4 down 6 to go
Saturday in Siberia
This morning we decided to sleep in. That is I let Dee Dee sleep in and I went downstairs to get new Wi-Fi card. They charge you by the 100mb of transfered data. I am not sure actually how it is calculated but I know you better turn off you automatic downloads or you will burn through it in 20 minutes. We also use one card every day or two so they are making money on the Americans. Anyway, I came back up to the room and checked e-mails and responded to them and looked around the www to see what is going on out there. It sounds like the same thing when I left. This guy killed that guy, or his family, traffic, car wrecks, countries fighting, our government trying to give free hand outs, take more taxes, tell companies how they can and cannot be run, giving them money and then spend more on God know what that won’t solve the problems that face us today.
Sorry about that I am bored and the only thing TV I watch over here is BBC news, German News and Bloomberg. So needless to say I have OD’d on news lately. The positive is I have been enlightened to other perspectives on how our country works and how other countries work. And with everyone bad talking the US for some reason, I still get the strong inclination that they would all rather live in the US with us. Sorry I got back on the soap box again.
Back to Siberia, there is not much going on here today as you can already tell. We did work out after breakfast and did this new Body flow – Yoga exercise. It crushed me. I did not realize what a workout that was, and I love it. Low impact and you sweat the whole time. We ate a light lunch and then watched the movie Crank. I don’t know if any of you have seen it but it is NOT for the faint of heart. But for those of you who liked Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels you will love it. I forgot, last night we were feeling a little home sick so we watched Sweet Home Alabama. Even though the accents are the worst ever and it was filmed in Tenn. I still enjoyed the movie and it made me feel a little better.
We just got up from a short 30 min nap and decided that since tonight is the last night we will not have the responsibility of a child on a Saturday, we are going to have a few cocktails. I think we are going to go have a nice diner and a little wine along with a Stella Artois or 3 and call it a night. By the way the beer over here comes in big bottles and cans. I don’t know why but I love it.
I think after dinner we are going to come back up to the room and watch one more movie. I don’t know what it will be and I know most of you don’t care. But it is between The Notebook and the Boondock Saints Unrated Version. Again one is for everyone one is not. I will let you decide which is which. I hope everyone had a great Friday Nights Sleep and we look forward to a more eventful Sunday over here. I think we may go explore and eat out tomorrow night. The weather is going down to -38c on Monday so we will not be able to leave. Talk to you all soon
Brad and Dee Dee
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Day 3 and 7 to go
Magic
Day 3 and 7 to go.
Today started off the same way the last couple have. We woke up went to breakfast and ate too much. We skipped working out today because we are so sore. We came back to the room and took showers and got ready to go see Alex. We were a little concerned that we might no see him today because the temperature outside is -30c or -26f. Cars don’t like to start when it is that cold outside so we were praying that our driver was going to make it. About 9:00 we were downstairs and a 1992 silver Banra pulls up and Alexander is ready to go. We were so excited that he decided to drive.
We go to the orphanage around 10am and went upstairs and waited on Alex. He came right in with a slight grin on his face and walked straight to Dee Dee and me. It was such a special feeling. It is if he is starting to recognize us. Even if it is as the two people he does not understand but give him all the attention, I am ok with that. Anyway, we brought him a new toy today, and unlike the bear it did not scare the crap out of him. We gave him his first cell phone. It teaches children numbers, shapes and how to say hello in different languages. It also makes a lot of noise, the best feature.
Not to bore you with the trivial parts, but he did walk around and talk on it and like to play with the puppets. Now to the GREAT stuff. His little class came into the room while we were there and they did sing a long. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. All these little kids having so much fun, considering their circumstances was so special. A few minutes later that group of kids left and a new group entered. That is when he walked over and started showing off his new phone. He only wanted to show it though, no one could touch it.
We enjoyed our time with him so much today. It will go down as my favorite so far. I felt so blessed when I watched Dee Dee and him playing, and for the first time he was all smiles. He let both of us pick him up and play with him and hug on him and tickle him and just all around be his parents. He was running around happy and wanted to play with Dee Dee and me as much as possible. Not one more than the other like before, but just which ever one of us was standing there he wanted to play with. At the end of the session today his main caregiver was in the room playing the piano and Dee Dee, Alex and I were in the floor playing. I was telling Alex to give something to his mama and he stopped and tapped me on the head twice and said DaDa. Now either he was agreeing with me that Dee Dee was his mother, which is very special, or he was calling me DaDa. Now most children in Russia say Papa, but I am going to pretend that he knows a little English. A few moments later his caregiver came over and said it was time to go eat and take a nap. At least that is what I could decipher from her hand gestures. I look down at that point and Alex has put his head down and crawled in my lap. It almost broke my heart. He wanted to stay and play with us. Unfortunately, we had to go so he got up and waved by to both of us and he was gone until next week.
We are so looking forward to next week to see him. I think we are making great progress with him and he is starting to become aware of what is going on. We are now back in the room and have eaten lunch and watched a movie. Dee Dee is taking a nap and I wish I could but I want to sleep soundly tonight because last night I did not sleep well at all. I hope all is well back at home and we look forward to more good news next week. It is now Friday and the weekend and we are ready to party. Just kidding there is nothing to do. I did get wonderful new this evening that our trip to see Alex will not be Monday, due to the fact that the temp is going down to -39c. I cannot wait. That is so cold your breath freezes to your face, and you just walk around with a permafrost cloud in front of you.
