Hot Air Balloon Mobile

Ever since I saw this mobile on Pinterest I knew that I had to make one of my own for the new baby!

Source

And thanks to my lovely sister who surprised me with the pattern I was able to do just that!  I finished it last night and Ash hung it for me.  I think it's super sweet:)  

The baby will be in our room for the first couple of months, hence the tight space.  It made me smile to wake up to this sight this morning...I can't wait for him to get here!!!

You can order your very own pattern here.  I will say that I am not the very best sewer and this pattern was very easy to understand and good for beginners.  If you make one I would love to see it!

Court

It's been crazy busy around here, so sorry I am just now posting about court.  We got back from Russia and were bombarded with hugs and kisses from our kids, who needed our undivided attention as well as trying to catch up on our sleep.  I would literally sit down on the couch and would be out in a few seconds:)  We were home for four days when we had to turn around and head back to the airport where we jumped on a plane and headed for San Francisco.  My husband's company treated the managers and their spouses to an all expense paid trip for a job well done!  It was nice, other than our trip to Russia, it was a nice get away for me and my husband.  He's been working long hours for a while now, so it was nice to have him all to myself for a weekend.  We came home, thankful to be done flying for a while, and spent the rest of the week with Ash's mom and sister who flew up to watch the kids for us while we were away for the weekend.  We did some junking and antiquing as well as a beach day:)  It was a good visit.  Now I am in complete nesting mode!  Actually I have been for a while and can't wait to show you all the projects I've been working on as well as the little house projects.  I have been on a painting kick and have painted two bedrooms and finished up painting the rest of the woodwork in the kitchen!  I know, I know it should have been done a long time ago:)  But things are underway and I have quite the list made up of things that need to be done.  And now that I am 36 weeks preggo I don't see the nesting slowing down any time soon.  Alright so here are my emails for the last three days of our trip.

Day 5~


Today Sergey really came out of his shell and was a lot more relaxed with us. He made a lot more grunts and sounds today.  And we were told that he can't speak but he repeated mama, papa, and ball after Ash said them to him.  He actually took a few steps on his own as we were passing him back and forth between us.  As far as we know from the Dr. he has not done this before so we got to witness a first with him!   He is more comfortable around me than Ash but I know it's because he has only ever been around women.  He is allowing Ash to get closer to him and likes it when Ash is silly and goofy.  Even though he is more comfortable around me I wonder if it will take him longer to make the connection that I am his mama? Not too worried about it though, it will all come in time.  My thoughts are already about getting him home and getting him medical and dental care. I have had a really rough day health wise.  I woke up and felt nauseous and weak.  I am drinking lots of water but I just think everything is taking it's toll.  I had some painful contractions but they were not true contractions, more painful in the front than coming from my back.  It was cooler this morning but got very hot this afternoon and is very humid.  After our last visit with Sergey Boris took us to the river to do some fishing:)  He likes to fish and keeps a pole in his trunk for whenever time allows.  I had to go find a place to sit and then thought I was going to pass out or vomit...or both.  They saw that I wasn't doing to well and quickly got me back to our room.  The air conditioning and water have helped I just can't be in the sun too long.   I am resting and doing much better, no more contractions either.  We are feeling really positive about everything which is a nice turn of events.  Our meeting with the judge is getting closer and closer.  Olga the interpreter told me yesterday to not be worried or nervous about the judge, so that was nice to hear as well.  Also a random thought just crossed my mind.  When you are looking for toys to bring get some that play music, Sergey stops whenever he hears a sound and gets very interested.  So I have been singing songs to Sergey, he likes "Little Cabin in the Woods" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and I saw him try to do the bunny motion with me for Little Cabin in the Woods:)  It was really sweet.  He is so smart, smarter than they give him credit for.  We got him this wooden block train set and he was able to slide the blocks down the little post.  So he has some really good hand eye coordination and he is able to follow things with his eyes and hold his focus really well.  It was a very good visit today:)

