tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6523748535854144972011-12-16T09:01:21.962-06:00Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.comBlogger481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-5803067438907729902011-06-23T09:35:00.001-05:002011-06-23T09:35:14.989-05:00

Sorry for the double posting!  I'm trying to blog from my phone

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-72330906744133075712011-06-23T09:27:00.001-05:002011-06-23T09:27:11.438-05:00

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-22632226280701210492011-04-08T21:44:00.019-05:002011-04-08T22:54:37.160-05:00

And cut Norah's hair! I was getting so tired of her hair hanging in her eyes and constantly putting and trying to keep barrettes and ponytails in. It's only been a couple days but soooo much better already. Not so sure about this hair cutting business.... Very excited for the sucker afterwards! Don't ask me why I gave her a blue sucker while she was wearing a white shirt! Norah is a constant

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-63515847187107531872011-02-08T21:31:00.014-06:002011-02-08T22:14:54.036-06:00

One year ago today I met Norah for the first time. I can't believe it's been a year already but after I look back at the pictures I can tell she has grown so much! She has gained over 8 lbs since we got home. Her language has exploded in the last couple of months and her words are becoming much clearer too. She is a narrator- she will explain everything that we are doing and she makes sure that

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-91972342248944383412010-11-04T14:35:00.016-05:002010-11-06T14:01:12.789-05:00

I meant to get this posted sooner (since now Norah is closer to 19 months!) but time just keeps getting away from me! Things are still going really well. Norah is doing new things everyday. Her vocabulary has exploded in the last month. Now I hear "Mommy, mommy, mommy" over and over again:) It's cute but sometimes I wish she'd move on to another word! For a while every other word was owie so I

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-78704026871052877862010-08-01T13:14:00.000-05:002010-08-04T21:21:52.353-05:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted last! Time goes by fast and we've been really busy. Plus, I just don't have time to post anything anymore! Norah is still doing great. In the last few weeks she's really started showing affection and now will give me kisses and hugs. She can also blow kisses, but she has a little trouble with the blowing part. She understands everything I say and

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-7146255185445295552010-06-19T11:02:00.001-05:002010-06-19T11:39:03.760-05:00

Things have been going so well! Norah has adjusted wonderfully so far. She's been sleeping through the night every night and takes naps very well too. She is a great eater! She will eat anything and everything. She loves to eat and it's really our only struggle right now. She is still learning that food takes time to prepare and she just has no patience for it. So I've been learning to plan ahead

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-9090170740791301302010-06-05T11:30:00.000-05:002010-06-05T16:42:42.823-05:00

We are home! Norah did great on the planes. We had 3 flights and she only really fussed/screamed for about the last 30 minutes of the 8 hour plane ride from Frankfurt to Chicago. I think her ears were hurting her. I tried to give her a sippy cup while we were taking off and landing for each flight but at the start of that flight from Frankfurt, she was completely out as soon as we sat down in the

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-37532770736842727062010-06-01T12:13:00.000-05:002010-06-01T12:27:24.212-05:00

Being very good while we were eating at a restaurant: Throwing a fit:Hanging out in the apartment:Not happy after our dinner was gone:Things are still going good here. We go to the Embassy tomorrow to pick up her visa and then we leave on Friday! Yay!

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-24725189696959654582010-05-30T07:21:00.000-05:002010-05-30T12:36:56.113-05:00

Here's a couple pictures of what we've been up to the last few days. For some reason Blogger won't let me upload any more - I'll try again tomorrow.

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-64139863438119306512010-05-29T01:38:00.001-05:002010-05-29T02:05:39.092-05:00

I know I haven't posted since Tuesday, but I've been busy! Norah is doing very well - she will eat anything I put in front of her and everything's coming out well on the other end too :) She has been sleeping great too! The first night she slept from 8pm to 8am - not waking up once. Last night was the first time she woke up in the middle of the night but she went right back to sleep once I

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-18579303931724323892010-05-25T06:34:00.000-05:002010-05-25T07:45:18.839-05:00

So today was the big day! I had to run and do a few paperwork things at the registry and the passport office and then it was off to the babyhome for the last time! It took a little bit because we had to talk to the director and the social worker but then we headed down to Norah's room and she was all smiles when she saw us. All the caretakers were so nice and told me to come back in a couple of

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-39694332872444196712010-05-24T12:56:00.000-05:002010-05-24T13:01:48.611-05:00

We are back in Kaluga tonight just winding down and getting ready for the big day tomorrow! We will go pick up Norah tomorrow around 10-11. I promise to put some pictures of her on the blog tomorrow sometime. Until then - paka!