We love you all and thanks for all of the e-mails and support it does make us laugh and keeps us going. We look forward every morning to reading your e-mails.
Love
Brad and Dee Dee
Day 3 and 7 to go.
Today started off the same way the last couple have. We woke up went to breakfast and ate too much. We skipped working out today because we are so sore. We came back to the room and took showers and got ready to go see Alex. We were a little concerned that we might no see him today because the temperature outside is -30c or -26f. Cars don’t like to start when it is that cold outside so we were praying that our driver was going to make it. About 9:00 we were downstairs and a 1992 silver Banra pulls up and Alexander is ready to go. We were so excited that he decided to drive.
We go to the orphanage around 10am and went upstairs and waited on Alex. He came right in with a slight grin on his face and walked straight to Dee Dee and me. It was such a special feeling. It is if he is starting to recognize us. Even if it is as the two people he does not understand but give him all the attention, I am ok with that. Anyway, we brought him a new toy today, and unlike the bear it did not scare the crap out of him. We gave him his first cell phone. It teaches children numbers, shapes and how to say hello in different languages. It also makes a lot of noise, the best feature.
Not to bore you with the trivial parts, but he did walk around and talk on it and like to play with the puppets. Now to the GREAT stuff. His little class came into the room while we were there and they did sing a long. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. All these little kids having so much fun, considering their circumstances was so special. A few minutes later that group of kids left and a new group entered. That is when he walked over and started showing off his new phone. He only wanted to show it though, no one could touch it.
We enjoyed our time with him so much today. It will go down as my favorite so far. I felt so blessed when I watched Dee Dee and him playing, and for the first time he was all smiles. He let both of us pick him up and play with him and hug on him and tickle him and just all around be his parents. He was running around happy and wanted to play with Dee Dee and me as much as possible. Not one more than the other like before, but just which ever one of us was standing there he wanted to play with. At the end of the session today his main caregiver was in the room playing the piano and Dee Dee, Alex and I were in the floor playing. I was telling Alex to give something to his mama and he stopped and tapped me on the head twice and said DaDa. Now either he was agreeing with me that Dee Dee was his mother, which is very special, or he was calling me DaDa. Now most children in Russia say Papa, but I am going to pretend that he knows a little English. A few moments later his caregiver came over and said it was time to go eat and take a nap. At least that is what I could decipher from her hand gestures. I look down at that point and Alex has put his head down and crawled in my lap. It almost broke my heart. He wanted to stay and play with us. Unfortunately, we had to go so he got up and waved by to both of us and he was gone until next week.
We are so looking forward to next week to see him. I think we are making great progress with him and he is starting to become aware of what is going on. We are now back in the room and have eaten lunch and watched a movie. Dee Dee is taking a nap and I wish I could but I want to sleep soundly tonight because last night I did not sleep well at all. I hope all is well back at home and we look forward to more good news next week. It is now Friday and the weekend and we are ready to party. Just kidding there is nothing to do. I did get wonderful new this evening that our trip to see Alex will not be Monday, due to the fact that the temp is going down to -39c. I cannot wait. That is so cold your breath freezes to your face, and you just walk around with a permafrost cloud in front of you.
We love you all and thanks for all of the e-mails and support it does make us laugh and keeps us going. We look forward every morning to reading your e-mails.
Love
Brad and Dee Dee
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Day 2 - 8 to go
Ok, this is going to be a short blog. This will be the 3rd time I have written this blog so far. For some reason the blog site deleted it twice before. I am now tired of writing. The first one had lots for funny quips and satire. The second time I wrote there were less but still funny. Now my fingers hurt.
So today was like the last couple of days, actually it was the last couple of days except it did go by faster. The only thing different was Dee Dee did laundry. Now we have wool socks that don’t smell like hot wet garbage. We did get a great night sleep last night and sleep till 6am this morning. If any of you have every seen the movie Groundhog Day, this is it. I hope everyone is doing great. Keep the e-mails coming, we get bored and it gives us stuff to do. We just finish our 2nd workout today and now are going to eat. Talk to you all soon. I hope!
Brad
So today was like the last couple of days, actually it was the last couple of days except it did go by faster. The only thing different was Dee Dee did laundry. Now we have wool socks that don’t smell like hot wet garbage. We did get a great night sleep last night and sleep till 6am this morning. If any of you have every seen the movie Groundhog Day, this is it. I hope everyone is doing great. Keep the e-mails coming, we get bored and it gives us stuff to do. We just finish our 2nd workout today and now are going to eat. Talk to you all soon. I hope!
Brad
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Day 1, 9 more to go...
Today is the first day of the 10 day wait before we get Alex. We woke up around 4:30 this morning. We are still trying to get acclimated to the time change over here. It did not help that last night we took a three hour nap at 4:00. I guess we were so tired from the process and needed sleep. Anyway, around 5am we worked out. We walked down the hall to the stairwell and went up and down about 6 flights for 30 minutes. We came back to the room after walking the halls for a few and got the rubber bands out and put in the DVD. It is a 30 min workout. It was good, nice morning exercise.
