On Wednesday night we got the boys ready for bed and finished our packing…not like we had much to do since we had not luggage. We went to sleep at about 10pm and Kelly and I both woke up at midnight (6pm Louisville time). We were so excited that were finally bringing our babies home that we could not sleep another minute.

At about 2:30am our message light started blinking on the telephone. Kelly called the front desk and they said our luggage had arrived at the DMO airport in Moscow. We told them we would pick it up in a few hours and to please hold it for us….How nice of them to get us our luggage just in time for us to recheck it on our departure flight.

Jane picked us up at 4:15am and took us to the DMO airport in Moscow. Kelly and Jane located the lost and found department at the airport and were able to get our luggage. We proceeded to the check in counters and of course there was an issue. By the time everything was straightened out we ran through all the security check points and was escorted to our gate. By the time we sat in our seats we had 3 minutes to spare before takeoff. Mind you we had been to the airport about 2 ½ hours early.

As our plane pulled away from the gate they discovered a problem with an engine. They tried to fix it but decided it was not fixable and took us back to the terminal. Since we were traveling with babies they let us hang out in the business lounge. They were bringing a plane from Frankfurt big enough to combine 2 scheduled flights to Frankfurt. Ours and another flight that was leaving at a later time. The boys were such troopers hanging out, playing and napping in the lounge for 9 hours. Finally, the attendants had a lot of people leave the lounge and proceed to the new gate to get their boarding passes and board the plane. They kept telling us to wait. It was really worrying us that they would forget about us and we would miss the flight…Yes, that is right. We have no faith left in the people that work for Lufthansa/United. FINALLY, they said we could proceed down. When we got to the gate there were about 20 of us needing seats on the flight and with the way the Lufthansa people were acting I didn’t think there would be enough seats for us all. Sasha started having a tantruming meltdown and Kelly was trying to get him quiet. I told him to let him scream and cry and then maybe we could get a seat faster. I went ahead and had a meltdown with Sasha. I started crying and could not stop. Then a crew member in a neon vest pointed at us and said, “You, come with me.” He walked us down the ramp and directed us to our seats. I cried until we were in our seats and settled.

When we arrived in Frankfurt I sat with the boys while Kelly tried to get us seats on a connecting flight. By this time I was so exhausted and I was hoping they would give us a hotel for the night. I knew there was no way I could handle two babies on an eight hour flight to Chicago. I needed sleep. After Kelly was at the counter for about an hour we indeed did get a hotel and a connecting flight in the morning. Only one minor problem. The boys were Russian citizens on Russian passports with no visas to stay in Germany. We had to go to the police station in the transit area and get emergency visas so we could take the boys past passport control and stay the night outside of the transit area. The officer at the counter was being such a jerk I had a second meltdown for the day. While Kelly was trying to discuss with him what we needed I was holding the boys and just crying. I was so exhausted and all I could think about was the movie The Terminal where Tom Hanks’ character is stuck in the transit area of an airport.

After another hour in the police office the boys were issued one day visas and we left for our hotel. We had dinner and put the boys to bed. They were soooo tired and cranky. We were also so exhausted because by this time we had been up for 24 hours and we had only made it to Frankfurt Germany.

Friday morning we woke up and made our Chicago flight with plenty of time to spare. We got to sit in the bulkhead seats and it worked out great. We had a bassinet that hooked to the wall that the boys took naps in and there was plenty of room on the floor for them to sit and play.

We made our Louisville connections with no problems and arrived in Louisville at 5:50pm. I about started crying and I have never been so happy to be home in all my life.

From the time we woke up on Moscow and could not go back to sleep to the time we landed in Louisville it had been 48 hours of traveling. Normally, this trips is between 20-24 hours. How did we get so lucky?

Hi Everyone,

We did make it home at about 5:50pm last night. It has never felt so good to be home. I have to say I got quite emotional about it. I'll post more about your incredible crazy journey home as soon as I have a little more time.

