ahl-LO oht Tver!

Thank you to everyone that sent us their comments yesterday. It really put a smile on our faces today reading them. We miss all of you!

Well, after writing the blog last night, we went to dinner and met 4 other American families in the hotel- 1 of which was from the Poconos and the other from York, PA. All of them had done a summer hosting program and were adopting older kids- 6-7 years of age. It was great talking to them! We even ate with another couple from Boston, Paul & Sherry. We then retired to our room at around 10:30, read for a while, and then crashed. We had an early appt. today and had to be up at 6 AM.

We drove to the Baby House in Kashin again today to visit with Alex and meet Dr. Victoria K. She was an ENORMOUS help! She got more information from the orphanage officials and was able to go through all of his records. This poor little guy has been through so much. Some of the health information was overwhelming to say the least. We got some positive results and a few more issues to contend with. It was extremely overwhelming for Scott and I at the orphanage today. After the doctor's examination, we were given time alone with Alex and then was asked to make our decision. Let me just say, many tears were shed.

After they came back in to take Alex for dinner (lunch for us), Scott and I took a walk outside to talk things through. We discussed the doctor's findings, Alex's most recent test results from April (which we did not have previously), and whether we could make such a committment to this child. In our minds we knew that we could say "no" and ask for a different referral, but something kept us focused on him. In the end, the doctor was leaving to go back to Moscow and came over to us outside. She asked us if we were scared. Our response, "Of course." She then said to us, "I am not here to tell to you accept or decline a referrral. My job is to present you with all the facts. He is not the best referral I have seen, but is certainly not the worst. I hope that I have helped." Somehow, this conversation seemed to calm us.

So, after a few more minutes of debating, Scott and I went in and accepted Alex as our son. Yes, we realize this is going to be an incredible challenge. Yes, we realize there may be many health issues to deal with down the line. But, we are holding on to the fact that he has made large gains since October in height and weight.....that he is able to understand and follow directions....that he can stand up, walk, and run....that he can feed himself and drink from a cup...and that he is developmentally sharp and seems very intelligent. We honestly feel that with the proper nurishment, medical care, support, and love, we can give a wonderful life to him (and us!).
Call it a leap of faith- but we are in love with this little guy!

Following our trip to the Baby House, we then went directly to a notary and signed off on some acceptance papers. We will be getting call later tonight as to what time our meeting with the judge is tomorrow. This meeting will set our return date, which we have been told only takes a month in this region. We will fill you in with this information as soon as we get it :)

As of now, Scott and I are sitting here enjoying a Russian beer called...Афанасий which translates into Fafyfcbq. Yeah, exactly!!!! In any case, it's pretty good. We plan to go to the diningroom soon for another Russian specialty (which, by the way- everything has some form of egg on it, in it, around it). For example, last night Scott had a pork chop, which came with an egg and cheese pancake surrounding it. I had a chicken breast smoothered in eggs and cheese. Bizarre, what can I say.

Enjoy the pictures! The one is of the orphanage and it's playground. One is a nearby house across the street from the hotel. Another is of the hotel. Last, we included a picture of the shopping district here in Tver.

Until tomorrow- Dah zahv-trah!
lots of love,
Cathy & Scott