Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Has it really been over a year now since we first met Alek (Vladik back then) in Ramenskoe last November?! Alan and I were looking at pictures, actually we are always looking at photos and video from all our trips to Russia with Alek- he loves them! It seems a lifetime ago and yet we still have a lifetime to go...

There have been many new developments with Alek that have kept me busy and unfortunately without time to blog! He started with the PLACE program here in South Florida for developmentally delayed kiddos back in October but had a very rough adjustment there. They also informed us that they had placed him in the wrong district so we had an option to move him to another school, north of us in Lighthouse Point, called Norcrest. We knew the change would also be difficult for him, but he was behaving so poorly that we felt the move may be the best for him because the class size at Norcrest was smaller (only 8 kids). His teachers there, Mr Navoy and Ms Cody were very caring and understanding, and we felt it was a good fit. He was doing better at home, but we were really surprised at how how much he had regressed when we moved him from Children's Castle. He started hitting more and biting again. He also regressed with his potty training- they kept him in pull-ups at Norcrest, which I wasn't pleased about, but I knew it was a big adjustment for him so maybe he just needed some more time to be comfortable there like he was at the Castle.

Unfortunately, they still weren't able to offer an aftercare program so I've still needed to leave work around 1pm to pick him up. I think the afternoon time together has been good for our bonding, but difficult of course to still only be able to work half-days. He has still been having issues with impulsivity and hyperactivity, and it became a problem at Norcrest so they have recommended a different program, which is where we are trying to decide right now. It has been a bumpy road, but we are hoping 2010 will bring more success and progress for Alek. He is still doing well with his language development, and we have agreement from all that he is a smart kid, picks things up quickly, has a good memory, but we need to find a solution to the other issues so we can all live a little more peacefully.

I am posting some photos from the past months. Of course there was dressing up as a fireman for Halloween, and even a party to go to, which was LOADS of fun. We had a great time up in PA for Thanksgiving, even though Daddy couldn't join us because of work. It was so nice to enjoy the cold fall weather, and fun in the park with Uncle B. We even had a suceessful trip to the mall on Black Friday to meet Santa! Alek did great and it presented ideal Kodak moments of which Nana Gaye and Aunt Valerie and Aunt Danielle took full advantage!

We were also able to welcome Nana B to Florida for a week this month. It was so nice to see her and great to have family around in preparation for Christmas. It even gave Mommy and Daddy a chance to go out (twice!) one weekend to a Christmas party at Aunt Elektra's on Friday and then a long overdue dinner out with friends here, Michele, Greg, Briggitte and Greg J on Saturday.

So Christmas has come and gone. We did make it to (most of) mass on Christmas Eve at St. Martin's Episcopal. They had a family service with lots of music and even costumes for a family production. We had been explaining to Alek about Santa bringing toys on Christmas Eve, but we'll probably never know how much he understood of the whole event! He seemed MUCH more comfortable opening presents on Christmas than he was for his birthday last September, and I am posting also some photos of the fun toys he received from all, including Santa of course!

This New Years Eve into 2010 is a long way from ringing in 2009 from Vegas last year with Dante and Paulina, as we will likely be toasting champagne with Ryan Seacrest tonight from our living room! We are both looking forward to a year of more firsts and fun times with Alek, as well as hopefully a little more opportunity to continue (and introduce Alek to) our love of travel...! Happy New Year to all, with love from the Dunn's.

Alek's Baptism!

We were so excited to celebrate Alek's baptism on August 2 up in Pennsylvania! It was held at my Grandparents' church, St Timothy's in Roxborough, PA. We had a relatively uneventful trip North, and Nana Gaye and Uncle B were waiting at the airport for us, ready to start our non-stop weekend of play and food! It was great to see Grandpa Joe and Grandma Linda again and of course Aunt Kate after such a fun visit with her in July. Aunt Danielle and Uncle B were prepared for their young guest and had loads of games (and patience!). Nana Gaye had everything we could possibly need (and more!) to help with our travel load, Pop pop Dennis gave Alek his first "KWAAHH" (don't ask), and after what we hear was a late night of hammering and assembly, Alek had a very cool and very fun Cozy Coupe to drive down Nana Gaye's front yard hill, courtesy of Aunt Valerie, and Nana and Pop pop Parker. There were parks with castles and loads of steps ('up steps' and 'down steps', and 'up steps' and 'down steps'....), french fries with "chek-up" (we're still reversing our syllables), and although the walls of torrential rainfall on the morning of Alek's baptism were um, memorable (!), the day was full of love and laughter, and only could have been better had Nana B, Uncle Paul and all of Alan's family from Newfoundland and Vancouver been there.

