We have made it home...

After a long day flying on Saturday, we made it to Ft. Lauderdale airport late. Immigration was flawless in New York. So efficient we were surprised as we were very close to missing our connecting flight. We were happy to have made the flight and Garrett had a lot of fun running throughout he JFK terminals. Giggling!




We arrived at the airport to a very happy Jordan and had a wonderful homecoming. Jordan did great with meeting her new brother and was proud to wear her "I'm the Big Sister" T-shirt. Our neighbors put together a surprise for us when we came home. It was so great to be back and such a great surprise to be thought of in such a special way. We are so lucky!!

My parents stayed with us until Monday morning. While I am so happy to see that they have a full social and athletic life here in Florida, it wasn't hard for me to panic a bit with being cut loose so early on. In hindsight though, it was the best thing. Garrett has adjusted beautifully over the past couple of days. He is getting use to his surroundings and thrilled to have so much space to roam around. His personality is exploding with each day and it has been so fun watching him come into character. He is fast and a happy guy. We really couldn't be more blessed.

Jordan is doing as good as to be expected. She loves having Garrett around and seems to be very protective with him when it is convenient to her. She has had to learn "share" pretty quickly and is having a hard time having some of our attention going to Garrett's needs. She has been very helpful with his care and has shown him where all the great hiding places are in the house.



A neighbor of mine was like an angel stopping by the first day we were home. She gave me her double jogger stroller. It was like swallowing a huge post adoption depression pill. With all the additional paperwork required in between trips, I had no time to research joggers. We set out yesterday on our first run and Garrett did great. Gave a new dimension to my runs... it was like pushing a freight train, but we managed to make it around the loop. Jordan struggled with his need to constantly touch her, but I think she is secretly happy to have him around. She is really excellent with him.


We have enjoyed hearing from so many people!! We have loved the support and feel truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends in our life that have helped get us to this point.

Tired, but happy to start our life together!!!

American embassy.... Check...

Wish I could be on a flight right now back home. All of our in country requirements are done. I have never been through immigration in New York so I hope it is quick and easy. This will make things easier for when we land in Ft. Lauderdale. Bring on that sunshine.

Garrett is practically transparent. I can actually see and count all the veins in his head. His hair is blondish (what little he has) and he has big brown eyes. I thought it would be a bonus to not have him walking, but I really see no advantage.... He is just as fast crawling as he would be in his feet.

Chris, Garrett and I ventured down to the Kremlin on the subway. Garrett is at that age where he can't walk and is too heavy to carry. We put him in the carrier anyway. My back is killing me!!! The subway was so crowded. Russians are pretty unfriendly for the most part. We were waiting for our train and there was a huge crowd. This woman in front of me was really barging through the crowd to the open door of the train. She literally stopped traffic so I could get on with Garrett and then she got on after me. I was completely shocked. Once on the train... Immediately, this one woman jumped up from her seat and let me sit down. This happened on both trips. This truly amazed me! You certainly wouldn't see that in New York!

Not looking forward to the flight tomorrow... But definitely psyched to see my parents and Jordan. I feel like I have been gone for months. Can't believe the time has finally come....

See you in the states!!!

The final countdown...

We got up this morning and were able to stagger our gym visits. Well, lets just say I made it to the gym and came home to my Carey boys taking a nap. I have already showered repacked (aka packed so that all the vodka bottles don't brake) and now I have time to sit and write and they still haven't woken up. What deep sleepers... I haven't been the quietest.

We are to wait in our room for a phone call from Natalia our coordinator. We have been waiting since 11am and it is going on 12 o'clock now. We are waiting to determine the order of appts. at the American embassy.

This exit interview at the American embassy is just a formality. We receive Garrett's travel visa and all of his accompaning paperwork to be used when we hit immigration in New York. As with Jordan, they will both have dual citizenship until they are 18 years old. The only problem with boys those is if we travel here when he is older ~ he can legally get drafted for the Russian army if he is in country.

It will be nice to get on the plane in Moscow and have its jet engines direct us toward the states and into the arms of my little girl.

The youngest Carey is up and crying so I have to run... the older boy is sleeping right through it... go figure.

MD Appt.... Check....