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-56935259209209936092010-05-21T06:24:00.001-05:002010-05-21T06:50:33.492-05:00

We've been exploring Moscow for the past few days. We got here on Monday and I don't think I've ever walked this much in my life! We've walked to Red Square, New Arbat and Old Arbat multiple times, Christ the Savior Cathedral and to a bunch of parks. We also got to see the Novodichy monestary - we went there on Monday before our apartment was ready and also went on a boat tour. We also went

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-22064774803808742552010-05-16T07:02:00.000-05:002010-05-16T11:15:09.369-05:00

Well we are getting a little stir crazy in the hotel but we're off to Moscow tomorrow morning and it will be nice to have a change of scenery for a week. Kaluga is a great town but I definitely think we've seen most of it. We've been going to the same restaurants and the people working are actually not scowling at us when we walk in anymore - yay! Our days are going pretty quickly which is good

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-32771806147798411082010-05-13T13:01:00.001-05:002010-05-13T13:11:10.660-05:00

I just want to thank everyone who was praying for me during my court hearing. I really believe those prayers were the only way I walked out of there with a positive outcome. I really felt calm while we were waiting for the decision and I know it was only because of all the people who were praying for me. Thank you all so much! There have been so many ups and downs throughout this entire

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-31211113828897346082010-05-12T08:51:00.000-05:002010-05-12T09:08:12.441-05:00

After 3 hours of major questioning, the judge said yes! I thought it was pretty tough but didn't really know if that was the way it usually went or not. It wasn't! The judge really went over everything with a fine tooth comb. I'm just glad I didn't realize it was going very badly until it was all over! Anyway, we're off to the baby home - I'll write more later!

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-13107718989678864582010-05-12T04:27:00.000-05:002010-05-12T04:37:01.625-05:00

My mom, sister, and I are keeping a list of all the stupid things we do while we're here. So far, I only have one. I won't tell you who has the most, but it's a pretty easy guess :) Here is my one stupid thing. I accidently bought caviar flavored chips. I just saw the Lays label and grabbed them - i didn't look at the picture. The best part was that my sister ate some of them before we figured it

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-85590509946732695142010-05-11T13:14:00.000-05:002010-05-11T13:26:36.309-05:00

My court hearing is at 2:30 tomorrow which would be 5:30 am central time. I know some of you wanted to know. Today was another good day. I'll post more tomorrow morning but I'm off to bed now.

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-72519822967673186632010-05-10T13:20:00.000-05:002010-05-10T13:32:09.267-05:00

I couldn't sleep last night at all - the time change did a number on me! I woke about about 4:30 and then fell back asleep around 6 and slept until 9. Someone (i won't mention names) woke up and was showered at ready to go at 5 am! She was in a separate room and didn't have a watch or clock and heard people getting around but it was people getting in at 2 - not getting up for the day! It was

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-65746223686759868632010-05-09T10:06:00.001-05:002010-05-09T10:09:14.021-05:00

Well we made it! 18 hours of travel and now we're sitting in the hotel room trying to stay awake so we won't be up at 3 in the morning! My mom and my sister came with me this time which is very nice. It was about 40 degrees when we left Iowa and it's about 80 degrees in Russia! Not much to post about right now. Tomorrow we're off to the baby home to visit Norah and Wednesday is my court date

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-80877987267429489852010-05-03T13:12:00.000-05:002010-05-03T13:42:58.464-05:00

Literally. I have been out of commission the last 5 days with severe neck pain. Not so good when I'm supposed to get on a plane to Russia this Saturday! I didn't do anything to it or sleep on it wrong - it just decided last Tuesday evening to lock up and not move. I've been on pain meds and muscle relaxers which make me super groggy and loopy but don't really help anything. Luckily, I found a

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-86351479204910637252010-04-18T21:24:00.000-05:002010-04-18T22:08:39.808-05:00

Well, this last week has really not been any fun at all. One minute my heart is sinking and the next I'm thinking everything is going to be fine and I will be in Russia next month. I did get a court date for May 12th and was actually going to buy my plane tickets and send passports in to get my visas on the day this whole scandal broke. I'm glad I didn't send them in!So this last week I've just

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-45350391215653864742010-03-28T22:08:00.000-05:002010-03-28T22:27:04.756-05:00

Here are the nursery pictures. Luckily I haven't had to buy any furniture for the nursery. My aunt was nice enough to let me borrow her crib and I had all the other furniture already. I'm still looking for a changing table but those are pretty easy to find so I'm not too worried about that. I'm not quite done yet - I still need to get some baskets for the shelving unit, curtains, and some

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-73276930158697052632010-03-25T16:43:00.001-05:002010-03-25T16:49:56.464-05:00

