Hello!

MAX IS HOME!!!!!

Once again, I’m sorry about the late update. This time I’ve really got a wonderful excuse. I’ll get to that in a minute. First, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone that has been following us on this journey. Your support and your kind words have been much needed and much appreciated. This past year has been the most important year of my life. I’ve learned so much from this experience and have a new sense of peace and satisfaction with life that I could not have otherwise known had I not gone down this path to my son. I now know why this year was such a struggle and I see it for what it is, a blessing. Max was with us all along. He’s been living in our hearts and our home all year. He belongs. He completes this family. I had been focusing so much this year on those that were keeping him from us, but when we returned to Russia I met the people that were fighting for him. Oksana and Ludmila went out of their way, making phone calls and writing letters knowing they didn’t have to, but they were determined to help our son. We certainly have angels among us.

Shortly after I posted my last blog update I was overcome with what we now believe was salmonella poisoning. Apparently that’s why I had been feeling so poorly the few days prior. I have never been so sick in all of my life. I called our coordinator, Oksana, crying and begging her to take me to the hospital. She told me that the last place I should go was the hospital; I would only catch something worse there and wouldn’t receive the care that I needed. It was 4am when I made that call, and there were 12 inches of snow on the ground. At 5:30am my angel, Oksana, was at our door with medicine. For the next three days I honestly thought I may never see the States again. I have never been so scared. Thankfully, Steven was there and took advantage of the bonding time with Max. Two other Americans at the hotel also got sick. So PLEASE, I can’t stress this enough, take CIPRO and electrolytes with you if you’re going to Russia. I was pretty weak for the remainder of the trip, but by the time we left I was convinced I would live. I just wanted to get Max home, and hug Fin.

Max was such a trooper on the trip home, which is pretty amazing considering he only slept 2 hours out of the 20 hours it took to get from Korea to Louisiana. When we landed in Atlanta, Max officially became a US citizen. Our flight home from Atlanta was delayed an hour and when we arrived in Shreveport dazed and sleepwalking we were greeted by our daughter and our families. It was a wonderful welcome home. After spending nearly a month in Russia, as sick as I was, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so thankful to be American as I did stepping off that plane, home at last with our family forever complete.

Max has really adapted well. He has the most laid back and easy-going attitude about everything. He rarely throws a fit and when he does I’m relieved because I know he’s acting like a typical two-year-old. He’s very bright and is speaking more and more everyday. We never have to show him how to do anything twice, he figures things out amazingly fast and he even picks up his toys!! I don’t think the house has ever been so clean. He LOVES to eat unless its broccoli. Whenever the phone rings, Max calls out “Ello? Ello? Ello?.” Fin has been the most amazing sister. I really expected her to have a harder time with the changes, but she loves her little brother. The only complaint she has is when he plays with her toys – but he loves her toys. When she goes to school, the first thing he does is run to her room and puts on her play shoes. He spends the mornings clomping around in plastic high heels. He’s so funny. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t always been here.

As I was bringing Finley home from school the other day I looked in the rear view and saw the two most beautiful children sitting in the backseat (one of my favorite perks about being an adoptive parent is being able to brag about my gorgeous children without sounding conceited), and I realized how truly blessed I am. Steven and I have spent the past twelve years of our lives trying to build our family and as I drove my children home that day I felt the satisfaction of knowing how wonderful it feels to have succeeded in realizing our dream come true. Nothing feels better than this.

Now, for the reason this update is so late…
After arriving home, my legs ached something awful. I figured it was due to bad jetlag and lack of leg room on the plane. However, it got progressively worse and on the fourth day home I could no longer walk. After an emergency room visit and a very painful weekend I was finally diagnosed with reactive arthritis. Apparently, my immune system got so low in Russia that my body has decided to turn on itself. My sweet mother came back to help out with the kids for a week during Thanksgiving while I began my recovery. I’m expected to recover from this but am told to expect it to take 3-6 months. It’s very frustrating to finally have Max home and then get so sick, but I’d do it all over again to get him home. I’m starting to feel better and am very hopeful that I’ll be one of the lucky ones and knock this out by the New Year. Anyway, I’m sorry for the late update. I’ve been hurty. Happy, but hurty. I’m posting the videos from our trips on our next blog and I promise to have them up by Christmas. Enjoy the pictures and TAKE CIPRO if you’re heading to Russia!!

