After 36 hours of traveling we are safely in Izhevsk Russia and awaiting our court date Monday. We have been very busy traveling back and forth twice a day to the baby home where Benjamin is living. It was so wonderful to see him again after a month, an exceptionally long month for us. He behaved as if though we had just seen him the day before.
We have had four visits with him so far and they have all been great. We’ve played with toys and he’s crawled, he’s even started to try to take some steps with help. When we are sitting he will crawl to us and climb up our leg to a standing position and be very proud of himself. He is babbling more and more every visit; he says several different things repeatedly, including “dada” as clear as day. Of course Eric loves that, even though we know it is just babble it is so sweet.
We took him today to get his picture taken for his passport and visa. It was quite an adventure to say the least as the two types of pictures are different in Russia. We were accompanied by a caregiver from the baby home, our translator and driver. We had to go to three different places to find one that would take both types of pictures and do it today. The first place we stopped at only took passport pictures, so we all piled back into the car and headed to the next place. The second place was not doing pictures today as it was the “camera’s day off”. By the time we reached the third place I had asked our translator if she might go in alone to check if we could have the pictures done there. The reason for this was because at every stop we were all unloading and traipsing through at least a foot of snow. Yes, a foot of snow, and that’s just the last day and a half of accumulation. The third place was able to do the pictures and we all unloaded and went in. We unbundled Benjamin and got him ready for the pictures. His hair had so much static that it looked like the pictures of me as a kid at the Magic House in St. Louis. There you could put your hand on a static ball and your hair would stand straight out on its ends. We joked about how he would have a funny story regarding the picture that would be in his passport.
Of course we experienced what all parents do when they get their child all dressed up for a picture. He proceeded to throw up on us and himself and we scrambled to get him cleaned up for the picture. As is usually the case in situations like this, we were the ones bearing the majority of the evidence and so the pictures proceeded as planned. He was pretty cooperative for a one year old and after several shots we were able to finish. Before too long the pictures were ready and we paid for them. Much to our surprise the photo technician had edited the pictures to remove Benjamin’s “wild” hair. So we now have quite respectable pictures for his passport and visa along with a funny story. We are unable to scan his pictures here but will when we return home. Everyone absolutely must see his expression in the photos, it epitomizes the look most Russians carry on their faces, very solemn and serious. We have two more visits with him before court and if all goes well we will head to Moscow Thursday to complete the requirements to obtain a visa for him to travel to the US.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us in this journey to become parents and bring Benjamin home to Kentucky. Your support and encouragement have been invaluable and we will never be able to thank you enough.
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