Boo!

Halloween was crazy, as usual, in the Holt household.  Our neighborhood turns into a mob scene - thanks to the band that sets up across the street and the fact that everyone knows that our neighborhood celeb, Sara Evans, will sing at some point during the night.  This year was no different.  The somewhat good part about this year, however, was that we did not have our usual party at our house where I am entertaining (and feeding) about 5 other couples as well as their kids.  That made my life a TON less stressful.

We decided against our typical party this year for a couple of reasons: (1) Halloween was in the middle of the week and (2) our yard is not complete and is a total mud pit (the main reason).  The landscaping is almost done (sod goes in tomorrow!!) so we had the landscapers fence off everything except for a pathway to the front door.  That did not stop the over 500 trick-or-treaters that we had visit the house however.  They started at 4:35, right after the parade in Crestline village and we ran out of the approximately 500 pieces of candy I had purchased at about 7:45.  And we only allowed one piece of candy per visitor.  We did have some "repeat customers" but I am sure that we had close to 500 kids (and some adults which I still find VERY strange - why do some parents also have a bag and collect candy?).

Sara Evans did not disappoint.  She is really great and the kids love her.  Her son always plays the drums for a couple of songs and she sings.  Her daughter and her friends also make up a little dance to an "of the moment" song and she sings it.  This year it was "Call Me Maybe" (of course).  It was really cute.

I did not do a very good job of documenting the night, but I did get some pictures of the kids in their costumes.  Enjoy!

An Indian spirit warrior, Batman, and a Batwitch

Batwitch and Batman

having a little fun!

Batman!!!

Batwitch!!

Returning to Russia

There has been so much going on since Ted and I got back from our last trip that I have been bad about updating the blog. Of course, most of you are on Facebook or have talked to me so you know all our "news."  But since I am trying to document everthing on here for my memory's sake, let me update.

After Ted and I got back from our court trip, Lorien was very fast at getting potential dates for the return trip to bring Maggie home.  The thirty (30) days ends on Friday, November 16th, so we can pick her up any day after that.  But many things have to happen during the third trip before we can bring her home.  We have to go to the Office of Vital Statistics and get her birth certificat changed.  Then we have to go and apply for her passport, which takes 24 hours to have processed (expediated, of course).  Once we have her passport, we can go to the US Embassy and apply for her visa to enter the United States since she still will not be a U.S. citizen until we land.  That also takes about 24 hours to process. So thoese three things take three days to accomplish.  So we would be at Thursday - Thanksgiving.  And Thanksgiving poses a problem because the U.S. Embassy is closed.  The Embassy is also closed for half the day on Friday (not 100% sure why, but I don't ask those kinds of questions anymore; I just roll with it these days!).  After processing her visa, we have to process the adoption through immigration at the Embassy - which means we have to give them a bunch of documents, Maggie will have to have a brief medical exam, etc.  So all of this meant that dad and I would have to stay in Russia about 10-12 days, with a bunch of days with nothing to do, a baby in a hotel room, and freezing cold temperatures outside.  Not my ideal situation.

Lorien was aware of all this, so she gave us another option - go the week after Thanksgiving.  Although that meant that Maggie would have to be in the orphanage a week longer, it really makes more sense in the long run.  And I know that they are taking care of her there and that they love her.  I can tell that her caregivers are affectionate and caring.  More than one has told me that she is their "favorite" and that they will really mioss her.  Nice to hear!  So dad and I are leaving for Moscow the Sunday after Thanksgiving - November 25th.  We arrive in Moscow (via Paris this time) on Monday, November 26th in the late afternoon.  We will most likely pick Maggie up from the orphanage on Tuesday, November 27th - GOTCHA DAY! I know that it will be a day that I will never forget.  Then the team in Moscow will help me maneuver through all the red tape and get her home forever!!!

It is OFFICIAl (well, almost)

Court is DONE.  And she will officially be ours in 30 days.  The Judge cannot sign the papers for 30 days in case anyone wants to appeal but of course that will not happen.  I was SO NERVOUS for court today.  Ted did most of the talking and it was really not a big deal.  I can't believe that I got so worked up.