Now we are back in our routine (thank you!) and enjoying now 5 mornings a week in pre-school. Cassandra is still watching him in the afternoons on Tues/Thurs so I am able to truly start catching up at work before she leaves again end August for school in Maine (we'll MISS YOU!!).

Alek is becoming more loving and open every day. He is NON-STOP chatter, still repeating everything and starting to have semi-full conversations with us about school and his day's activities. Potty training is moving in the right direction, as he just started telling us when he needs to "try potty" without us asking first...we are grateful for EVERY small step.

And so, new pictures of our superstar are posted here. If you haven't received the links to the entire album collection and can stand the overwhelming contributions from all his adoring fans, just let me know and I'll be happy to send them!

Alek has been a busy boy!
I had to travel to Italy for a conference so Nana Gaye was able to come down for 2 weeks to watch him and keep him busy while I was gone. We spoke or video-skyped everyday, which were highlights for mommy, but Alek was definitely loving all the attention from Nana... Unfortunately, Daddy came down with a flu, which turned into pneumonia and put him out of commission so THANK YOU Nana Gaye, you know we couldn't have done it without you!

We then had a wonderful visit with Aunt Kate, who came down early July for a week and was a HUGE help playing with Alek and keeping him busy at the park, at the beach, on car rides .... We all had a BLAST!!

Alek was also invited to Collin's 4th birthday party at Jumpers, which couldn't have been more fun for him. He LOVED the bouncy slides and obstacle courses and was surprisingly daring!

The BIG news is Alek started Pre-School last week at Children's Castle in Lighthouse Point. Collin also goes there although in an older class, but Brigitte really liked the school and after one week I can see why. Alek's teachers, Miss Rosa and Miss Keila are very sweet and gentle and PATIENT with him. Like any new student he needs to learn the rules, but they told me he was listening better every day he was there. It is hard to leave him on the mornings when he cries but he is always full of smiles and new projects when I pick him up so I'm assured it does not last long after I leave...

We are also planning for Alek's Baptism on August 2, which we decided to hold at St Timothy's in Pennsylvania. The reception following will be hosted by Aunt Valerie and Great-Grandparents, Wiley and Beryl. We hope it will be a good opportunity for all the family to meet Alek since it is difficult otherwise due to the distance to get together. I think it will be a wonderful day and we welcome all of our close friends and family to join us.

Overall, we are settling into a comfortable routine and so hope to have more time now to post updates on our blog more frequently...

Kristin

Hello again! It's been another month of "firsts." We had our first pediatrician visit, which lets say did not go spectacularly, but then found another pediatrician, Dr DeLiddo (amazing!), from the receptionist at our first opthalmologist visit with Dr Poliak... Dr DeLiddo was perfect, so calm and Alek liked both her and her nurse, which even gave us opportunity for our first stateside vaccinations. Of course there was some kicking and screaming but it wasn't completely hysterical, so I'd say overall it was a good visit.
We've had playdates with Alek's new BFF's Collin and Caitlyn at the park and at their house in the pool, which was a BIG hit. In fact, we will need to keep an eye on our little Cassanova, as he very much enjoys "kissing cate" ...

We have been having some issues with tantrums, hitting, and biting (only ma and pa for now...), but with time, it's gotten better and less intense. His fav videos are (still) Thomas and Elmo's Potty time. We haven't gotten any closer to our own potty time, but there's no pressure for now. He's still a picky eater, but had our first chocolate ice cream last week (Mommy has been avoiding high sugar content for as long as she can...). I think the oatmeal and grilled cheese every day are getting boring, so we are testing new tastes and textures.

He still likes bathtime, esp now that Mommy has relaxed and allows time for play with his favorite of all bathtoys, a cup...
Bedtime has become routine, with some "Daddy aqua", a couple books and a nice massage, it's usually not long before his head hits the pillow and he is OUT for the night (and a long night with no more afternoon naps, thankfully around 10-11 hours).

Daddy has clearly become a favorite, with "Daddy cookie" (when Momy hasn't said No), "Daddy flying" (arms out, head up down the hallway, so cute), and general Daddy acrobatics, kisses and hugs.