Love

Danielle

Day 6~


 I am doing even better today health wise although my heart is breaking knowing tomorrow is our last visit with Sergey:(  Today's visits were very nice, really low key and kind of quiet.  Our first visit, which is the longest from 9 am to 11:40 am, we basically pushed him in a stroller around the grounds the whole time since the weather was nice. We saw tons of children today.  They were all so cute, the boys all had hats on very particular to Russia.  Kind of like a homemade baseball cap and the girls all were wearing kerchiefs on their heads, they looked like little baby dolls:) We pushed Sergey on the swings for the last half hour where he started to fall asleep so Ash held him and he fell asleep in his arms.  It was really sweet.  We then headed back and had Boris drop us off at a restaurant across from our hotel.  We went in by ourselves without a translator and tried to tell them our order.  We decided to make it easy and showed them a picture above the counter of french fries and what looked like chicken nuggets.  The younger girls didn't seem to understand even that so an older lady came over and spoke something in Russian and asked us if we wanted two.  We said yes, we thought great they understood what we wanted.  I asked Ash how much it all came out to and he said about 7 bucks, I thought hmmm it must be really small portions for that price.  They ended up bringing out two small plates with just french fries...Ash replied, order fail:)  They must have thought American's love french fries lol!  So that's what we ate for lunch, then we got some ice cream which was easy cause you just point to the flavors.  It was so good!  After that we went to the toy store and bought Prestin some Russian legos and I got a beautiful children's book in the shape of a Matryoshka doll, it's the kind that sings a song for each page.  In Russian of course:)  Then headed back to the room for a nap until our next visit.  Our next visit with Sergey again was quiet, we spent the time in the playroom.  Our second visit is from 3:30 until 4:40, too short:(  He was super sweet and played with my fingers rubbing his hands over mine and feeling the tips of my fingernails.  He was content to just sit in our laps and Ash wrestled a little with him.  I sang songs to him, the last song I sang him was Jesus loves you and couldn't finish cause I started crying.  I pretty much couldn't stop tearing up the rest of the visit and when they came to take him to his room I completely lost it.  It took me a bit to regain my composure and then we left.  We came back to our room and relaxed a bit and then headed down to the hotel restaurant and ordered dinner successfully!  Tomorrow morning is our last visit with Sergey, from 8:30 until 10:45, then it's off to Tver to do some paperwork and check back into the Volga hotel.  We have about two hours down time until court which is around 3:00 pm.  It would be 2:00 am our time back home.  I am not feeling nervous just anxious to get it over with.  We feel prepared so that has helped a lot.  Then that's it, our flight leaves the next day at 11:44 am and we will be heading back home.  I miss my kids a lot! It is going to be hard to say goodbye tomorrow not knowing what the future holds and hoping he won't forget about us.  We were just starting to have some good connections with him, hoping that won't all be lost.