Now all we need is the exit interview. I am not sure why we can't do this all in one day. Oh well. It must seem as though I am on this computer a lot. Now that we have him, I feel as though we are in the room a lot more often with him napping twice a day. I will have to change that when we go home. I hope to get out tomorrow. Our exit interview is scheduled for 2pm.

The doctor was wonderful. He is Russian, but speaks very good English. He was the same doctor that saw Jordan in 2003. Garrett had no real concerns. We have to follow up on the lazy eye issue once we get home. It was hard talking to him about this as he too had one eye that didn't track well. He said it was nothing urgent, but that he felt it could be corrected with exercises and maybe patching. I have been running to either side of the room while Chris holds his head to start the therapy. :) He also has a mild case of rickets, but he said he isn't even writing it in the report as it will correct itself quickly. He also has some chicken pox scars that are healing and he wants us to put sunscreen on those spots daily so that they don't darken.

Chris is venturing out again tonight for some chow. I think he likes to go and sit at the Pilsner bar down the street and check out all the hot women. Hey, whatever it takes... As long as I get a meal out of the deal. I am easy to please. Garrett wasn't too pleased with the doctor. He ran right to me when he was done with the assessment.

No bonding issues with this one.... He has a tremendous amount of energy ~ Anyone willing to hold him is welcome!!! I think he is taking apart the crib as I am typing this.

Still very cold here... Will welcome the warm Florida sun in a few days.

Miss you all!!!

We got the goods.....

What a tiring day yesterday. I was all worried for nothing. The care giver brought him out to me and he brightened his look when he saw us. Something didn't look right though as the care giver was walking him toward us. He had a HUGE birthmark on his forehead. I totally don't remember this 2 days ago when we saw him and I am certain he never had it before that. As it turned out, he did a header that morning when he got up and the care givers were so worried we were going to be upset that they put cover up on the bruise. (It was pretty big... About the size of a silver dollar with a small cut in the center.) The dead give away was that the cover up makeup that was used was 4 shades darker than his natural albino color and we all started to laugh. I give them effort for trying.

The care giver held onto him for awhile and was holding him tight. I could tell that she was telling him in Russian that this is your mama and that he was going in a car. Brmmm Brmmm. She said it over and over again. She had some tears in her eyes and it was obvious that she was having a hard time saying good bye. Naturally, I started crying too and we hugged each other. How do you say thank you to someone that has been carrying for your child the first 15 months of his life??? It must have been so hard getting him dressed and feeding him that morning for the last time. We could hear some crying from care givers as we left.

Garrett let us change him without any problems. We swore that we would not have them re-babtized at home. He wore a cross and we have some paperwork for him. She explained to me how it was done and it seems to have been a nice ceremony. (Done with both water and oil ~ Cindy if you are reading this tell your friend)

I can tell you, I am so glad we live in Florida. This bundling packs on an extra 10 lbs at least. It is like carrying around the stay puff marshmallow man. Get me my shorts and tank top any day over this!!!

Garrett did not look fearful at all when we left. We got a window seat in the van and he was very interested looking at and tapping on the window. He fell asleep within minutes he was so stressed out... NOT. He was pretty quiet most of the way until his true colors started to emerge on the plane. He was standing in the seat laughing cooing and getting into EVERYTHING he could. He drank 2 bottles immediately and a glass of apple juice. He has been an eating machine since we have gotten him.

We got to the hotel late night and naturally... It is never too late for me to give a kid a bath. Especially since he has not had one in his life it seems. We got in the tub together while Chris went out to get us some late night munchies and a few brew hahas (in his authentic Russian hat!) Garrett was pretty wigged out with the tub and the washing, but found the water to be interesting between sobs. He was probably wondering why I was scrubbing him so hard and maybe the triple layer of baby lotion was overkill, but hey what can you expect. He was well lubed by the time he got put in his footy pajamas for bed. Like clockwork though he got up at 7am and has been following his schedule closely since. I can't believe I am back on the 2 nap a day schedule. He needs it though. He has been crawling laps all morning!!!

We have the doctor coming from the American clinic here tonight to do a check up. He has a lazy eye and we plan on asking him questions about it. It is required by law to have this done before our exit interview tomorrow at the American embassy. Then we are out of here Saturday... To get home late Saturday night.

