There was a long time in between post! We do apologize but we miss our little guy so much!! I promise to wrap up trip #1 this week!
But...in 35 more days we go back and have our court date!!!! Counting down the days until February 20th!!
~The Rileys
Monday, January 16, 2012
Trip #1 Kirov 11-09-11
We took the overnight train from Moscow to Kirov. We left late in the afternoon so most of the ride was during the night. The two "beds" were comfortable and we got some sleep. We were super excited!!!!...so sleep did not come easily!! We did not really take any pictures on the train except for the one below. We promise to take more next time!
All the clothes behind Scott got wet because it was snowing so we had to lay them all out to dry on the way to Kirov.
We arrived in Kirov and our translator, Helen, meet us at the train station. She is truly an amazing person, who was so genuine and kind. Her English was also excellent!! We then headed to our eight doctor exam
YES...eight doctors to see!! Well eight doctors to approve of our physical condition and read over the lab test and chest x-rays we brought. We didn't have to see all eight some reviewed our paperwork and approved us. It was a strange experience. We went to a clinic were we saw a neurologist and immunologist to name just a few. The good news is we passed!! We had to return later that afternoon to see the psychologist which is a whole another story but we survived!!!
After our medical exams we went back to our hotel and got to clean up and rest before we went to the orphanage. The orphanage was located about 45 minutes away...longest ride EVER!
We arrived and were greeted by some of the staff and then lead into the music room. It was a very bright and cheerful place. We cannot post pictures now but after everything is complete we will post some. The caregivers brought "L" in and placed him in my arms. He is AMAZING!! We are totally in love and cannot wait to share pictures! We got a lot of good play time! He is an active, happy two year old! We played with blocks and balls. There were lots of laughs!
He also had a physical from a pediatrician from the American University in Moscow. She traveled with us and reviewed all of his medical information with us. She was great! L loved her and so did we. We also were able to speak to the social worker and she gave us a lot of information that on L's background.
After playtime we had tea and cake with the orphanage director and our translator and the pediatrician that traveled with us. Which was a cool experience! Then we headed back to our hotel for dinner at the restaurant in our hotel. The food was great...there was only one menu that was in English so there was a lot of pointing involved.
It was an AWESOME day!
We arrived in Kirov and our translator, Helen, meet us at the train station. She is truly an amazing person, who was so genuine and kind. Her English was also excellent!! We then headed to our eight doctor exam
YES...eight doctors to see!! Well eight doctors to approve of our physical condition and read over the lab test and chest x-rays we brought. We didn't have to see all eight some reviewed our paperwork and approved us. It was a strange experience. We went to a clinic were we saw a neurologist and immunologist to name just a few. The good news is we passed!! We had to return later that afternoon to see the psychologist which is a whole another story but we survived!!!
After our medical exams we went back to our hotel and got to clean up and rest before we went to the orphanage. The orphanage was located about 45 minutes away...longest ride EVER!
We arrived and were greeted by some of the staff and then lead into the music room. It was a very bright and cheerful place. We cannot post pictures now but after everything is complete we will post some. The caregivers brought "L" in and placed him in my arms. He is AMAZING!! We are totally in love and cannot wait to share pictures! We got a lot of good play time! He is an active, happy two year old! We played with blocks and balls. There were lots of laughs!
He also had a physical from a pediatrician from the American University in Moscow. She traveled with us and reviewed all of his medical information with us. She was great! L loved her and so did we. We also were able to speak to the social worker and she gave us a lot of information that on L's background.
After playtime we had tea and cake with the orphanage director and our translator and the pediatrician that traveled with us. Which was a cool experience! Then we headed back to our hotel for dinner at the restaurant in our hotel. The food was great...there was only one menu that was in English so there was a lot of pointing involved.
It was an AWESOME day!
