Hard to believe that one month ago today we were at the Klintsy home for our 2nd visit with Sean.
I love laughing with Sean!
Sean finding his shadow.
Having fun with Aunt Denise
He was so happy to take his first steps alone!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
A few pics of our 1st week with Sean!
Hard to believe that one month ago today we were at the Klintsy home for our 2nd visit with Sean.
I love laughing with Sean!
Sean finding his shadow.
Having fun with Aunt Denise
He was so happy to take his first steps alone!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sean's Birthday Party! One week Home!
Sean has been home for one week this past Saturday. This also was his second birthday. Sean had a wonderful day! He loved having the whole (25plus) family over and giving him so much attention. Sean was a social butterfly that day and went to everyone that wanted to hold him and be playful with him. He got so many nice presents and enjoyed watching Mommy opening them. Everyone is so happy for us and cannot believe how well he has adjusted in just one week. Of course they all say he is adorable!
Sean took his first steps on his own on the morning after his birthday. He was so proud and happy for himself. He had a huge smile on his face and would giggle when he walked over to me.Sean continues to make us laugh everyday with a new face or sound and his singing ability. Sean really likes to eat and if you do not have his meals ready…he is a cranky boy. He is sleeping with no problems at night. He is getting adjusted to his nap time too and Mommy is working on figuring out his schedule. Two days this week he had no nap but we are back on track now.
Sean continued to make progress with his walking. The day after his birthday he walked from one room to another. Sean has made a lot of progress with attachment with me. He looks me right in the eyes and laughs and giggles with me. Sean loves to sit on my lap and look at my necklace and earrings. He does this everyday and is so gentle when he touches my necklace.
Sean is not a clingy child. He likes to sit and play and entertain himself with his favorite toy which is a piano.
He also likes it when Mommy is on the floor with him and he is rolling all over my legs and I am tickling his belly. When he gets upset he does look to me to pick him up and hold him. Our other special time is when we get a bath (which he does not like yet) and then we go to his room for story time. He sits in my lap and I read to him. Sometimes he is quiet and sometimes he will sing while I read.
Sean does like to go outside as he will walk a little but enjoys being pulled in his wagon or pushed in the stroller. He apparently does not like the feel of the grass yet. Sean also had done great with going out to the store. His father took him grocery shopping at Stop & Shop his third day home and he sang while Dad pushed the cart. He also traveled to the Federal Building in New Haven to sign up for his Social Security card! My sister and I took him shopping and he was a good boy sitting in the cart while Mommy filled it up. I am feeling like myself again just getting over a cold this week. I look forward to every new day with my little man!
Day after his party he liked sitting on his convertible walker
Sean did not want any cake, but he enjoyed the singing.
Sean got so excited to meet his cousin Jack for the first time.
He was a happy boy!
Sean loves his piano.
He likes just sitting in his chair and now brings me to it when he is hungry.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Home coming pics!
Great sign, I loved seeing it as we drove up.
Meeting Goldie for the first time. Sean with his Russian hat daddy got for him.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Home sweet home! Sean first Dr’s appointment…and ER visit for me!
Well let me start off by saying what an adventure our home coming was! I started this post Sunday night, but was not able to finish it until Thursday as you will see what happened.
We made it home! We are so happy to be here! Sean is great at home. He was absolutely terrific on the plane. The only time he cried is when we took him to the bathroom to change his diaper. He apparently did not like it being in the small bathrooms at all. Let me just brag about Sean a little with all the traveling we have done with him in 3 days. He was so amazing. Patrick and I cannot believe how well he did. During the flight, the first four hours he sang, babbled, made faces and played with us. He had his meal and took a two hour nap in between us. For the rest of the flight he played between us.
Even when we landed he was so loud with his talking, people were just staring at him. God knows what they were thinking! He is a very happy boy! It was a very long ten hour flight. Immigration and Customs went well. We were greeted by Patrick's brother and our sister law and of course his grandmother “Mum mums. They thought Sean was just so cute. He did well on the ride home from JFK. He liked his new car seat and fell asleep in it. When we made it home there was a large sign on our house welcoming Sean home and balloons on the light post. Patrick has great sisters!
Sean met Goldie (the dog) right away, and thought nothing of it. He put his hand out to pet him. Guinness and Gracie made appearances too. They were happy to see us. They do not know what to make of Sean yet. Sean went to bed around 10:30 pm he went right in to his crib and fell asleep. We made a bite to eat and headed to sleep in our own bed!
