Russia Update - Remaining process

Before I continue the encounters with OLG, here's the process going forward:

- Our coordinator needs several documents for our court dossier so a date can actually be set. This paperwork is in various stages but should be sent to Russia by this Friday.

- Hopefully, we completed enough paperwork while in Russia to start the process to remove OLG from the Russian databank. This step takes about three weeks and is the primary factor in setting the court date. If everything is fine with the paperwork, the court date will be scheduled about 4-6 weeks from now. Other than a couple small items, things are completely out of our hands at this point.

- Once a court date has been set, we will be invited to travel again. Typically, you get a couple weeks notice so early June will be when we start jumping when the phone rings:)

- Unfortunately, the court trip will not be the last one - although a short one. In Alexa's case, the judge waived the "mandatory" 10-day wait period - making her ours once court ended. That rarely happens anymore and only if there are real concerns for the child's health. Instead, we will have to wait two weeks after court. So, essentially this trip will entail going to the orphanage one time to get in our last required visit before court (OLG's cold prevented two visits during the first trip), appearing in court, and one day of red tape.

- The current plan is for me (Adam) to return alone for the third trip. As soon as I arrive, OLG will be ours and he will stay with me. The next 7-12 days will be spent getting his passport, visa and other documentation at the US Embassy.

Doing the math, that puts us around the end of July for OLG's arrival home. Just writing that makes it seem so long...

Russia Update

Well, we're back from our first trip to Russia! Before I go any farther, I'll warn you that we are not allowed to post any pictures or specific details of "Our Little Guy" (or OLG, until he comes home). This is because he isn't truly ours until after the Court rules in our favor (and the 10-day Wait Period). Russia does not like us Americans to be presumptuous! However, because we have started the application process to formally adopt (essentially this means we accepted the referral and are asking Russia to allow us to adopt), we have a new name for OLG. I will go through where we are in the process and what's ahead at the end.

Other than the reason we were going in the first place, there were some other intriguing elements to this trip. First, this was the first time Alexa spent a night (actually five) away from the both of us. Second, Alexa's Dance Recital was the Saturday after our trip, which meant leaving early on Friday -something we were not positive could happen. And third, the dreaded Swine Flu (don't get Tracy started on it!) was a real concern in terms of Russia keeping us out.

The third concern only reared its head slightly as we were made to wait on the plane while health officials "lasered" our ears to make sure no one was running a temperature (above 100 we believe). As for concern #2, we made it back in time for the Recital (and Alexa did great!), but the 20 hours of travel that day are still being felt. And concern #3 started out pretty rough, so we allowed Alexa to call us each day (not cheap and once the phone rang at 4am!). In the end Alexa was a trooper, but when we got home she ran to us and broke into tears - it was so sweet!

So, I guess you all are ready to hear about OLG?! The way this trip worked was that we were invited to an appointment with the Department of Education to review a referral (child). We received some basic information before we traveled like birthdate, height/weight/head circumference at birth and more recently (no pictures or video). We had a small scare because the more recent measurements were very low - but we weren't told when they were taken. Eventually, we got better data that put OLG ahead of Alexa at the same age. We forwarded this information to a group of doctors that specialize in international adoption. Simply based upon our limited data, there were no red flags for developmental issues like FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). We were told to get some pictures of OLG and do some basic tests during our visit, so the doctors could review them and give us a recommendation (we have to make a decision to go forward before the end of our visit, so this information was sent while in Russia).

Our first task was to go to the DOE office and meet with an official who gives an overview of the child's medical history and asks some questions about us - the questions are a small preview of what the judge will ask during the court appearance (our work situation, how long we've been married, other children, where we live, etc.). At the end of the questions, we got our first look at OLG - a picture not long after he was born! We gladly agreed to meet "our referral" and our next stop was the orphanage!!

Much like this post, everything took longer than the anxious parents-to-be wanted. We got to the orphanage after the typical Russian traffic-strewn, "lanes are just a suggestion" ride - our driver could easily make it as a taxi driver in NYC. Then we had to meet with a couple representatives of the orphanage and sign some forms. Finally, OLG was brought up to see us! He was very attentive and healthy looking (despite the obvious cold he was battling). We were allowed to take him outside to the playground- the orphanages love to layer the children, so he was dressed for a blizzard! OLG seemed a little unsure but never cried, although close a couple times. We brought some musical toys to play with and he inspected them and understood how to make them work. After about a half hour, Tracy got his first smile by tickling him and his face just lit up. (BTW, we were being observed by social worker during this first encouter which was a little awkward.) After exploring the whole playground and trying a little bit on the swing, we were told we could come back after dinner and visit some more. We were asked if we wanted to come back - ummm yeah! Overall, the first encounter went well and we were hooked - not that there was any doubt of that happening. The only downside was both Tracy and I sitting on a yellow bench that apparently got painted too recently - we each had a yellow circle on our butts...

