We flew out of Moscow last Saturday morning. Ivan woke up Saturday morning with the sniffles and though he felt warm he didn't have a fever (more on this later), which was good news. We had packed fairly lightly for the trip so we only had one large suitcase, two small suitcases, an umbrella stroller, a backpack and my carry on bag. Check in and security went very well and we made it to our gate at 11am for our 1pm flight. While we were waiting we met a gentleman who had just completed court in one of the regions and was flying back to the states while his wife stayed in country for the 10 day waiting period. We had a nice chat with him about adoptions, Ivan, the process, etc. The time passed fairly quickly and I was definitely relieved by this.
We purchased a seat for Ivan so that we could have a row of 3 seats for the trip to New York. Once we settled in we decided to feed Ivan lunch and were hopeful that he would sleep after that. Ivan had been a pretty good sleeper so we had high hopes. He did sleep a bit after his lunch, but with all the activity of the carts and Bill and I receiving our meals, Ivan woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep. I think he had been sleeping for about an hour at that point. Unfortunately, he didn't sleep again during the 10 hour flight until we landed. It was quite challenging to say the least and I think the fact that he was feeling bad did not help the situation. I'm really not sure what we did the whole time to keep him entertained but somehow we made it through. He literally crashed as we touched down in New York. I was happy because the poor guy was exhausted at that point (~20 hours into the trip). But moving him through Immigration, rechecking bags and going back through security, while trying to keep him asleep proved to be very difficult.
While we were going through security a couple that we had been sitting close to on the plane asked if Ivan was adopted, I think they probably saw the passport or the envelope when we went through Immigration. Anyway, I said yes and they told me they were in the process. So, I asked which region and then it hit me that they would have been meeting their referral so I asked if they had met their child and they told me that they had had to turn down their referral and apparently did not receive a second referral. I started to tear up as I told them how sorry I was. Having turned down our first referral during our adoption of Nick, I felt so bad for them and to go home without meeting a second child would be a very very difficult outcome. They told me it had been a very tough few days but that seeing all the people with their adopted children on the flight (I think there were 3 or 4 families) helped remind them that it can and does work out. They seemed like the sweetest people, I wish them the best as they go forward with the process.
Ivan slept during the bulk of our layover in New York and aside from moving gates twice, our flight left on time and we made it back home around 11pm.
The trip was pretty hard because of Ivan's lack of sleep, and our lack of sleep. But, the good news is that he acclimated to the new time zone very quickly. Aside from waking up between 4 and 5 am on the first two or three mornings Ivan has been sleeping about 11 hours per night and is taking two naps per day for another 3 hours of sleep.
I have so much more to post about our first week but want to get this out there so I'll write more as soon as I can and will close with some pictures!
3 comments:
I have been thinking about you guys alot and wondering how you were all doing!! I remember our trip home from Moscow was very difficult too with Matt sleeping very little and we spent alot of time walking the isles trying to get him to sleep!! I still think that Nick and Ivan look alot alike??? Yes, no???? We have so much thought alot about a 2nd adoption and are anxious to hear how your's goes as we have heard the 2nd one is tough!!! I look forward to seeing how Ivan fits in and hoping it works out great for you guys and that you will be an inspiration to others who are thinking about doing it again!!!! I know you are probably so busy now but hope you can post on the progress of your 2 boys together!!!
I still can't over how cute he is! Those cheeks are killing me! Too precious.
Glad you made it home safely. How's Nick doing with it all?
He is a doll!! We share the same journey home as you. I thought that day would never end. I'm glad you are back safe and sound and getting adjusted to your new/changed lives. Good Luck and I look forward to reading more about this little fella. -You've made me think I might could do this again as well. Thanks!
Post a Comment