Happy Memorial Day!

No crying today! We were worried that since we hadn't seen her since Friday, she might backtrack a little. She ran right to us with a smile, sat on my lap, and started playing. She was wearing the same outfit that she wore on Friday, but with different shoes. It's funny to see the different mixes of colors and patterns that she has on each day. Not really what I would choose, but that will come soon :). We didn't get to play outside today because it was rainy. The weather has actually been a lot warmer here than we thought it was going to be. I have only worn a hoodie a couple of times. We did have lots of fun inside, and she was super sassy and crazy today. She was laughing and running around like a lunatic! After our visit we were able to go see her group's room. There is one big play/dinning area, and then a large bathroom and bedroom. It was cute to see all of the little potties lined up! Their cribs are all pushed together as well, and she showed us which one was hers. There are 16 children in her group, with 3-4 caregivers at a time. We found out that there are actually 180 children in her orphanage (Baby House #5) instead of 80 like we thought. Our coordinator told us that #5 is one of the largest, but is also one of the best orphanages in Kras. We are thankful that she has been so well taken care of! Her rooms were clean, but everything was definately very old and outdated. Thank you to everyone who donated to the orphanage! We are going to buy the supplies that they need on Wednesday or Thursday. Tomorrow, we visit her in the morning, and then are going out to lunch with Yelena and Serge. There was talk of Vodka...

Halfway there!

Today is day 5 0f 10! We are halfway through the 10day waiting period, and Friday we will get to take our girl out of the orphanage. Last night we just watched a movie and did some lounging. We are getting restless, but we are thankful that we will be able to go visit her tomorrow. This morning we slept in (our last lazy Sunday morning!) and took a walk to the hotel. We don't have anything planned for tonight, but we found some "Friends" episodes in the apartment, so we will probably just watch those. We hope that everyone is having a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Four down, six to go!

Hey everyone! Our internet is down in the apartment, so we haven't been able to blog in several days. On Thursday, my dad was feeling better and was able to go visit the orphanage, but my mom got the bug, and stayed back. At first our girl was pretty upset to leave her caregiver, but thank goodness for the snacks!!! We ended up outside again, and she was acting so silly! We were so thankful that my dad was able to see her real personality before leaving Krasnoyarsk. Yesterday, Friday, my parents left for Moscow. We are praying for their safe return to the USA! It is so quiet in the apartment now, especially without the ability to use the internet or watch TV (all channels are in Russian). We went to visit our girl in the afternoon, and, for the first time this trip, she didn't cry when she saw us! Smiles right from the begining, with lots of laughing and hugs. She was more vocal than she has been so far. We have no idea what she is saying, but her little voice is so sweet! She is curious and independant, and is a girl who knows what she wants :). We have loved these days with her, and are thankful that she is getting more comfortable with us each day. Today, Saturday, we don't really have a lot to do. We won't be able to visit the orphanage again until Monday. Serge and Yelena drove us to the Krasnoyarsk hotel to use the internet center, as ours won't be repaired for a few days. It is close enough that we are able to walk home, and will probably come back tomorrow. We hope everything is going well for everyone at home!

Day One of Ten...

Today started the 10 day waiting period before we are able to take our sweet girl out of the orphanage. So, on Friday the 4th, the adoption papers will be officially signed by the judge, and she will be ours forever!!! And, we will be able to post her name and pics on the blog. We went to see her this morning, and stayed about three hours. When we first got there, she was waiting for us with her favorite caregiver. She started crying at first, because she didn't want the caregiver to leave. But, thanks to some snacks and distraction, we were soon on our way to a great day! We finally were able to see that sweet girl we met back in April. She was smiling and laughing, and just being herself. Her runny nose is almost gone, so I think she is feeling better. We played outside for a really long time, and then fed her lunch. She had soup, a chicken burger, beets, mashed potatoes, bread, and tea! They gave her the most humungous spoon, like bigger than I would even be able to eat with. I ended up helping her with some of it, and she would give me a look, and kick her feet, if I wasn't shoveling it in fast enough! We will have to work on that, but for now we are just going for happy :). The last time we saw her, Mark took a little piece of her snack and ate it, so today anytime he would get near her food, she would give him a dirty look! She's a Johnson through and through. My dad wasn't able to go today, because he has a really bad cold :(. But, my mom went, and finally made friends with her after giving lots of cookies!

WE PASSED COURT!!!!!

Hooray, hooray, hooray! What a huge relief! One word describes our court experience...INTENSE! Mark did an awesome job answering questions, and I am so proud of him. A few times during court, we didn't think that things were going very well. The judge asked some very tough questions, and we weren't sure that our answers would be enough. We were in there for two hours! After everyone spoke, we had to wait outside the courtroom for the judge's decision. What a long five minutes that was!!! When she called us back in, she read from a document about our petition to adopt. Our interpreter was translating for us, but we didn't hear a yes in there anywhere! The judge started to leave the room, and our interpreter turned to us and said "congratulations!" Finally! We passed! Once we realized the court's decision, we told the judge thank you, and took a HUGE sigh of relief. My parents were able to be in the courtroom during the hearing, and we were so grateful to have them there as a support! Now, it might be time for some Russian vodka! :) Thank you for all of the prayers...they worked!!!