I heard him couple hours later and jumped up to check on him and he went right back to sleep. He does rock himself to sleep when we put him down. This is very common for children who were not comforted as infants and had to soothe themselves. That breaks my heart. But we have told he will outgrow it. Sean woke up at 6:30 and I was so happy to get him and bring him to our bed. It is our time to bond. We then had breakfast and played and then Sean was hungry again (he is always hungry!).
Sunday afternoon, his Aunt Liz & Uncle Joe and the cousins Ronan and Eoin met him. He had a great time laughing and playing with them and then it was off for his nap. Later that night his Aunts Anna and Mary & Uncles Rich and Chuck came for a visit and a beer with Sean! His cousin Kerry had to feed him. They just fell in love with our Sean. He laughed and giggled and cuddled with his Aunt Mary. Then last to visit was his sister’s Molly and Megan. Sean was happy to meet everyone and showed off his singing and laughing.
Sunday night we all went to bed and I woke around 2:30 AM with terrible pains in my stomach. I was not sure what it was. So in the morning I made an appointment with my doctor for 2:30 PM the earliest I could get in.
Sean had his first pediatrician appointment and I was determined to go to it. We went to the doctors for Sean to get checked out. We discussed our concerns about walking and the food that he will only eat. He also will not drink much. The Dr. gave us his recommendations and advice and we felt better about things. Sean did great in the office.
Home we went and I was off to bed, until my doctor’s appointment. It was difficult afternoon. I was very upset that I was sick again and could not take care of Sean. The doctor saw me and ordered a CAT scan right away. She said I would have to go to the hospital to get it because it was too late in the afternoon. I did not want to go. She asked me how I got there I told her I drove and I could drive myself to the ER, but she said no, that I was in too much pain. So with that I was off to the ER in an ambulance. I got there and was happy to be there because I was in so much pain.My sister in law Mary came to be with me because Pat had to stay with Sean.
I was put on some good pain (happy) medicine which helped greatly. I got my CAT scan and ended up needed emergency surgery, for appendectomy. I was in the hospital for a couple days. Today is the first day I feel myself. I am restricted of course. No lifting Sean. This is very hard not to do. He loves to be turned upside down and bounce on my lap. I hope next week we can get back to things Sean love to do.
My mother in law is bringing dinner over tonight so that is a big help. Patrick did a great job with Sean, while I was in the hospital. We so blessed that Sean has transitioned home so well. He is a great little boy; he has slept in his crib from day 1. He eats well, just not any solid food yet. He will play on the floor for hours entertaining himself. We are now planning Sean's Birthday party on Saturday. My sister's will be up from NJ for a few days. I will post some pictures soon.
We made it home! We are so happy to be here! Sean is great at home. He was absolutely terrific on the plane. The only time he cried is when we took him to the bathroom to change his diaper. He apparently did not like it being in the small bathrooms at all. Let me just brag about Sean a little with all the traveling we have done with him in 3 days. He was so amazing. Patrick and I cannot believe how well he did. During the flight, the first four hours he sang, babbled, made faces and played with us. He had his meal and took a two hour nap in between us. For the rest of the flight he played between us.
Even when we landed he was so loud with his talking, people were just staring at him. God knows what they were thinking! He is a very happy boy! It was a very long ten hour flight. Immigration and Customs went well. We were greeted by Patrick's brother and our sister law and of course his grandmother “Mum mums. They thought Sean was just so cute. He did well on the ride home from JFK. He liked his new car seat and fell asleep in it. When we made it home there was a large sign on our house welcoming Sean home and balloons on the light post. Patrick has great sisters!
Sean met Goldie (the dog) right away, and thought nothing of it. He put his hand out to pet him. Guinness and Gracie made appearances too. They were happy to see us. They do not know what to make of Sean yet. Sean went to bed around 10:30 pm he went right in to his crib and fell asleep. We made a bite to eat and headed to sleep in our own bed!
I heard him couple hours later and jumped up to check on him and he went right back to sleep. He does rock himself to sleep when we put him down. This is very common for children who were not comforted as infants and had to soothe themselves. That breaks my heart. But we have told he will outgrow it. Sean woke up at 6:30 and I was so happy to get him and bring him to our bed. It is our time to bond. We then had breakfast and played and then Sean was hungry again (he is always hungry!).