Happy Holidays!!

Sara


Max on our visit just before court.


Max with his angels Ludmila and Oksana as he was leaving the baby home.


Max's first morning with us enjoying a bowl of Kosmostars.


In our hotel room being silly.



In the snow with Dad.



Did I mention he likes shoes?



Playing with Mommy.


Walking in a Russian winter wonderland. (Our last full day in Russia)





Korea




ATLANTA!!! Just before going through customs!!


Home Sweet Home


Our family.


Steven and Sara's angels.

Saturday morning (24th) we met our new friends and fellow Vlad Inn families on our way to the gate for our flight to Vlad. On the flight, Steven and I sat next to a sweet girl, Anna, who taught us some Russian phrases to use with Max. Anna and I traded email addresses and at this point in the trip we are so bored out of our minds I am seriously thinking of contacting Anna and asking her to get us out of here for a day!!

As Steven mentioned in the previous post, we were told in Seoul that one of our suitcases was missing and there was no information of its whereabouts in their system. Furthermore, they couldn’t tell us what piece it was that was missing. Worse, I had packed each of us our own suitcases with a fourth, separate suitcase full of medicines and gifts. So, since each suitcase was as important to us as the next, Steven and I had spent the entire night trying to plan some sort of strategy for each possible scenario. After arriving in Vlad and going through immigration, Steven and I witnessed a miracle when ALL of our luggage appeared on the conveyor belt. I knew at that moment that the bad luck that seemed to be following our every move this past year was over. A new day had dawned. Luck was once again on our side.

After collecting our luggage, we were finally on our way back to the Vlad Inn. Coming down the drive and turning the corner to stop in front of this flagged, blue-grey, modular building I couldn’t help but laugh. We were back! I half expected to walk in the door and see Amy and Rhonda sitting in the restaurant sharing some chicken fingers and french fries and drinking coke light, (sans ice of course), or seeing Mike and Heidi and Phyllis and Ed walking down the hall or sitting in the gazebos. It was hard to believe that it had been a year since we’d spent that wonderful week with them, and the fact that we had arrived exactly one year to the day that we had left didn’t help either.

However, besides missing old friends, some things remained the same. For instance, the Vlad Inn smells exactly the way I remembered, and the Japanese maple on the hill was just as beautiful as we had left it, and instead of seeing Amy and Rhonda in the restaurant we saw Lisa and Jimmy, one of the couples we met in Seoul. We are also on this trip with another couple from our agency, Eric and Christy, who we had been speaking with for a few weeks prior to leaving on this trip. We met up with them while checking out of the hotel at the airport and we have since fallen in love with their new little family. There is no doubt that the families and friends we have met during these trips have made a sweet experience even sweeter. It’s so comforting to meet people that can truly understand what this feels like. It’s an awesome experience to share and one that can turn strangers into lifelong friends.

Steven and I struggled to keep our eyes open until 6pm and were wide awake Sunday morning at 3am ready to FINALLY see our son again. We watched the clock and went downstairs for breakfast with our new friends before leaving. The drive through downtown Vlad seemed like it would never end, until at last we came to the gated drive of Max’s makeshift home. Eric and Christy’s son was also living there and the four of us were all taken to a small, overheated room to await our boys together. We were all excited. Every footstep or noise caused us to grab our cameras and catch our breaths. Finally, their sweet son came running around the corner and I was reminded of what was about to happen to Steven and I. During this trip, I hadn’t felt very emotional. I was actually worried that I had become so jaded by the past year’s disappointments that I had become numb to the experience. Then I heard the door open…footsteps…and there he was. Our sweet little boy who had been deprived of everything we had longed to give him this past year. He was there, scared, at the end of the hall in front of me. I don’t remember any sounds, or reactions. I just remember coming closer to him, and holding him, resting his head on my shoulder and thinking I shouldn’t look at him in the face because I had the silent ugly cry going on and I didn’t want to scare him. I couldn’t move. I just stood there appreciating my miracle, until Steven came up with the camera and pointed out Max’s butterfly sandals and we laughed and life felt real again.

Max was scared. He hugged me hard. He didn’t know me. I sat in the hallway with him as he hid his face in my sweater for at least half an hour, occasionally looking out at us with a puckered bottom lip. Then it happened, Steven handed him goldfish crackers. I think that was the exact moment that he decided he liked us. He slowly got down and played with us stacking blocks and reading books. Seven of us in that tiny little overheated room. I’ll never forget it. Before we left, he looked at me, smiled and said, “ma-ma.”