Court tomorrow!

What a day! First, we went to a restaurant for lunch, just the four of us. It was obvious that we were tourists, with our little red "Russian Translation" book, and no idea what anyone was saying to us or how to answer. Thanks to an extremely patient waiter, we managed to order, and the food was actually really good! We were so proud of ourselves :). Then we went to visit our little girl. She was much happier today, and we did get a few smiles. Her favorite "toy" was the travel packet of wet-wipes. She created a cute little game! She sat on my lap, tried to open the package, and then passed it to me for help. I pulled one out a little for her, so that she could easily grab it. After wiping her nose once with it, she got up, put the used wipe on her empty snack tray, returned to my lap, and started over. This went on an on, one wipe at a time, until there were none left. Then, she continued the game by putting each wipe back into the package. Now we know how to keep her busy on the plane! On the way back to the apartment our translator and coordinator coached us in preparation for court. I am really nervous, but Mark is more confident. Which, as it turns out, is a good thing since he will be the one to answer the majority of questions! Our court appointment is at 12pm Tuesday, which is 11pm Monday back home. So, before you go to bed tonight, say some prayers for us!

Our first day

It was so amazing to see her again! We really couldn't tell if she remembered us or not. She had just woken up from a nap, and was very hungry, so she was pretty crabby at first. She sat on our laps, and would play a little, but then would start crying. Once they brought in her snack and, get this... tea...she was a new girl! We really didn't get many smiles today, but did play a long time, and are hoping for more tomorrow. She was pretty shy with my parents, so they haven't been able to hold her yet, but they were just so happy to meet her! We were able to go outside and play for a little while too. It was a fun change to see her in a different environment. They really dress the kids warmly. We weren't wearing coats and were comfortable (even me!), but she had on a wool outfit, a winter coat, and a hat! After our visit, we went to see the famous Krasnoyarsk chapel. It was so beautiful! Tomorrow we will see her again, and they will start preparing us for court.

With Serge and Yelena in front of the chapel

Standing in front of the city

Safe in Krasnoyarsk

Hey everyone! We made it to Kras, but are very tired. Yesterday was a crazy day with our medicals, Moscow traffic jams, and then no sleep on the plane. The medicals were definitely an interesting experience, but we passed. We saw 7 different docs, plus an 8th had to sign off on our forms. Lots of fun stories for later :) Just went to the market, my dad made his delicious scrambled eggs, and now we are going to take a super long nap! We found out that we won't be going to the orphanage today, but will go tomorrow and Monday. It was disappointing that we won't see her today, but we were happy to hear that my parents will be able to visit her as well. Thanks for all of the prayers for safe travels!

Moscow

We made it to Moscow! The flight was long, but everyone did okay. My parents are here with us, and that helped the time go by a little faster. No one really slept on the flight, so we are all super tired. We took a nap when we finally got here (after an hour and a half spent in Moscow traffic!), just went to dinner, and now are going back to bed. Free breakfast in the morning!! We all know that will be Mark's favorite part of the day :). They are picking us up for our medicals (pray they go ok!) at noon and then our flight to Krasnoyarsk leaves at 9pm. We will arrive in Kras at around 6am, will rest a little, and then get to go visit our sweet girl!

Leaving tomorrow!

We are beyond excited to be leaving in the morning! We can't wait to see our little girl again, and are ready for her to officially become our daughter. With the help of family, friends, and our social worker, we are ready! Thank you to Nancy and the Lindbergh girls, Angela, and Molly for throwing two fabulous showers this past weekend! Also, thank you everyone for the abundance of love, support, and gifts you have given us. We are truely blessed! Here are some pictures of her room. We had to photoshop out her name above the crib, so just imagine some cute polka-dotted letters up there. :)

Travel plans

We received our flight and travel plans! Mark and I are so fortunate that our parents will be able to come with us for parts of our trip. Having them there will be such a support! Here is our itinerary:
May 19th, leave for Moscow
May 20th, arrive in Moscow
May 21st, medicals for Mark and I, and then leave for Kras
May 22nd, arrive in Kras and see our girl!
May 24th, visit our girl again
May 25th ,COURT!!!
10day waiting period, visit our girl each day at the orphanage
June 4th, Gotcha Day!
June 9th, go back to Moscow for Embassy appts and medical for our daughter.
June 13th, fly home as a family!!! :)
Our VISAS should arrive on Monday the 17th, let's all say some prayers that they do. So many things to worry about between now and June 13th...but, our sweet girl is more than worth it!

We Have a Court Date!!!

Hooray! Hooray! Our social worker called today and gave us a huge surprise....we have a court date....in May!!!! We leave for Russia on May 19th, and have court on May 25th. I am still shaking. :) More details to follow...

Yesterday, Mark and I celebrated our 5th anniversary! Today, as our present to eachother, we are painting our little girl's room, and putting together her crib. :) On the 29th, US delegates met with Russian officials. It seemed to go well, and they will be having a second meeting on May 12th. As of right now, there is not a freeze on Russian adoptions. We continue to pray that they come to a favorable agreement, and that we will still be able to travel early this summer.