The boys did really good last night. They went to bed at about 8pm and woke up a little after 5am this morning. We had to get up with them about 3 times in the night. They are quickly adjusting to their new environment here at home. Kristofer is being such a fabulous big brother all ready.

Jennifer and Kelly wanted everyone to know that they made their Chicago flight and should arrive in Louisville just after 6 pm as planned. They asked that you please bring your cameras!!!

We will be arriving at 6:18 p.m. in Louisville (SDF) from Chicago (ORD) on United flight 5862 tonight.

It looks like we will be in at 6:20 pm Louisville time on Friday evening....assuming there are no further delays!

We will not be leaving Moscow until 2:30pm so we will miss all connecting flights. The should be interesting because our boys are Russian Citizens and require a visa to be in Frankfurt. Lufthansa will have to work out something so we can stay in a hotel. Hopefully, we will have internet access and be able to update everyone with details. So for now it looks like we will arrive on Friday. I just don't know when yet...Stay tuned once again as the drama continues.

Well, once again we are delayed in our travels. We had issues checking in and barely made it to the plane on time. Then we sat on the plane for 40 minutes only to have them tell us we are having engine trouble and they can try to rebook us. We are now hanging out in the business class lounge in Moscow...One plus to traveling with children is they let us come here.

They are expecting our plane to take off at 11am and we are hoping to still make our connecting flight in Frankfurt to Chicago. I will call Tasha from Chicago to let her know if we made it on time and she can post another blog for those that want to meet us. Stay tuned...

Igor slept well through the night last night. Sasha tossed and turned and cried a little so we kept waking up to check on him. He is sleeping in a regular bed because he does not like sharing a crib with Igor. We just put pillows on all sides of him, but I keep worrying he will fall out of bed with the tossing and turning.

Kelly and I were awake at 2am and could not go back to sleep. We were thinking back on how different it was when we adopted Kristofer in 2004. At this stage in the game I was so over whelmed I was shut down pretty hard. I was living in a big fog. This time around I am enjoying it and if they fuss and cry it does not bother me as bad. When it is your first and they cry you feel like you have to fix something for them to make it better and that can be very stressful. Sometimes there is nothing for you to fix.

We all slept in until 10:30am. I was shocked the boys slept that long. Even though they went to bed late I thought for sure they would still wake up at their usual time of 7am. I fed them their cereal while Kelly made a trip to the supermarket. He purchased more diapers, wipes, and baby food for the trip home. I think the airlines supply baby food, but I am not about to rely on them at this point.

Jane picked us up promptly at 1:15 this afternoon and took us to the American Embassy for our appointment. All of the paperwork was processed and we now have the boys' passports, adoption and birth certificates, and the lovely sealed packet for Homeland Security when we land in the U.S. The gentleman that helped us at the Embassy was the same guy in 2004 who processed our paperwork for Kristofer’s adoption.

In 2004 when we adopted Kristofer the waiting room was packed with adopting families. This time was so different. There was only one other family there from Maryland . It was nice to chat with them while we waited for our paperwork.

The boys are napping now and Kelly went to purchase more Vodka for us to bring home. Luckily we had left 2 duffle bags in Rostov with our donations so we have bags we can check on the way home. We were trying to figure out how we would pack the vodka with out the bottles getting broken and then it dawned on me. DIAPERS! If we pack the bottles in clean diapers it will be good padding and if they get broke it will soak it up without too much mess. I am such a genius. Haha Kelly also traded 100 rubles for the liquor stores tape and a box. We should be able to get it home ok...I think.

Well, tomorrow is the day of our big trip! Jane is picking us up at 4:15am and taking us to the airport. I guess the next time I post we will be home. Waaahooo! Can’t wait to see everyone!

P.S. We still do not have any luggage and no sign of getting it. The Lufthansa site says it is still trying to track it. We are thinking we may never see that luggage again…or if we do it will be weeks from now. For those of you who are getting ready to make your 3rd trip to pick up your kids I would recommend packing a good sized carry on with the essentials you might need to bring them home. (Clothes, bottles, Benadryl, Tylenol etc.) Some of these things can be very hard to come by in Russia...Especially at a reasonable price.