Monday

We spent the morning with a very quiet Max, playing outside on the broken down playground and having goldfish picnics. He seemed very serious and determined on the rocking horse, never cracking a smile. After about an hour or so, we said goodbye to our son and returned to the hotel to change for court. We hadn’t been nervous or worried about court at all until we were getting dressed to leave. Suddenly, I turned into Miss Butterfingers and Steven was talking nonstop nonsense, a dead give away of a good case of nerves for the normally quiet, reserved guy. We had to park a few blocks away from the courthouse. The closer we got the more panic set in and by the time we were sitting in the hall outside the courtroom I was wondering if I would be able to pull though without running out the door screaming. As it turns out, for those of you that haven’t been through this yet, court was a piece of cake. It’s just a room full of women asking you whether you’re prepared and willing to adopt your child and by the time you get into that room you are beyond prepared and willing. I cried of course, because we made it through, because the fight was over, and because Max was officially “Max”.

Tuesday

I spent the day doing laundry and preparing for our son. We were finally getting custody of our little man. When we arrived at the baby home I immediately changed Max into his very own clothes and we were off. Paka-paka baby home!!!! On the drive to the grocery store, Max got sick in the car and our new parental status officially set in as I walked through the isles of groceries feeling quite illiterate and covered in Max’s puke. I was the proudest and smelliest mama in the shop. We rushed back to the hotel and wasted no time in introducing Max to bathtubs. It didn’t go well that first night, but lately we’re having a hard time getting him out of the tub. We tucked in our Johnson and Johnson scented son into his crib and went to sleep.

Wednesday

We spent the day playing at the hotel, skyping with family and showing off Max.. We had to stay indoors because of Max’s cold.

Thursday

We were upgraded to a one bedroom suite!!!! Woohoo!! I know it sounds silly, but having a couch and two televisions matters here!! We went out to dinner in town to celebrate Eric’s birthday. Max didn’t throw up in the car and all was well.

Friday

I GOT SICK. Fever, chills, nausea, yuck. It was definately a father and son bonding day.

Saturday

It snowed all day. It’s a winter wonderland outside (about 10 inches of snow). I forced myself to get dressed and go out with Max and Steven for some great photographs. Glad I did too. I tried to stay away from the other families in case I’m contagious.

Sunday

Still feeling yucky, but Max is giving me high fives so I’m feeling much better.
Fin is having a wonderful time at home with Grandma, Poppie and her Aunt Robin and Uncle James. She and her cousins are having a wonderful Halloween week which makes me feel even better.

It’s now 10:35pm on Sunday night, and clearly I have adjusted to the local time. Max is sleeping next to me in his crib and Steven has gone to bed. I know I’ve read other bloggers talk about how time goes by so slowly here, but I really wasn’t expecting it to be this slow. We’ve been here at the hotel now for the past three days and between the snow and my illness we have all developed a bad case of cabin fever. Even Max hesitates when we come back into the hotel room after dinner or a visit to the White Rabbit with friends. It’s hard to believe we’ve still got 2 weeks to go. We’re so excited that tomorrow is Monday. Hopefully the pretty snow will melt and we’ll be able to head into town and have some fun!

I’ll post pictures tomorrow.

Take care and appreciate your ability to go to the grocery store whenever you want. HA!
-Sara

We are in The Transit hotel in Seoul's Incheon International Airport and wide awake at 5 a.m. local time. Our flight into Vladivostok doesn’t leave for several hours, so we are killing some time until the stores and restaurants begin to open up. We’ve figured out skype, checked on our luggage with the Korean Air desk (one bag is missing by the way) and watched all of the Korean game shows we can stand. So now we’re updating the blog, missing Finley, and reminding ourselves that we’ll see Max again in a day or two and that makes it all worth while.

Our transpacific flight was uneventful, though much much too long. We got bulkhead seats though, so we at least had leg room for the 14 hours of sitting. Korean air apparently thought we were traveling with a child for the going as well as the coming.

We’ll update again once we get into Vladivostok provided we get internet access right away. Pray for our missing bag and wish, as we are, for a speedy and save reunion with our wayward luggage in Vlad.

Steven

We've got our date!!

~October 26th~

We're being submitted for dates on tuesday!