Monday, November 28, 2011
moscow trip #1 11-08-11
We slept in today...I guess you could say that? Since our sense of time is so completly out of whack! Checked out of our hotel but left our bags there and took a visit to the conceirge. We asked for suggestion for places to eat. The lady,who spoke perfect english, described a street that had multiple restraunts and that also was pedestrian friendly since cars could not drive down it. PERFECT!!! We were not looking to be roadkill, which surely would happen if we continue to cross too many streets.
As she promised the street had several good choices. Most of the restaurants had menus posted outside so we could see if the had an English version. We choose a Japanese restaurant, I know how original! Unfortunately, we did not see any restaurants that served authentic Russian food. The food was amazing!! Great sushi and soup! Although, it is weird not having ice with your drink...you just get the bottle and a glass. Regardless our stomachs were very happy!
We had about 5 hours left before we had to catch the train. Plenty of time to check out some most sees in Moscow!
We checked out St. Basil Cathedral. Which is truly beautiful and unique. The Czar Ivan the Terrible had it built in 1552 to mark the capture of Kazan from mongol forces. It was finished in 1560.
As she promised the street had several good choices. Most of the restaurants had menus posted outside so we could see if the had an English version. We choose a Japanese restaurant, I know how original! Unfortunately, we did not see any restaurants that served authentic Russian food. The food was amazing!! Great sushi and soup! Although, it is weird not having ice with your drink...you just get the bottle and a glass. Regardless our stomachs were very happy!
We had about 5 hours left before we had to catch the train. Plenty of time to check out some most sees in Moscow!
We checked out St. Basil Cathedral. Which is truly beautiful and unique. The Czar Ivan the Terrible had it built in 1552 to mark the capture of Kazan from mongol forces. It was finished in 1560.
St. Basil is located in Red Square.
Red Square has had an assorted history. It started out as a shanty town beneath the Kremlin walls. It housed peddlers, criminals, and drunks. At the end of the 1400s it was cleared and used mostly for public executions. The squares name actually has nothing to do with communism. The word derives 'krasnyi' which at one time meant beautiful. In contemporary Russia it means red. The name became official in the 17 th century where it was also known as 'fire square' which reflected the number of times medieval Moscow burned. Until the end of the 17th century there were many battles.During the 20th century it was used for military parades and demonstrations. Today it is used for rock concerts,fashion shows, and parades. A parade took place the day before we arrived.
You can get a feel for red square in this picture. It is very large, hard to capture in a picture!
The Kremlin became the seat of Russian government after the 1917 Revolution. There is evidence of human habitation dating back to 500BC at the Kremlin. Different rulers throughout time have added to it as time passed and now it is quite large. We did not go inside but walked around the outside.
The state historical museum.
And of course we had to visit GUM(acryomn for state universal store).Pronounced "goom" Russia's most famous shopping mall! Now it has boutiques and small restaurants and cafes. Prior to the 1920s it was called the upper trading rows and there were 1,200 shops! An area for trade and a place to buy your goods. In 1928 Stalin closed the area and used it as headquarters for officials working on the first Five Year Plan. It was reopened in 1953 and was the site for the famous Soviet queues. (first come first serve for goods) The lines could extend throughout Red Square. Many goods were hard to get during Soviet times and long lines formed. In the 1990s it became privatized and now has many top-end retailers.
After a full day of walking around we headed back to the hotel to wait for our driver. He took us to the train station and helped us board the train. We settled into our sleeper compartment, which consisted of two small beds against the wall and a tiny table. It was not a bad arrangement and so much better than a plane! You could stretch out and relax! We settled in for our fourteen hour ride!!!! Thankfully, most of it was overnight!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Moscow trip #1 Nov. 6th-7th 2011
Schedule:
Sunday: Fly from RDU(Raleigh) to JFK(New York) our plan left at 7:00am and we arrived in New York around 9:00am. We hung out at JFK until our plane for Moscow left at 8:00pm. Yes...we spent an extremely long time at JFK!!! We read,ate,watched football...time went by. I read an entire book, yes the entire thing.