Flight update:All of our paperwork has gone smoothly today and Jane said we will be clear to leave on Thursday instead of Friday. We should arrive in Louisville at 8:34pm for those that want to meet us at the airport.

We went shopping yesterday to try and find things for the boys. It proved to be a difficult task as none of the stores had anything in stock. They all said they were getting ready to put in their orders because people would be shopping for school soon. Larissa called the orphanages and let them know our luggage had been lost and we needed the boys dressed and their shoes too. They also provided us with extra shirts. We were so thankful the orphanages helped us out. We are able to find hats, but Igor’s is a tad tight.

The boys did very well on the flight to Moscow . I had Igor and he slept the whole flight. Kelly had Sasha and he shared his lunch with him so Sasha is very attached to Kelly. It is funny when Sasha cries he only wants Kelly and when Igor cries he only wants me. It is nice that they are both getting attached and not just to one parent.

Jane picked us up from the airport and took us to our hotel. We fed the boys dinner and put them to bed. They were both asleep in under 5 minutes and slept mostly through the night. Sasha woke up at about 5pm and then at almost 7am. At about 7:30 we woke up Igor because the doctor was coming to check them out for our Embassy paperwork.

The doctor did come and he is the same doctor that inspected Kristofer in 2004. He said he remembered our family name and we showed him pictures of Kristofer. He said he has had one family adopting over 16 kids and they had told him it was addicting. We have to agree. He said, “Maybe I will see you again?” and we said, “Maybe?” Doctor Boris said both boys were fit. I was a little concerned about a rash Igor has, but he said it is heat rash. His rickets causes him to sweat which causes the heat rash. The rickets should clear up as soon as we start giving him vitamin D milk and getting him into the sunshine.

It seems when the boys get a little fussy and clingy we just feed them and then it is like magic. They sit on the floor and play and talk. We had left little photo albums for them between our trips and they love to look at them. Igor says, mama, papa and ba. We are fairly certain the “ba” is his way of saying “brat” which is brother in Russian.

At noon we all took a nap and slept just over 4 hours. After we fed the boys a snack we took them for a walk down to Red Square and St. Basil’s. It was pretty comical. We had both boys in a stroller for one. They didn’t like it too much, but as long as we were moving they didn’t fuss. Sasha does not like Igor touching him. We fed the boys dinner at Red Square and then came back to the hotel. We gave them a quick rinse off bath and they cried. They do not like taking baths. We put their clothes back on them and put them to bed. We had asked Jane about buying some P.J’s for them and she said they are hard to find unless you want to pay $100 for them. We said, “No thanks. They can sleep in their clothes.”

Tomorrow we go to the Embassy!

We arrived safe and sound in Rostov at about 5pm last night. However, it would not be an Orr adoption trip without airplane drama.

We were delayed leaving Louisville because if thunderstorms in Chicago. Because of our late departure we missed our connecting flight to Frankfurt Germany. They rerouted us onto a different flight and the only seats available were first class. After she printed our tickets and we had sat down I leaned over to Kelly and said, "You know what is funny? When we were checking in at the United counter I had asked God to please give us REALLY good seats like an aisle seat and let us sit together." Nothing like a REALLY good seat in first class!

Because it was first class we got to hang out in Chicago at the first class lounge and then board directly on the plane without waiting in line. We were also served a fabulous dinner that included crab cakes, Fillet Mignon and hot fudge sundaes for dessert. It was a great anniversary dinner. First class is certainly the way to travel Trans-Atlantic. Our seats went completely flat so we were able to get a good nights sleep.

When we arrived in Rostov our luggage did not make it. Because there are so few flights into Rostov from Frankfort we are having our luggage rerouted to Moscow and it should be there when we arrive this afternoon. Larissa and Vladamir are taking us shopping to buy clothes, food and toys for the boys. Yes, all the lovely things we needed for the boys are in our checked luggage. We will just have some extra baby souvenirs from Russia.