I will have my FBI clearances back tomorrow! Yay! As soon as I posted my last message, my contact at my senator's office called to say the FBI had found my fingerprints and was processing them and I should have them by the end of the week. That made my day yesterday but I didn't want to get too excited - but I just checked the tracking number and it will be here tomorrow! 7 weeks is

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-48088462068025088512010-03-24T13:03:00.001-05:002010-03-24T13:38:49.671-05:00

Wow - I didn't realize it's been so long since I posted! Right now the only thing I am waiting on is my FBI clearances to come back and then I can get a court date. I know there are a lot of people in the same boat right now and it just really stinks that the only thing holding us up is the US government! I would have at least thought it would be on the Russia side of things, but

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-68755248586178824262010-02-17T20:21:00.000-06:002010-02-17T20:59:19.087-06:00

My computer officially died in Russia so I had to go buy another laptop this week - not an expense I really wanted but what are you going to do. I think trying to pull up my chest x-rays at the 8 doctor medical just put it over the edge. Luckily there was a computer in the room so I was able to pull up my x-rays on their computer.The trip home went really well - only a 20 minute delay on one

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-4761170723565370212010-02-12T00:12:00.000-06:002010-02-17T20:58:10.359-06:00

Thursday was a driving day. We were picked up at 9:00 in Kaluga and made the trip back to Moscow. It took a little over 3 hours and then we went to the CSS office and met Svetlana and Irina - very nice ladies! We went over some paperwork and then headed to my friend's house.It was so nice to see her and hang out with her last night. Her apartment is super comfortable and it just feels more like

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-38378964292796231882010-02-10T10:54:00.001-06:002010-02-10T11:55:12.357-06:00

Norah VictoriaDon't you just love the headless pictures? Sorry I had to cut my face off too - I'm just not patient enough to edit it any better :) Well this day didn't go quite as expected although it was still a good day. We woke up and went to the Blini restaurant where the girl working was really annoyed when we asked for the English menu. It was pretty easy to order though, we just pointed at

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-88018061520875005882010-02-09T12:37:00.000-06:002010-02-10T11:46:57.111-06:00

So last night we went to the baby home at 6 and were there for about an hour. It went really well and we just played and I held her for a lot of the time.This morning we woke up (after someone in the room decided to get up at 2:00 and read and eat beef jerky - don't ask) and walked to the church that is about 2 blocks away and went in for a minute. They were in the middle of a service so we

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-10545834074098531442010-02-08T07:49:00.000-06:002010-02-10T11:48:06.594-06:00

We had a late start today. Good thing because we slept in until 9 this morning after going to bed at 7:30ish last night. It's about 5:00 pm here and I'm still good - not tired at all so hopefully I'll miss out on all the jet lag fun. I'm sure I'll pay for it on the way back. We got ready and took a quick walk around the block before we had to go. The sidewalks are extremely icy and it was pretty

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-39640402239377352412010-02-07T10:49:00.000-06:002010-02-07T10:52:20.069-06:00

We are in Kaluga and I'm exhausted. All the plane transfers and flights went great. No delays or anything - just a lot of flying and being in a cramped space. It's 7:45 here and I'm off to bed. I can't keep my eyes open any longer. Tomorrow we go to the MOE around 1 and then we're off to the orphanage!

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-19547816260202149242010-02-05T23:46:00.000-06:002010-02-05T23:57:38.487-06:00

This week has been absolutely crazy! For some reason all of my clients at work seem to magically know when I'm going to be out of the office and they all need me to get things done right away. I was sooooo busy at work this week not to mention all the other things that needed to be done so I could leave tomorrow morning!! But I got most of my customers taken care of and the rest will just have

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-21126750829317271042010-02-01T10:47:00.000-06:002010-02-01T11:20:33.549-06:00

So this has been a whirlwind weekend! I got the call on Thursday and I have to be in Russia this coming Sunday!! I was going out of town this last weekend so I tried to get all the major stuff done on Thursday and Friday before I left and now I'm back and trying to get everything else taken care of.And what's even crazier - It's A Girl!!She is very cute - 9 months old with dark hair and kinda

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-237131618971187912010-01-25T13:19:00.001-06:002010-01-25T13:47:30.489-06:00

So I've been a really bad blogger. I've been reading a lot of blogs though and I'm very excited for those of you that have traveled recently or just got their travel dates - congratulations! But.... I've had nothing to report for myself so I've been having a little pity party and just waiting, and trying very hard to be patient.My agency says I should hear something in February about a

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-10341303544943643592009-12-09T12:00:00.000-06:002009-12-09T12:07:13.142-06:00