Of all the firsts, the most impressive are all his first words. Although I'm sure the sounds of English are still somewhat foreign for him, he is trying his best to imitate almost everything we say. I am very proud of all his new words, no matter how they deviate from the actual phonetics...I think Alan and I are learning Alek's language!

With all the challenges come the successes (and best of all the giggles).

Wow, has it really been 2 weeks since we arrived on US soil again?? Flight home was somewhat a nightmare as feared. Approx 2 of 12 hours total sleep... the rest being scared and annoying to the rest of the Parisian AirFrance passengers, none of which offered to assist, so Mommy just doing everything she could to ease Alek's anxiety...

We arrived into JFK Friday night, then spent Sat-Mon in East Brunswick, NJ, to receive psych and medical evaluations, and of course visit with some fam who were so excited and thrilled to finally meet the new Master Dunn on Sunday.

Long anticipated flight home to Florida Monday night , "Grandpa Joe" met an exhausted Mommy, Daddy and Alek at the airport and was a great comfort as well.

The last couple weeks home have been filled with changes, some tantrums and tears (from all... :-), but also with moments of discovery, giggles, cuddles, hysteria, and always love. It hasn't been easy learning and trusting, but there are now moments of realization that it really was meant to be.

We had our first day at the beach (we almost made it down the sandy path to the actual beach on day 2!), our first play dates with Collin and Caitlyn, and Will (verbal communication never a necessity for fun!), counting to ten (in English!), an amazing and unexpected shower (hosted by Auntie Elektra and Auntie Rene with our so many friends excited to meet baby Dunn), countless walks (getting warmer every day...), parks with spongy rather than icy floors (always a plus for those horizontally challenged of us ), new toys (so many!), jumps in the pool (first baby, then fully clothed mama!), and new routines (important, but easier said than done...!).

I will continue to post (ir?)regular updates on our growth and successes...
kd

5 days and counting...

Now counting down to etd Friday @ 7:15am...
It's been a bumpy couple of days as we become acquainted with our new little superstar, but everyone finally had consistent rest for 24 hours and so all seemed well today. We went on a couple walks in his beloved stroller ("by-lar, by-lar", he screams! which doesn't mean stroller in any language??!). I think I pushed it too far with the second walk as he seemed pretty cold when we got home, but the weather has been decent over the past couple days, just above freezing, but no wind and sunny.
Night #2 was a little off schedule as he woke up (WIDE awake) for 3 hours, right after I fell asleep, and we had to get up early the next morning for a visit to the passport office, so none of us was anywhere near ready to get up (although he did still wake w a smile)...BUT he practically dragged me in to put him for a nap later that day so we enjoyed that quiet time.
Even when exhausted though, he still fights the sandman every step of the way. Tonight, he must have snuggled down and sat up again 5 times before he finally dozed off...hopefully for the whole night.
So, we did get his Russian passport on Friday, then the coordinator will take care of dropping it at the embassy on MOnday. We have an interview at the embassy on Tuesday at 1:45pm, which isn't ideal (naptime), but the only time they could do it. Then two days to pick up his passport with visa on Thursday and home sweet home on Friday.

I'm uploading some new pictures we took today from our walk and playtime at the apartment.
kd

Whew!
We arrived and hit the ground running. We visited with Alek on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, then picked up the court decree on Tuesday, along with the adoption certificate. Of course delays were impossible to avoid and so we weren't able to submit for his passport before going to pick him up from the babyhome Tuesday evening. He knew us, so wasn't too resistant to getting changed, until time came for the coat... I think he remembered going to get his passport photos taken, which apparently did not go well in the car ride there with his caretakers the week before. They had him fed already so at least he wasn'thungry but he did put up quite a fuss for the first 20 minutes or so, then I think his surroundings just got the better of him, and we saw the calm side of Alek. He was totally entranced by the cars and everything out the windows, and although he got a little fussy toward the end, it was almost 2 hours back to the apt ,so we were grateful for his sanity!
The first night together went well I think considering all... He was still pretty overwhelmed by everything and just taking it in, so I was waiting for the meltdown. I really wanted to give him a bath but didn't want to make an issue of it for his first night. However, maybe we caught him while he was still mute, as he gave no fuss and got right into the bath, we'll see if it holds tonight!
Unfortunately, we will need to work on brushing his teeth, as he would have none of it. Even with no toothpaste, the brush was going nowhere near his teeth. Any suggestions for success in the future are welcome!!
The other issue was the sleep part... he pretty much had no intention of sleeping, so from around 8pm til 11:30pm, we sang songs,watched Thomas until the DVD player ran out of battery (!), and then Daddy came in and all was well. Apparently Daddy's don't need parenting books for ideas to handle children with insomnia, and within a few minutes, Alek was fast asleep- he still won't tell me his secret...
So we still have 9 days left here (ugh!), and we cannot WAIT to come home!

it's official!