Love

Danielle

Court~

We woke up around 5 am this morning wide awake so we started getting ready and packed up our luggage.  We had an early visit with Sergey this morning at 8:30 so we could have some more time with him before we said goodbye.  The weather was nice and cool this morning so we walked the grounds and pushed him on the little push bike.  He was in a really good mood this morning.  We then headed inside to the playroom as we were being bombarded by mosquitoes.  That was the best part of the visit, Sergey really came out of his shell and initiated wrestling with Ash.  And he likes to cuddle with me.  He also let us rub his head which in the beginning he didn't like his head to be touched at all.  It feels like we came so far with connecting and now have to leave.  We had to leave at 10:45 so we said our goodbyes, Sergey didn't want to let go of Ash:(,and gave them a picture of me and Ash for them to show him.  We didn't leave the whole picture book because Boris and Irina thought it would be good to show the judge the pictures of our kids.  We went back to the hotel to return the key and bought a little ceramic elephant that reminded us of Sergey.  They had a curio cabinet full of these ceramic hand painted figurines that are made from a local factory in Konokovo.  We thought it would be special to have:)  We then headed on our way to Tver, about an hour and half drive.  We first stopped at the translations office and met Michhael (sp) the man who translated all of our documents, he spoke very good English.  We then followed him down this dirt path to the notary's office.  The building looked beaten up outside, but on the inside it was very nice and they had air conditioning!  The notary part took longer than expected but we were still okay on time this just meant we weren't going to have any down time before court.  The notary was nice and talked a lot with us, we showed her pictures of our family and of Sergey.  She liked seeing the kids.  It's interesting how little people here know of Down Syndrome.  When she saw the picture of Sergey she smiled and then asked if his disease was curable.  We just told her no but that he would have many opportunities in America and she seemed to like that.  We then rushed to the hotel and checked in and had an hour to get ready for court.  The Volga hotel does not have air conditioning in the rooms and it was a very muggy day today so by the time we showered and got dressed, Ash in a full suit and I in a dress and blazer, we were drenched.  I did not find any maternity nylons so had to get thigh highs, they were so annoying!  The tops kept rolling down and were driving me insane!  We stepped out of our room and said a prayer and then went to the lobby where Irina and Boris were waiting and there was air conditioning!  We headed to court barely making it with our lives!  Driving here is CRAZY!!!  We were stopped at a light and Boris got in the middle left hand turning lane and went in front of four lanes of traffic to turn right lol!  I don't even know what cops would pull you over for here?  I think they just wait around for fender benders.  We got to the courthouse and climbed the suicide steps, seriously falling apart, out front and into the main entrance all the while I'm messing with my stupid nylons:(  We got up to the room and went in, Olga was our translator again.  The judge was quiet but would smile from time to time.  She asked us, what year we were married, our children's names, birth dates and what grade of school they are in.  She asked if they wanted Sergey to be apart of our family.  She asked what we knew of Sergey's medical history, which Irina and Boris had given us all his medical and told us to study it so we were prepared. She asked us why we wanted to adopt and if we wanted Down Syndrome specifically.  She asked where Ashley worked and how much he made, what our house was like and if we are the owners.  If anyone other than our family lived with us.  When was my last job and will I have help when the baby is born.  When I can travel and if I will be bringing the baby.  Who we had taking care of our children now.  She asked if we believed in God and what our beliefs were.  And that was pretty much it.  We took our answers slow, not too quick to answer until we heard everything Olga had to say.  She told us that she wanted us to provide documentation from a specialist for Sergey, something from our children's school regarding their behavior, a letter from our children who are able to write, update medical on our children as the three months will be expired by then and for the new baby.  And letters from our mothers saying they are available and willing to help when I may need help as well as letters from close friends willing to help.  A letter from Ashley's boss on his available vacation time and that they are understanding and open to us adopting Sergey.  All of this is doable and won't be hard to obtain!  Praise God!!!  Court lasted maybe an hour, Ash had everyone, including the judge laughing a couple times.  She really liked seeing the pictures of our kids and liked that we had brought drawings from our kids to Sergey that said how much they loved him.  One of the big things that posed a problem for us from the judge was about our homestudy, in the beginning when you are filling out paperwork they advise you to put that you are open to adopting more than one child just in case you choose to adopt more than one later the paperwork is already done.  It just a safety precaution so that you don't have to go through all the paperwork again later.  Well the judge had been under the impression, because it didn't translate correctly, all along that we wanted to adopt two children.  When she heard that it was only one she was very happy. So that was cleared up and things looked great from there on out.  We left court feeling really well.  Boris said we did great in his opinion and said that I was Mother hero:)  He said that I handled myself very well and knew that the judge would be impressed by me.  That was nice to hear because he knew how nervous I was in the beginning of the week.  Irina came down and met us and Olga translated for her.  She said the judge was very positive towards us and impressed with me for coming across the ocean while pregnant.  She said I must be very strong, again very nice to hear:)  Everyone felt really great afterwards and we made sure to get pictures taken with them.  We then went back to our hotel and took the biggest sigh of relief:)  We needed to exchange some money for souvenirs for the girls, we got them little matryoshka dolls from the gift shop:)  So Ash, Irina and Boris went to the exchange office and I headed up to the room.  On my way to the room my hose finally gave out and literally rolled down my knee, ha!  The maids in the hallway saw me but I didn't care at that point I couldn't wait to get those things off!  We then headed out to the market to get some snacks and something for dinner and are now relaxing in our room.  It's starting to get a little cooler so that's nice.  Thank you for your prayers!  Feeling really hopeful and so blessed!

