Day 3 with Vera, Part 1

Thursday, November 13, 2008

So, neither of us got a lot of sleep, especially me. But, we got picked up at 11 AM to go to the notary to sign papers that we wanted to officially adopt Vera. We got to the notary and our translator parked behind some cars that were parked, preventing them from being able to get out if they wanted to. I had noticed that people did this, so I asked her what happens if those people want to get out. She said that she left her cell phone number on the dash, and they will call if they need her to move. That would never fly in the States!

Ryan & me outside of the notary office.

So, we walk into a waiting area and there are offices on each side of the waiting area. Our translator goes into one for awhile and come back out and reads us the draft version of the paperwork we will sign. Everything is right except that they had Ryan as a Financial Analyst instead of an IT Analyst. We wait a little longer and then it is our turn to go into the big office. There is woman sitting behind a desk. Our translator translates the document to us and we sign the document. Then, the woman stamps the papers a few times and we are done. My translator makes a copy for us of what we just signed, not that I can read it because it is in Russian. But, I was glad to have it because it is the only document I have so far with Vera’s complete Russian name on it. The other couple that is here at the same time as us shows up at the notary about the time we are leaving and we tentatively make plans to have dinner with them at the Hard Rock Café.

Then, we are off to the orphanage to visit Vera. We got to visit her twice today, so we will go for about an hour and a half, then leave to get some lunch and come back and visit her from 2-4 PM. I was very excited to hear that we would get to see her twice, especially since we really had only spent about 2 hours with her so far.

They brought her into us and she seemed to at least recognize us. This visit was the best visit for us of all of them. I was soooo much more relaxed now that I wasn’t worried about evaluating her health. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy her. We discovered that she would love for us to kiss her, so I would play a little game with her and kiss her over and over and she would smile and giggle a bit. She won’t really let me hold her hand, so it surprised me that she liked me being in her face to kiss her. I just can’t wait to get her home and love on her!

I hate this picture of me, but I love how she has her arm around me.

The only baby clothes I had brought were the clothes we donated to the orphanage and the biggest size was 3-6 months. So, I took a couple of pieces from our donation so I could get an idea of what size Vera was. The red outfit is the one that I tried on her. It was definitely too small. Some of the clothes that she had on were 6-9 months and they were probably a bit too small. So, I am guessing that 12-18 month clothes will fit her, but may be a bit big. When I was holding her with only one layer of clothing on, it was sad how I could feel her spine so well! I can't wait to get her home and fatten her up!

We also learned on this visit that she sucks her thumb. She is adorable doing it. I am doomed to be weening children from pacifiers for the rest of my life, I think. Kiara still uses her nuky at night. I wanted to get rid of it this summer, but Ryan thought she would go cold turkey when she turned 5. Well, we were half way around the world when that happened and it hasn't been the best time to ween a child from something that comforts them since we have so many changes going on. Below is a video of me rocking my girl.