We will be picked up today at about 10:30am and we have to finish the passports for the boys, take them to the airport to purchase tickets, go shopping and then pick up the boys in time to make our 4pm flight. We should have Internet in Moscow so I will post more when we arrive.

We returned from our second trip on Saturday after spending an extra day in Munich Germany. We really had good time touring the city. If any of you adoptive families are having layovers in Germany and have never been I would suggest adding it into your itinerary if you are able.

We are looking forward to returning to Russia to pick up our boys tomorrow the 12^th. What a day to celebrate! Not only do we get to return to pick up the boys, but it is also our 11^th anniversary! Yes, that is right. We have survived 11 wonderful years and I believe the best is yet to come.

Tomorrow we will be flying directly to Rostov from Frankfurt Germany and bypassing Moscow. From the time we leave Louisville KY until we arrive in Rostov it will be about 19 hours and 30 minutes. After missing our connecting flights on our last two trips in Germany due to issues in Chicago we have a 5 hour layover in Frankfurt. I am praying whatever delay we may encounter in Chicago will still let us make that flight. I just checked Chicago’s weather for tomorrow and they are supposed to have T-storms. Ugh, Lord help us!

Well, I am off to finish packing. Pray I don’t forget anything for the boys.

We are parents!!!...again.
The judge said, "Da-da" and "Da-da." Once for "I" and once for "S".

We went to court at 10am this morning and had a good court hearing. It was very nerve racking. We realized how stressed we were afterwards when we relaxed. I think I was more stressed going to court then to the medical clinic, which is weird for me.

Kelly did the talking for us in court and the only thing I had to answer was if I was ready to be a mother of 3 small children. The judge wanted to make sure I had people to help me too. Kelly did a great job answering the questions. Next the social worker and head doctors for each child spoke about the health conditions of the children and our interaction with them on our visits.

We all left the court room while the judge deliberated and when we returned she granted the adoptions and waived the 10 days so all the paperwork could be completed this next week. We will be able to bring the boys to Moscow on the 14th so we will be making a third trip.

We are now off to the airport!

This morning we went to visit "S" first. When we first took him he fussed a little and then went very still. Soon caregivers started walking past and talking to him. He kept wanting to go with them, but we kept him with us. After a bit he opened up and started playing with the toys we brought. He really liked to bang the cups together. We did get some smiles out of him.

His little roommates came out and went into a gazebo to play with the caregivers. We walked over and let "S" talk and play with the caregiver for a bit. We got some good video of his caregiver singing a song and "S" doing the hand motions. It was cute.

We went to see "I" this afternoon. We were hoping his group would come out and play with us, but they headed to a different part of the orphanage grounds to play. "I" was very stiff and plastered against us at first. We tried to get him to play, but it was not working so we just held him and let him get used to us for a bit.

Kelly started tickling his belly and that got a smidgen of a smile out of him. We had him walk back and forth between us and that helped too. I sat down on the carpet, with him sitting against my legs, and got out the toys. He liked to bang the cups together and try to stack them. We started stacking them and showing him how to kick them over. Eventually, I moved back just a bit and he turned to see where I was going, but was OK with not leaning against me anymore.

Soon the older kids came out and they were a hoot, but they broke my heart too. Some of them saw us and ran the other way, others cautiously approached. I had bubbles I was blowing and they loved chasing them. It was sad how the children had to fend for themselves because the caregivers could not keep their eyes on all of them at once. A couple of the boys were going around hitting the other children. A little bit later the one that got hit would sneak up behind the hitter and give him a good whack! It breaks my heart to see all of them there needing mommies and daddies.

One little boy was hitting and pushing for attention. I thought he was just naughty and would fit some of Dr. Federici's Dx's to a T. It broke my heart though because at one point he fell down and started crying. A caregiver came over to him, sat him on his feet, but did not pick him up. He fell back on the floor kicking and screaming. As soon as she picked him up and gave him some attention he was fine. I wanted to take him home and "fix" him and love him.

