncertain, so I do not believe that I can legally post their names yet. I know pictures are not allowed until we have the court decree in hand and that will be in ten days. Tomorrow we go at 1:30PM to get the children.

The judge was very curious of our home schooling and asked many, many questions. Homeschooling is not known to them and they do not understand the concept. Then again, many Americans do not understand it.

Thanks to friends, family and extended internet friends who have prayed for us! I can not thank you enough nor tell you what it has meant to us to have you pray for us. I think I can go eat something now without fear of losing it!!

More tomorrow -

Court Day

It is 7:30 Monday morning here in Vladivostok. We will meet with our social worker today at noon and then leave for court which is scheduled for 2PM. If all goes well, we will be able to pick-up the children tomorrow afternoon and be able to keep them during the 10-day wait period. The kid's aunt has requested to meet with us before we take them from the orphanage. I am glad we will be able to meet her. This is something we wanted to try and do back in December. We want her to know how much we love the children and that she has nothing to worry about. From the little we have been able to learn of her, she is a good person and has maintained contact with the children.

For our family back home, please say a prayer for Jeremy. Poor kid has had to deal with animal problems for the past three days. He had to take one dog to the vet and he just told us one of the horses got out into another pasture. Tomorrow he will have to mend fence lines until I can get home and make a permanent fix.

Hope to have some good news later today regarding the court proceedings.

Blessings From God

Hello everyone back home!

Before we tell you about our visits yesterday, we have great news! We received an e-mail telling us we received a grant from a group that is helping to defray our travel costs! Praise the Lord!

We are getting adjusted to the time change and rested from travel, thankfully. God is awesome! We had been sure that we would not get the children in our custody until after the mandatory 10 day wait following the court hearing. However, a new law has gone into place and we may actually get to have them with us during that time in the hotel. However we won't be able to leave the hotel area, since it is not “official” that they are our children until after the 10-day period. We talked it over, and decided that we still wanted to ask for them, since that will give us that time to get better at communication prior to travel.

Yesterday, when we saw the children, we thought that the oldest was a bit sad talking to the interpreter. When I asked about this, our interpreter said that it was just that it is hard for her when we come and leave again, that she is ready to come with us! What a relief; I had thought she might be sad about leaving her friends and everyone she knows.

After court on Monday, instead of going directly to the orphanage as previously planned, we will have an opportunity to do the shopping we thought we would do during the 10-day period, and then pick up the kids on Tuesday. We will be able to buy shoes for our kids, as well as the items for the other children with the generous donations from the church folks back home.

We met a couple who were adopting a baby from the baby home near the orphanage our children are at. We enjoyed talking with them and hearing how God worked in their lives in much the same way as he has ours. They are adopting a little girl with a cleft lip and palette which they have already gotten plans for surgeries to correct. They had court yesterday, and got the 10-day wait waived, so they will be able to finish up and head home shortly. We are so happy for them and their daughter! She looks like she is about 6 months younger than she really is, due to her difficulty in eating. We met another adoptive family in the motel who has custody of their new little boy during the 10 day wait. He is also about 6 months behind his actual age in proportion, but so cute!

Another blessing: we were given the big suite at the hotel at no extra charge! We are so grateful, especially now that we will have the children with us for most of the time here.

We got to visit a small Russian Orthodox Church yesterday, but were unable to go inside since we weren't dressed appropriately (didn't know we would have this opportunity beforehand). Tony was able to purchase a couple of cross pendants to give to Big Sister and Little Sister later on as a keepsake from their birth country. We will have to come up with something for our little boy! We also went to a small museum and then flew through a Chinese market, just to see what it was like! It was nice to walk around in the beautiful weather and compare the flowers here to those at home. We ate at at little restaurant which was western themed, but served pizza as the main dish. It was very good actually! We stopped at a grocery store to get some bottled drinks, and I got two small bottles of water, only to find later that I had gotten the kind that was carbonated “with gas”! Tony laughed and assured us that the large bottle he bought for the room was without gas, but alas, it was carbonated as well! We are learning!

As you see, God continues to bless us in a multitude of ways, and it is an exciting thing to rely on him and see the amazing things he does.

We're Here!!

It is Friday morning here. We arrived Thursday morning at about 11AM and by 2 o'clock we were on our way to visit the children (unexpected). What an amazing joy it was to see them once again. They kids had been told we were coming this week so they were expecting us. They each ran to us and gave us a big hug. Big Sister was in school when we arrived and so it was about 40 minutes later before we saw her. I grabbed her hugged her, and said (in Russian) "My darling daughter, I love you"! She told me she loved me too! Such sweet kids. Brother very carefully brought out a stuffed animal we sent by the Stencavages and he brought out some pens and paper. He seemed to want to show us he still had the presents we had sent. Bless his heart, it looked as if he had not used them at all.

