A day at the Zoo

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We took Sofia to the Zoo today for the first time. She loved seeing the animals and being around other kids. She knows how to blow kisses "goodbye," and made sure include each animal as we walked on to the next one. Thanks to Cathy for the zoo membership! This weekend my dad's side of the family is having a "Meet Sofia Party." We are so excited for her to meet the rest of her aunts and uncles, and to be able to play with all of her cousins.

So Much Fun!

Bathing beauty

Lounging on the dock

First time blowing bubbles

We have all finally adjusted to the time change, and are sleeping so much better. Thank goodness! Sofia is doing really well. She is already saying several English words, and is understanding more and more every day. I can't believe how fast she is catching on! Her and Hannah have become great friends. The only problem is, now Sofia thinks Hannah should play with her all the time. She is constantly chasing her, pulling on some part of her, showing us where her "eye" is by poking it, or trying to run her over with her baby stoller. Poor Hannah, she is being such a good sport about it all! This weekend we went to the lake with our families. We go every year, but we were really hesitant since we had only been home with her for a short time. Sofia loved it though, and we were so glad we went! She did awesome, and had a such great time with all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It is so amazing to see her enjoying everything. We can't help but think that last month at this time, she was still living in the orphanage. How different her life is now...and our's too :)

Home at last!

We are home! We arrived late Sunday evening after a long day of travel. Sofia actually did pretty well and slept for about half of the longest flight. She only had one major (and I mean MAJOR) meltdown, and that was on the plane from Chicago to STL. At that point though, I think we were all ready to do the same! Mark's mom was an enormous help, and it would have been so much harder without her. We were met in the airport by our families and friends. What an amazing feeling to walk down the corridor and see everyone waiting and cheering for us. It was so hard for me to keep it together! Sofia loved all of the attention. She was smiley and sweet, and ended up falling asleep on her Uncle Matt's shoulder. We are all still really, really tired. Sofia has been waking up between 3-3:45am. Her poor little body is still on Moscow time. We only let her take a super short nap today, and although it's been a rough day, we hope it pays off tonight. She had her first pediatrician appointment this afternoon. It went really well, although she did have to get three immunizations. That was very, very sad. We introduced her to our dog Hannah last evening, and let's just say that they aren't best friends yet. Hannah loves Sofia, and wants to be around her all of the time. However, the feeling isn't mutual! We have definitely made progress though, so hopefully it won't take much longer for her to feel comfortable around her. We want to thank everyone who has been thinking about us, and praying for us though this long journey to bring Sofia home!

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!

There is a first time for everything...

We made it to Moscow early Wednesday morning, and Mark's mom arrived in the afternoon. It was such a great feeling to see her, and be one step closer to home. We had a busy day yesterday, but were able to reflect on the time we have spent with Sofia since she became our daughter. One thing that always bothered us, is that we missed the first 22months of her life. We weren't able to share the experiences of her first steps, first words, etc. But, yesterday we realized that we have been able to share so many other firsts with her in the short amount of time she has been with us. There is a first time for everything! Most importantly, she had her first night with us, and her first morning waking up with a mom and dad who love her so much. She had her first plane ride, first time out of Krasnoyarsk, first night in a hotel room, first cheeseburger at McDonalds :), first time in a park, first time in a restaurant, first time watching American cartoons, and the most fun has been her first time in a swimming pool. It has been so amazing to see her experience these things, and to share them with her. So, instead of dwelling on what we have missed, we have began to focus on what we have shared, and we know that there are still so many firsts to to come!

Moscow here we come!

Our favorite souvenir from Krasnoyarsk :)

It has been a crazy, fun, hilarious, and exhausting few days! Sofia has adjusted to being with us really well, and it's like we have had her forever. She is super affectionate with both of us, and we love every minute. Her nose has been really snotty during the day, and congested at night, so she hasn't been sleeping well...and neither have I. Hopefully whatever she has will clear up soon. We have gone outside several times, and that seems to be her favorite time of day. Thank goodness we have a big backyard waiting for her at home! Early tomorrow morning we are headed to Moscow for our Embassy appointments. Mark's mom is going to meet us there. We will be SO happy to see a friendly face. We miss our family and friends so much, it seems like we have been gone forever! It's kind of bittersweet leaving Krasnoyarsk and the apartment. We are so anxious to get home, but at the same time, this is where we met Sofia. It has been awesome to be able to just focus on the three of us these past few days, and I will definately cherish those memories!

Sofia's busy day...

Snack anyone?

Cool Girl!

Being Naughty!

Finally worn out :)

She is just that...busy, busy, busy! Only a few meltdowns today, she is definately testing her boundaries. We weren't able to play outside much because of rain, so I think she was a little bored too. The apartment is really nice, but only a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. She realized pretty quickly that she didn't have much room to run around. There was some crying at naptime, but she eventually fell asleep for a few hours. She had fun skyping with our parents this morning, and was talking up a storm! Bathtime still is not her fav, but we got through it. Maybe it will be better tomorrow... She went to bed really well tonight! No crying at all. We stayed right with her (pretending to sleep) until she was out. We will probably head to bed soon also. She slept awesome last night, and didn't wake up at all. However, Mark and I were typical first time parents and kept waking up asking ourselves...is she awake?...is she ok?...is she breathing? Hopefully tonight we can be more relaxed! She is such a sweet girl, we can't wait for tomorrow so that we can spend time with her again.