He slept well his first night, but definitely wakes up in a panic looking for us. He has gotten very used to being held and loved. We couldn't be happier!!!

Hope to get down to the Kremlin tomorrow for some sight seeing. Will be pretty excited to get back to some American food. I have had enough Borsch soup for a lifetime.

I want you all to know that the comments you put on this site has gotten Chris and I through so much. We have laughed a ton and feel so blessed having all of this support while here. You all are truly amazing. You make us feel so unbelievably special. We have loved sharing our moments in Russia with you.

2 more landings and we are home free!!!!!

Today is pickup day....

Hello from Samara.... We are packing up our bags and heading to the oprhanage to pick up Garrett. We go directly to the airport from the ophanage and off to Moscow. It is snowing here today. (Don't worry Mom and Mum... I am sure it is not snowing at the airport!) The intercountry flights are ... well... different. The seats bend forward and backwards and there are twice as many seats on the planes as in the US... which means... no room. Glad our little guy is small. We have his outfits all ready.. much different changing them into snowsuits here. I am so excited. Will be a long day, but I can't wait to finally get him in our arms.

Last night we went to the Philharmonic. It was AMAZING!!!! There were musicians from Germany and Russia. It was an anniversary show for the Holocaust bringing Germans and Russians together as a way to celebrate their friendship. It was beautiful. From what we learned, there were several camps located here in Samara and many of the jews were shipped throughout Russia (mostly to Siberia and Samara). Several Russians came up to us here that spoke very little english and told us how happy they were to see Americans interested in the Russian culture. Our coordinator is a bit shocked with our group and our independence to do such things in region. She was even more shocked to find out that Chris took a city cab to the airport (scuzzy airport... no VERY scuzzy airport) to pick up our luggage. I kept thinking, it took all of us so much to get here, it is obvious those that adopt from Russia are true go getters. I am hearing the stories about the airport adventure from Chris in bits and pieces and am glad he made it back.

We have purchased a few gifts for Garrett from his region and plan to put them up in his room. I am excited and nervous to see how he does today when we take him from the orphanage. Pulled out my bottles last night and actually had to read the directions again. It wasn't so long ago that Jordan was taking one, but man... I feel rusty. I never thought to ask about changing a boy. Hope it comes naturally.

Thinking of you all. We are very eager to come home and bore you all with our travel stories. Traveling with Chris... there are always tons!!

Love you!!

It is FINALLY official!!!!

We did it!!! Court was this morning at 930am. This court was a little more drilling than when we went to court for Jordan. The requirements have gotten a lot more strict and the process has been more demanding. I know those of you that either live close to me or are close family can attest to our challenges these past few months. I am suspecting things will only get harder over here.

Garrett was born in a hospital outside of Samara city. We had to travel there to obtain his birth certificate. We didn't even take pictures of surrounding village... somethings are better left to the imagination. I was nervous in court and had to use the bathroom... Their toilets give new meaning to drip and drying. (Picture to come) Nothing I have ever experienced and nothing to compare to our camping excursions. Again, another visual left to the imagination.

We are off to the philharmonic theater for a show. Unfortunately, we missed our massages with Boris as our court ran late. Oh well. We are already on a high as you can imagine.

Hope you all are doing well ... We have talked about coming home more often now that thing are finalized. We are telling more and more Jordan stories and miss her company.

More to come.... It is nice to finally be able to breath easier... I just can't wait to pick him up tomorrow at the orphanage.

Morning of "Gotcha Day"

Woke up early this morning feeling like we were marooned on the desert. The rooms are so hot here you can barely stand it. We are not nervous in the least. I am more worried about tomorrow when we pick him up and take him from his comfortable surroundings. (Or at least what he knows to be his comfort zone.) I wish we had one night here in Samara and didn't have to get on a plane, but we have many appointments in Moscow to complete before our journey home and the sooner we get there, the faster we get home.

We plan on celebrating our new addition by treating ourselves to a massage and a nice dinner in town. We have heard Boris the masseuse is wonderful and cheap so we thought we would live it up a bit. Won't be often we are without children so why not take advantage.