After a light workout we went downstairs for breakfast. I was so excited, they had these fried chicken or beef mush things. I had them the last time I was here they are great. I finally got some protein, everything here are carbs. We got some tea to go, and headed back to the room. We read everyone’s e-mails and notes (keep them coming) and took showers and decided to got out. It is about -20ish again and the temp is dropping. We walked back down to the toy store, which is about 5 or 6 blocks away. Last time we went down there we only went in the upstairs, come to find out it is 3 floors. We went down in the basement and found a stroller and a potty for Alex. They were pretty cheap so it was worth while to go ahead and get them here rather than Moscow. We came back to the room and the maids were cleaning, so we dropped the stuff off and headed back out.
It is amazing after you are outside for a little while you kind-of get used to the freezing weather. I have learned that Russians don’t walk around looking mad cause they don’t like us or anyone for that matter, it is because their faces are frozen that way. I have met a few people out that are very nice and laugh it is just to cold to smile outside, your mouth would freeze open, and that would just look funny. We went to the grocery store and bought a few more supplies for the next day or so. We try not to buy too much so that we have and excuse to go out again. We also got some tips on a few stores that we may want to visit in the next couple of days. And we did find a few places to eat.
We came back to the room around lunch time and searched for things to do. We decided to play cards and eat dinner in the bar around 4-6pm but in between we did not know what to do. Well we decided to listen to one of the sermons from Church of Brookhills. Before we left Dee Dee downloaded about 6 random sermons of David Platt’s to listen to while in Russia. Well I don’t know what you all believe but Dee Dee and I do believe in God and believe that sometimes he is speaking to you if you are listening. We today we did not have to try real hard to listen. The first random sermon I chose for us to listen to was a sermon about adoption. It was incredible, I want to challenge everyone who is reading this to take one hour out of there day and listen to this sermon. It will give you insight into where we are coming from as parents and your relationship with God and Jesus. I am not normally one to preach but this is really good. Please go to this link http://www.brookhills.org/media/page_audio_chrono_2008.htm and choose (Free as Sons on 12-21-2008), you really will enjoy it.
Anyway after bible study Dee Dee and I played cards for a while, I think she beat me in Rummy about 6 hands/games in a row. I don’t think I want to play anymore with her. We just got back from dinner and now are going to watch a movie and try to stay awake until 9 so we can sleep all night long. It has been very difficult today to find things to do. We get so bored. So if anyone has any great card games or fun ideas you think we can do to kill time let us know. We are open to suggestions.
Thanks
Brad
DD’s input:
First off, for the morning exercise, we go up and down and up and down stairs that are not up to code on the height and some of them even slope the wrong way. One step might be really short and the next really tall. You really have to be careful, but we are desperate to get our heart rate up even if it is for just an hour a day. As we were going up and down the stairs (these are the emergency exit stairs, not the main stairs that most people use) we see poo poo on about every landing. It looked like maybe cat poo…I just really hope it isn’t a big rat that is living in the building…ICKY! This morning after the steps, we did the rubber band workout again and it was pretty hard. We do not have much space, so Brad and I moved the bed up next to the wall so we had a couple of more feet of room. It is pretty funny watching us “step touch” to the video in a 5’x 5’ space. I made sure to shut the curtains b/c if anyone saw us, they would think we are crazy. We have an office building about 30 yards from our window and you can see everything that they are doing over there.
On the breakfast buffet, they have about 5 potato dishes (potato pancakes, potato squares, potato muffins, mashed potatoes…you name it and they have it if it is a potato). Most of the rest of the meal includes a lot of different kinds of breads and pastries. Brad and I eat a bowl of cereal every morning just to throw something semi healthy into the plate of carbs. The cereal is good, but they keep the milk at room temperature. Matter of fact they do not like their drinks cold here at all. I had white wine in the bar tonight and it was room temperature. (Bob – You would not like it at all.) I do not think they even know what an ice cube is over here…Dusty would go broke.:) I guess they are so cold from being outside that they do not want to have anything to with the cold when they drink.
We are starting to get cabin fever and we get really bored. We are going to try to stick to a schedule so we can plan our days better. We might start trying to workout twice a day instead of once and that will take up another hour. I have never tried to waste a day like I do here. If I could take a pill and wake up 10 days later, I would do it. I would be MUCH happier if it were warm outside and we could really go explore. Our interpreter did tell us that there is a ski slope about 20 minutes from here and she said it was one of the best in Russia. Maybe we can talk our driver into taking us…That might be a little difficult since he doesn’t speak any English. Oh well, keep the e-mails coming b/c they really help lift our spirits.
DD
After a light workout we went downstairs for breakfast. I was so excited, they had these fried chicken or beef mush things. I had them the last time I was here they are great. I finally got some protein, everything here are carbs. We got some tea to go, and headed back to the room. We read everyone’s e-mails and notes (keep them coming) and took showers and decided to got out. It is about -20ish again and the temp is dropping. We walked back down to the toy store, which is about 5 or 6 blocks away. Last time we went down there we only went in the upstairs, come to find out it is 3 floors. We went down in the basement and found a stroller and a potty for Alex. They were pretty cheap so it was worth while to go ahead and get them here rather than Moscow. We came back to the room and the maids were cleaning, so we dropped the stuff off and headed back out.
