We left San Diego Sunday afternoon and arrived about 5:30AM Tuesday (Moscow time) after flying into DME and driving overnight to our region.  Our first appointment was at 9AM at the local adoption center which was just steps from our hotel.  A very old building with minimal furniture and decoration.  Two coordinators with our agency were rushing around getting paperwork completed and talking to various employees.  Once we had our official invitation to visit K in the orphanage, we got in the car and drove across town to meet her.


K's orphanage is within an area of town with many many old high-rise apartment buildings and storage facilities (?).  When we arrived, there were a number of women outside raking leaves including the orphanage director.  All of the women were very friendly.  We spent the next 2-2.5 hours reviewing K's file with the director and our coordinator.  They also brought in K's caregiver and orphanage doctor/nurse.

We learned A LOT of information on K's background and medical history.  Tomorrow we have a doctor from Moscow (yes, Dr L!) coming to review all of the information and provide an exam of K.  I don't think we will learn anything we didn't know before we came over, but we want to make sure we have as much information as possible so we can begin to find the doctors we'll want to consult when we return home.  One example is K's teeth.  Her top 4-6 teeth are very very bad.  Luckily, she's just about to loose them so the local dentist has recommended keeping them in until the baby teeth fall out.

Very shortly after we started talking to the team, they brought in K.  I hope I have a picture to share someday because she looked adorable.  They had her dressed up in a fancy light blue shiny dress, white frilly knee socks and white dress shoes.  She had her hair braided with a big bow on the top of her head.  (We didn't take any photos in the morning - although I think Michael shot a couple of videos - because we were busy meeting with everyone and it just seemed a big awkward.)

K was shy at first, and stood close to the director and our coordinator.  K seemed to have a close relationship with both, and they directed her to play, color, etc while we talked.  Every once in a while, K knew we were talking about her and we'd all acknowledge her (in a positive way) and she would smile shyly. About an hour or so into the discussion, K came up to me and sat in my lap.  For the next hour or so, she rotated between me and Michael - "claiming" us and giving us hugs, putting her arms around our necks, leaning into us, etc.  It wasn't over the top but sweet and it seemed like she wanted us to reassure and comfort her.

K loved to play games on Michael's iPod.  And once she found the pictures, she proceeded to show almost every picture on Thani to the orphanage director and coordinator.  They laughed.  K said that she didn't like dogs, but was very curious and kept laughing and showing pictures.

The orphanage director wanted to know more about us, our jobs, living conditions, and future big sister R.  We showed her pictures of R and the director remarked how beautiful she was, and asked K to see the pictures of her new older sister.  The orphanage director asked if we had a difficult time with R's transition into our family.  We were honest and shared a couple of laughs.

I think our previous experience helps our case.  The director, nurse/doctor and caregiver commented that K will likely have some challenges with adjusting, mostly due to language and a probable speech delay.

At 12:30PM, it was time for K's lunch and nap so we walked her out of the room.  It was very cute - she kept saying "paka paka Papa" and waving ("bye bye").

We had lunch and met up with our coordinator again at 3PM.  We were able to spend another 1.5 hours with K.  We also met with the local social worker who will testify for us in court.  She asked us what we did, why we wanted to adopt and what our first impressions were of K.

We spent the rest of the time trying on clothes that R and I picked out over the last couple of weeks.  I brought size 5, 6  (most) and 7.  K is clearly a size 7.  We haven't done measurements yet, but I would guess that she is average (or better) height and weight for her age.

We also played with some hair accessories.  K was very good brushing and putting my hair up into a ponytail and hair clips.  The caregiver also said that she was always very helpful with adults, cleaning things up, etc.  And we saw that when we were trying on clothes.  K made sure that they did not fall on the floor and were nicely draped over the chair.

Throughout the afternoon K would confidently seek out acknowledgement and approvals from the director and coordinator.  I think that's a good "attachment" skill, and also reflects that she feels comfortable with the staff and they treat her well.

Towards the end of the day, we took some family photos and cleaned up our things.  The director asked K to give us both hugs and kisses and say goodbye.  She did this without hesitation.  K gives very warm hugs and she's not afraid of kisses either.

We will go back tomorrow and we'll spend a few hours in the morning and the afternoon, along with Dr L.

Once we got back to the hotel, Michael and I completely crashed and slept for 3.5 hours.  Fortunately we are staying in a nice, small hotel (16 rooms, more like a B&B) and they have a nice restaurant in the basement.  The room is nice, modern and clean, and WiFi is strong (and free) so we are very comfortable compared to our stay in R's region.  The hotel is in the city center so we hope to be able to venture out after our appointments tomorrow.


Disclaimer:  I hope no one feels like we have left them out of the loop. Our minimal communications about the adoption has been limited and intentional.  We have kept things very private this time so that our daughter R would be the first one to learn of any news, referrals, and updates.  Overtime, I'll fill in the gaps between now and the time we started our second adoption, approximately February 2011.