Sunday afternoon, his Aunt Liz & Uncle Joe and the cousins Ronan and Eoin met him. He had a great time laughing and playing with them and then it was off for his nap. Later that night his Aunts Anna and Mary & Uncles Rich and Chuck came for a visit and a beer with Sean! His cousin Kerry had to feed him. They just fell in love with our Sean. He laughed and giggled and cuddled with his Aunt Mary. Then last to visit was his sister’s Molly and Megan. Sean was happy to meet everyone and showed off his singing and laughing.
Sunday night we all went to bed and I woke around 2:30 AM with terrible pains in my stomach. I was not sure what it was. So in the morning I made an appointment with my doctor for 2:30 PM the earliest I could get in.
Sean had his first pediatrician appointment and I was determined to go to it. We went to the doctors for Sean to get checked out. We discussed our concerns about walking and the food that he will only eat. He also will not drink much. The Dr. gave us his recommendations and advice and we felt better about things. Sean did great in the office.
Home we went and I was off to bed, until my doctor’s appointment. It was difficult afternoon. I was very upset that I was sick again and could not take care of Sean. The doctor saw me and ordered a CAT scan right away. She said I would have to go to the hospital to get it because it was too late in the afternoon. I did not want to go. She asked me how I got there I told her I drove and I could drive myself to the ER, but she said no, that I was in too much pain. So with that I was off to the ER in an ambulance. I got there and was happy to be there because I was in so much pain.My sister in law Mary came to be with me because Pat had to stay with Sean.
I was put on some good pain (happy) medicine which helped greatly. I got my CAT scan and ended up needed emergency surgery, for appendectomy. I was in the hospital for a couple days. Today is the first day I feel myself. I am restricted of course. No lifting Sean. This is very hard not to do. He loves to be turned upside down and bounce on my lap. I hope next week we can get back to things Sean love to do.
My mother in law is bringing dinner over tonight so that is a big help. Patrick did a great job with Sean, while I was in the hospital. We so blessed that Sean has transitioned home so well. He is a great little boy; he has slept in his crib from day 1. He eats well, just not any solid food yet. He will play on the floor for hours entertaining himself. We are now planning Sean's Birthday party on Saturday. My sister's will be up from NJ for a few days. I will post some pictures soon.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Going back to the USA! New Pics of Sean!
His first meal in Bryasnk
What a cutie with his new haircut!
His first stroller ride.
Sean likes music!
Sean playing the piano
He loved his belly tickled!
These pics are from our second visit and when we were in Bryansk for our first night together. You can see his new haircut he got when we picked him up! See you all soon! Life is good! I love being a mom!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Update from the Marriott!
What a trip it has been to get here!
I have recovered from my stomach bug, or from something I ate. It was a rough 3 days (and rough Russian toilet paper!) and I was a little disappointed that we could not finish touring Moscow. We left on Monday from Moscow for Bryansk and took the late train. We departed at 6pm. We arrived close to midnight with no sleep on this trip. We watched a movie instead on our DVD player.
We checked in to Chernigov Hotel very early Tuesday for the night. I thought to myself this is our last sleep alone as a couple as tomorrow we would be a family of three! We woke up in the morning and went downstairs for breakfast. We waited for Olga to get back from court to get our paper work, what was supposed to take 10 min, turned in to two hours. We went to the passport office to pick up Sean’s Russian passport and the staff was out to lunch. So we went out to lunch for an hour. We went back to meet Olga and she finally arrived another hour later.
Olga informed us that we would inherit Sean’s Russian savings account…great!!! He has an account being a ward of the state. Actually we wanted to give the money to the orphanage as it is in great need of funding. His five thousand rubles averaged out to be about $133.00. Olga called orphanage social worker to see if the bank would be open when we got there for us to sign papers for Sean’s bank account from the state to be signed over to the orphanage. Olga wanted to know if we wanted to wait one more day. I said no I want to go and get him (actually it sound more like a threat… Pat’s thoughts!) We left at 3pm and arrived at 5:30 pm at the bank and signed over the papers.
We finally made it to Klintsy Baby Home (orphanage). I did get back my photo album that I left and was happy about that. I also was given a couple of baby photos of Sean.. The rest of the time was just a whirlwind. We rushed in to get Sean and were brought to a room that resembled a hospital room. Sean came in and the care taker took his clothes off in such a rush, I thought the building was closing! She asked for Sean’s clothes (through Olga.) I had to rush through the diaper bag looking for everything. In the meantime Sean was fussy crying, but no tears! So with his new American duds on, I was handed Sean and with a quick good bye to his caretakers, we were out the door! It was the fastest (and greatest) part of the day!