15 inches of snow = Snow Day!!I had a feeling yesterday that I might not be going to work today. The malls in the area even closed. You know it's bad if the malls are closed 2 weeks before Christmas! I haven't seen this much snow in a long time. My poor dogs - they are both around 25 pounds and not very far off the ground so I was outside today trying to clear a path for them to the backyard

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-74676046593813613072009-11-10T15:24:00.000-06:002009-11-10T15:43:36.923-06:00

I talked with my agency last week and they gave me the option of registering my dossier in the Tula region. I really didn't know anything about this region but I said why not? I'm up for anything that might get me to Russia quicker! Here are a few things I learned about Tula:It's located 2 hours south of Moscow (So not too far of a drive after the long plane ride!)The city itself is older than

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-54355725282751735762009-10-23T12:29:00.000-05:002009-11-10T15:24:07.074-06:00

Well I got the call this week. My agency called me with information on a little boy. I was completely taken by surprise. For some reason I had it in my head that I would probably just get a call with travel dates and then have to go to Russia to get any information. So I was completely taken off guard when my agency emailed me a little bit of medical information and a picture. He is very cute but

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-25708040562596247552009-09-18T16:46:00.000-05:002009-09-18T16:59:19.814-05:00

I spoke with my agency today on the phone. Usually I try not to call very often because I don't want to bug them too much. I don't want them rolling their eyes before they pick up my call because I call too much!! Anyway, I called today because I had been emailing them a few times this week and wanted to clear up a few misunderstandings - nothing major, just a misunderstanding on my true

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-87575383501803846852009-09-07T22:14:00.001-05:002009-09-07T23:17:31.634-05:00

I went to Estes Park last weekend for my cousins wedding. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time hiking and just hanging out with family. Here are a few pictures from our hikes:

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-17709481368199611502009-08-22T10:26:00.000-05:002009-08-22T10:32:47.483-05:00

I love this post from another adoptive mom's blog. The title is "Should A Single Woman Adopt" and really hits on a lot of the issues I struggled with. Great Read!http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2009/08/should-single-woman-adopt.html

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-22186026492307286322009-08-06T20:25:00.000-05:002009-08-06T20:35:01.031-05:00

My paperwork is officially in Russia being translated! I probably will not hear anything about a referral or travel dates until the middle of September at the earliest. A lot of the Russian officials take vacations during July and August so things don't really start moving until September. There are so many things I want to get done before then so I better get moving! September is not that

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-13214168641602448402009-07-24T17:11:00.000-05:002009-07-24T17:35:07.292-05:00

I finally sent my dossier in!! Yay! I was waiting on 2 forms this week and I got the last one in the mail today. Luckily I had the day off so I was able to run down to the Secretary of State office and get them apostilled, ran home to make copies, and then sent everything off to my agency.I also had to take the "paperwork picture." I was so excited to be able to take this. These are all the forms

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-68512488417168532792009-07-09T22:56:00.000-05:002009-07-09T23:04:37.988-05:00

So.... I didn't send my dossier off last month. I just got way too busy and for some reason getting someone to notarize my medical form was a nightmare! By the way, reception lady at Lutheran - not nice!Luckily my doctor is awesome and went out of her way to get it done for me. So it is finally coming together! I just sent off my notarized docs to my agency to look them over before I get them

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-27689708248020862442009-07-06T23:10:00.000-05:002009-07-06T23:22:38.212-05:00

The last two weekends I've been at Lake of the Ozarks with friends and family. I love the water and go quite a bit during the summer. Hope everyone had a great 4th!

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-57245340560619378762009-06-16T22:38:00.001-05:002009-06-16T22:45:32.057-05:00

Yay! I just found out my FBI clearances came back (with no record if anyone was wondering). That means I should have my homestudy in my hands by the end of the week! Which means that I almost have my dossier done. Which makes me a little nervous and excited because it's becoming more real and getting closer to actually happening! I only have 2 things left - I need to find a notary that will

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-83669596002736048662009-05-19T21:25:00.000-05:002009-05-19T21:39:36.039-05:00

Wow, I can't belive it's almost been a month since I wrote! I've been slowly plugging along with all my paperwork. I finished both homestudy meetings and just waiting for my homestudy to be finished so I can send it off to USCIS.I've been trying to get some paperwork done and I actually have most it completed which worries me a little. So far all the paperwork has been fairly easy and I've heard

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652374853585414497.post-43060730808452009392009-04-21T22:30:00.001-05:002009-04-21T22:50:32.581-05:00

I guess it's time for me to start my own blog! I have been following so many blogs for a few years now that it feels a little strange to start my own. I have no idea if anyone will even read this but it will still be great to write everything down and I'm looking forward to being able to look back on all of this and remember everything.This adoption has been quite the process for me. I started

Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635201654437748710noreply@blogger.com0