Monday, September 24, 2007

Heading to the American Embassy and tomorrow HOME!!!!

We are all packed up yet again. This hotel hopping with a kid is crazy, but Ayden seems to like the adventure. We are heading to the embassy. The last check on our list before we leave. We are so looking forward to seeing our family. It will be such a huge relief to land on US soil.
Ayden is doing great and from what we hear, Nana and Pop Pop are surviving at home. We just can't wait to get there!!!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Picture time...

Hi there all... Thought you would appreciate a few pictures of our newest addition. We had to switch hotels and we just landed ourselves at the Marriott Grand. We have already tested out the pool and must admit, Ayden is definitely a water baby. She had no troubles with the bath and can even get in the shower with us. I really thought I would test her tolerance and I took her in the pool. She was never without a smile. She has come a long way since Monday.

She is not overly fond of cars, but likes the highchair and elevators. The elevators here have mirrors so her love for them is pure vanity. We spent today walking around the Kremlin and sight seeing the nearby areas. I am surprised I had the energy after having the night of the plague.


I thought I would post a picture of one of our Russian meals we had while staying with the host family. The food was incredible. Notice how small the plates are. I guess that is portion control, but not for Chris and I... we filled our plates up 4 or 5 times. It is amazing how hard these people work for their living. We got to see a lot of Orenburg. There is a bridge in town that divides Europe and Asia. There is a tradition to go to the bridge when you get married and make a wish.



Ayden is sleeping very well. It seems that anytime we put her in her crib, she falls asleep. She may squawk a little, but not the troubles we seem to be having with our roaming Garrett at home. She doesn't seem so desperate for the bottle and actually seems to like table finger food better. I think her belly is adjusting slowly to the new food and I think we are adjusting to the explosiveness of the matter. We hope this gets much better before our long flight home on Tuesday.

Jen D... we are dealing with another mullet issue here. Bring your scissors down and help me get this girl in style. Carrie L... do your recognize the outfit!! I told you it would make the trip. She has worn it several times already and gets tons of compliments. Looking forward to seeing you in November.

All in all our trip is going very well.

As I mentioned earlier, we spent the day literally walking everywhere. Ayden is so adaptable and rarely fusses. We are hoping this isn't just a front. We are enjoying our one on one time with her, but are really missing our family at home.

Just another day in Moscow...

We spent the day yesterday walking around Moscow and seeing the sights. We aren't convinced that Ayden is 15 lbs. She certainly felt about 30 lbs after carrying her all over. We finally broke down and bought a snuggle sak. Much better.

I spent the last evening hugging the porcelain bowl. Wish I could say it was from too much good wine, but I am afraid that it could have something to do with the water. The traveling this time seems so much more challenging. As I type this we are packing up to switch hotels. We had thought we were traveling home today. We had only booked hotels for two nights. We are left to hotel hop until we get on our flight on Tuesday morning.

Ayden is sleeping well. She changes each day and seems to be developing a higher level of trust with us. We are very eager to get home.