The in country flights are an experience in themselves. There is barely any room for you in the seat, we are all trying to figure out how we will manage with our little ones. Some families have bigger children and a confined space will definitely be a challenge. Thankfully, the flight is only a couple of hours long. It should be interesting.

I cannot wait to get him to Moscow and give him a bath and freshen him up with Jordan's "special" lotion I brought on her insistence. Our coordinator has a good relationship with the doctor at the American embassy so it seems as though he is making a house call at the hotel and doing the medicals there. That will make it very easy for us. We hope to take him to the Kremlin for some sight seeing. We will definitely NOT be shopping for clothes as we seem to hit every store the day we arrived with the luggage fiasco.

Only a couple of hours away before it is finalized. I woke up thinking this morning that in a few short hours, we will be the Carey family... party of 4 WOW!!! Hard to believe we started this process almost 2 years ago.

We really miss being home, but have loved spending time here learning the culture in the region, experiencing the food and the difficulty in ordering it and just having some time together with Chris. I am so grateful that Jordan is safe and SO happy!!! I think of her all the time. I am sure somewhere down the road she is going to be thankful that she doesn't carry on the crazy Tiley sisters genes... Then again, she is pretty close... She sure knows how to have fun.

Love you all...

Finally got our luggage....

Spent the afternoon having lunch in a Russian restaurant and shopping. Samara is a beautiful city known for many things ~ 2 of which we are bringing home (chocolate and vodka) and 1 of which we like to look at while here. (Chris probably too much)

I am thrilled to have our luggage. Not that we had anything important to use, but it is nice to be able to have some clothes to put him in when we leave Samara on Wednesday.

From what we have learned, Samara was a closed region for 7 decades. The city was closed to any outsiders and no one could leave the region of Samara during the cold war as it was a major manufacturing center for military equipment and supplies. We were also told that the Mir Space Station was built here. This seems to make sense because there is a huge rocket situated on a hill near the town center as a monument. We haven't had a chance to get near it yet, but we have driven by it several times. There are several gorgeous churches and we were able to locate a few stores that had some paintings and pencil drawing for Garrett's room at home.

We will be up early tomorrow for our court date. Glad I won't have to wear my sneakers. Not that what I wear would have an relation to my parenting skills, but you never know here.

Hope you are all doing well at home. We cannot wait to bring Garrett home and watch his personality explode.

Love to you all from Samara...

Polka Dot!!

We just got back from visiting Garrett for the first time in a few weeks. I thought for sure he would change considerably, but he was his same loving self. He is quite the cuddler!!! Chris and I loved it. He is just getting over the chicken pox (hence my title "polka dot") He just has some remaining red marks on his face and a few on his body. We did not have a translator with us nor was the the orphanage doctor there for us to ask for sure. We will get more info on Wednesday. He remains pretty quiet and reserved with not much emotion (sounds familiar). He did cry a few sobs when the care giver handed him over. I was worried about wearing my glasses and thought for sure he wouldn't recognize me when I come back for him on Wednesday. Chris thought I was a loser for thinking that... It is amazing what goes through your mind though.

He is VERY alert and interested in what the others are doing, but not willing to venture off and play. He was pretty content holding onto us and looking at us. At first he was a bit lazy with the walking, but he was able to take some steps while walking with us. It was obvious it was his nap time because he started to fall asleep while Chris was holding him. Chris took this as a huge sign that he was liked and favored.

We checked out all other "parts." Please to report it is all there and he has a cute behind. It was hard having those big brown eyes staring back at us when the care giver took him from us for his nap. I could have stayed all day. I can say this... He LOVES to be held and is a great huger. He holds on tight!!!! I think about taking him from all that he knows on Wednesday. Only we know what a life he has ahead and he will know soon enough.

I cannot believe that I am actually about to take a nap. The time change is brutal, but well worth it. Chris is on his way to the airport here to pick up our luggage. FINALLY!! It amazes me to think of all the time you spend thinking about what you are going to bring and wear and truly just how little you actually need. It will be nice for Garrett to have his own clothes to go into. It will also be nice to personally deliver the orphanage donations we brought. Thank you to all that contributed. I just hope Chris makes it back... The airport here is a bit run down. (Nicely put)

Got to talk to Jordan a couple of times yesterday. As I am typing this, it is 5am where she is... I can only hope she is sleeping!! I packed her back pack and know that she will love walking "her boys" to the bus stop.