Sean was great in the car. He has his serious Russian dour face on, but then we got him to smile. He would sing babble and giggle for us on the ride. It was 8: oo pm when we returned to hotel. It was right to bed for Sean, too late for a bath. Patrick got a pizza to go, because Sean was too tired to stay in the restaurant. So off to bed we went. Sean and I slept in the same bed.
He tossed and turned in the bed all night. He started at the head of the bed and ended at the foot of the bed. I was watching him most of the night. In the morning we played and then I fed him breakfast. H enjoyed the oatmeal that I brought for him. He is a good eater. He liked using a cup to drink. Then it was time for his bath. Not happy with bath time. We had our last breakfast at the Chernigov; Sean sat on my lap while mommy ate some of her breakfast. I did not care for the oatmeal this time it was like germ wheat. Also potato salad and one egg with a hamburger patty under it. It tasted like meatloaf. Pat stuck with tea and toast…his main meal thru the trip!
We left with Olga and our new driver (Victor #2) to pick up Sean’s passport and then two more stops. The last stop was to take pictures of Sean for his American visa. We went in and he was not having any part of this. Sean does not like his picture taken. He always puts on his face. I call it that because I have seen it when I try to take his picture. I think he thinks what is she doing with that device that’s pointing at me and the light makes hurts my eyes! He had a little meltdown in the shop. A few minutes later he calm downed enough to have it taken. It was very warm inside the shop too. It seems that every place we went in to was so warm. I was cranky too. We finally were on the road to Moscow by 1:00pm. Olga suggested we take a car back instead of the train.
We were happy about that until our 4 hour car ride turned in to 7 hour car ride. We arrived at 8pm. Traffic in Moscow was terrible! We had to drive by the Kremlin and there was a diplomat in the region so we were stopped in traffic for an hour at least. The running joke was the Russian President wanted to go out for Chinese food for dinner and his security group stopped all traffic. It was horrible.
Then our driver announced that he did not know where our hotel was. We were like oh my god… NO! Patrick and Olga both knew how to go but could not convince Victor #2 to drive us there. He made a wrong turn a half mile from the Marriott after we waited in this horrible traffic jam and was heading back the way we came from. I just want to jump out of the car we were only 10 min from our hotel and I felt so bad for Sean. Olga was on the phone with all kinds of people. So with that Victor #2 (Patrick wanted to push him out and drive himself!) Victor #2 then turned around and drove back by all the previous traffic we waited in for nearly an hour and a half as he decided he would find a taxi cab driver to get us there. So Olga got out a few times and was asking taxi drivers on the street and finally found one that would take us.
So back in the traffic jam we went once more. Did I mention this car was smaller than the one we drove in for 6 hour plus in! Sean was absolutely fabulous for this car ride. He only fussed a few times. Remember Sean had not eaten supper or lunch! I was so happy to get to our room. We fed Sean his supper and he was still hungry so he ate two additional bowls of oatmeal! It was so nice to have a king size bed and to be back with Western TV, English speaking people, a great ,great bathroom with all the enmities of home. We slept pretty well, though I would keep waking up to check on Sean. He was in a little bed and we had to put pillows on the sides so he would not fall out. He managed to roll off the back and I sprung across his bed to grab him. He did not mind at all. Back to sleep and then we were up early for the doctor visit.
The doctor came at 6:45. Sean did pretty well with his exam. The doctor said he was physically healthy and pointed out his molars were coming in, which we knew. The Russian doctor spoke excellent English and mentioned he studied medicine at Harvard. We told him about our close physical location to Yale. He enjoyed that fact and was well aware of the Yale-Harvard competition. After breakfast, we spent the morning playing in our bed before it was bath time again. We made it downstairs for lunch. Sean had mashed potatoes and warm milk. He did well with lunch but got a little fussy because it was his nap time.