Here is how it all happened.  (Not that you are so interested, but I want to remember every single detail so I can tell Maggie when she asks.)  We met Vlad at his parent's apartment (it is an easier place for him to park) at 10:15 this morning and drove to the courthouse.  The courthouse looked very nice and even had a statue of Lady Justice (blindfolded, holding the scales of justice and a sword!) as we entered.  Although we did have to go through a metal detector, court security was not nearly as tight as it is in the United States.  The security guard barely even looked into my purse!  We went upstairs and met Masha who was our official translator.  Masha walked us through who was going to be in the courtroom and what was going to happen.  We decided that Ted would go first and answer most of the questions from the Judge.  She prepped Ted on a myriad of questions that the Judge could ask (but he really only asked a few of them.)  Then Masha went inside the courtroom and we waited.  And waited.

Our hearing was supposed to start at 11:30, but like most other things in Russia it did not start on time.  We waited until about noon and then got started.  The hearing began with the Judge explaining the purpose of the hearing and stating who all was present - us and Masha, the Prosecutor, a representative from Social Services, and the Orphanage Director.  There was also another person from the Orphanage there as well.  Ted and I have seen her on our visits to the orphanage but we are not sure what her role is in the whole process.

The Judge talked a little bit about the adoption process and then called Ted up to the stand.  He asked Ted if he still intended to proceed with the adoption and then asked him a series of questions about why we wanted to adopt, why Russia, how we would care for the child, who would care for the child, and how our children at home thought about getting another sibling.  He was especially concerned about "the oldest child" which made me laugh because I am WAY more concerned about Sam's reaction to us bringing Maggie home!!!  Then, he called me to the stand and asked if I agreed with all of Ted's answers and asked if I thought that I was prepared to raise another child.  That was about it.

Next the Orphanage Director got up and spoke a little bit about Maggie's background and how she came to the orphanage.  He said that there had been no inquiries from her biological family since she had been placed at the orphanage.  Then, the social worker got up and talked about her legal status, the search for her biological family and any potential Russians who would adopt her.  The Judge was interested in the search for any potential family members, but the social worker said that none could be found.  Finally, the Judge asked the Prosecutor if she had anything to add which she did not.  He left the room for about 5-7 minutes and then came in and pronounced that he approved the adoption and that her birth certificate would be changed to reflect that her name is Margaret Kristina Holt, date of Birth 12/19/2011, place of birth Moscow, Russia and we are her parents.  I held back the tears.  Once the Judge left the room there were handshakes and congratulations all around.

Here is a picture of Ted and me outside the courthouse after the hearing.

We went straight from court to the orphanage which is not far away at all.  Maggie was feeling MUCH better today and was more animated than we have ever seen her.  She was PRECIOUS.  Absolutely perfect.  Tons of smiles and lots of laughter.  I can't wait for each one of you to meet her.  She is going to bring so much joy to our family.  Of course I cried as we left but I kept telling myself that the next time I walk out of that orphanage she will be in my arms.  Only 30 more days.  Then both of our lives will change forever.

Well it wasn't the Mayo Clinic, but . . . .

It's Ted.

We just wrapped up Day 2 of Trip 2.  The medical exams were, on the one hand, a colossal waste of time.  On the other hand, it was pretty efficient.  I went back and forth on my opinion of the process throughout the 4 plus hour ordeal.  At times, I felt like it was 1865 and we were being interviewed by the Confederate Army's "doctors", "have you ever had a brain disease?" or "how are your toe nails?".  At other times, it seemed quite modern and efficient.  After all, if we were in Birmingham it would have taken us days to get appointments with a surgeon, a psychiatrist/narcologist (more on that in in a minute), neurologist, infectious disease doctor, internist, dermatologist and finally, a pulmonologist.   Each of these "appointments" took less than 5 minutes, but we had to wait for a half hour or more in between each "examination".  They took our blood and an x-ray of our chest, but otherwise basically asked us questions.  The psychiatrist seemed very interested that I liked to hunt and fish "when not doing my job."

The narcologist is just what it sounds like, a doctor who specializes in the treatment of drug addicts.  I think it's a subspecialty of psychiatry unique to Russia.  He didn't ask us about drugs; I guess we didn't look like heavy users.  In any event, he smelled terrible.  And he was the only doctor who actually spoke English well enough that we didn't need a translator.  The only other remarkable thing about our trip to the Kremlin Hospital (see below) was that the internist was a huge smoker; the stench almost made me wheeze as he listened to my lungs/heart.

Shannon survived the blood taking and the rest of the "examinations" with flying colors.   We did the blood test first which made the rest of it much easier for Shannon.