I fell in love with so many children today and it breaks my heart I can not take them home with me. As good and as nice as the orphanage is, it is just no place for children to live.

Tomorrow we will be checking out of our hotel and going to court at 10am. After that we will do a little paperwork and head to the airport and back to Moscow. I do not know if we will have internet access at our hotel we are staying at tomorrow, but we will post again as soon as we are able.

We got to see the boys today!

"I" has a lovely black eye. Poor little thing. They said he was playing and fell on a toy.
"I" is such a snuggle bug. He did not want to play he just wanted to be held and loved on. He was at the end of his nap and they woke him up. Seeing him was nice, but nothing to really report about.

When we went to visit "S" they got him ready and had us take him outside to a gazebo. He was in his shut-down mode and we were trying to play and interact with him. Some of the older kids came out to another gazebo and that interested him. It broke my heart because the kids were so happy to be outside, but they wanted to run around instead of being gated in the gazebo. Two of the kids ran off a bit and the caregiver went after them. One little boy was fighting about going into the gazebo so she pinched the back of his neck. He started crying and it started upsetting "S" so he put his binky in his mouth.

A little bit later his age group came out. They joined us in our gazebo and "S" turned into a completely different child. It was great! We got to see him smile, laugh, clap his hands, dance and interact with the other children. We also got his caregiver on video singing with him. It was so cute.
He said Papa! It was coming out as BaBa and the caregiver pointed out to us what he was saying. I guess when he needs something he can holler for papa first. haha

After a while I was able to get "S" to smile. When I reached out and picked him up he when stone still again. Ahhh, I guess one day he will relax with us. Both boys just need time. sigh...

Tuesday

We went to the airport early today and purchased tickets to Rostov. We had an uneventful flight here...thankfully.

Our driver and translator picked us up and we headed to "S's" orphanage. His schedule had been changed and he was sleeping so we went and checked into our hotel instead. We get to see the boys later this afternoon and we'll update you later.

Monday

We survived the medical clinic!!!

Today Jane picked us up and we went to purchase our return tickets from Rostov. After that we went to the American Medical Clinic in Moscow. I was so stressed even though I knew it was a non invasive exam. When they were ready to draw blood I was determined not to cry or friek out. I did very well thank you very much. The girl that drew the blood was very good and all I felt was the initial prick.

Jane, our translator, took us to drop off a stroller to the "P's" who had just returned from Rostov with their little boy. Our apartment was just a short distance from their hotel so we stayed and had dinner with them and walked back to our apartment afterwards.

It was great to be able to sit and chat with them. Towards the end of the meal there little guy had gotten used to us and was laughing and playing and talking. "L" asked if I wanted to hold him, and of course I did! It was so funny because as soon as I took him he froze and went into the "orphanage blank stare" and it took him a bit to warm back up. Poor little guy. He is beautiful and had adjusted to them well.

Tomorrow morning we go to Rostov.

Sunday

In Chicago our flight was delayed (of course) due to thunder storms. Our plane was coming in from Beijing and had to be in a holding pattern for an hour before it could land. By the time it came around to our gate,cleaned and ready for us to fly to Frankfurt,we were more then an hour delayed. As we were landing in Frankfurt our flight was taking off to Moscow.

We had to go out through security and try to rebook onto a different flight. They put us on standby for the next flight out and also booked us on the following flight. Luckily we were able to leave on the earliest Moscow flight.

Because if our delay into Moscow we did not have someone to pick us up from the airport. We tried using the payphones available but could not get them to work. We finally went to the information desk and thankfully they spoke English. They called our coordinator for us and she directed us to get an official taxi. Our taxi driver spoke some English and had no problems finding our apartment.

The apartment was great. It was nice, clean and comortable. We had an electric tea pot so we were able to boil water to drink. It was also nice to have a warm shower. Alla, our coordinator, told us to be ready at 2pm the next day because we had to get our medicals done and purchase flight tickets.