Thursday Update

Today was a procedure and paperwork day. No visits with Grace, unfortunately. We were spoiled at Vidnoye when we were adopting Jason. We were so close to the city.

First off was the 8 Doctor Medical exam. This was the source of much drama, comedy, and exhaustion during Jason's adoption. To relive the fun, check this post from last year. We and some other families were literally the first to experience this in Moscow. It was at a different clinic and they really had no idea what to do with us that day.

Today, it was a totally different experience. It was very efficient, but also twice as expensive. I think we got more for our money the first time. But getting done in two hours beats ten hours anyday.

Another new aspect were personal interviews with a narcologist and a psychologist. The questions were mostly benign and the atmosphere cordial, not confrontational. A funny one was "When did you have your first cigarette." Another, "How did you feel when you first drank alcohol." They expect us to drink and smoke more than we do. They couldn't believe Wendy has never tried a cigarette.

They didn't do a urine test, an EKG, or draw blood like they did last year. Instead they just trusted our American doctors know what they are doing. We were interviewed by the head doctor of the facility. He was a very nice man, but wasn't too thorough. He asked about our son, specifically if he looked more like Wendy or myself. I pulled out a picture (as I have been quick to do throughout the trip) and asked him, "What do you think?" He thought he looked like both of us.

Towards the end of the interview, he asked my profession. He told me, "don't perform any nuclear tests." It was pretty funny.

The interview concluded with the doctor wishing us all the best, good luck, success with the adoption, and a happy life together as a family. It was very touching.

Then we went to the office of our Russian facilitators. We learned our business would conclude today and that we could fly home tomorrow if we wanted. We decided we needed to get back. An extra day to recover will be good for us. We are exhausted. Plus, we want to see our boy. We have missed him.

So, we will depart Moscow tomorrow. We will fly through JFK because there is no Atlanta flight. It was very easy to reschedule everything.

After that, we went to the notary to sign our petitions to the Moscow Region court district to adopt Grace. We are told 4-6 six weeks from now will be our court date. We are really hoping for four.

That concluded our business in Moscow. We had Sonya andGena drop us off at Red Square where we spent about an hour walking around. It was foggy and misty, so not quite as spectacular as when we have seen it before. Afterward, we walked the kilometer back to our apartment. When we get back, I will do a more complete post on our Red Square visit. I just don't feel like processing the pictures tonight.

We are just hanging out at our apartment tonight, packing, and getting ready to leave.

It has been quite a trip. We forget sometimes how stressful these trips can be. If you ever think we are boring people, come to Russia with us and see what excitement can really be. The first steps of Operation Valentina have been completed with meeting and deciding to adopt Grace. We just have to wait out the next few weeks while we wait for the next phase to begin.

Signing off from Moscow. Love to you all. Jason & Wendy