Upstairs we went for his nap. In the meantime the hotel brought us a crib for him. That worked out much better. After his nap we took a nice walk to Arbat Street. He enjoys his stroller. We do have internet access but we have to pay for it hourly. It is great to be able to Skype with family at home. We talked and saw Molly and showed her how to run the dishwasher! Sean also talked to Molly and she is the first family member to see him in live living color! It was great to see Molly and then Goldie ran in. Pat called for Goldie via Skype and Goldie ran thru the house looking for him! We are very thankful to Molly as she has been our house, dog, cat(s) sitter for us! Friday we are off to the American Embassy for some visa paperwork to be completed and then home on Saturday!
Friday afternoon and Sean has got his American Visa!! Hooray! Embassy was great as it took only 50 minutes. We met five other American couples adopting Russian children and we all got the green light! So it’s off to the airport tomorrow at noon!
We leave on Saturday at three PM Moscow time to catch our plane. Wish us luck that Sean does ok with that new adventure. Next post should be from home. I will post some pictures of our little guy in the next post.
What a trip it has been to get here!
I have recovered from my stomach bug, or from something I ate. It was a rough 3 days (and rough Russian toilet paper!) and I was a little disappointed that we could not finish touring Moscow. We left on Monday from Moscow for Bryansk and took the late train. We departed at 6pm. We arrived close to midnight with no sleep on this trip. We watched a movie instead on our DVD player.
We checked in to Chernigov Hotel very early Tuesday for the night. I thought to myself this is our last sleep alone as a couple as tomorrow we would be a family of three! We woke up in the morning and went downstairs for breakfast. We waited for Olga to get back from court to get our paper work, what was supposed to take 10 min, turned in to two hours. We went to the passport office to pick up Sean’s Russian passport and the staff was out to lunch. So we went out to lunch for an hour. We went back to meet Olga and she finally arrived another hour later.
Olga informed us that we would inherit Sean’s Russian savings account…great!!! He has an account being a ward of the state. Actually we wanted to give the money to the orphanage as it is in great need of funding. His five thousand rubles averaged out to be about $133.00. Olga called orphanage social worker to see if the bank would be open when we got there for us to sign papers for Sean’s bank account from the state to be signed over to the orphanage. Olga wanted to know if we wanted to wait one more day. I said no I want to go and get him (actually it sound more like a threat… Pat’s thoughts!) We left at 3pm and arrived at 5:30 pm at the bank and signed over the papers.
We finally made it to Klintsy Baby Home (orphanage). I did get back my photo album that I left and was happy about that. I also was given a couple of baby photos of Sean.. The rest of the time was just a whirlwind. We rushed in to get Sean and were brought to a room that resembled a hospital room. Sean came in and the care taker took his clothes off in such a rush, I thought the building was closing! She asked for Sean’s clothes (through Olga.) I had to rush through the diaper bag looking for everything. In the meantime Sean was fussy crying, but no tears! So with his new American duds on, I was handed Sean and with a quick good bye to his caretakers, we were out the door! It was the fastest (and greatest) part of the day!
Sean was great in the car. He has his serious Russian dour face on, but then we got him to smile. He would sing babble and giggle for us on the ride. It was 8: oo pm when we returned to hotel. It was right to bed for Sean, too late for a bath. Patrick got a pizza to go, because Sean was too tired to stay in the restaurant. So off to bed we went. Sean and I slept in the same bed.
He tossed and turned in the bed all night. He started at the head of the bed and ended at the foot of the bed. I was watching him most of the night. In the morning we played and then I fed him breakfast. H enjoyed the oatmeal that I brought for him. He is a good eater. He liked using a cup to drink. Then it was time for his bath. Not happy with bath time. We had our last breakfast at the Chernigov; Sean sat on my lap while mommy ate some of her breakfast. I did not care for the oatmeal this time it was like germ wheat. Also potato salad and one egg with a hamburger patty under it. It tasted like meatloaf. Pat stuck with tea and toast…his main meal thru the trip!
We left with Olga and our new driver (Victor #2) to pick up Sean’s passport and then two more stops. The last stop was to take pictures of Sean for his American visa. We went in and he was not having any part of this. Sean does not like his picture taken. He always puts on his face. I call it that because I have seen it when I try to take his picture. I think he thinks what is she doing with that device that’s pointing at me and the light makes hurts my eyes! He had a little meltdown in the shop. A few minutes later he calm downed enough to have it taken. It was very warm inside the shop too. It seems that every place we went in to was so warm. I was cranky too. We finally were on the road to Moscow by 1:00pm. Olga suggested we take a car back instead of the train.
