Our First St. Nick with Owen

All ready in his christmas pj's he didn't know what was going on. We showed him the stockings hanging up at first so he could see there was something in them, so then Dean took his off the hook, and with a surprised look, saw that his was full aslo, so the boys were on the floor with their stocks and I started taping it. SO CUTE!

(aww the video is to large:( sorry)

Chattering Away

It's so funny to listen to Owen and how he is building his vocabulary so quickly. A lady at work mentioned also how only you understand what he is saying because it's so different when other people are listening. But at least it's clear to me what he is saying. We try new words every day. He has also taken a liking to bringing us books and sitting right down in our laps to read. I just love it! It makes it easy to teach him new words and things, like banana!

Halloween Weekend

It was a busy day on Friday, October 31st. But for Owen it was something new and exciting.

We had to help cousin Kaitlin with her Cat outfit before she headed to Milwaukee and get ready with Isabella for Trick-or-Treating in the Neighborhood. It was a long night and we didn't get to bed until after 9.

We are So Blessed!

This weekend made me realize how lucky we are to have Owen in our lives. It has been such a long journey, yet it feels like he has been ours forever. He has taken well to both of us and is getting more comfortable every day.

I look back at it all and having to share the story again this weekend with so many people made me realize what an adventure it was. How special it was to meet little Joey almost 2 years ago, who started it all for us. Exploring agencies that knew how to handle it all from beginning to end. To the wonderful people who chose Artur for us. The crazy trips across the world to meet the wonderful people who took care of our little boy, and assist with all the paperwork and business that was necessary to bring him home. It has been a heartwarming experience to give this child a home and more so, a world filled with love and possibilities.

Owen is an exceptional child who takes in all the wonders around him with such intensity. I am filled with joy every time I see him point out something new and I get to teach him what it is, tell him a new word. This weekend he started repeating some of the words even, Dad taught him to say "A 'boom, boom, boom" just yesterday, and the smile it puts on both of their faces brought tears to my eyes. At first I would always wonder about the days ahead, and what sports he will play, or instruments he will learn, but that has never crossed my mind in the past month. I'm just thrilled to watch the amazement on his face when he learned how to make Ernie dance, roll the ball across the floor, make the water splash with the palm of his hand, point to a bird in the sky or hear Maycee bark. And that first big step towards me all on his own made my world.

Having a child was a dream for me and I never thought it would ever come after the loss of the first 2. But Owen was meant to be in so many ways. Dean and I both realize that and are very happy with the road that has brought this wonder into our lives.

I just want to thank everyone for the support, love and help you have all given us through this long and somewhat hard road. But we've made it and couldn't be happier.

Fun in the Pool (Finally)

Well, being it was such a hot day we tried the Pool again. He's been getting better with the bath, but I cannot get him to sit in the tub yet. But today we played in the pool and after awhile he sat down figuring it was easier to play with the toys that way.

Well yesterday Owen started walking on his own. He doesn't get to far but he's getting braver every day. We've been trying for the past week so we knew it was just a matter of time. He still gets a little excited but at least he is trying. It's so funny to watch him steady himself as he goes, with such a serious face and then that great big smile when he gets going again. So we started the next step of baby proofing the house, or at least giving him some room to run.

My First Brewer Game

The Second Annual Gordon Brewer Outing

July 27th, 2008

It was a blast but a very, very hot day. Owen made it all the way through without a nap and didn't get cranky at all. He even wore his new Brewer outfit, well most of the time. It was too hot to keep the shirt on and he was more comfortable with it off anyway. We had our first Corn puffs as well - Yummy! He just loves outings and people in general so it didn't bother him at all.

Owen's First Camping Trip

At the BlueTop Campground!
http://www.bluetopresort.com/














He did so well for his first camping trip, I can't wait to go again! It was a nice size campground so it wasn't to crowded. Almost all sites are on a body of water. We were on the Fishing pond. It was a beautiful weekend for the most part. Saturday night a storm rolled in around 10pm, but Owen fell asleep just in time, and made it through the entire thing. Even after the rumbling train rolled through somewhere nearby. We thought a tornado was coming until the whistle blew! It was pretty easy keeping an eye on him seeing he would not move off the carpet or blanket. He doesn't like grass yet. And he's not a big fan of water yet either, but we made some progress in the pond while sitting in mom's lap, and walking along the waters edge in the sand. We plan to pull the plastic pool out this week and give it a test to ease him into it. So, yeah, bath time is not much fun either. But he did take a shower with Mom at the campground and that wasn't so bad.

Finally time for an Update!

