...and then came Vladik

Alan and I are very happy to introduce Vladik. As fate would have it, we received a referral for a 3 year-old boy while in SP and were able to visit him on our way home through Moscow. Rob had been in close contact with us throughout the time in SP, and we feel very lucky that our time there has now led us to Vladik. He is a smiling, jumping, running and loving little boy. His babyhome is approximately 1.5 hours outside of Moscow and run by a very kind director and staff.
We informally accepted his referral before we left Moscow and are now in the process of completing the paperwork necessary for that region, which seems to be more extensive in terms of the medical and fingerprinting, etc, but we are very anxious to get it completed in order to receive a court date. We've been told this is the hardest part, as we have met him and will begin to prepare for his arrival into our family, while we (im)patiently wait the estimated 6-8 weeks for word of our court date...

Day 4

With a broken heart and after three emotionally exhausting days here in SP, we have had to refuse the referral of Maksym and Danil. They will always hold a place in our hearts but due to previously undisclosed health issues, Alan and I discussed and struggled and cried and finally conceded that we would not be able to offer them what they would most need for a happy and successful life.

We haven't ended our journey, and hope to receive another referral while we are here. Alliance is working for us to find a referral, hopefully in Moscow.We thank you for your continued love and support and will continue to keep you posted. K&A

Dobrye Utra!

Good Morning from SP! Even with 8 hours sleep on the flight to Moscow, the 5 hour wait for our connection to SP was exhausting. Our translator, Ludmilla, was waiting for us in SP along w our driver (Sergio or Alexander, not clear yet...??). Both are extremely friendly and welcoming. Ludmilla told us some history of SP as she pointed out the Moscow Gate, Victory Park and countless memorials and statues as we drove to the hotel. It is a very historically rooted city but new shopping/entertainment megacomplexes are included in the mix!

We were tired but found there's no rest for the weary, as Gallina was waiting to meet us at the hotel on our arrival! She was nice enough to allow us a few minutes to "freshen up" and then we sat with her in the lobby as she briefly described our activities over the next few days. We are up now as I write here and waiting to meet Ludmilla here at the hotel around 9:30a, and she will take us to meet Gallina at the MOE. They will present the boys files to us there and give us "permission" to visit them. Then we are off to meet them! #8 is the more strict with rules and so they have designated a time to meet the director (or "Chief Physician") and Danil in the afternoon around 4p. So we will visit Max in #7 first, which is approx 1 hour from the MOE (our hotel is apparently very central and only minutes from the MOE). I had to press a little for more details about the visits and frequencies, but I've been assured that their job is to make sure we will spend as much time with the boys as possible. They also let us know that we don't have to make a decision by Friday, which was what I assumed since it is the last weekday we are here, but apparently we have until Sunday, and we should be able to visit the boys every day until then. She answered some other questions I had about the boys but mainly referred me to the babyhome Directors, who will be able to provide all the details when we meet with them.

I think she could tell we were both STAARVING and tired, so Ludmilla led us to a Greek restaurant that she recommended. It was PERFECT- casual, good food, live music, and around the block from the hotel. Our room at the Petro Palace is BIG, a bit basic and little reception for wireless in the rooms, but the heated floors and strong shower in the bathroom make it all worthwhile...and of course waking up, we tuned in to BBC just in time to see Obama surpass the 270 he needed to become our next President (elect). I must say although that probably won't be the highest highlight of this day, it was a fabulous way to start it....
Our schedule is packed but we hope to post more tonight!

11 hours to relax

This is our last post before we leave to meet the boys (only 11 hours from Atlanta to Moscow!), and we just wanted to thank all of our family and friends (old and new) who have kept us in their thoughts and prayers for this journey. Although Alan and I have each traveled to quite a few different places in the world, I think this one ranks pretty high on the "far and exotic land" list. Not to mention the ultimate destinations at Baby homes #7 and #8.

It's been a hectic past week (month, year...), but we look forward to posting some good news in the coming days.
K&A