It is amazing after you are outside for a little while you kind-of get used to the freezing weather. I have learned that Russians don’t walk around looking mad cause they don’t like us or anyone for that matter, it is because their faces are frozen that way. I have met a few people out that are very nice and laugh it is just to cold to smile outside, your mouth would freeze open, and that would just look funny. We went to the grocery store and bought a few more supplies for the next day or so. We try not to buy too much so that we have and excuse to go out again. We also got some tips on a few stores that we may want to visit in the next couple of days. And we did find a few places to eat.
We came back to the room around lunch time and searched for things to do. We decided to play cards and eat dinner in the bar around 4-6pm but in between we did not know what to do. Well we decided to listen to one of the sermons from Church of Brookhills. Before we left Dee Dee downloaded about 6 random sermons of David Platt’s to listen to while in Russia. Well I don’t know what you all believe but Dee Dee and I do believe in God and believe that sometimes he is speaking to you if you are listening. We today we did not have to try real hard to listen. The first random sermon I chose for us to listen to was a sermon about adoption. It was incredible, I want to challenge everyone who is reading this to take one hour out of there day and listen to this sermon. It will give you insight into where we are coming from as parents and your relationship with God and Jesus. I am not normally one to preach but this is really good. Please go to this link http://www.brookhills.org/media/page_audio_chrono_2008.htm and choose (Free as Sons on 12-21-2008), you really will enjoy it.
Anyway after bible study Dee Dee and I played cards for a while, I think she beat me in Rummy about 6 hands/games in a row. I don’t think I want to play anymore with her. We just got back from dinner and now are going to watch a movie and try to stay awake until 9 so we can sleep all night long. It has been very difficult today to find things to do. We get so bored. So if anyone has any great card games or fun ideas you think we can do to kill time let us know. We are open to suggestions.
Thanks
Brad
DD’s input:
First off, for the morning exercise, we go up and down and up and down stairs that are not up to code on the height and some of them even slope the wrong way. One step might be really short and the next really tall. You really have to be careful, but we are desperate to get our heart rate up even if it is for just an hour a day. As we were going up and down the stairs (these are the emergency exit stairs, not the main stairs that most people use) we see poo poo on about every landing. It looked like maybe cat poo…I just really hope it isn’t a big rat that is living in the building…ICKY! This morning after the steps, we did the rubber band workout again and it was pretty hard. We do not have much space, so Brad and I moved the bed up next to the wall so we had a couple of more feet of room. It is pretty funny watching us “step touch” to the video in a 5’x 5’ space. I made sure to shut the curtains b/c if anyone saw us, they would think we are crazy. We have an office building about 30 yards from our window and you can see everything that they are doing over there.
On the breakfast buffet, they have about 5 potato dishes (potato pancakes, potato squares, potato muffins, mashed potatoes…you name it and they have it if it is a potato). Most of the rest of the meal includes a lot of different kinds of breads and pastries. Brad and I eat a bowl of cereal every morning just to throw something semi healthy into the plate of carbs. The cereal is good, but they keep the milk at room temperature. Matter of fact they do not like their drinks cold here at all. I had white wine in the bar tonight and it was room temperature. (Bob – You would not like it at all.) I do not think they even know what an ice cube is over here…Dusty would go broke.:) I guess they are so cold from being outside that they do not want to have anything to with the cold when they drink.
We are starting to get cabin fever and we get really bored. We are going to try to stick to a schedule so we can plan our days better. We might start trying to workout twice a day instead of once and that will take up another hour. I have never tried to waste a day like I do here. If I could take a pill and wake up 10 days later, I would do it. I would be MUCH happier if it were warm outside and we could really go explore. Our interpreter did tell us that there is a ski slope about 20 minutes from here and she said it was one of the best in Russia. Maybe we can talk our driver into taking us…That might be a little difficult since he doesn’t speak any English. Oh well, keep the e-mails coming b/c they really help lift our spirits.
DD
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
WE ARE PARENTS
What a wonderful day! We woke up this morning around 6:30 after a pretty peaceful night sleep. We worked out with Dee Dee's rubberbands and some video. It was a little difficult being that our room is an oversized closet, but we managed. We took showers, ate breakfast and reviewed our information for court. About 10am we went downstairs and met Ludmillia our interpetor and went to the court house.
We sat at the court house for about an hour. We were supposed to go in about 10:30 but it was almost 11:00 before we went in. We walked down this very small hallway and staircase, it seemed like they were made for hobbits. We finnally settled in this small rooom with a few desks in it and an official of the country and a note taker. The Judge entered a few moments later we all stood and Dee Dee and I introduced ourselves and what we did for a living. I must say I was a little nervous in the begining. The Judge asked us who would speak for the family and I said I would.
She begain asking me the normal questions then a few were more difficult. The main problem for me was that it was 11o degrees in there and I was sweating and I thought I might pass out. It was -25c today so I had thermals under my suit so I was super hot and it was not good. Anyway she asked me about 90% of the questions and then I sat and Dee Dee stood and got the other 10%. We then left the room for about 5 min. and then were reintroduce to the room, the Judge read her report and then we were told we were now the parents of Peter Alexander. We are so excited. We just came back to the Hotel and had lunch in the Bar and a few celebration drinks. We are going to take it easy for a few hours and then head back down to the Bar for dinner and drinks.