All of this took place at the Kremlin Hospital, which at one point was the equivalent of the Walter Reed Medical Center.  The leaders of the Kremlin, including Lenin and Stalin were treated there.  I'm not sure the current status, as our interpreter, Vlad, told us that (a) Russian political leaders basically have their own hospitals now, and (b) the status of the hospital as the "Kremlin" hospital changes with the political winds.  We did have to "star" sightings, so to speak.  The wife of the Minister of Education (who, as it turns out, is in charge of all adoptions in Russia) was having the same exams done today . . .  She wished us good luck.  Also, the head of the Russian bankers union was seeing one of our doctors today.  Vlad recognized him and said he's a billionaire.  Nice company, huh?

Above the entrance of the hospital there was the old Soviet symbol.  Here is a picture of the receptionist area the Kremlin Hospital.   Pretty cool?

After the medical exams, which ended around 3:30 PM local time (we left the hotel at 10:30 just to give you an idea of how long it took), Vlad took us to the orphanage to see Maggie.  Of course, traffic was bad and we didn't get there until around 4:45.  When we arrived, they told us Maggie had the flu - but it really seemed like more of a fever virus which they said was going around the orphanage.  They let us spend about 15 minutes with her, though.  You could tell she wasn't feeling well and that she had a fever.  I think you can see it in the pictures; Shannon had to work hard to even get a small grin!  It was tough to leave her, especially knowing she's feeling badly.  Shannon had a tear in her eye and I could tell just wanted to baby her and take her home and make her feel better.

After the orphanage, Vlad dropped us off at Pushkin Square and we went to a little Italian place (we seem to eat at a lot of Italian places here) that Vlad told us about.  It was pretty good but the entrance was very funny.  I made Shannon get a picture in front of it.

We'll go  to court in the morning and then back to the orphanage.  Hopefully, Maggie will be feeling better, or at least we'll be able to spend more time with her.  It's hard to believe we'll be heading home Wednesday morning.

Safe Arrival In Moscow

Ted and I made it safely to Moscow - Trip #2.  We were up early Saturday morning (5 am) to catch our flight out of Birmingham and Ted woke up feeling crummy.  He thought it was the stomach bug and later turned flu-like.  Thankfully he took a phenergen and by the time we got to Moscow felt much better.  (As an aside, he got a flu shot on Thursday and we think that he actually may have had a touch of the flu from the flu shot - that is possible, right?)  I am jut glad that he feels better.  A sick man is not a fun travel companion.

The other driver from the Moscow team, Maks, picked us up at the airport.  In true Moscow style, the traffic was really bad at first - closer to the airport - but it picked up once we got away from the airport and malls.  Maks said that a lot of Russians shop on the weekends and Ted remembered that there were some bad merging areas near those malls as well.  After we were past that area it was smooth going.  I was still amazed at how no one (including Maks) worried at all about the traffic lanes and thought nothing about driving in between lanes or on the side of the road.  I can't decide if all the crazy driving actually makes the traffic worse or not.   

Once we got to the hotel, we were able to go straight to our room which is right next door to the room we had last visit.  We unpacked and took about an hour nap.  Ted had to drag me out of bed to go downstairs to eat a light, late lunch.  We then decided to walk around Red Square to pass some time.  It is pretty cold (mid 40s) but I borrowed a great coat so I wasn't that cold, other than my ears.  Ted did not pack as well for the weather and I think that he was colder than I was, but he would never complain.  Now we are back at the hotel and are going to shower and head to our favorite restaurant for dinner.  I am not hungry at all, but will force myself to eat just so I can get back to the bed, take an Ambien and sleep!!!

It is very strange being back here.  It kinda feels like deja vu since we have done this all before. Of course tomorrow will be another story.  Vlad is picking us up at 10:30 (yea! we can sleep late) and I think that the medicals take about 3-4 hours.  Then we get to go see Maggie.  That is what I am waiting for!!  Makes it all worth it.

Trip 2

We leave for Trip 2 in the morning and to say that I am nervous would be an understatement. Not only do we have our court hearing, which is nerve-wrecking enough, but we have to be examined by 8 medical doctors.  And apparently it takes most of the day!  I am not the best around doctors and have been known to have "white coat syndrome" so this is not something that I am looking forward to - especially the blood-giving part.  But it is all for a good cause and it will all be worth it in the end.  I just  need to keep my eye on the prize!  And apparently the medicals are done in the Kremlin Hospital which is supposed to be very neat so I will try to take in my surroundings!  Ha! I am sure that I will have sweaty palms until it is over!