Yikes, it's gotten later than I expected! I'll continue tomorrow with the rest of the visit and the process going forward...

Agadir, Morocco

Agadir was the second stop on the cruise. This is the location of the runaway panhandlers and the frightening marketplace where you could get just about anything (and see exactly where it came from).

Here are the obligatory "riding camel" photos. Alexa's was at tourist trap on the top of a small mountain or "scenic view location." She wanted to ride the camels as soon as she saw them. However, she changed her mind after being placed upon one by a local and when the camel stood up! My picture was taken at the place where we were designated to ride camels. Needless to say, Alexa did join me this time. There was also a show that included a belly dancer, acrobats and men riding horses and shooting rifles repeatedly:



This is a sample of the marketplace. Multiply this picture by 500 and that will give you an idea of the size and variety. We didn't dare buy anything because the place was very crowded and hard to navigate. The goal was to stay close to the guide and cover Alexa's eyes when appropriate!

This is Alexa in front of the pharmacy/spice store. We got a "demonstration" that quickly turned into a sales pitch. Tracy was anticipating this and made it worth the store's wait - they couldn't give us enough little extras in thanks!

Morocco Pictures - Rabat and Casablanca

One thing I didn't mention in the last post was the large number of cats roaming Morocco. This was a nice thing for Alexa, but a not-so-nice thing for Tracy who was worried about what Alexa could catch if she petted them. I visited Israel several years ago and saw the same thing. I'm not sure what it means, but I'm bringing it up because you will see a cat in this picture of the Royal Palace in Rabat.

Next, we visited the ancient ruins at Chellah -built by the Romans. The interesting thing, other than the ruins themselves, were the large birds who had nests on the newer towers. Also, there were about 30 cats gathered near a man-made pool that featured a couple of violet fish, which might have been eels. Unfortunately, we could never get an explanation so I'll just call them "eels" since that is more interesting...


In contrast, we also visited the largest mosque in Morocco located in Casablanca and completed very recently - Hassan II Mosque:
This picture gives you some idea of the size of the mosque as well as its detail and beauty:

Morocco

I really enjoy going to new countries - and the more exotic sounding the better! However, as exotic as it sounds to go to Africa, Morocco is about as tame as you can get on that continent. It is a very peaceful and accepting country that had plenty of Western touches. Still, there were enough third world reminders to be seen.

The big drawback in shore excursions with large groups from a cruise ship is that you find yourself in tourist traps. When you combine that with a country like Morocco, you come in contact with very pushy peddlers of nonsense. Add in a 4-year-old, and Daddy got a wee bit PO'd! That came to a head in Agadir (our second stop).

The next to the last straw occurred at the top of a "scenic view" mountain at the beginning of the tour. Alexa knew we were riding camels that day and became very excited when she saw them so soon. The guide warned us that this was not the stop with our included camel rides, but we could ride if we wanted. He also warned people would be trying to sell us things - that was an understatement... While Mommy and Daddy were engaged with some peddler, we turned around to see Alexa wasn't there! We quickly spotted her - BEING PLACED ON A PRONE CAMEL BY SOME LOCAL! I almost lost it, but my tune changed when I saw Alexa's excitement and knew the ride was inevitable. For those of you that haven't ridden a camel, the part where the camel stands up is pretty disconcerting. You're rocked forward pretty violently when the hind legs come up, and then jerked back when the front comes up. Alexa did not enjoy that experience and was close to crying most of the ride. After she got down, the real fun began. (side note: Norwegian is an American cruise line that primarily uses US dollars as the currency. Unfortunately, we were in a part of the world that used Euros and rarely took dollars. As you will shortly see, Morocco was more flexible on this issue) For those of you who know Tracy, you would never call her passive or indecisive - while I might resemble those labels. For some reason, we switched roles in Morocco. After the impromptu camel ride, it was time to pay. I think the guide had suggested something like five Euros, but we didn't have many and the money wasn't that organized. So Tracy is struggling to get the money out and first the peddler doesn't want US dollars when he sees them come out. Then a couple people join him asking for more money. Tracy gives him some Euros and before I know it he is pointing to a $20 bill and saying that will do. I'm trying to stop this transaction but the guy is too quick and Tracy is too frustrated to want to deal with it. I believe that scary ride cost us something like $35.