Court is at 930am. Tomorrow when you wake up, it will all be final!!! Yipppeeeeee!!!
Love to you all.... From Samara! We couldn't be happier!!!

We arrived!!!!!!!!!

So.... we arrived in Moscow Saturday in the afternoon. Huge smiles on our faces ~ well rested from our flight and NO luggage. We are not suppose to get it until we return to Moscow on Wednesday. Yikes. No big deal for us... we are use to roughing it, but it may cause a problem with court and Garretts clothing and bottles and such. We were able to shop a bit and get clothing. You haven't lived until you have worm european underwear. Neither Chris nor myself could fit comfortably in ANY pants or jean. The men here wear their jeans skin tight as do the women. Chris finally found a Levi store and thanks to some cargo pants from Benneton we are back in action for a couple of days.

We just arrived into Samara and we plan on visiting Garrett tomorrow in the orphanage. Court (aka "Gotcha Day") is on the 21st and we get to pick him up for good on the 22nd as planned.
I cannot believe we are actually here!!

I am planning on calling Jordan in a few minutes to check on her and her small clan. I don't think Jen's house will ever be the same. Missing her is really tough, but Chris has kept me well entertained. We are planning on venturing out tonight to a steakhouse restaurant (without winter coats.) Chris is getting some stares for sure, but taking everything in stride as he always does.

Will write more tomorrow... Miss you all...

The final countdown....

Happy St. Patricks Day!!! How lucky is this day for us?! We are set to fly out early today and this time we are going through New York and then direct to Moscow. My parents came into town yesterday and Jordan was leary at first of their arrival ~ remembering to vividly of our last trip. This time though we have her looking forward to her travels to see her cousins in Charleston, SC. She is most excited to meet their new addition... Stella (the dog). She has had her Spiderman costume packed for a week and cannot wait to play with her "brothers." Pop Pop has been taking extra vitamins all week.

We spent the evening packing. The hardest part is packing for winter but keeping the weight down to under 40 lbs (after a couple of glasses of wine.) Mine is no where near.

We travel to Samara on Sunday and will get to see Garrett Monday. Our court date (aka "Gotcha Day") is on Tuesday the 21st. We do not get to officially take him from the orphanage until Wednesday the 22nd. We spend the last 3 days in Moscow going to the American Embassy and to doctors appts. At that time we will get to do some sight seeing and hopefully just spending time bonding. We are SOOOO excited.

I am the luckiest person alive today!!! It is hard for him to imagine what his life is soon to be like. I keep thinking of all the "firsts" he will be having next week. Definitely worth the wait!!
The wind is finally at our backs!!

The last week of mother of one...

Finishing up some last minute projects. I am not sure how cleaning the garage fell on my priority list. I think I am doing anything to keep busy this week. We are trying to arrange our trip and Chris thinks it would be interesting to not stay at an Americanized hotel in Moscow and experience the culture by staying in a Russian hotel. He calls this a fun adventure. I am not sure what I call it at this point. It isn't like Garrett can translate for us... yet.

Jordan is excited about being a big sister. She shows us how big she is by standing on her tippy toes... at the same time she is asking for a bottle. (She saw me packing bottles for Garrett). She is SO excited to be heading up to my sisters in Charleston, SC. We have been buying presents for their newest addition. Ssssssssssssstella (the dog)! Jen may get more help than she bargined for.

We are still scheduled to leave on St. Patricks day. Hard to believe we are down to the last week. It is amazing how much is involved in this process. Won't stop us from spending the day swimming though. Hey, we all have to have our priorities!

Confirmation...

We finally got confirmed travel dates for March 17th. Our court date is scheduled for the March 21st (GOTCHA DAY) and if all goes well, we are scheduled to fly home on March 25th. We are so excited. Trip 2 is harder to pack for. We have several boxes of orphanage donations and gifts for various people that have assisted us in the process. I can't think of any better way to celebrate St. Patricks day.

What a long process, but it is so nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are so grateful for all of the support along the way. Thank You! Will keep you posted!!!