We will be blogging daily like we did before, but the trip is so short we won't have time for much sight-seeing.  Plus it is COLD there now.  We leave tomorrow morning and arrive on Sunday mid-day.  Monday we have our medicals and will hopefully get a chance to visit with Maggie as well.  Tuesday is the big court day and we will get to see Maggie that day too.  There is also a chance that we will get to take her out of the orphanage and take her passport photos. That will be really fun and I am hoping that it works out!  Then we leave on Wednesday morning.  Quick trip.  The jet lag is really gonna kill me I'm sure!

Promise to keep you all posted!  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Court Update

So our court date is even sooner than originally thought - Tuesday, October 16th!  That means that Ted and I leave a week from tomorrow.  We will land on Sunday around lunch time and have the day to recover from travel (if that is possible).  Monday we will get our medical exams and get to visit Maggie in the orphanage.  I can't wait to get my hands on her!  I wonder if she will remember us?  Doesn't really matter, I guess.  Tuesday we will have our court date and if we are lucky we will be able to take Maggie out of the orphanage after court to go have her passport photos made.  I hope that happens!  Then we will leave on Wednesday morning and travel for approximately 25 straight hours (longer layovers this trip) and land in Birmingham Wednesday night around 9:00 p.m.  I know that we will be exhausted, but we will be one step closer to Maggie joining our family in Birmingham FOREVER!!!

Court Date! (Maybe?)

I spoke with our adoption coordinator this afternoon and she had GREAT news for us!  She said that the tentative date for our court hearing is Thursday October 18th!!!  Can't believe that it is already so soon.  I am nervous and excited.  Of course I have things that have to get done before that date, including getting some documents down to Montgomery to get the apostle from the Secretary of State.  I am waiting on a document from our home study agency (in Fairhope, AL) which should be here on Wednesday morning and then I will head down and get all the documents apostilled.  We also have to update our fingerprints for immigration.  These fingerprints are good for 18 months and don't have to get redone al that often, but as you all know, our process has been on the longer side, so we will get ours redone on Friday.

Once all that is done and court date is finalized, we will book tickets and begin the process of planning again - for home and for away.  I hate to leave the kids again - and the thoughts of leaving them a third time is almost unbearable - but it will go by quickly and I know that one day I will look back on it and wish that I enjoyed it more.  But being "in country" (i.e. in Russia) is not the most leisurely of travels to say the least - it is very stressful and, as I learned from the vascular headaches I struggled with for 5 straight days last week, I am not a very good traveler.  Oh well.

I am very excited to get past this second step.  Until court, nothing is certain and someone could potentially "take her away" from us - well, a Russian could.  That rarely happens, but it could so I am consistently praying for the Lord's protection over Maggie and His plan for her to come home with us.

But if court is on October 18th, that means we can bring her home as soon as November 19th - BEFORE THANKSGIVING!!!  Oh how I have so much to be thankful for!!!

Les Mis

The first musical I ever saw on Broadway was Les Miserables.  And I still remember almost every part.  I know every word to every song.  I can picture the set and the costumes.  I cired like a baby. It still moves me.  And now it is coming to the movies in a very real and powerful way.  I can't wait to see it.  Here is a sneak peek.  Who is going with me?

Home Sweet Home

After 22 hours of traveling, Ted and I returned home Saturday night around 8 pm Birmingham time.  We were greeted by Ann Park and Ward with lots of hugs and kisses. It felt so good to be home.  Ted and I both caught colds on the way home so combined with our jet lag are both feeling pretty lousy, but that is not slowing us down.  I am trying to just push through the exhaustion and enjoy being home.

Of course the kids and their busy schedules won't let us slow down one bit!  Sam had his first soccer practice and game yesterday.  He is playing something called Sunday Soccer where they practice for the first 40 minutes and then scrimmage another team for about 20 minutes.  It is a fun time for him - especially since he has been watching his brother and sister play since before he was even born!  He loves his sin guards and cleats and had more hand-eye (or foot-eye) coordination than I thought he would have.  He is definitely left-footed so we might have another lefty around the house, along with Ann Park!

Here are a couple of action shots:

chatting with some of his teammates!

Once the "game" started, the Red team was doing pretty well and were up 6-0, but then the rain came out of nowhere.  And everyone got soaked.  And Sam loved every minute of it!

It was a good way to end a long day.  We all came home and got into warm showers and baths and got into our pajamas.  We hung out as a family and got things ready for another week of school.

I am struggling right now, but have a long list of things to do so I better run.  We will not hear anything about a court date for a while, but I promise to keep everyone posted.

Oh, and her name is Margaret Kristina Holt . . . Maggie.