Mommy, why did everyone

buy me all these expensive toys? The dog toys and their dog box are much more fun to play with.

Love, Bryson

16 months old

Today, Bryson turned 16 months old and we have been in the US for 2 weeks now. It has been amazing to see how much he has changed in just 2 weeks. He knows how to throw a fit really well when he doesn't get what he wants or you won't keep holding him while standing up. He has recently discovered grass and is still not to sure about the way it feels. Nap time is slowly improving. He has taken an hour nap each day for the past 3 days. He still sleeps through the night and is awake every morning around 7:30a. I think he has some internal clock that tells him he has to get up at that time. Maybe one day he will let me sleep till 8a-8:30a?!? Wishful thinking right? He no longer crys when we put him in the car seat. He is still not really interested in the TV. That may be a good thing though. He has tried so many new foods since we have been home and the only thing he hasn't liked is eggs. Which is funny because they said he ate eggs twice a day in the baby home. He has met so many new people since we have returned and he has done so well. We haven't gotten the lab or coulture results back yet, but we have another pediatrician's appointment tomorrow, so I am assuming we will then.

Favorite Photo Friday #1

Daddy & Bryson

This mommy job

Is hard work especially when you have a child attached to your hip! Things are going good so far. It has been an adjustment for all of us, but he has done really well. My MIL stayed with us for a few days when we first got home and it was nice to have her help. My sister then stayed the weekend with us and got to see the variety of personalities that her new nephew has.

He still loves baths. We have to keep the door closed otherwise he will try and climb in the tub clothes and all. He thankfully sleeps through the night, but we are still battling naps. He loves to eat and I haven't found anything that he doesn't like. The bonding/attachment is going really well. He makes plenty of eye contact, he loves to be held/snuggled with, he loves to be kissed and occasionally you will get a kiss to. He will let others hold him, but always comes back to his mommy and daddy. He loves to be outdoors and is content with being pushed around in his strollers. We have already taken several walks. He is warming up quicker to the dogs and cats than they are to him. They have been our babies for years and are not used to sharing us. Not much seems to overstimulate him and he is pretty laidback. Though, he is your typical toddler and wants to get into everything.

We had this shirt made for his homecoming at the airport, it says "Precious cargo from Russia":

Friday we had his little Christmas:

Sunday, my sister and us took him to the aquarium:

Monday, my mom, brother, sister and I took him to the zoo:

Yesterday we went to the pediatrician, then had lap work done. Boy what a long and fun day that was! He weighs a whopping 19 pounds and has an ear infection. Having to hold your screaming child while they poke around his arms to draw blood is the most heartbreaking thing ever. How does dad get all the easy jobs?!?

I realize I have been a bad blogger. It is hard to find the time to get on here and post or to read/comment others blogs. For that I am sorry. Eventually I will figure out how to balance everything out.

Some other pictures:

We're home

It was a very long and exhausting trip, but we made it home Wednesday night. Tuesday we went to the Embassy and that was the smoothest and quickest part of the process. We had to get the airport in Moscow 3 hours early, so we sat and feed Bryson and talked with two other adoptive families. It was so nice to talk with other people. We were really dreading the long flight with him since he had been pretty cranky for the past few days. He actually did pretty well and only fussed here and there, but he only slept about an hour. We landed in JFK and went through customs pretty quickly where Bryson is now a US Citizen. The weather was pretty bad at JFK and our original flight was supposed to leave at 7p, but didn't end up leaving till 9p. He was so exhausted, but only slept about 30 minutes on the layover. Then on the flight home to Florida, he didn't sleep at all. We were so exhausted, so I know he was tired. We landed at midnight and were greeted by my parents, brother, sister, mother in law, grandparents, aunt and cousin. It was so nice to see them! He did really well with everyone, but kept reaching his hands out for me. The carseat is a whole different story. He hated it and screamed most of the way home till we looked back and he was sound asleep. What a good feeling it was to pull into our driveway. Once inside, he woke up. He wasn't sure what to make of the dogs or cats. He didn't lay down till almost 3a and woke up screaming about 6:30a, so I went in his room and we slept for another hour.

Jetlag kicked our butt yesterday. It was also our 5th anniversary, but it just didn't feel like it. Everything was so new to him and he wasn't in the greatest mood. We did go to Target to pick up a few things and he loved being pushed around in the cart. I still have laundry to do and things to unpack, so I will post more later.

We have decided since our adoption has been completed, we are taking the blog off private. We want to thank everyone who took the time to log in to the blog and follow the journey. We appreciate it!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

This will be our last post

Till we get home. We leave for our Embassy appointment in an hour. Our paid internet connection ends at 4p, at which time we will be at the Embassy or on our way back. This time tomorrow we will be a few hours from landing at JFK, where Bryson will become a US Citizen.

I am still not feeling well. In fact, I feel worse today then the past few days. It sucks, I had all these plans to do sightseeing and shopping, but I have no desire to leave the room. We went out this morning to try and find Red Square, but either we are idiots or we didn't walk far enough because we can't seem to find it. After awhile of walking around, I told Shane we had to go back to the hotel because I had no more energy to walk any farther. I pray I feel better tomorrow for our long journey home.

Ice City

Some cute pictures

Almost there

It feels so great to know we will be home soon. It has been quite a journey. Thankfully we will be home in time for our anniversary on Valentine's day.

While in Novo, the weather was pretty rough, but we walked around the city a lot just to get out of the hotel room. The first day there, I some how fried the charger to the portable DVD player, so that made for a lot of boring time. Shane still hasn't let me forget that he couldn't watch any of the movies we brought. Needless to say, we had a lot of time to talk to each other. I keep joking with him that I am going to need a vacation from him once we get home. One of the days there we decided to take a taxi to some shopping malls. They were mostly coat and shoe stores, but it gave us something to do. Then we got brave and took the Metro back to the hotel. We also went to Ice City. It's down by the river and they have all kinds of sculptures made of ice. It was really neat to see until I fell hard walking into one of them, then I was ready to go.

