OK- so we made it to Moscow. I am so far behind right now- I’ve decided 
to post currently and have flashbacks to those first few days.
We walked to the Kremlin today with 3 other families here. I think there are currently 5 families here in this hotel, just from our agency. Crazy isn’t it? Tim was able to go out to dinner with everyone last night- they all had a blast. Elisha’s having a challenge with the time change. He is doing really well, I’m sure, for being 2, having a 4 hour time change, being with new people and being totally overwhelmed with all this new stuff.
Whoever created the stroller- thank you! What an amazing invention. We probably walked 2 or 3 miles today- our little trouper took an hour long nap and we got a pic of our sleeping baby with Mama and Papa in front of St Basil’s. Kinda bumpy over the cobble stone, but he slept through it all- until we stopped. Then he was awake the whole way home.
I’m sure this is totally normal for little ones thrown off their schedules, but my, oh my, the tantrums our little guy can throw. I wonder how much of it is not being able to communicate and how much is that he’ll be 2 in few months. I guess the amazing part is how quickly he gets over it. I’m praying Tim and I will be given the grace from God to be able to let it go as quickly. I’ve never felt the being away from home for so long as I do now. The majority of the time this experience with our child is the most amazing thing. But those few moments of temper and pushing boundaries are sooo wearying. We really can’t wait to be home. The thought of going through this time change yet again is exhausting to think about.
Yet, in all this, I know he is doing well. Somehow, he is now terrified of the bath. The last 2 nights I look at our son as we struggle to clean him and want to say, “Who are you, and what have you done with my son?” I guess it all goes back to keeping on schedule, doesn’t it?
Since he only had an hour nap in the stroller today, he was really out of control- the slightest thing and he was throwing himself down, kicking and screaming- grabbing the closest thing and if covers, jerking off, if shoes, throwing them. I wish we could communicate better.
OK- why is it when we are at that point of exhaustion that we dwell only on the negative. Our little guy can be so sweet. He loves to get our shoes for us. He likes to make sure everyone is taken care of- Papa had to have crackers and so did Mama during snack time. He loves La La- and was dancing with the music. He was an angel during our whole walk- when not sleeping, he was singing and “stroller dancing”- it was so cute.
But when we tried to put him down for a nap when we got back, due to his overall crabbiness- it took almost 40 minutes for him to finally fall asleep. I was hoping he’d sleep for about an hour and then we’d go out to dinner. I have been learning that making plans when one has little children is a feat few can successfully tackle.
Flashback:
Sunday- 3/16 Day 2 as parents
Eli woke up right on time. The schedule seems to be key in keeping him balanced. We went to breakfast by ourselves, since Tim was feeling so poorly. I was so concerned about him. Eli slept all night, but Tim was breathing as rapidly and shallowly as if he was running a marathon. He was so hot I didn’t even have to touch him to feel the heat. I laid there all night praying for him, praying for health.
After breakfast, Eli and I walked down to the lobby and I was able to introduce him to our new friend, N, who was picking Sherri up for church. She was so happy to be able to meet this little guy. I was so happy to be able to introduce them.
I asked her if she would be able to stop at the pharmacy and pick up some Bactrim for Tim. I didn’t know if it required a prescription here in Siberia, but since he had blisters on his throat, I figured we’d better get something started. She said she’d be glad to stop and check on it for us. I was so grateful.
The day was a pretty standard one for us. Play, walk, potty, eat. I was trying to keep Eli quiet and out of the room so Papa could sleep and get better. I started to get Eli ready to go outside with me for a little bit and he blew up- crying, really carrying on. I couldn’t figure out why. I looked up in our book how to say we were going outside to play- I said that to him and he was immediately fine. I think he may have thought we were taking him back. How sad- yet how exciting. He seems to love being with us.
A little more personality is coming out each day- he loves to sing. Everything is a song. Tim and I keep saying, just like his Mama and just like his Papa as he does different things. I guess it’s part of our bonding process, too.