We were happy about that until our 4 hour car ride turned in to 7 hour car ride. We arrived at 8pm. Traffic in Moscow was terrible! We had to drive by the Kremlin and there was a diplomat in the region so we were stopped in traffic for an hour at least. The running joke was the Russian President wanted to go out for Chinese food for dinner and his security group stopped all traffic. It was horrible.
Then our driver announced that he did not know where our hotel was. We were like oh my god… NO! Patrick and Olga both knew how to go but could not convince Victor #2 to drive us there. He made a wrong turn a half mile from the Marriott after we waited in this horrible traffic jam and was heading back the way we came from. I just want to jump out of the car we were only 10 min from our hotel and I felt so bad for Sean. Olga was on the phone with all kinds of people. So with that Victor #2 (Patrick wanted to push him out and drive himself!) Victor #2 then turned around and drove back by all the previous traffic we waited in for nearly an hour and a half as he decided he would find a taxi cab driver to get us there. So Olga got out a few times and was asking taxi drivers on the street and finally found one that would take us.
So back in the traffic jam we went once more. Did I mention this car was smaller than the one we drove in for 6 hour plus in! Sean was absolutely fabulous for this car ride. He only fussed a few times. Remember Sean had not eaten supper or lunch! I was so happy to get to our room. We fed Sean his supper and he was still hungry so he ate two additional bowls of oatmeal! It was so nice to have a king size bed and to be back with Western TV, English speaking people, a great ,great bathroom with all the enmities of home. We slept pretty well, though I would keep waking up to check on Sean. He was in a little bed and we had to put pillows on the sides so he would not fall out. He managed to roll off the back and I sprung across his bed to grab him. He did not mind at all. Back to sleep and then we were up early for the doctor visit.
The doctor came at 6:45. Sean did pretty well with his exam. The doctor said he was physically healthy and pointed out his molars were coming in, which we knew. The Russian doctor spoke excellent English and mentioned he studied medicine at Harvard. We told him about our close physical location to Yale. He enjoyed that fact and was well aware of the Yale-Harvard competition. After breakfast, we spent the morning playing in our bed before it was bath time again. We made it downstairs for lunch. Sean had mashed potatoes and warm milk. He did well with lunch but got a little fussy because it was his nap time.
Upstairs we went for his nap. In the meantime the hotel brought us a crib for him. That worked out much better. After his nap we took a nice walk to Arbat Street. He enjoys his stroller. We do have internet access but we have to pay for it hourly. It is great to be able to Skype with family at home. We talked and saw Molly and showed her how to run the dishwasher! Sean also talked to Molly and she is the first family member to see him in live living color! It was great to see Molly and then Goldie ran in. Pat called for Goldie via Skype and Goldie ran thru the house looking for him! We are very thankful to Molly as she has been our house, dog, cat(s) sitter for us! Friday we are off to the American Embassy for some visa paperwork to be completed and then home on Saturday!
Friday afternoon and Sean has got his American Visa!! Hooray! Embassy was great as it took only 50 minutes. We met five other American couples adopting Russian children and we all got the green light! So it’s off to the airport tomorrow at noon!
We leave on Saturday at three PM Moscow time to catch our plane. Wish us luck that Sean does ok with that new adventure. Next post should be from home. I will post some pictures of our little guy in the next post.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Here he is finally!
Gotcha Day / Family Day on Tuesday! We have picked up Sean Patrick on Tuesday evening! Here is our 1st family pictures from both trip # 1 and 2. I hope to post some more soon as Tuesday day turned into Tuesday night! Long story, but will be explained in the future......we are now in Moscow as its is Wednesday night! Fresh linens, American hotel after a seven and a half hour car drive from Bryansk, which is another long story! Can not wait until touchdown Saturday evening at JFK! Sean has been unbelievable during the past two days! Sharon is beaming (Pat's 10cents!)
We will never forget our first time meeting Sean!
Introducing Sean Patrick Gaffney
Born on Oct 24, 2007
Into our hearts on June 19, 2009
Forever ours on Oct 13, 2009
Into our hearts on June 19, 2009
Forever ours on Oct 13, 2009
We were so happy to see him smile!
We will never forget our first time meeting Sean!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Our last night in our apt!
Well someone thought I was having too much fun and gave me the flu, or some sort of bug. Patrick thinks it was something I ate. I have been down and out the last three days running a temp of 101.6 at one point. I will spare you all the details. Let's just say it has been no fun at all. On the up side I would rather be sick now so I can give all my attention to Sean when we pick him up.