Little Sister took to Dawn and wouldn't let her out of her sight. We were worn out from 20 hours of flight and spending time with them, but what a joy!

Can't spend much time now posting, we have to leave in a few minutes and I am afraid I am about to run out of air time on this card (purchased in December). Promise to post more later.

Good News! It is possible we may get to keep the kids during the ten day wait. This would be wonderful and allow us to spend time bonding before the long ride home.

Dear friends and family and extended AP family, thank you for all the prayers and support. I can not express what it has meant to us!

Packed and Ready - Finally

Well, it is nearly 2AM and we are finally packed. It is a harder job than you think! One bag each, can't be over 40 pounds (each), clothes for 3.5 weeks and clothes for three children. Copy of dossier ready, paperwork for embassy ready, tickets, passports, cash (hopefully it is all good enough for the money changers).

We'll post when we arrive in Vladivostok. Should arrive Thursday (their time) at about 11:30 AM.

Thanks for all the prayers! God Bless -

Tickets & Travel Visas Have Arrived

This morning our airline tickets arrived and yesterday we received our travel visas. We sent our travel itinerary to the adoption agency so they would have a copy of it and know when to expect us. On our way into Russia, we have a very brief layover in Copenhagen and then we fly into Moscow via Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). Hopefully there will be some English speaking folks there in the event we get twisted around in the airport - I have a hard enough time managing Russian!

Last night at 11:30, Dawn went through the clothing we are taking for the kids to see what we should take. She has had their bags packed for three months and the weather is much warmer now getting up to 72-75 in the day time, but dropping as low as 35 at night. It is our understanding that in Russian culture, kids are still expected to wear long sleeves and long pants. Exposed skin apparently will subject you to scolding by the older women in the community. We originally thought it would be frigid when we returned for court, but that will not be the case. So, we are taking jeans, long sleeved shirts for the two oldest and some jumpers with tights for the youngest. We took out the heavy coats and are just going to take light jackets. They take up a lot of space and the weather just does not require it. The weather in Moscow seems to be pretty close to the same as that in Vladivostok so we should be okay.

Motel reservations for the return through Moscow have been made. I have had to e-mail them to see if it will be acceptable to have one adult and two children per room. They have a two person limit per room. I used my Holiday Inn travel points to book the rooms in order to save money - about $1,800. Glad to see ALL those nights on the road were good for something. There is a huge park two blocks away. I believe it is called Sokolniki Park. Dawn's sister-in-law has spent a lot of time in Moscow and she said it was a good place to go. It will provide a nice break from things I think.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. I will go to the bank and get checks for our final payment to the agency and, I will also start the quest for crisp bills. The currency exchangers in Russia will not accept any bills with ink marks (counterfeit detection), folds, etc. They basically have to be perfect. That can be a challenge, so I am giving myself two days to collect the currency. I spoke to the bank a couple of weeks ago and they essentially said they would do what they could. How encouraging...

I have become a firm believer in the power of prayer over the last year and in particular the past few weeks. I have a long list I go through nightly for those adopting and others experiencing some challenging times. If you have such a list, please add us...

Making Progress

Slowly, we are making progress on the "to do" list. Visas were ordered Tuesday and due to multiple Russian holidays ( May 1, 2, 8 & 9) we had to pay for 3-day processing in order to have them on time. Then it was time to order airline tickets. Wow what an ordeal! It was not just a simple phone call as trip number one was. Several hours were spent on this one issue. Since we are at the end of our journey, we have our final fees to pay and have to watch and manage every expenditure.

Thursday, I called a travel agent that works with a lot of adoptive families. Her quotes were significantly higher than those we purchased for trip one ($7,000 vs. $4,000) and add to that the cost of three one way tickets for the kids - total cost was about $11,000. I asked God to find a way to make things happen within our budget. Late Friday afternoon, I contacted the travel agent we used on trip number 1 and she was able to save us about $2,000. What a blessing!

So, our plan is to leave Tuesday, May 13 out of Birmingham and we will return Saturday, June 7. We have lots of ends to tie up before leaving and only about 9 days to do it all. God has answered many, many prayers and we are truly thankful for those who have been praying for us. When we return, I hope to list each and every prayer that was answered to show how God is watching and listening...