Love

Danielle

Outside the court building after court with Irina and Boris:)

With our translator Olga:)

We now are waiting on official court dates for the end of September or beginning of October.  Prayers are still very much needed as this next trip will determine our adoption fate.  Thank you for coming along on this journey with us, we are so close:)

Home Sweet Home

We are back!  We are missing our little guy a lot but feel better knowing that he's being well taken care of.  We have been catching up on our sleep and hanging out with the kiddos:)  Court went very well!  I will do a post on that later but for now here are more pictures of our week in Russia.

The Orphanage

The Buildings

Front Entrance

I would have to guess and say this is some sort of maintenance building.

The gates had some crazy looking spikes on the top.

The Greenhouse~  The Groundskeeper was very proud to show it off to Ash:)

The Grounds

Play Areas~  They are located all over the grounds, these were just a few.

We have not seen much of the inside other than the front desk and the room we are allowed to play with Sergey in.  But from what we have seen it is very nice and clean and the staff is very kind.  We feel blessed that God knew our prayers even before we uttered them for Sergey.  We prayed that he would be in a place that was safe and that there would be someone to show him love.  God has answered all those prayers, the women, one lady in particular, are very affectionate and loving to Sergey and all the children in his groupa.  Sergey lights up every time he sees her, which makes me happy and sad all at the same time.  Happy he has been cared for, but sad for him, and her, that he will be leaving a woman he has known all his life. But I know God will take care of all the details regarding their hearts as well.  So thankful we are here to see it all in person!  I still cannot believe we are here!  I looked at Sergey today and thought, he is real!  The picture that I have been praying for is a real human being and I am sitting next to him and touching him and very soon he is going to be our son!  Praise God!

Finally!

This was our first meeting.  It was THE BEST MOMENT EVER!!!!

Second Day

A little walk around the grounds.

He likes to walk back and forth to us, he actually took a few steps on his own with us.  His first steps to our knowledge.  Keep in mind he will be four in August.

Nuzzling his daddy:)

I'll post more later:)

We are here!

We are doing great!  I have been emailing my friends who are in the process of adoption with all the details of our trip so they know what to expect when they get to Russia and thought maybe you would like to read as well?  We met Sergey and are smitten:)  I am having a hard time posting pics on my blog so I will as soon as I can...sorry!