Monday: Our flight from JFK to Moscow was about 11hrs..we were delayed for an extra hour on the run way. We flew a russian airline, Aeroflot. Great service,extrememly nice people. We were able to sleep some. I think it was more just sear exhaustion!
We arrived at our hotel, Hotel National about 3:30pm. Beautiful hotel! Love the archicture and our room. You can see the Kremlin from the lobby.
We met with our facilator in the lobby and she reviewed our schedule for the week. Everything is organized and we feel ready to roll.
Since we were exhausted and just wanted an easy quick meal we decided we would go to Mcdonalds. I figured how hard could it be to order from there...they have they combo meals,right??? right???
NO!!! we get inside no english, no numbers. Just all al la carte. Ughh...what do we do?? I was totally just planning on holding up a 1 or 2 fingers for the combo I wanted and it would be easy breezy. We decide we will go with big macs because the russian word is basically big mac and then an order of fries and two waters. I mean simple right? Well this is what we ended up with: two big macs and two fish roll ups and no drink.
We decided he must have thought we said fish instead of fries?? Dont know? Ok, well not the end of the world we have food. Thats what counts!
We go back to our room thinking ok we will go to a supermarket/drugstore get more bottled water. I mean we dont want to get sick from drinking tap water. We had already went threw two bottles of water that was in our room.
First we had to cross the street underground. Yes, the traffic is that bad. The cars will run over you. They DO NOT care!! Very scary even crossing little side streets. So we go underground and go to a supermarket. We see what we think is water grab the two BIGGEST bottles we can find and some dried fruit snacks. Wonderful! Go to check out...apparently getting in line at the back is optional. People just kept walking to the front. It took forever to get out of there but we make it back to our room.
Inside...lets open these HUGE bottles. So thristy...mcdonalds will do that to you.
The first bad sign we see is the water has bubbles, second bad sign upon opening it explodes. Third bad sign taste like crap. Yes its confirmed we bought club soda. Both bottles! and its icky!!! Fail number two of the day. Sigh.
We are laughing,we are here safely and we get to meet alexei soon...so all is well.
Going back out to get water, just water. keep your fingers crossed!
10-19-2011
This post is long overdue!! But we felt that it would be best to post this after our first trip. We just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly and did not want to post information about a child until we signed the intent to adopt paperwork!
So rewinding...on Oct 19th 2011 in the afternoon I got a call from our agency. I could only assume she was calling about paperwork. We had done so much of it. There was always more to do and we had been told probably another month before we received a referral. However, I was pleasantly surprised!! She had a referral for a little boy who was two years old and at an orphanage in Kirov. We reviewed all the medical information and agreed to be sent pictures and more information. We had a week to make a decision.
We forwarded this information to two pediatricians. One is our pediatricians who specializes in children who have been adopted internationally. The other was a pediatrician who has more specific experience with children from eastern Europe. Waiting for their responses was agonizing and exciting all at the same time!
They reviewed everything and gave us a green light! So we excepted the referral and were told we would leave in around ten days!!!!
Ten days!!! Ten days to get visas, more doctors appointments, and new money from the bank. So much to do in so little time! With the lots of help we were able to do it! We had to have an updated physical that included blood work to screen for HIV,Hepatitis A,B,and C, and Syphilis. Along with a chest x-ray that we had to bring with us. It was a crazy, insane time! Not to mention book flights and hotels. Whew!! But guess what...it all came together! We left for Russia on Nov. 6th!!
So rewinding...on Oct 19th 2011 in the afternoon I got a call from our agency. I could only assume she was calling about paperwork. We had done so much of it. There was always more to do and we had been told probably another month before we received a referral. However, I was pleasantly surprised!! She had a referral for a little boy who was two years old and at an orphanage in Kirov. We reviewed all the medical information and agreed to be sent pictures and more information. We had a week to make a decision.
We forwarded this information to two pediatricians. One is our pediatricians who specializes in children who have been adopted internationally. The other was a pediatrician who has more specific experience with children from eastern Europe. Waiting for their responses was agonizing and exciting all at the same time!