Our visits with Bryson at the baby home got better each day. Some days he preferred me and other days he preferred Shane. He still can only walk if he is holding our hands. The second court was quick and easy. We didn't have to talk since we already said our part. The judge named us his parents so quickly, that I just about missed it. Novo is a little slower at their paperwork than most regions, so we had to wait several days for his passport. They do not allow to pick him up from the baby home till you are on your way to the airport. It's pretty rough taking him out of his normal environment and bringing him to the airport, then get on a plane with him. Despite all that, he did really well at the airport and was in such a good mood. He did really well on the flight to Moscow. He played with toys for a long time and slept for the last 2 hours or so.

On Saturday, the doctor came to our hotel room instead of us having to bring him to the medical center. It was so much easier that way and the doctor was really wonderful with him. I am still not feeling that well and we think Shane had food poisoning, but he is feeling much better now. We haven't gone out to much because we only have a hip carrier and it is not comfortable to walk around in that for long. I am kicking myself in the butt for not bringing a stroller. Today we went to take pictures for his Visa. Tomorrow is the Embassy appointment. Our plan is to walk around in the morning. We are all tired of being in the hotel room.

He has been pretty fussy for the last 2 days. I don't think he is feeling too well and everything is so new to him. He has been attached to my hip for the past 2 days and has a fit when I put him down. Which is such a nice feeling, but not so easy when you don't feel very well. Welcome to motherhood right? He is also teething so everything goes into his mouth. He loves to eat! When you have food out, nothing else matters to him. He gets very upset when it is gone. He especially loves Gerber puffs. You can even let him see the container otherwise he gets all upset if we don't give him some. They said he was drinking out of a regular cup at the baby home. I have tried giving him a sippy cup which he really didn't care for, but he has really taken to the bottle. Shane never changed a diaper in his life until this weekend. He is not too fond of the poopy ones. He loves baths! He would stay in there for hours if we would let him. He loves to be rocked. It's pretty rough on my arms though. We will need to invest in a rocking chair. Yes mom, I now know I shouldn't have gotten rid of that one you gave me. He is apparently on nap strike. We are on day 2 of no naps and that makes for a pretty cranky boy. It has definitely been an adjustment from going from a childless couple to having a mobile child. But in all honesty, he is pretty darn perfect!

Our weekend

We had decided to stay in the room on Saturday to spend some time together. The day went pretty well. We had another explosive diaper in the morning. He took a long morning nap, but faught the afternoon nap. He was then ready for bed around 7:30p. We had planned to sightsee on Sunday, but I woke up with a cold, Shane has been throwing up most of the morning and Bryson has been extremely fussy. He naturally has faught sleep all day. We went walking for about 20 minutes or so and ate pizza. We some how managed to lose one of his mittens while walking (Sorry, Jenn. I owe you a set of mittens now). We are now just hanging around the hotel room again.

We are staying at the Marriott Courtyard, does anyone know any restaurants near the hotel? We didn't see many this morning.

A few videos

We took many videos during the visits to the baby home, but here are 2 of the cutest:

We are here

Yes, we have made it to Moscow. Thank you everyone for the well wishes. They were so nice to read. I was going through internet withdrawls. It is so nice to be in a Marriott compared to the last hotel we were at. We picked him up yesterday afternoon and it was bittersweet. After the baby home we went straight to the airport. He did so well on the flight home. Though I did have my first taste at real mommyhood. Yes, I have a poop story. It was an explosive diaper that went up his back and down his legs. I took him to the bathroom as fast as I could and as soon as I shut the door, he started screaming. There was no changing table in the bathroom of this plane, so it was quite a chore to change him without wearing too much of it. I was so afraid someone was going to knock on the door because they thought I was abusing him.

Our first night went well. Naturally he didn't want to go to sleep. He really has been so good. Full of smiles and laughs and the occasional fake cry. Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves to make sure this is all real! It really is difficult to type with a one year old running around, so I will type more later. Until then, here are some pictures:

Friday 1/25:

Saturday, 1/26:

Sunday, 1/27:

Monday, 1/28:

Tuesday, 1/29:

Thursday, 1/31:

Sunday, 2/3:

Friday, 2/8:

They Made it to Moscow

I spoke to Marie a little while ago and they have made it to Moscow. They are so happy to have Bryson with them finally and be in Moscow. One step closer to home. I heard his little voice and it was so cute. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't wait to meet him. And of course to have my daughter and son-in-law home safe.

Update

I spoke with Marie yesterday. They pickup Bryson and fly to Moscow on Friday the 8th. Then they fly home on the 13th. We can't wait. Thank you for everyones well wishes and prayers. I know she will be so happy to read them when she gets to Moscow. I have ordered a laptop for them when they get there. So we can hope for lots more pictures.

Their Parents!!!!!

I spoke to Marie this morning and they are now the proud parents of a baby boy named "BRYSON". Still no word on when they will be home. We just hope it will be soon.

We are holding up

Barely! We are so ready to go home. Court is still on for the morning and we are praying it goes smoothly. I don't think we can take another setback. We will be moving to a new hotel in the morning that does not have internet access, so this will be our last post till we arrive in Moscow. My mom will update the blog for us tomorrow to let everyone know how court was.

If we haven't replied to your email or we have been short in it, it's because we are using the computer at the hotel and we only get on here briefly. Once we get to the Marriott, we will be able to post more and show pictures.