Day 1~ Random Thoughts

Okay so we are here safe and sound:)  This will probably not go in any kind of order but I am just going to share my random thoughts of travel and what we have seen so far.  We got up early to catch our flight to JFK, it was muggy and hot at the airport and it was really kind of dirty and gross. I guess I expected a fancier airport for New York?   We flew Delta, not a bad airline but definitely take a bottle of water or two for each flight so you stay hydrated.  We only got drinks when they served and I was dying by the time we got to Russia.  By the way compression hose are the BOMB!!!  Hardly any swelling but a sore tail bone for sure.  We got complimentary headphones and movies on the flight to Russia and had a pillow and blanket on our seats and that was coach.  The SVO airport in Moscow is VERY nice.  There are English signs right under the Russian so you know exactly where to go.  I used the bathroom at the airport and there was toilet paper but it was very rough...no big deal though.  Oh and you can't flush it you have to throw it away.  We got our luggage and then exited to where we met Irina, she was a little late so we had to wait for a few minutes but she came with a sign with our names on it.  She is sweet and very pretty.  She is soft spoken and she speaks English but not much.  I think she is unsure of her English and let's Boris do most of the talking, but she understands you perfectly.   We met Boris outside where he was waiting with the car.  He is nice but I think he over explains because of the language barrier.  You can understand him but it takes your ear a while to adjust. Irina laughs at him by how much he tries to explain. We went straight to the money exchange office after we left the airport.  It was weird, the parking spaces are up on the sidewalks not on the streets.  They have lines painted on the sidewalks directly outside of the shops.  We went in and it looked a little shady at first but you just give them your cash through the window, they put it through a money counter machine and have you verify the amount that you gave.  Then they count you out the rubles.  The rate we got was 32.50 rubles to every dollar. We then went to our hotel, the Lomonosov.  It's really decent actually.  All the buildings are surrounded by iron gates and have security and the hotel is no different.  We had to check in at the drive up gate and Boris spoke to the guard and gave them our name.  He had to check and then let us in.  We went in to the lobby, the other thing that I've noticed is that everything seems to be located in the back of the building.  The check in desk was on the second floor and it was muggy, I was kind of bummed thinking I was going to have a sweaty night's sleep but there are air conditioners in the room and they work very well.  The language is softer than I thought as well.  I thought maybe it would be louder and it would sound like they are all fighting, I guess that's just in the movies lol!  After we checked in we went and bought a sim card for a phone they provide you since our cell phones don't work internationally.  I'd say it was about 6 or 7 dollars and we paid 200 rubles, it crazy you feel like you are spending so much money.  Irina gave us an itinerary for daily expenses when we got to the airport.  There is a cafe and a 24 hour grocery across the street, right next to the hotel.  We couldn't wait for Boris and Irina to leave so we could get some sleep.  It was 1:30 in the morning our time and we were running on fumes.  We slept really well, even though the bed was very firm, fyi a double room is actually two twin beds pushed together to make a big bed:)  The beds seemed really firm but felt like a cloud because we were so tired.  Again the room is really nice for a $115.00, there is a fridge and flat screen tv.  No alarm clock so make sure to bring one or set your phone.  We were already up though because of the time difference.  We went to the cafe last night and if you stay here we highly recommend it.  The vibe was intimate night club.  It had a Russian/Moroccan style to it, we dined at low tables on cushioned couches with fluffy pillows and a giant lamp shade overhead.  They had people puffing on hookas (sp?) all around us but they weren't smokey more like vapor.  And everyone was drinking tea and lots of people smoke.  You can't get away from it here although our room does not smell like smoke at all.  They also had belly dancers during dinner, it was a fun and surreal experience to say the least.  They had English menus but we had to ask when we walked in.  We went to the grocery afterwards and picked up a few snacks for Ash, he's daring and will try anything.  Like at dinner he ate horse meat!!!  I had chicken and bread, the bread is yummy.  I had brought my own snacks in my suitcase and bottled water so I was good.  Sleep was off and on during the night, but I feel rested this morning.  Oh and the hotel has WiFi but it only started working this morning.  The hotel also serves breakfast for free.  So we will be heading out in a bit.  We are off to Tver today and will check into our hotel and we won't see Boris and Irina until Friday.  I guess our hotel is a block away from the orphanage so we will walk there each day.  He is going to give us the rest of the info today.  He also gave us the number to the American Emergency Hospital if we need it and there is a pharmacy attached to the Lomonosov hotel.  Not sure about the one in Tver yet.  So I think that is all that I have today.  If you guys have any questions or things you want me to keep a look out for let me know and I will do my best to answer them.  I have to say that other than meeting Sergey I want to be home in the US already.  I don't know what it is just feels weird here, but it's probably just because I'm out of my element.  Pray for us!  I'm trying to remember that God is for us and is with us:)