Olga came by to see us and brought us champagne and chocolates. She has been great and I look forward to seeing her tomorrow. We have not been able to get back to Red Square. We will try go back with Sean later next week. We did get to do a good amount of sightseeing and it made the time go by rather quickly.
Tonight is our last night in the apartment. We are looking forward to our trip to Bryansk tomorrow. We will take the 6 pm train and arrive at midnight. We will check in to the Chernigov for the next two nights. On Tuesday morning we will be on our way to finally get our son!
If all goes well we should be back to Moscow on Wednesday. We are looking forward to staying at the Courtyard Marriott. It will be nice for a change and looking forward to sleeping in a big bed. Next post will be of Sean and then I will try to update everyone as soon as I can.
Here is some misc pics.
This is the subway going down very long escalator to get on the train
It really is a long way down.
Patrick's favorite isle in the supermarket. It's all vodka!
Me and some guy:)
Olga came by to see us and brought us champagne and chocolates. She has been great and I look forward to seeing her tomorrow. We have not been able to get back to Red Square. We will try go back with Sean later next week. We did get to do a good amount of sightseeing and it made the time go by rather quickly.
Tonight is our last night in the apartment. We are looking forward to our trip to Bryansk tomorrow. We will take the 6 pm train and arrive at midnight. We will check in to the Chernigov for the next two nights. On Tuesday morning we will be on our way to finally get our son!
If all goes well we should be back to Moscow on Wednesday. We are looking forward to staying at the Courtyard Marriott. It will be nice for a change and looking forward to sleeping in a big bed. Next post will be of Sean and then I will try to update everyone as soon as I can.
Here is some misc pics.
This is the subway going down very long escalator to get on the train
It really is a long way down.
Patrick's favorite isle in the supermarket. It's all vodka!
Me and some guy:)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Russian History!
Metro Madness!
We have four days left in our apartment. Today we went to the History of Moscow Museum. It was 2 1/2 hour self guided tour. Only a fraction of one million items are on display. There were two floors of exhibits. Starting from the Stone Age to the 19th century. It was really interesting. Then we went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe on Arbat Street. We had a good meal. Of course we had to stop at Starbucks on the way back for coffee and dessert. The weather today was pretty warm. I actually felt very warm today at times.
The Kremlin at night
Hard Rock Cafe
Outside the Hard Rock Cafe
This was a Rolls Royce dealership.
St Basil's
The Resurrection Gate in Red Square
We have four days left in our apartment. Today we went to the History of Moscow Museum. It was 2 1/2 hour self guided tour. Only a fraction of one million items are on display. There were two floors of exhibits. Starting from the Stone Age to the 19th century. It was really interesting. Then we went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe on Arbat Street. We had a good meal. Of course we had to stop at Starbucks on the way back for coffee and dessert. The weather today was pretty warm. I actually felt very warm today at times.
The Kremlin at night
Hard Rock Cafe
Outside the Hard Rock Cafe
This was a Rolls Royce dealership.
St Basil's
The Resurrection Gate in Red Square
The History of Moscow Museum in Red Square
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
6 more days until "Gotcha Day"
We are counting the days down until we can pick up our little guy. Today we are just relaxing around the apartment. The weather has gotten a little cooler, but little rain. Next week has the possibility of some snow and ice. It is partly sunny almost everyday. We did a lot of walking in last couple of days. I do not know how the Russian women walk in high heels all day. We seem to stick to the Italian restaurants. It is our safest bet.
The near by subway (Metro) we ride every day to Red Square it takes about 25min at cost of .65 a ride. Other subway lines were dug so deep so that the German bombers could not affect them. We plan on one day just visiting the Metro stations as some are decorated like museums! The crowds at the subway are orderly and polite. Nothing like New York!
Moscow itself is very pretty city with an ancient history. We have a new and lasting understanding of the history of this beautiful place. The Russian people themselves have been very helpful to these dumb sounding American tourists! The city is very clean, people use trash cans and ash trays (much smoking!.)
The Russian made cars, Lada are not seen to often as Russians prefer American and European made cars. BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Hummer, Cadillac (and Chevrolet! and Fords!) are the cars seen here. Traffic sucks in and around Moscow. The roads out side of Moscow are not very good.