All is well in the Downing household.
We are adjusting pretty well, and learning real quick about teething. We have our good days and bad days, but I'm told that is normal. He is eating like a horse, which is good because he is very underweight. So time to beef him up! He took to Maycee just fine. Not sure about Maycee though. She is still having a hard time when he chases her in the house. She gets very frustrated, but Owen gives up pretty quick. He is walking along the furniture and really wants to get going, so he will be walking soon enough. Mom does not want to push it. It's only been 2 weeks at home, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet, but who is?

I've taught him to do '1' for his age. He loves to mimic everything we do. Great Grandma even got the pleasure of a 1 eye wink! Holy Cow, I think Dad's been teaching him things behind Mom's back. It is cute though. All the amazing things they pick up on. He even got the pleasure of meeting his Grandpa the Clown! He wasn't even scared, but kept a close eye on him.

Forever a Family!

2:30 am CST, June 25th We became Parents!

Time to celebrate! Owen is now ours!

We are back at the Radisson (thank goodness for hotels with wifi).
It was a long day yesterday! Off to court at 9 dressed in our finest!
We started around 10 once the director of the orphanage and social worker arrived. It was a tough 2 hours pleading our case and filling the judge in with all the information she already had, but just to confirm it all. We stepped out at around 11 to let her decide, and then returned to listen to the decree to sign Owen over to us and waive the 10 day wait. I was in tears! It started raining during the decree and the judge stated that it was a sign of good luck and good things to come. Which made me cry more, because I knew in my heart that it was our loved one's shedding tears of joy for us. It was an overwhelming but joyful moment. We then were off to get his new birth certificates to get his passport started. This takes about 2 hours, so we went back to the hotel where we stayed in Smolensk to change and checked out. Then went to eat. They have many different restaurants as in the states: Italian, Sushi, Deli's and we chose Italian. It was good. Then the passport was ready so we returned to pick it up, then the Social worker and director caught us in time for a ride back to the orphanage but not until we stopped at the market for baby food and other essentials.

Then off to Pick up our Son! A new Mama & Papa (as they called us).

It was supper time, so they fed him a bit and then handed him over to us. We put his new clothes on and I couldn't help but smother him with kisses. He didn't mind, he was all smiles. The director gave us his schedule, telling us what he eats and drinks so we were all ready to go. It was about 6pm when we left. So a 4 hour drive back to Moscow with a new baby in our care! How scary is that! He did fine though. He was all smiles, playing with his new toys, and talking with his new parents. He finally dozed off when we crossed the border into the Moscow region. Arriving at the Belgrade around 10 he woke up, but didn't fuss. He's a very curious fellow, so he took in everything around him. We got settled in our room, changed him into his pj's and it took about an hour to settle him back to sleep. It was a long day for him to, so it didn't take much.

Today the doctor came at 6:45 to get an update for the embassy. It went well, nothing new to report. We fed him breakfast which he didn't eat much, but did like the Gerber puffs I opened for him. We then waited for another agency representative to sign the necessary paperwork needed for the embassy also. That was at 7 and went quick. We then just hung out and got used to each other. Fed him a bit at Noon, again he didn't want much. Vasilly picked us up at 12:30 to move us to the Radisson. This was his normal nap time, so we had trouble getting a nap in. We tried off and on, but he's a fighter! We ordered room service around 2 and shared a bit with him, and he was hungry, so I pulled his lunch back out and he filled up on it. He finally crashed at 5:30 after we shared some peppermint tea. I'm not sure he will make it through the night this time, but we will see.

Belated Birthday Post

~ HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY OWEN ~

I did not have time to post yesterday for his Birthday. We have been so busy packing and getting the house in order. Flying out Saturday afternoon so there's a lot to be done.

I hope his day was filled with surprises, and cake!

I was sad that we missed it, but we will be there soon and will celebrate a more special event ~ Becoming a Forever Family!

Countdown:

5 more days he will be ours. 11 and we will be Home!

Second and Final Trip

We got the call this week for our court date. So exciting! The 10 days is waived after court so we go straight off to the US embassy the next day to get the immigration paperwork all ready which takes 2 days. This will bring us to the weekend. Saturday and Sunday to enjoy Moscow with our new son Owen. Monday we register him at the Consulate in Moscow and then we can fly out on July 1st to bring him home.

Finally! My emotions are a roller coaster. I am so glad to know he will finally be coming home, but just nervous about being a new parent, and praying that all the paperwork is correct and we have no hang-ups that will hold up the court or embassy. Even though I know we were thorough, I still worry. Just so excited to soon see his smiling face, those chubby cheeks and bright brown eyes! Finally a dream come true to be a Mom & Dad.

