After suffering from what I thought was anxiety for 2 days it turns out I had the flu and I was down until the day we left, I spent the last 3 days before we left for Russia in bed. I had things that had to be done like packing our clothes, last minute things we needed for our trip. I did manage to get most of them done but I didn’t get the house cleaned like I wanted to, oh well, it could have been worse. I did forget a few things but nothing of importance more just for convenience. I wanted to bring some movies to pass the time but I forgot my DVD case that was lying right next to my suitcases. I forgot panty-hose to wear with my skirt for court. It could have been a lot worse, at least I remembered everything that I wanted to bring for Logan beside the lovie I bought for him a while back that I have been sleeping with.

It was funny when we were checking in at the airport in Detroit we started talking to these older women in line in front of us and they asked if we were going for a vacation or work and Jeff told them we needed to pick someone up to fill our stroller. One of them got it right away and the other it took her a second but it was very funny, leave it to my witty husband J.

We met up with Kim and Lance in Kemerovo on Wednesday morning, we did see them for about 15 minutes in Moscow but they had to take a different airline to Kemerovo because Aeroflot was full. We had thought we would meet up with them in New York and fly to Moscow but the ended up getting a direct flight from Atlanta. WOW, that flight from New York to Moscow was soooooo long, Jeff and I decided we really liked flying to Amsterdam having a short lay-over and then on to Moscow it really just breaks the flight up nice 11 hours straight is really yucky and on the way home it is going to be like 13, YIKES!

When we landed in Kemerovo on Weds. morning our translator Svetlana was at the airport waiting for us and Kim and Lance came in about 30 minutes behind us so we just waited for them. While waiting I started asking questions about when we will go and see our boys, we had hoped that same day because our flights came in so early but we just were not sure. Svetlana said not until either after court on Thursday or Friday morning if court took to long. Well there was no way that we had just traveled that long and not seen them for 11 weeks that we wanted to wait until Friday so I started to beg to please take us today. Well she pulled it off, THANKS, Svetlana!!!!!!

On Wednesday afternoon they picked us up and we drove for 3 hours to go see our boys. Last time we came to meet Logan we stayed in Novokuznetsk, this time we had to stay in Kemerovo because that is where court is and it is a long drive. Novo is a city in the state of Kemerovo, like Detroit is a city in the state of Michigan. When we got to the baby-house after a very bumpy ride we just could not wait to see them. They brought Jack in first, that is the K & Ls son, he is just a cutie, of course I was dying to see Logan and a few seconds later they opened the door and there he stood holding the finger of his care taker. It was great to see him walking by himself. Poor baby, he took one look at us and got all scared, like who the heck are all of these people. He started to cry so I just picked him up and loved on him, after a few seconds he stopped crying, he knows that in the baby-house crying does not get you any where so why bother, well we hope that changes fast.

Dr. Lubmilla only let us spend about an hour with them because she knows it is a long drive back and she wanted us fresh for court Thursday morning. None of us cared at least we were with our sons and able to love on them for a few minutes, 11 weeks is a very long time to not see your baby. Logan didn’t seem to be feeling very well but he warmed up to us much faster than last time. Once I started tapping on my chest with his hand and saying Mama a light turned on and I think he remembered me, after that he was smiling and laughing very easily. He is so darn cute. I think he may have lost a few pounds since our last visit, I know once they learn to walk they usually loose a few and I think maybe the Chicken Pox may have gotten him also, poor baby.

Our visit with the boys went fast but it sure was great to hold them, the 6 hour round trip drive, 16 hours in air, 14 hours of layovers and the 12 hour time change seems like nothing, he is definitely worth every once of jet lag. J


Ready For Court?

All we could do was be our selves and try to be as honest as possible and it worked. We had court on Thursday September 21st at 10:00 AM along with K&L. Of course our agency didn’t care who went first so the only logical thing to do was flip a coin. We both wanted to get it done and over with, you see, both of our families have been trying to adopt for 2 years now and this was it, it was going to be over after court. Jeff flipped, Lance called and they won, bummer for us but there court proceedings lasted a whole 25 minutes and they were pronounced the legal parents of their son and then it was our turn. It has been so wonderful being here with them, we met them on trip one.
Kim and I had chatted a few times online and made plans to meet up for dinner in Moscow on our way out of Russia as they were coming in. We had a feeling we would be traveling back together and that is exactly what has happened. Kim and I have talked on the phone at least once a week since we got home and I know we have built a lifelong friendship, besides our boys are from the same place and it will be nice for them to be able to share that growing up.

We walked in nervous as hell, although we we’re well prepared by Svetlana, the outcome of our families future was in a judges hands who we could not understand, Svetlana did an awesome job of translating everything for us. The courtroom consisted of the judge, a prosecutor, the court reporter and the social worker we met on our first trip that both of our families have affectionately nicknamed Stinky, J she actually is a very nice Russian woman with some really bad BO and a lot of gold teeth, we are told in Russia that is a sign of power, I would rather not have the power and stick with the white ones. J

Any ways, court was quick and painless, it lasted about 20-25 minutes and they pronounced Jeff and I the legal parents of Logan Vladimir Jarema. They waived the
10- day waiting period because of a Chicken Pox outbreak at the baby-house. What does that mean? Well, Jeff and I get to go pick up Logan first thing in the morning on Friday along with K&L. Ours and our sons life is going to be forever changed at about 10:00 am on Friday, September 22, 2006.

Look, there’s our lucky number 22 again.