I really have to comment on some of the Russian women here. They are stunning and dress to the nines everyday. The tight pants or form fitting skirts, the make up, hair, shoes and bags. Even the mothers pushing their babies are all decked out. I keep pointing them out to Patrick, thinking he is not noticing, but he is.
One of our highlights this week was the Moscow Kremlin Museum. The Armoury Chamber. I would highly recommend this tour. It was a self guided tour. You could pick up a phone like device in any language you requested and walk around to each display and get a brief description of some of the items on display.
Some of these displays date back to the 12th century. Some of the exhibits were the Faberge Eggs, and Crown of Monomakh which was used in royal coronations until 1682. Catherine the Great Coronation Dress, it was made for her in 1762. I also thought the carriages and sled collection were beautiful and amazing to see up close. They were so massive in size. It must of been something to ride in one so long ago. Some of them were gifts to Catherine the Great.
All the jewels, silver and gold and the place settings used by the Russian princes and tsars over many centuries was something to see. We were in the Museum for a few hours, there was so much history and so much to see. This whole tour was a great interest to me. I am sure I will see nothing like it again! We could not take any pictures inside. But here are a few photos from outside the Kremlin:
The Tomb of the unknown Soldier from Second World War.
War hero
The near by subway (Metro) we ride every day to Red Square it takes about 25min at cost of .65 a ride. Other subway lines were dug so deep so that the German bombers could not affect them. We plan on one day just visiting the Metro stations as some are decorated like museums! The crowds at the subway are orderly and polite. Nothing like New York!
Moscow itself is very pretty city with an ancient history. We have a new and lasting understanding of the history of this beautiful place. The Russian people themselves have been very helpful to these dumb sounding American tourists! The city is very clean, people use trash cans and ash trays (much smoking!.)
The Russian made cars, Lada are not seen to often as Russians prefer American and European made cars. BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Hummer, Cadillac (and Chevrolet! and Fords!) are the cars seen here. Traffic sucks in and around Moscow. The roads out side of Moscow are not very good.
I really have to comment on some of the Russian women here. They are stunning and dress to the nines everyday. The tight pants or form fitting skirts, the make up, hair, shoes and bags. Even the mothers pushing their babies are all decked out. I keep pointing them out to Patrick, thinking he is not noticing, but he is.
One of our highlights this week was the Moscow Kremlin Museum. The Armoury Chamber. I would highly recommend this tour. It was a self guided tour. You could pick up a phone like device in any language you requested and walk around to each display and get a brief description of some of the items on display.
Some of these displays date back to the 12th century. Some of the exhibits were the Faberge Eggs, and Crown of Monomakh which was used in royal coronations until 1682. Catherine the Great Coronation Dress, it was made for her in 1762. I also thought the carriages and sled collection were beautiful and amazing to see up close. They were so massive in size. It must of been something to ride in one so long ago. Some of them were gifts to Catherine the Great.
All the jewels, silver and gold and the place settings used by the Russian princes and tsars over many centuries was something to see. We were in the Museum for a few hours, there was so much history and so much to see. This whole tour was a great interest to me. I am sure I will see nothing like it again! We could not take any pictures inside. But here are a few photos from outside the Kremlin:
The Tomb of the unknown Soldier from Second World War.
War hero
Monday, October 5, 2009
St Basil's Cathedral & Arbat Street
We went back to Red Square today. We got some pretty good pics today of St Basil's Cathedral. The weather was breezy but nice. I was rather warm at times. St Basil's was completed in 1561. It reputed to have been designed by architect Postnik Yakovely. According to legend, Ivan the Terrible was so amazed at the beauty of Yakovely's work that Ivan had him blinded so that he would never be able design anything exquisite again. We went back to Arbat Street too! It is a pedestrian ulitsa (street). It is lined with antique shopes, boutiques, souvenir shops, pavement cafes and a variety of restaurants. Old Arbat was the haunt of artists, musicians, poets, writers and intellectuals. Some of the homes have been preserved and opened as museums. We found some great souvenirs today to bring back home. Of course our day was not complete without a stop at Silver's Irish Pub.
Silver's Irish Pub, we had a great lunch today and a few pints! Our bartender could speak English and it had a great pub decor!
Arbat Street. Our favorite spot for Starbucks coffee!
I really enjoy this street. I feel right at home hear with all the choices of food and shops. Great place to people watch. And there are some interesting people!!
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