So the count down begins:
17 until he is officially ours, and 23 until we are home as a family!

Waiting, and Waiting...

4 weeks ago Owen was nestled in my arms, but it feels like an eternity. They were so right about this being the hardest part of the journey. The room is all set, the carseat is in the car, the booster seat at the table, his cuddly fleece blanket laying in the crib and now we fill our time with every little thing possible to make sure it is all ready for him, but we know it's not enough to fill that hole that has grown in our hearts.

I spend time searching the Russian websites for lullabies and for the cute cartoon character Cheburashka. There are chilrens alphabet books, so I can teach him Russian as well as English, and coloring books, Disney movies in Russian, it just seems endless.
~~~Thanks Kaitlin~~~

Here are a few pictures of the nursery to share.

Finally Meeting Owen!

We flew out on the 28th from Chicago to finally meet our little boy! It was a 13 hour flight with a stop in Zurich, but we made it okay. Met our coordinator in Moscow who brought us to the hotel and settled us in for the night for a 4 o'clock wake up call to head to the orphanage in region. Scarfed down a banana and some granola bars in the morning and headed out into the amazing traffic of Moscow. WOW, it's wilder then Chicago!

It was a 5 and a half hour drive to get to the orphanage, picking up the translator Marsha, and Tatianna who handled the paperwork at the orphanage. Sat down and went over his file with the director of the orphanage and then asked our questions. Then we waited as a caretaker brought Owen in to us. He was a little nervous you could see, but didn't make a fuss, and stared at us in wonder. It was the most amazing feeling to see him finally, just a bundle of nerves and trying not to hold on to tight to him. We were brought into the play room to spend some time with him to observe how he was developing for his age. He was all smiles when we brought him out his toy and played with that. He loves to bounce and has very strong legs. Dean taught him to give High-Five, it was so cute. Gave him hugs from Grandma and Grandpa and added all kinds of kisses from his aunts and uncles before they laid him down for his nap.

We then went for lunch at a very rustic Russian restaurant and tried the local fair. Very good Olivia Salad which is a new popular salad, and Dean had schnitzel. Talked a little about Russia and the area we were in, the language and Marsha asked a few questions about America. She will be going to school in Massachusetts to study literature. The Director asked if we were happy with Owen. I don't know how she could not notice that we glowed with happiness and told her yes, and she could see how anxious we were to get back to him. She said it would be a little longer so we sat and talked more, asked more questions about Owen and his siblings.

We finished the meal with a toast to Owens health and family which is tradition and headed back to the orphanage to sign the acceptance letter, and post placement agreement once again.

A social worker came in and went over Owen's mother and family who she knew fairly well. There is no information on the father. But we were satisfied with what was discussed. We offered our gifts, pulled out one of the 6-9mo outfits which fit him well, but he is almost ready for the 12mo size. Sat in the playroom until 5 that afternoon getting video and pictures and smothering him with love. He is a very mobile little guy and started to babble once he got comfortable. The doctor came in to say goodbye and Tatianna brought in another form for us to fill out and then left us for awhile longer.

Dean finally hit his sleep deprivation around five and couldn't function anymore so we decided it was time to go. :( I was holding my emotions in quite well until half way back to Moscow, Dean asked me what I was thinking about, and the tears just exploded out of me. It was hard to not think of him back in his crib and wondering about his new mah mah and pah pah. So we talked a little about what we would bring when we pick him up. I cried myself to sleep finally for a little nap.

Got back to the hotel showered and munched on the nuts and crackers in the room. I didn't have much of an appetite. Downloaded the pictures and videos to the computer and was ready to hop online when the power level warning alerted me to it's status. Located the adaptor and had no luck - it didn't accommodate the 3 prong power cord. Ugh! Went down to the hotel shops with no luck. We didn't have the laptop when we bought the adaptor and did not notice it was only 2 prong. So much for planning. Dean turned the TV on and I grabbed my book, and called it a night.

OH MY - GET READY TO FLY!

We received the travel itinerary Friday! Not even a 2 week notice! But I'm so excited, we will finally get to meet our little boy! After the past week of dreaming of his big brown eyes, and his cute little smile, and wondering who if anyone is rocking him to sleep at night, we finally get to be a part of it! Only one day, but it will be the biggest day of our lives! So now it's rush to get gifts, register for the shower, send all the necessary paperwork, and hold on tight! Visa requests went out this morning, so we will be keeping an eye on that while we set up our flights and get a hold of the agency travel department on all the crazy questions that pop up as we go along. Tina is just trying not to think about the great big ocean we have to cross - I'm just terrified!