They reviewed everything and gave us a green light! So we excepted the referral and were told we would leave in around ten days!!!!
Ten days!!! Ten days to get visas, more doctors appointments, and new money from the bank. So much to do in so little time! With the lots of help we were able to do it! We had to have an updated physical that included blood work to screen for HIV,Hepatitis A,B,and C, and Syphilis. Along with a chest x-ray that we had to bring with us. It was a crazy, insane time! Not to mention book flights and hotels. Whew!! But guess what...it all came together! We left for Russia on Nov. 6th!!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
biometric appointments!
We received notification for our biometrics appointments with the USCIS in Durham!!!
Biometrics refers to the process used to used to identify people based on physical traits. Basically, we are having our fingerprints taken for the FBI to analyze.
We received our notice in the mail a few days ago! It is one of those things they set the date and time and you show up. You do not get to schedule it for yourself. If you have a problem with the day or time you go to the back of the pile and wait a few more months. Needless to say we will be there! October 11th @ 11:00.
Once we get clearance the USCIS will send us documentation stating we can bring an orphan from Russia into the country and he will automatically become a citizen once the plane lands! Russia must have this paperwork before they will finalize the adoption.
Progress is being made!!
The Rileys!!
Biometrics refers to the process used to used to identify people based on physical traits. Basically, we are having our fingerprints taken for the FBI to analyze.
We received our notice in the mail a few days ago! It is one of those things they set the date and time and you show up. You do not get to schedule it for yourself. If you have a problem with the day or time you go to the back of the pile and wait a few more months. Needless to say we will be there! October 11th @ 11:00.
Once we get clearance the USCIS will send us documentation stating we can bring an orphan from Russia into the country and he will automatically become a citizen once the plane lands! Russia must have this paperwork before they will finalize the adoption.
Progress is being made!!
The Rileys!!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Dossier submition
I am a little behind with this update...but I guess better late than never!
We finished our dossier and it is in Russia as I type this!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!! Currently it is being translated into,well Russian. What else?
It left the US about 2 1/2 weeks ago!
A dossier by definition: a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject.
Our dossier was complied so that Russian officials can understand who we are as a family. It is compiled of around thirty documents and then many, many copies of those documents.
Documents like our:
marriage license
financial statements
home study
our agency license and supporting documents,including their recommendation
copy of the deed to or house(yes you read that correctly)
and so many,many more!!!!
All of those documents had to be apostilled. When documents are apostilled this means they have been authenticated. Essentially it is a seal placed on the papers saying they are originals and we are the ones who signed them. We made MANY trips to the Secretary of State getting all of the documents apostilled.
So once everything was completed we had two sets of originals and one set of copies. The total weight was 5.1 pounds!! Wow!!!!!!
Yes...we put them on our scales for an official weigh in.
Picture of Scott holding all of the documents...the stress of it all has made his hair crazy!!!!
The Rileys
We finished our dossier and it is in Russia as I type this!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!! Currently it is being translated into,well Russian. What else?
It left the US about 2 1/2 weeks ago!
A dossier by definition: a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject.
Our dossier was complied so that Russian officials can understand who we are as a family. It is compiled of around thirty documents and then many, many copies of those documents.
Documents like our:
marriage license
financial statements
home study
our agency license and supporting documents,including their recommendation
copy of the deed to or house(yes you read that correctly)
and so many,many more!!!!
All of those documents had to be apostilled. When documents are apostilled this means they have been authenticated. Essentially it is a seal placed on the papers saying they are originals and we are the ones who signed them. We made MANY trips to the Secretary of State getting all of the documents apostilled.
So once everything was completed we had two sets of originals and one set of copies. The total weight was 5.1 pounds!! Wow!!!!!!
·
Yes...we put them on our scales for an official weigh in.
Picture of Scott holding all of the documents...the stress of it all has made his hair crazy!!!!
The Rileys
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