Dee Dee and I could not be more excited to have this opportunity. Alex is so special to us already. We cannot wait to make him a part of our family. We want him to grow to know how special he is to us and how we searched the whole world for him. We get to see him again on Friday and couple of times next week. He will be brought to our hotel next Friday and then he is ours forever. We are going to try and take it easy the next couple of days.
Dee Dee and I want to thank everyone for there support and prayers for the last year. We are so thankful to have such great friends and family. You all have a special place in our hearts and Alex grows old I am sure he will love you all.
Talk to you soon,
Brad and Dee Dee
Monday, January 26, 2009
Alex's Birthday
January 26, 2008 Alex Duffy's 2nd Birthday
Brad's Blog
We had a slight emergency last night. We were told that we need to get photos of Alex’s finished room. Which tough to do since we are across the planet, so my Dad and Dee Dee’s Mom went over to the house and took some great photos. So thank you both for doing it, they look great.
We woke up around 4:30 this morning after a fair night sleep. There were some Russian and American wrestlers staying here, who were up late partying. But fortunately it did not last to long. We went downstairs for breakfast around 6ish. Not bad today. They had cereal, eggs of some sort of, some mush, that Dee Dee said tasted familiar, beef stew, mashed potatoes and donuts along with breads and tea and coffee. We came back to the room got showered and ran down the street to the grocery store to try and find something good for Alex for his birthday. The weather today is warmer today -8c or 17f. Not to bad for neighborhood walks.
We came back to the room and packed up his toys and candy and went downstairs to meet our translator and driver at 8:30 am. We went over to the orphanage and played with Alex for about 2 hrs. I am not going to go in depth because Dee Dee talks about it below. He did warm up to us after about 10 min and towards the end of the time he would let Dee Dee put him on the slide and I would catch him at the bottom and throw him up in the air. He loved it. It was nice to be able to hold him a little, he is still does not like to be touched. The best part was when he left, the house mom was telling him to wave by to his momma and papa and he started waving and said papa. It was so sweet. I wanted to go grab him. It breaks my heart to leave him for another 10 days or so.
After the orphanage we had to go get the photos printed for court tomorrow. Our translator went with us to help out. We walked in to a Kodak place similar to Wolf Camera. We put or media stick into the machine and that is where it went crazy. First, the machine we used would not work. So after standing in line a couple of minutes she told us to use the other one. So we redid the process and still no pictures. After about another 15 min in line, she tells us they will print shortly. Shortly was 5 min and our translators patience had shortly worn out. A man came over and the machine was out of ink. They changed the ink and the first picture was ours but the next 15 of a naked women, were not. It was a little embarrassing to sit there photo after photo and say “not mine”. The translator thought it was real funny. Anyway after our photos finally came out Dee Dee and I walked down the street to a buffet restaurant and had lunch and now are about to take a nap and prepare for court tomorrow.
I am a little nervous about it. This is the final deal, the yes or the no. And I will have to do most of the talking. I guess I am going to have to pull out those “used car salesman” skills and woo her (the judge). We will update again after court wish us luck and all the prayers are appreciated.
DD’s Part
We just got back from the orphanage where we got to spend about 2.5 hours with Alex. We tried to celebrate his birthday with a little b’day hat and a gift for him, but he didn’t want to have much to do with either one of them. Brad tried to put the hat on him and he didn’t want it near him. Brad then put it on his own head and Alex was curious, but still didn’t want it anywhere near him. We gave him a gift and he seemed scared of the tissue paper in the bag. We took a stuffed bear out of the bag and he thought it was ok until we squeezed the stomach and it started saying things in Russian. The interpreter said it said stuff like, “I miss you” and “hug me”…which I thought was cute considering we do miss him. Alex thought this was very strange and didn’t like it at all.
We got to the orphanage during the time that the kids have playtime. An older class (maybe 3 or 4 year olds) were in the same room with us singing and dancing with the teacher playing the piano. They also got musical instruments and marched around the room playing. It was the cutest thing ever and if I could have, I would have taken them all home. There was one boy that kept coming up by us and you could tell he wanted us to play with him. There was one boy that Brad and I nicknamed “trouble maker” b/c he always wanted to be the center of attention and do everything that he wasn’t supposed to do. He was having a great time showing off for us. He was wearing yellow tights and it was cracking me up. I have a video of their playtime and I will have to show you guys some time. Later on, another class came in and they looked a little younger, but I don’t think they were as young as Alex. They had a good time too.
After we played with Alex for a while, we met with the house doctor and she told us about his schedule and what he ate and stuff like that…(I will list it below for those of you that are interested in what they do over here.)
7am – Wake up and go to toilet
7:30-8am – Breakfast: milk porridge, tea, bread
8-8:30am – hygiene (we guess that means bath and brush teeth)
8:30-10am – games, cheerful activities (this is what they were doing when we got there today.)
