Tuesday March 4th 2008

I wake up very early to take a hot bubble bath and enjoy the peace, after time in the tub to read and take notes of thoughts about the Buddy Walk and April 6th festival I go into journal. Max decides to wake up, so I tend to his needs for awhile while Deanie gets rest. He goes potty, gets a drink and climbs in bed with his new Mama. I go to my laptop to journal. Max is getting very energetic and testing all limits as he plays with the lights, musical knobs which he is the only one who can get the in room music to play. Everything is new to him and he is exploring the surroundings. He flips lights to the point he wakes up Deanie. She asks to be able to sleep 30 more minutes with slight smile.. I try to keep Max busy but he has so much life he starts his giggles and you will all learn he has a contagious giggle, comes from his toes. We order him breakfast of blueberry pancakes and juice. I am in need of protein so we get a plate of cheese, beautiful cheese spread. Once we get breakfast everyone slowly prepares for our trip to the Embassy to get through the interview so that Max can obtain a visa to enter the US. I haven’t blogged much about the amount of lotion we have gone through here but gallons and gallons. We pour on lotion many times a day and our skin is still so dry. The shape of my hair is dreadful. Our lips are so tight that carmex isn’t helping and actually our faces are pealing as if we have been down hill skiing since we landed. It hurts at times. Once it was noon, we noticed Max got his jacket and knew what to do to prepare to go out. He insists on his hat and seems disjointed for not having a scarf and mittens. He has knowledge of how it should be. He often makes us amazed at how smart he is, his mimicking us every day is more and more. We go down to catch the car with Alex and again no Oksana as she is sick. He takes us to the Embassy not far from the hotel. Deanie and Max are the only ones aloud in so I sit in the car for the hour visit…. Wish I would have known although I was able to list the things I need to do when I get home. Deanie comes out obviously excited, she has Max’s visa in her possession and no need to come back tomorrow. If we had plane tickets we are free to leave. We go back to the hotel for lunch. Deanie has blisters on her feet from her boots so we stop to get directions to the closest pharmacy. It is only two blocks down on the left of the front door of the hotel..there we can get Band-Aids as the hotel has none and asked her if she had with her the blisters??? A maid brought up her personal ones from her purse. How sweet!

We went to the room to refresh, I have a brainy idea to look up on plenty of fish dot com single men in Moscow…ok, it was one page, 13 men all much younger than I. Deanie rushes me out for fresh air. Max is wanting to get into every car and isn’t liking the “walk” Oh my goodness we reach the corner and cross the street and I see the log cabin building and show Deanie…LOOK we were at the corner of our hotel after all that driving and time we paid yesterday, I knew we were driving in circles… we walk the next block and the store is right there so she is able to get the supplies to help her feet. It is so strange to fight across streets as cars run red lights regularly here and drive anywhere and yes even the sidewalks. The visitors guide warns about the danger of walking street side. We see time and time again cars parked up on the side walk, many cars you have to work your way around them on the side “walk” so to speak. We walk back with Max starting to have a melt down wanting to get into cars and throwing tantrums when we make him continue to walk. He makes it back to the hotel so we take him up for some rest. Deanie does some on line shopping for summer clothes for Max to be at the house when they return and to check on airplane tickets available for us to get home early. The TV is all about Clinton and Obama and that stupid commercial,, we all know neither will answer the phone no matter what time of the day it is.. We are so sick of hearing about this as the channels here are so limited. They have Kiosks all over the sidewalks with Liquor, fresh fruits and DVD’s now we know why. Grab and go to catch the transit home. Well they do have cigarettes, nude magazines and munchies items but noticeably the alcohol and DVD’s are favored. Back in the room for the night Deanie opens the court documents and begins to read. Max has DAWNS syndrome, not a typo as each time mentioned it is this. They go on to say that because he has this DISEASE the Mother gave him up at birth and because of this DISEASE there is no possible chance of him being adopted by a Russian family. They state in the court records because Deanie is a strong mature women who owns an automobile and has her own house she would make a good Mother for Max. It states that Max must leave right away so he doesn’t fall ill while still in Russia so they waved the ten day waiting period. The court documents reek of their view on people with disabilities not being worthy. It is scary for all the children we leave behind so our mission grows more personal for me. With 90% abortion rate for people who learn through the tests they are carrying an unborn baby with down syndrome in the US this may be a good thing that Russia isn’t killing them in uterus and so many families will raise them if given the opportunity. We need to open the opportunity which is our mission. Although the active little boy who has invaded our room makes me wonder.. not really., he is so curious, you can see he has had limited access to the normal parts of a home, THE TOILET oh my goodness everything has been found in the toilet. He uses hair brushes as multi use weapons to attack balloons, brush the floor, rub mirrors, and yes swirl water in the toilet, then try to brush our hair. He is Russian very frugal and the use of one object is multi purpose.

We plan to sight see starting the morning as we are free of all appointments. We want to do some walking tours, not sure how Max will do without a stroller. Red Square, Bolshoi Theatre and the Pushkin Statue will be good photo ops with the Yeliseyevsky shop near the statue of Dolgorusky a place I can get the last items requested from the kids a home. I would love to see the Church of the Resurrection and Conservatory by Manezh Square. All that is about 2 hours though… I haven’t been to the Kremlin’s savior tower and would like to get there this trip, St Basil’s and Lenin’s Mausoleum is close although so much joking about KGB it might be a fun photo there…in this pace we would need to hire a private driver and with out someone recommending I am not trusting to go that route again.

A late phone call from the agency in CA states Deanie must register Max here although law says she doesn’t have to but she will do that in the morning and we will stay. So we will be picked up at 9:20 am. It appears people say they will register their child once they get them into the US and do not do it so it looks bad upon the agency. This way they hold control and if Deanie is right, to spend more money here. It looks like there are seat open to return on Thursday is we can go.

Oksana calls to say they want her to register here and asks if she has the Moscow payment $650.00. a fee Deanie is unaware of. She paid $650 to the Doctor and Embassy yesterday but actual more like $690.00. Making us stay is two more days in the hotel at $500.00 a night and the daily costs of being here (3 of us)

Dinner comes at 8:30 pm which Max tried Penne with some excellent white sauce with ham and mushrooms which he has difficulty stopping to eat when he is full. He is tired and has the fear of not having food tomorrow like this I am sure. He looks at it, looks around with such sleepy eyes and fighting to give in. He ends up sith a tummy ache from over eating. You can see the fight to swallow so Deanie has to take control and end the meal, potty, brush teeth and PJ’s so he can get to bed. DRAMA tears for a short time and he is out.

In the night I hear Deanie on the phone in the other room; she said Max is sick, his fever is high and he can not sleep. Deanie is on the phone with DELTA and they want the agency in New York we booked through to make the changes. She catches some employees still at the office in New York after hours and they hear her out and stay to help. The e-ticket is done and we are set to leave in the morning. We get a couple hours sleep. Down for breakfast, checkout.