So yes this weekend is insane, still debating on going to the bridal shower tomorrow, if anything we will have lunch and head home to get started on the next step. We knocked out a lot of the gifts today, but still have more to do, have to find that one special item for Owen that he can hang onto while we are away.

We are Parents!

It has been a busy past week. We got the call on Monday for a little boy, and the paperwork was sent overnight. So I waited patiently at work for Dean's call that the 'package was delivered' which came a little before ten, so off I went. Forty minutes is tough when you are not sure what to expect, I was up and down, worried about medicals, and trying not to cry, but yet so filled with joy to see him. We received 3 pictures and his medicals at birth and 9mo's. Dean was over-joyed! He didn't care what the medicals said, he fell right in love with him. At first I didn't know what to feel, he was a cute little guy, but I had a sad feeling inside that was hard to describe. I think all my excitement went out the car window when I got home. I didn't want to get too attached if the medicals came back with negative results. I was very overwhelmed at that moment.
I scanned the medicals immediately and sent them off to the reviewing doctor for answers. I even did a little research online for some of the stuff I could understand, had my sister-in-law share her knowledge, and even made a call to my aunt to get her opinion on one diagnosis. We got the review back in a day, and it was all Positive words. Talked to a pediatrician to get a second opinion on one condition also, just for peace of mind I guess. But as each day goes by, I take a look at that cute little face and know that he is mine. So we called on Friday and gave them our answer - YES - He is ours! Brown eyes like Mom and Sandy Blonde hair like Dad.

So now it is time for more waiting. We wait to receive the invitation from Russia to make our first trip to meet our little one. And I thought the 4 and 1/2 months was bad, this feels worse. I just want to hold him in my arms. But I know we will be busy preparing and getting everything ready for him, before we know it they will be calling I'm sure.

Note: Due to agency protocol, I cannot post pictures or any other information on him. We cannot discuss timelines either.

Changes - and Clarification

I start a new job March 31st! Which I am very excited about! A company in Sheboygan made a wonderful offer to hire me on as a CNC Programmer/Planner which I gladly excepted.

We are now into our 4th month of waiting for a referral. Contacted our caseworker 3 weeks ago and got some clarification on the trip itinerary. We have the choice of 2 trips or splitting up the 2nd trip. So we decided to do the 3 trips: The second trip will be court (3-5 days) and then return home for the 10 day wait, then returning to pick our child up and bring him home (5-7 days). This will save on the pocket book, seeing the cost of a hotel is currently between $500-$600 a night. Found out the wait is up to 6 months now, which is okay due to the job change. And they said adopting a boy would be so quick and here we are waiting longer then expected. Learning life's lesson of Patience the Hard Way which is not as easy as the nine months...

In the Matching Process

I am not pleased with our agency right now. We really expected more communication then what we are going through right now. Dean called and left another voice mail with our caseworker. So when the phone rang with their number on caller ID, I thought to myself, finally!. But instead got a BIG surprise - A Referral!! Not the one we were expecting though. A sibling group of a 3 year old boy and a 2 year old girl became available and we were asked if we were interested. My heart stopped, I could not breath for about 3 seconds. I looked at Dean and give her the 'no thank you' and asked her about the status of our Dossier. The lady told us that it has obviously been released and we are in the status of finding a match. We went over our request for a boy between 9 and 18mo's.


So here we are waiting for our caseworker to call and I can't wait to hear her answer as to why we were not told our Dossier had been accepted and released. Nothing like having your life hanging in the balance.

After Holiday Update

We were having problems communicating with our caseworker during December so I sent out an email on Wednesday night addressing our concerns. I guess that did it! She called later that night to go over them and answer pending questions.

Here's the update she shared with us:
The average wait time currently for a referral is around 5 months (that gives us around 4 months to go). Better then the huge range of 2 -12mos they state on the website.
This will give us lots of time to work on the Nursery.

We have to go through more medical exams at home and in country. This will possibly include a psychiatric exam depending on the region (which we won't know until we accept the referral).

The medical we receive on the child is not a complete medical, we will not get that until we are in country. On our first trip we sit down with the orphanage director and go over biological parent info and medical concerns and are able to ask more questions then.

There is now a 3 trip requirement with the second trip being up to 30 days.

1. First trip (7-10 days will be time spent with our little boy and our medical exams.
2. Second trip is our court date and the 10 day wait after court. This will let us enjoy our child's birth country. We hope to do a lot of sight seeing.
3. 1-2-3 strikes we're out of there and on our way home with our new baby!!!