10am – 2nd breakfast: banana, fruit puree, or juice
10-12pm – outside activities / walking
12-12:30pm – Lunch: veggie and meat soup, (puree like), juice
12:30 – 3pm – midday nap
3-4pm – waking up snack (milk, cookies, yolk of a egg)
4-5pm – games, pleasure time
5-7pm – being outside/walking
7-7:30pm – dinner, hygiene
7:30-8:30 – games
8:30pm – 2nd dinner (glass of milk)
9pm-7am – sleep
We woke up around 4:30 this morning after a fair night sleep. There were some Russian and American wrestlers staying here, who were up late partying. But fortunately it did not last to long. We went downstairs for breakfast around 6ish. Not bad today. They had cereal, eggs of some sort of, some mush, that Dee Dee said tasted familiar, beef stew, mashed potatoes and donuts along with breads and tea and coffee. We came back to the room got showered and ran down the street to the grocery store to try and find something good for Alex for his birthday. The weather today is warmer today -8c or 17f. Not to bad for neighborhood walks.
We came back to the room and packed up his toys and candy and went downstairs to meet our translator and driver at 8:30 am. We went over to the orphanage and played with Alex for about 2 hrs. I am not going to go in depth because Dee Dee talks about it below. He did warm up to us after about 10 min and towards the end of the time he would let Dee Dee put him on the slide and I would catch him at the bottom and throw him up in the air. He loved it. It was nice to be able to hold him a little, he is still does not like to be touched. The best part was when he left, the house mom was telling him to wave by to his momma and papa and he started waving and said papa. It was so sweet. I wanted to go grab him. It breaks my heart to leave him for another 10 days or so.
After the orphanage we had to go get the photos printed for court tomorrow. Our translator went with us to help out. We walked in to a Kodak place similar to Wolf Camera. We put or media stick into the machine and that is where it went crazy. First, the machine we used would not work. So after standing in line a couple of minutes she told us to use the other one. So we redid the process and still no pictures. After about another 15 min in line, she tells us they will print shortly. Shortly was 5 min and our translators patience had shortly worn out. A man came over and the machine was out of ink. They changed the ink and the first picture was ours but the next 15 of a naked women, were not. It was a little embarrassing to sit there photo after photo and say “not mine”. The translator thought it was real funny. Anyway after our photos finally came out Dee Dee and I walked down the street to a buffet restaurant and had lunch and now are about to take a nap and prepare for court tomorrow.
I am a little nervous about it. This is the final deal, the yes or the no. And I will have to do most of the talking. I guess I am going to have to pull out those “used car salesman” skills and woo her (the judge). We will update again after court wish us luck and all the prayers are appreciated.
DD’s Part
We just got back from the orphanage where we got to spend about 2.5 hours with Alex. We tried to celebrate his birthday with a little b’day hat and a gift for him, but he didn’t want to have much to do with either one of them. Brad tried to put the hat on him and he didn’t want it near him. Brad then put it on his own head and Alex was curious, but still didn’t want it anywhere near him. We gave him a gift and he seemed scared of the tissue paper in the bag. We took a stuffed bear out of the bag and he thought it was ok until we squeezed the stomach and it started saying things in Russian. The interpreter said it said stuff like, “I miss you” and “hug me”…which I thought was cute considering we do miss him. Alex thought this was very strange and didn’t like it at all.
We got to the orphanage during the time that the kids have playtime. An older class (maybe 3 or 4 year olds) were in the same room with us singing and dancing with the teacher playing the piano. They also got musical instruments and marched around the room playing. It was the cutest thing ever and if I could have, I would have taken them all home. There was one boy that kept coming up by us and you could tell he wanted us to play with him. There was one boy that Brad and I nicknamed “trouble maker” b/c he always wanted to be the center of attention and do everything that he wasn’t supposed to do. He was having a great time showing off for us. He was wearing yellow tights and it was cracking me up. I have a video of their playtime and I will have to show you guys some time. Later on, another class came in and they looked a little younger, but I don’t think they were as young as Alex. They had a good time too.
After we played with Alex for a while, we met with the house doctor and she told us about his schedule and what he ate and stuff like that…(I will list it below for those of you that are interested in what they do over here.)
7am – Wake up and go to toilet
7:30-8am – Breakfast: milk porridge, tea, bread
8-8:30am – hygiene (we guess that means bath and brush teeth)
8:30-10am – games, cheerful activities (this is what they were doing when we got there today.)
10am – 2nd breakfast: banana, fruit puree, or juice
10-12pm – outside activities / walking
12-12:30pm – Lunch: veggie and meat soup, (puree like), juice
12:30 – 3pm – midday nap
3-4pm – waking up snack (milk, cookies, yolk of a egg)
4-5pm – games, pleasure time
5-7pm – being outside/walking
7-7:30pm – dinner, hygiene
7:30-8:30 – games
8:30pm – 2nd dinner (glass of milk)
9pm-7am – sleep
Sunday, January 25, 2009
2 for 1 day from Siberia
This is the second post today, so if you are reading this one after your done scroll down and read the post from this morning. Today has been somewhat restful after our flight last night. We made it to the hotel around 6 this morning and got checked in. This time our view is not as nice as the last time we where here. We have a nice view of a bldg. It is very cold here, -24c, which we are told is warm compaired to the last couple of days. We had breakfast after we were settled in the downstairs kitchen. We had cereal, eggs, potatoes and toast, most of it was good. We went out to the grocery store and bought some stuff for the next couple of days. The grocery here is not near as well stocked as the one in Moscow.