We are now proud parents of Alek Dunn.
Court was a breeze... after a small delay, around 12 noon we entered the court room with our interpreter, Irina, and introduced ourselves to the judge. She asked us some general questions like why do we want to adopt, are we scared of the possibility of a hyperactive child, etc. The Russian social worker presented the case to the judge with all of Alek's medical history and conditions, as well as the history of the mother that they knew, and then also had some questions for us. After all, it lasted about 30 minutes, and then it was official! Aleksander Vladislav Dunn is now our son. They gave us some pictures of him when he was a baby, which will be treasured and saved forever in the family album.
We had some notary business to take care of afterwards, then back to the hotel until tomorrow when we'll see Alek for the last time before we leave for a week. This morning was probably the smoothest event of the whole process! Both mama and papa are very happy and excited.

it snowed!

Just a quick note to update. We visited Alek this morning and had a great time! They let us play in a room where there were actual toys and he was not so distracted to want to go outside the whole time. We finally got some pics of Alek with Poppy, although as usual it's hard to get a non-blurry picture of a constantly moving object....!
We actually had to leave a little early so I could join a 6-hour teleconference for work from here- yes, 6 HOURS! Can't wait to see that bill this month!
Needless to say, another exhausting day but very happy to be here...and IT SNOWED!
We have tomorrow free as it is National Woman's Holiday here (??)- still have to Google that one, but our interpreter said it means I should definitely be receiving flowers and a nice dinner tomorrow- I'm not sure it's recognized by the one who might be giving and buying...:-)
Enjoy the new pics!

CRAZY day

We went out to see Alek this morning and he's grown so much already! As usual, he was itching to go outside and made "Poppy" push him in the stroller THROUGH the snow. The bubbles weren't quite as captivating this time, but we had fun hitting balloons..when we could catch him...

The 8-doctor medical was literally 8 doctors who came in to ask us a few questions each and each stamped our certificate for court. It was 3 hours before all was complete, but we probably would have spent 3 times this period just in 8 different doctors' waiting rooms back home!

Now we are back and just a little exhausted. Time to catch up on work and GO TO BED.
Tomorrow, we'll visit him in the morning again.
Will try to get more pictures if possible...

arrived in Moscow

Visas were received, new flight reserved and we are now in sunny Moscow! It's a really nice day so we'll explore the area around our hotel today, then have a long day tomorrow as we visit Alek in the morning and 4-hour medical exams starting at 3pm...

postponed

well, 3 hours until takeoff and still no passports...
There were delays in Memphis (??) so they are currently "in transit." It looks like we'll be arriving 1 day late... deep breaths...

almost there

Almost 12 hours to takeoff for Trip #2. Last-minute work was insane for us both, BUT most (all??) is packed
-no room for the furry boots :-(
and just needs a final review of documents required for court and medical evals.
Hoping we did in fact think ahead and all is in order =-)
We did have a small emergency as our Visa app was declined last Friday , requiring overnighting more documents to Colleen (our true visa-processing savior this weekend), who also had the foresight to make the connection that the crazy spring snowstorm that hit DC yesterday may in fact close the local visa office, so she sent them to their San Fran office on Saturday, where we now have confirmation that both apps were processed and overnighted to us to arrive just in time for our flight at 12 noon tomorrow morning (fingers still crossed of course til passports are in possession...).
All we know about our schedule is that we will be picked up at the airport in Moscow, and sometime in the following days, will likely have medical evals and/or see Alek, in no particular order or time...and so not much to report from this end. It will be a surprise for us all!

Court Date!

Yes, it's been 86 days since we last posted... but FINALLY we have news of a court date from Moscow!
Last week Megan let us know that we should travel to arrive March 4 to visit with Alek (as we now lovingly call him) for a few days before the court which is March 11. Then there is the frustratingly long 10-day wait (not including weekends so more like 14 day days) to pick him up on the 24th. Then with new child in tow, we race around Moscow to arrange his passport and visa...another 10 days later and we should be flying to the States April 4. We are so excited to see Alek again, how much he's grown, play with him, and get him ready for his new life.
Words can't describe.