Love 

Danielle

Day 2~In Tver

So today went a lot better as I think having some rest had a lot to do with it.  We went back to the cafe for lunch today after we checked out of the Lomonosov, I got this dish called the Shamura (sp?)  I asked for chicken with it.  It was like a hot wrap with chicken, tomato, pickles, onions, mayo and spices.  It was delicious. Ash just got a Greek salad...no horse meat today:)  Ash took pictures of what it looks like inside and posted them on Facebook.  Boris and Irina picked us up at 2 and we left for Tver.  The freeways here are very similar to the U.S. but people I guess think the lines are just guidelines or preference.  People are constantly merging into lanes and come very close to touching.  We only saw one fender bender but that was it.  I found myself holding my breath a lot.  Pedestrians have a death wish I guess cause they just walk out into traffic and we almost hit this one lady who clearly saw us but just kept walking.  I did let out a squeal that time.  Boris and Irina were very casual about it all though.  Oh and everyone hitchhikes, we have seen it a lot where people, old and young, will just stick there hand out and a random stranger just picks them up.  I don't know if they pay them or if this is just hospitality but my mind was going to this would be a rapist or serial killer's paradise!  We stopped off at a McDonald's at about the halfway point to use the restroom, either they were out of toilet paper or they don't carry it so I was glad I had tissues handy.  It was amazing to see how many people were there, we walked in and there are hundreds of people inside and there is no line at the counter just a mob of people all shouting out things and the workers literally throwing food into bags as fast as they could.  It looked like chaos to me but it works for them.  We then headed out for another 40 minutes, all the while if Boris saw something along the side of the road he would tell of it's history.  He is kind of like a tour guide as we are out as there has been no time for sightseeing this trip.  He was really funny today and we were all laughing a lot.  He made a comment that he hopes we are out of risk at this point.  I don't know what to think yet.  We meet with the head doctor tomorrow and the interpreter.  We leave at 10;30 for Konokova for some paperwork, he said they might ask us some questions of why we want to adopt a special needs child as well as other questions.  Please pray that we have all the right answers, I am so nervous about tomorrow!  We are aloud to take pictures, in fact it is required for the judge to see the interaction, as well as video.  And we can post pics so I will as soon as we can.  The Volga is nice, there is no air conditioner though.  The weather in Russia has been wonderful, around the mid 60's and clear skies.  We are on the sixth floor and can open the windows but were told we will probably be eaten alive by mosquitoes:)  I haven't seen much of Tver other than what we saw driving in, the buildings are old and have a lot of Russian character.  Boris has told us to not talk to too many people so they won't know that we don't speak Russian.  I have tried to be friendly and smile or nod but people just stare at you.  So I am giving that up.  Of course when we do have to talk to people they have been either really nice or have tolerated us.  We were told by the lady behind the counter in the lobby that we look Slavakian so we should be good to venture out.  Whatever that means?  We are staying in the hotel though because they said they have to hold our passports overnight, Boris was okay with it so we are just going with it.  There is a 24 hour cafe attached to the hotel and we ate there, it was really yummy.  It was kind of like a cafeteria where you slide your tray down and we just pointed to what we wanted.  It was about 17 bucks for us to eat.  They have coke, beer, bottled juices and water.  Breakfast is not included with the hotel..  After tomorrow we are on our own until Friday, Boris and Irina will be heading back to Moscow and we will do our daily visits with Sergey on our own.  That is all I have for today, hope this is helping:)