We also went out in the square and played a little bit. I took a few photos and included them. I cannot believe people are out playing in this weather. My face almost froze off. We were only outside for about 30 min. and the wind was blowing on my face and legs and I thought I was going to die. I seriously thought I had frost bite when we walked in a childerns store a few blocks from our hotel. The good news is we found a few resturants close to us, which is great.
We just met with our translator and advisor and went over things for court. They basically told me that a lot of questions are going to be directed towards me because I am the man. Unfortunatly for me, Dee Dee runs the house so I don't know a lot of the finanical answers because she keeps me on a tight leash. They are also going to ask her about her nurturing abilities, I thought that was funny.
Anyway, we are meeting with the driver in the morning to go spend time with Alex at the orphanage. It is his 2 year birthday and we are looking forward to spending time with him. We are both so excited to play and be with him since it has been a couple of months. I just hope he remembers us a little bit. I will update you all after the meeting
Take care
Brad
Saturday, January 24, 2009
moscow day 2 / Siberia
Sorry this took a while, we have had internet problems.
We got a good night sleep last night. We were able to stay awake until 8 o’clock and we slept till 5;30. We decided to go down to the gym around 7 and get a little work out in. This hotel has a very nice facility. They have a huge indoor pool, boxing room, many treadmills and full weight system. We came back to the room after an hour of sweating and took showers and decided to get the day started.
We went to the mall around 10:00 am it had just opened so we went straight to the forth floor and had Sabarro Pizza for breakfast. Dee Dee realized while we were there that she needed a sweater for Monday so we went shopping. We found her a sweater in about the 3rd store we went in and then I started look around. I found so much stuff I wanted and it was pretty cheap considering but it will have to wait till we get back to Moscow and see if we have any money or room left in the suitcase. But for those who know me the jeans and t-shirts were awesome. Somewhat of a Banana Republic/ Buckle / Euro trash, I am ready to get back and shop.
Anyway, we left the mall around noon and walked back to the hotel. For those of you who don’t remember it is about 2 blocks from our hotel. We got back to the room watched TV and took about a 2 hour nap. We woke up just in time to pack and get down to the lobby to check out at 4:00. Unfortunately our ride could not pick us up until 6:00pm so we sat in the lobby and people watched for 2 hours. Demitri and his wife picked us up at 6 and we were off to the airport. We went through security and then things got a little crazy. We knew our bags were a little over the weight limit but we did not know 8kg was such a pain in the butt.
I went to the cashier to pay the fine for the 8kg and this is when I found out again something great in Russia that we in America don’t have. When you don’t want to deal with Americans or anyone for that matter just put a sign in your window that says Technology Break 15min. Now it does not matter that you have been sitting there doing nothing for the last 2hrs. It is time to let technology break. I am not sure how technology gets tired, I did not know it got tired, but in Russia it does. So after waiting 20 minutes and paying the 1000 Rubles / 30 dollar fine, we were back in business. I went back to check in and got our boarding passes. Dee Dee and I did notice something odd. They only gave us one baggage claim ticket. I asked the lady was that correct and she says yes. So on our way we went, to the smallest airplane loading area I have ever seen in my life. My den in my house was bigger than this. It looked like they ran out of loading stations upstairs so downstairs in a hallway they posted the number 12 on the wall and now you have concourse 12. It was nice.
The plane ride to Siberia was about what I expected. There were a few loud children, although more behaved than the last trip. Unfortunately, the 2 gentlemen in front of us smelled like a pair of wool socks after someone ran a marathon in the Iraq desert. I threw up in my mouth a few times. The flight was only four hours but we move ahead 4 hours so after a very good dinner and an hour or so nap, we arrived in Siberia at 4:45 in the morning. Now remember when I said we only received one baggage ticket. Well it was a problem. We had to wait until everyone got their luggage first and left and we were the last 2 people in the place before we could convince the commi that it was my bag. I thought the name tag in English and my passport may be a clue, but no.
We got in the car with Alexander (our driver not my son) and we were off to the hotel. The nice thing about this time with him was that there was no ice on the road, the downside he could drive faster. I did find out why he drives so fast. He is heading to the salt flats next month to set the land speed record in a Basra. I don’t know how fast 120km is but in the back seat and at 5 in the morning and driving in the center lane it seems real fast. Well we just checked in to the hotel and we are going to stay awake a little while and then nap. Talk to you all soon sorry this one was long but lots to talk about.
I think there was a misunderstanding. It is ok to email me I am very bored. I am just only doing daily updates via the blog this time. Some people thought that I did not want to receive emails, wrong. Please send them we have nothing to do and only one channel in English. Oh yeah, it is -23c here today so we will not be going outside.
Brad
We got a good night sleep last night. We were able to stay awake until 8 o’clock and we slept till 5;30. We decided to go down to the gym around 7 and get a little work out in. This hotel has a very nice facility. They have a huge indoor pool, boxing room, many treadmills and full weight system. We came back to the room after an hour of sweating and took showers and decided to get the day started.