The previous story plus being continually barraged by people pushing things on us, led to what I'll call: The Henna Incident. Our group is walking through some nice, cute part of town and a lady approaches Tracy asking if she wants a henna tattoo. Tracy says "no" three times but, undaunted, the lady grabs Tracy's hand and just starts putting henna on her arm. I'm standing behind watching this as steam must be starting to come from my head. Money is asked for and Tracy repeats that she didn't want it. The lady goes another direction by quickly putting some on Alexa. The trick is then to say Alexa's is free but to please pay for the adult's. After another 15 seconds of haggling, I finally step into the picture and simply say "NO!" pretty loudly, which can be effective with my voice. At that point, the lady gave me a quick glance and then scooped her henna back into the container (off both of my ladies) and makes her exit. The lesson was clear: Moroccan peddlers go after women very aggressively - or possibly loud, crazy Americans scare Moroccan women!

I don't mean to paint Morocco in a bad light because we did enjoy the visits and found the people nice - at least the ones who knew they were getting our money beforehand;) There were clearly more affluent areas where Europeans had homes, but the general population seemed to have a pretty good standard of living. I do though have to tell a quick story about the marketplace we visited. If you are squeamish, you might want to skip the next paragraph...

It wasn't a good sign that outside the marketplace, someone was holding up a dead chicken - I assume to sell. Before leaving the bus, the guide warns us the marketplace is crowded and we should try to stay close. Remember we have a 4-year-old and Tracy doesn't eat much meat or anything that still has any bones in it. So, we go inside and the guide immediately walks us through...the meat section. Now, I'm a pretty carnivorous person but I was totally grossed out. There were more feathered chickens strung-up. Then came various displays of internal organs. But the piece de resistance was, I kid you not, a complete cows head displayed prominently with blood dripping off of it! Luckily, Alexa had so many other things to look at and many taller adults blocking her view, because I didn't even want to try to explain that to her. At that point, pretty much all of the tour started walking faster and really enjoying whatever there was to see in the other direction!

We're back to the G-rated part of the post. For those who skipped the previous paragraph, you can uncover your eyes and stop saying "la-la-la-la I'm not listening to you."

It's getting late so I'm going to stop now, but I'll add another post tomorrow with a bunch of pictures and hopefully a few positive notes.

Western Mediterranean Cruise: Overview

We recently returned from an enjoyable 9-day cruise of the western Mediterranean. This was our 4th cruise together (but Alexa's first) and first on Norwegian. I doubt we will go on another of their cruises after the way we were nickel-and-dimed for subpar service. However, the boat itself was fine and the itinerary was great! Tracy took literally hundreds of photos that I still need to sort through - thus, I will include them when I make posts for the individual ports/countries.

The cruise started and ended in Barcelona, which we visited on our honeymoon cruise - so we just stayed on the boat there or were at the airport. The first two stops were in Morocco: Casablanca, mostly to access the city of Rabat an hour away by bus, and Agadir. Morocco was very interesting and the people were friendly. We're both glad we went but will likely never go back. And just in case you were wondering, the movie "Casablanca" was filmed entirely in the US so we didn't recognize anything fromit.

The next two stops were islands: Gran Canaria, the largest of the Spanish Canary Islands, and the Portuguese island of Madeira. Both islands were beautiful and lush, but Madeira wowed us with its dramatic cliffs. They each also had very cute European towns with great architecture.

The final shore excursion was at the port of Malaga, in southern Spain, where we traveled to Granada. Tracy and I both wanted to stay to live in this area if we could just get all of our friends and family to come too! Before the trip, I would have said the place I wanted to live in Europe was Italy. Now, I agree with Tracy about southern Spain...

I'll post over the next few days something on each shore excursion and more on the boat itself with pictures. For a teaser, here are a couple of pictures from our two favorite places - Madeira and Malaga - and the obligatory cute picture of Alexa:

Some Random February Stuff

Well, we took our bi-monthly trip up to Orlando to visit with family and some other reason I can't quite recall...oh right, to go to some Disney Theme parks that they apparently have up there! I like the following picture because it shows four generations of my family in a curving sequential order:
Here are the obligatory face-painting pictures of Alexa (left at Hollywood Studios with her friend Liam, right at Animal Kingdom with her cousin Lucas):














The crowds weren't too bad at Hollywood Studios, although we only got to ride Toy Story one time (worth the wait!). However, Animal Kingdom was an absolute zoo! I stood in line for thirty minutes to get a pastry (surprisingly worth the wait as well!) and people kept thinking it was the line for the Safari ride - which had actually overflowed a good fifty yards beyond the roped area. Luckily, we got to the park as it opened and hit the Safari first. We were rewarded with abundance of animals. It was pretty much downhill from that point on and we decided to leave early. Truthfully, Alexa could have played all afternoon despite that typically 4-year-old whiny stage of punch-drunkenness. Tracy and I eventually got our way...