I got the boys put down for a nap and then went to the grocery store to pick up some more supplies. I guess I lost my smile somewhere in the exhaustion (only partly :0)
And my clothes must fit the part- I had another person stop and ask me for directions, in Russian. That’s kinda fun. Feeling like I can blend in….. As long as I don’t start talking …….:0)
N was able to get the antibiotic for Tim. Sherri, God bless her heart, brought them up to us in the afternoon. It is terrible to be sick at all, but in a foreign country, the day you become a Papa. How awful!
Bathtime was another great experience. I stood him up and washed his little behind. I name all the body parts as we are washing and he imitates me and washes them several times after I give him the washcloth. Belly, feet, arms, face, hair, bottom. I have to admit, this is one of the funniest things we’ve seen so far. He pulls himself up, takes the washcloth and smacks his behind with it- to wash it. Tim and I were on floor rolling with laughter. I think we were both crying, we were laughing so hard. How amazing this journey has been so far. I am sooo thankful that God is covering us in such grace, as Tim is sick and we are suddenly parents to a toddler in a foreign land in a hotel room. God’s grace is amazing. Thank you God for supplying all our needs. Your riches are so abundant and amazing.
Back to present day-
Oh… My….. Goodness…… I think I have an inkling about part of my problem. I’ve been trying to do this mostly on my own. God has been holding me up for so long, think I’ve forgotten He’s there.
Precious Jesus. How amazing this journey is and has been. I am so thrown off my schedule it is only now sinking in that tomorrow is Easter- the day we celebrate the amazing sacrifice you made on our behalf so we could be adopted into your family. I sit here in tears as I reflect on the love you have for me. Even when I’ve acted as a child and not understood that you were being a loving parent. I may not understand, just like Eli doesn’t understand, and I may throw a fit, just as he is doing, because you don’t meet the needs I request in the timeframe I’d like and answer- thank you that you never give up.
Thank you for refining us into the purified silver you’d have us to be. May we always remember just what you made possible when you gave everything for us. Oh how I love you! I am so sorry for putting you on the back burner for a couple of days. Thank you for continuing to guide and direct us as we raise this little guy to be a son of yours as well as ours. May we worship you with our lives- not just in words!
to post currently and have flashbacks to those first few days.We walked to the Kremlin today with 3 other families here. I think there are currently 5 families here in this hotel, just from our agency. Crazy isn’t it? Tim was able to go out to dinner with everyone last night- they all had a blast. Elisha’s having a challenge with the time change. He is doing really well, I’m sure, for being 2, having a 4 hour time change, being with new people and being totally overwhelmed with all this new stuff.
Whoever created the stroller- thank you! What an amazing invention. We probably walked 2 or 3 miles today- our little trouper took an hour long nap and we got a pic of our sleeping baby with Mama and Papa in front of St Basil’s. Kinda bumpy over the cobble stone, but he slept through it all- until we stopped. Then he was awake the whole way home.
I’m sure this is totally normal for little ones thrown off their schedules, but my, oh my, the tantrums our little guy can throw. I wonder how much of it is not being able to communicate and how much is that he’ll be 2 in few months. I guess the amazing part is how quickly he gets over it. I’m praying Tim and I will be given the grace from God to be able to let it go as quickly. I’ve never felt the being away from home for so long as I do now. The majority of the time this experience with our child is the most amazing thing. But those few moments of temper and pushing boundaries are sooo wearying. We really can’t wait to be home. The thought of going through this time change yet again is exhausting to think about.
Yet, in all this, I know he is doing well. Somehow, he is now terrified of the bath. The last 2 nights I look at our son as we struggle to clean him and want to say, “Who are you, and what have you done with my son?” I guess it all goes back to keeping on schedule, doesn’t it?
Since he only had an hour nap in the stroller today, he was really out of control- the slightest thing and he was throwing himself down, kicking and screaming- grabbing the closest thing and if covers, jerking off, if shoes, throwing them. I wish we could communicate better.
OK- why is it when we are at that point of exhaustion that we dwell only on the negative. Our little guy can be so sweet. He loves to get our shoes for us. He likes to make sure everyone is taken care of- Papa had to have crackers and so did Mama during snack time. He loves La La- and was dancing with the music. He was an angel during our whole walk- when not sleeping, he was singing and “stroller dancing”- it was so cute.