We went to the mall around 10:00 am it had just opened so we went straight to the forth floor and had Sabarro Pizza for breakfast. Dee Dee realized while we were there that she needed a sweater for Monday so we went shopping. We found her a sweater in about the 3rd store we went in and then I started look around. I found so much stuff I wanted and it was pretty cheap considering but it will have to wait till we get back to Moscow and see if we have any money or room left in the suitcase. But for those who know me the jeans and t-shirts were awesome. Somewhat of a Banana Republic/ Buckle / Euro trash, I am ready to get back and shop.
Anyway, we left the mall around noon and walked back to the hotel. For those of you who don’t remember it is about 2 blocks from our hotel. We got back to the room watched TV and took about a 2 hour nap. We woke up just in time to pack and get down to the lobby to check out at 4:00. Unfortunately our ride could not pick us up until 6:00pm so we sat in the lobby and people watched for 2 hours. Demitri and his wife picked us up at 6 and we were off to the airport. We went through security and then things got a little crazy. We knew our bags were a little over the weight limit but we did not know 8kg was such a pain in the butt.
I went to the cashier to pay the fine for the 8kg and this is when I found out again something great in Russia that we in America don’t have. When you don’t want to deal with Americans or anyone for that matter just put a sign in your window that says Technology Break 15min. Now it does not matter that you have been sitting there doing nothing for the last 2hrs. It is time to let technology break. I am not sure how technology gets tired, I did not know it got tired, but in Russia it does. So after waiting 20 minutes and paying the 1000 Rubles / 30 dollar fine, we were back in business. I went back to check in and got our boarding passes. Dee Dee and I did notice something odd. They only gave us one baggage claim ticket. I asked the lady was that correct and she says yes. So on our way we went, to the smallest airplane loading area I have ever seen in my life. My den in my house was bigger than this. It looked like they ran out of loading stations upstairs so downstairs in a hallway they posted the number 12 on the wall and now you have concourse 12. It was nice.
The plane ride to Siberia was about what I expected. There were a few loud children, although more behaved than the last trip. Unfortunately, the 2 gentlemen in front of us smelled like a pair of wool socks after someone ran a marathon in the Iraq desert. I threw up in my mouth a few times. The flight was only four hours but we move ahead 4 hours so after a very good dinner and an hour or so nap, we arrived in Siberia at 4:45 in the morning. Now remember when I said we only received one baggage ticket. Well it was a problem. We had to wait until everyone got their luggage first and left and we were the last 2 people in the place before we could convince the commi that it was my bag. I thought the name tag in English and my passport may be a clue, but no.
We got in the car with Alexander (our driver not my son) and we were off to the hotel. The nice thing about this time with him was that there was no ice on the road, the downside he could drive faster. I did find out why he drives so fast. He is heading to the salt flats next month to set the land speed record in a Basra. I don’t know how fast 120km is but in the back seat and at 5 in the morning and driving in the center lane it seems real fast. Well we just checked in to the hotel and we are going to stay awake a little while and then nap. Talk to you all soon sorry this one was long but lots to talk about.
I think there was a misunderstanding. It is ok to email me I am very bored. I am just only doing daily updates via the blog this time. Some people thought that I did not want to receive emails, wrong. Please send them we have nothing to do and only one channel in English. Oh yeah, it is -23c here today so we will not be going outside.
Brad
Friday, January 23, 2009
Almost There. Hello Moscow
Well, we have made it half way. We are now in Moscow after a short stop in Paris this morning. Mom and Dad droped us off yesterday morning at the Birmingham Airport. It is now almost 24 hours later and 3 planes later and we are in the Radisson in Moscow. We are so happy to be resting a little bit. The only thing is our room smells like someone upperdecked us before for we got here. We are going to go downstairs in a little while and workout so we can burn a little energy before bed in a few hours. The drivers picked us up an hour late, but the translator was awsome. She gave us lots of tips and useful information for the next three weeks. Anyway we are looking forward to Monday because we get to spend a few hours with Alex. Hope all is well. Oh, by the way an "upperdeck" is when someone poos in the top of the toilet, you cannot see anything in the bathroom but you smell it. Hopefully I have more to talk about tomorrow after a full day in Moscow and a flight to our territory.
Brad
Brad
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Heading Out
Well, the time has come. The day we have been waiting for is here after a year. We are leaving to pick up our son, Peter Alexander Duffy. Dee Dee and I are so excited and thankful to everyone for their support and prayers. I will be updating the blog daily this time instead of e-mails.
Today we leave out of Birmingham for an 18hour adventure back to Moscow then over to our territory on Saturday. It is now about 8:00 am and we are finishing packing and getting ready to head out. We are starting off tired already since we were up late packing and Dee Dee was doing W2's for the company. I hope you all have a great couple of weeks and I look forward to updating with photos and stories from Russia.
Love,
Brad and Dee De
Today we leave out of Birmingham for an 18hour adventure back to Moscow then over to our territory on Saturday. It is now about 8:00 am and we are finishing packing and getting ready to head out. We are starting off tired already since we were up late packing and Dee Dee was doing W2's for the company. I hope you all have a great couple of weeks and I look forward to updating with photos and stories from Russia.
Love,
Brad and Dee De
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