Love 

Danielle

Day 3~Konakova

Alrighty....sooo we got up this morning and luckily had not been eaten by any mosquitoes since we kept the window open all night.  Let me tell you the mosquitoes here are the size of birds!  We got ready and Ash ran down to the cafe to get some pastries for breakfast.  They did not have a breakfast menu, they serve the same foods morning, noon and night.  Ash said a guy was ordering exactly what I had for dinner for breakfast.  Which was rice and some sort of meat with gravy.  Let me just stop and say that when it is your time to come either bring a huge wardrobe or bring some Febreeze, because when you leave the restaurants here or eat food here for that matter you smell awful!  Don't get me wrong the food is great but the scent really lingers!  We have had to bag our  laundry to keep the smell from getting on anything, which it does if you touch it to anything:(  I have to wash some things in the sink tonight cause I need them for the rest of the week and can't and don't want to rewear them...ewww!  Just think the worst B.O. you've ever smelled mixed with bacon grease and that about covers it.  We packed up and headed down to the lobby to meet Boris and Olga, the interpreter.  She is very nice and sweet just like Irina.  I don't know if she is the usual interpreter or if they hire a new one each time.  But hopefully you will get to work with her.  Today the weather was really muggy and hot and it was a difficult day for me in the beginning.  I think my blood pressure was a little high this morning cause I was seeing sparkles, so I took it easy and wore my compression hose again to get better circulation.  I started feeling better as the day went on, but it was a long drive and all five of us were crammed into a tiny car.  And I'm not small by any means at the moment so I was very uncomfortable and was having some braxton hicks contractions on the ride over.  I prayed a lot!  Before we got on our way we stopped by the ministry of education in Tver.  It is a really old building with no ac and no elevator.  I had to walk four flights of stairs and was so glad the office was on the fourth floor cause there was at least another flight and I knew I would not make it.  We went into the office and met with a lady, she did not smile but she was nice.  Olga interpreted for us, we were told up front she might ask us questions but she didn't.  She just gave us some info on Sergey, that we already knew, and saw an updated picture of him.  She made sure we understood everything and then we signed some paperwork...that was it.  There was one glitch in the paperwork, Ash has two middle names and they put his second middle name as his last name so the document had to be changed.  And since we were already at the ministry it was done very quickly. We then headed to another office, possibly the courthouse, where Irina ran inside and I'm guessing turned in the paperwork. The part of Tver I saw from the car is a very poor looking place.  We then headed to Konokova, we arrived at our hotel, the Konokova Hotel, and at first thought it was the orphanage.  It looked very rough on the outside but once you stepped inside it was really nice.  By far the best place we've stayed.  They do not however have an elevator so Boris worked his magic again.  We were originally on the fourth floor in a room with no ac, now we are on the second with a huge room and lovely, lovely ac! He told the manager that we were on a special mission for a special child and she felt compelled to give us a better room with a better rate, lol!  Thank you Boris!!!!  We quickly ate some lunch and then headed out to the orphanage.  It is a short drive, but is going to be a long walk so Boris and Irina are going to stay the week with us to drive us for a low transportation rate.  I am so thankful cause I would have died walking in this heat.  We had a hard time finding the entrance at first but circled the building and eventually found it.  It looks like a kiddie castle of sorts from the outside, run down with unkempt flower gardens all around.  At this point I am really nervous and Ash's pulse is rising cause he knows Sergey is in there.  We go in and there is a receptionist and she goes and gets the Dr. I would say that the orphanage is very nice from what I was aloud to see. The Dr. is very kind and smiles...yay!  She told us to wash our hands and put booties over our shoes.  We are then led into a play room, which smelled like B.O. but you don't even recognize it after a while.  There are couches and toys inside.  They told us that Sergey was getting up from his nap and they would bring him in shortly.  The Dr. talks with us a lot but it was all good conversation.  It was about 10 minutes into the conversation that they brought Sergey in and he was so little.  He cannot walk like the medical said he could but he does crawl.  I asked if I could hold him and they said yes and so I grabbed him in my arms and he nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck and I started crying happy tears.We played with Sergey while we talked with the Dr., she seemed very positive and liked that we had pictures of our kids to show her.  She of course asked me if I would have help as well as other things, I told her I would in the beginning after the baby was born.  She wanted to know about after and I was honest and told her I do it by myself all of the time but that my big girls do help out.  She seemed okay with that answer. They all then left us to be alone with him for a while.  He is awnry!  He likes to throw the blocks we gave him and smiles after he does it.  He laughed when I tickled him, he does not like his feet to be touched and he didn't resist my touches although did watch my every move and would give me a scowl if I did something he didn't like.  I would just giggle and then he would smile.  He liked it when I sang to him.  He smelled very nice and was dressed nicely although he had girly butterfly sandals on.  His teeth are a completely different story, completely yellow and coated in plaque.  Thank goodness they are his baby teeth!  His breath was really bad as well.  He was wearing a diaper and had a few bug bites on his body.  We got his full medical and family history, we pretty much knew all of it.  No big surprises.  He has been at the orphanage since he was two months old and we were told that we came just in time because he was to be transferred to the internaut this year. The Dr. was very nice and kept saying he needed to be with a family, that children with Down syndrome do well with families and actually will progress both physically and mentally.  After the Dr. left the Social worker came in and she was also very nice and smiled.  She was great with Sergey, loving on him a bit as well.  She told us more of the same info and then at the end asked if we wanted to proceed or not, we said we were positive and then filled out some paperwork.  She said she would be at our court date and would testify to a positive meeting.  When she left we were able to play with Sergey a bit more and then it was closing time.  We asked Irina if the Dr. and Social worker were positive towards us and she said they were very sympathetic and compassionate towards us and even the woman who was looking over our documents felt positive.  So it went way better than I could have hoped for.  I was mainly nervous about how I was going to react when I saw him.  Would I feel for him as a mother feels for her child?  So many thoughts were running through my head.  I felt love for sure!  I feel it will be easier though when I can get him home.  You feel like you're on stage when everyone is around so it will be nice when we can have more alone time with him.  Okay I am exhausted and am going to get some sleep.  If I missed anything or if you have any questions feel free to let me know and I will answer them as best as I can.

Love 

Danielle