Friday, January 26, 2007

Today was the day . . . . we got the call to come back to Russia and get Tyler.

The call was vague (all we were told wzs to be in Moscow on Sunday February 4th) and left us more questions than answers, but that is OK because we are leaving next Saturday. They know we need to be there and have time for visiting Tyler and for our eight doctors exams, so our guess is that Court will be on Wednesday or Thursday.
We are so excited and looking forward to getting back to Moscow and seeing how Tyler is doing. We will be bringing Tyler home!! We have a lot to do between now and than. Stay tuned for more updates.


Wednesday, January 24, 2007
A Weather Update

A weather update. Our weather here is not too bad and after a five weeks of above average temperatures we finally got some snow . . . a whole inch fell n Sunday. The forecast for the next 10 days is for temps to remain around or below normal meaning that highs during the day will be in the upper 30s to low 40s and lows at night in the 20s or teens. We should get a day or to of Moscow like weather where our highs are in the mid 20 and lows in the teens. So, ho is he weather in Moscow?

Well, let’s clear up a common American misperception about Moscow. . . the city does not get a lot of snow. It is cold there but not Siberia cold and while it snows every other day, it is only snow showers or light snow. When we were in Moscow in December, I read an article about the worst three-day storm Moscow ever had hit in January 2006 when over the three days more than 30 centimeters of snow fell. That is about a foot of snow. Heavy snow is not very likely.

The temperatures for the next 10 days in Moscow are forecasted to be highs in the upper teens to mid 20s with lows over night reaching the lower teens or single digits. Snow is forecasted as flurries or showers almost every day.

So, once we get to our apartment, we will not be getting out a lot except to go to the store to get groceries and supplies and to take care of business, meaning visit Tyler and go to court. We will be packing our flannel-lined jeans, boots, heavy sweaters, wool socks, Under Armor, and thermals. We are packing all sorts of warm clothing for Tyler.

We hope to hear something tomorrow or Friday. We know we are getting closer and our agency has said that our paperwork is almost done. We really hope the call comes later this week, but if not, we know it will be next week. Our court date is imminent and Tyler will be coming home soon.


Sunday, January 21, 2007
The Waiting Game (Part II)
Jeff and I have been keeping very, very busy. We had a wonderful Christmas and great New Year Day. We have been working very hard on Tyler’s nursery and have attached pictures below. We picked an airplane theme and truly have enjoyed the process. Tyler’s Aunt Lisa helped with the artwork and the grandparents bought our awesome nursery furniture. This week is the start of the official waiting for "THE second CALL". We are expecting a call from our agency sometime this week letting us know that we have a court date that we expect to be sometime in early February. The agency tries to give you 10 – 14 days notice, however, we need to go out at least four days early for a medical exam and to visit with Tyler before court. So, we may only get7-10 days notice beofre we have to leave. We have booked an apartment for most of February just in case. We are ready!!

Once we go to court, we start a ten day waiting period. At the end of the 10 days, the adoption decree is final. We will get an adoption certificate and a new birth certificate with Tyler's name on it. We will spend spend four or five business days in Moscow getting Tyler a Russian passport, registering him with the consulate, getting a medical exam and a permanent US immigration visa from the US Embassy. After all that, we can board our flight home. Once we
land here, Tyler will be a US citizen.

Our total stay in Moscow will be 20-25 days. We are very anxious to go back and bring Tyler home. Right now we just pray that Tyler is doing well and that we get a call with our court date.

We areready to start updating on a regular basis so stay tuned for the expected good news on our court date!



Maria and Jeff