But when we tried to put him down for a nap when we got back, due to his overall crabbiness- it took almost 40 minutes for him to finally fall asleep. I was hoping he’d sleep for about an hour and then we’d go out to dinner. I have been learning that making plans when one has little children is a feat few can successfully tackle.
Flashback:
Sunday- 3/16 Day 2 as parents
Eli woke up right on time. The schedule seems to be key in keeping him balanced. We went to breakfast by ourselves, since Tim was feeling so poorly. I was so concerned about him. Eli slept all night, but Tim was breathing as rapidly and shallowly as if he was running a marathon. He was so hot I didn’t even have to touch him to feel the heat. I laid there all night praying for him, praying for health.
After breakfast, Eli and I walked down to the lobby and I was able to introduce him to our new friend, N, who was picking Sherri up for church. She was so happy to be able to meet this little guy. I was so happy to be able to introduce them.
I asked her if she would be able to stop at the pharmacy and pick up some Bactrim for Tim. I didn’t know if it required a prescription here in Siberia, but since he had blisters on his throat, I figured we’d better get something started. She said she’d be glad to stop and check on it for us. I was so grateful.
The day was a pretty standard one for us. Play, walk, potty, eat. I was trying to keep Eli quiet and out of the room so Papa could sleep and get better. I started to get Eli ready to go outside with me for a little bit and he blew up- crying, really carrying on. I couldn’t figure out why. I looked up in our book how to say we were going outside to play- I said that to him and he was immediately fine. I think he may have thought we were taking him back. How sad- yet how exciting. He seems to love being with us.
A little more personality is coming out each day- he loves to sing. Everything is a song. Tim and I keep saying, just like his Mama and just like his Papa as he does different things. I guess it’s part of our bonding process, too.
I got the boys put down for a nap and then went to the grocery store to pick up some more supplies. I guess I lost my smile somewhere in the exhaustion (only partly :0)
And my clothes must fit the part- I had another person stop and ask me for directions, in Russian. That’s kinda fun. Feeling like I can blend in….. As long as I don’t start talking …….:0)
N was able to get the antibiotic for Tim. Sherri, God bless her heart, brought them up to us in the afternoon. It is terrible to be sick at all, but in a foreign country, the day you become a Papa. How awful!
Bathtime was another great experience. I stood him up and washed his little behind. I name all the body parts as we are washing and he imitates me and washes them several times after I give him the washcloth. Belly, feet, arms, face, hair, bottom. I have to admit, this is one of the funniest things we’ve seen so far. He pulls himself up, takes the washcloth and smacks his behind with it- to wash it. Tim and I were on floor rolling with laughter. I think we were both crying, we were laughing so hard. How amazing this journey has been so far. I am sooo thankful that God is covering us in such grace, as Tim is sick and we are suddenly parents to a toddler in a foreign land in a hotel room. God’s grace is amazing. Thank you God for supplying all our needs. Your riches are so abundant and amazing.
Back to present day-
Oh… My….. Goodness…… I think I have an inkling about part of my problem. I’ve been trying to do this mostly on my own. God has been holding me up for so long, think I’ve forgotten He’s there.
Precious Jesus. How amazing this journey is and has been. I am so thrown off my schedule it is only now sinking in that tomorrow is Easter- the day we celebrate the amazing sacrifice you made on our behalf so we could be adopted into your family. I sit here in tears as I reflect on the love you have for me. Even when I’ve acted as a child and not understood that you were being a loving parent. I may not understand, just like Eli doesn’t understand, and I may throw a fit, just as he is doing, because you don’t meet the needs I request in the timeframe I’d like and answer- thank you that you never give up.
Thank you for refining us into the purified silver you’d have us to be. May we always remember just what you made possible when you gave everything for us. Oh how I love you! I am so sorry for putting you on the back burner for a couple of days. Thank you for continuing to guide and direct us as we raise this little guy to be a son of yours as well as ours. May we worship you with our lives- not just in words!
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