Goodbye Russia, Hello USA!

St. Basil's Cathedral

In front of Red Square with our hometown newspaper

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We are coming home tomorrow! I have been waiting 25 days to say those words. I can't really believe that we are finally leaving. It seems like we have been gone for a lifetime, but our little Russian Princess has been worth every minute. Yesterday, we had our US Embassy appointment. There were 14 other adoptive families there waiting for their appts as well. It was so much fun to hear their stories, and to watch Sofia interact with the other children. We wish them all well, and safe travels! The appointment itself was pretty uneventful, we just signed our paperwork and swore that everything was correct. Then we got Sofia's US Visa to travel home on. She only has a Russian passport at this time, and will not be a US citizen until her passport is stamped in Chicago. How amazing with that moment will be! We are required to keep dual citizenship for her until she is 18yrs old, and then she can choose whether or not to continue. After our appointment, we took a tour of the city and did some shopping. They were preparing for "Russia Day", and had much of Red Square blocked off, so we were only able to see the Kremlin from a distance. However, we did get to see St. Basil's Cathedral up close, and it is amazing! Today, we don't have any plans. Our adoption process here was finished yesterday at the Embassy, so we have a day free to lounge and prepare for our long journey home. We leave Moscow at 7am, connect in Frankfurt and Chicago, and then arrive in STL at around 5:30pm. It will be a long day, but we are so excited! See you all soon!