Our First Visit With Our Little Boy

We were very nervous before our first visit with our little boy. Although we were very tired and had lost a night's sleep on the way to Russia due to the time change, we still had trouble sleeping the night before our visit. Once morning arrived, it was a 2 hour drive to the baby home on very bumpy roads, and I think we got more anxious the closer we got to the city where he lives.

Once we arrived, we went into the building, up some stairs, and into the office of the baby home. We were told this is the room where the children are brought to meet their families. We were told to sit on the sectional couch in the room as we waited for him to arrive. We prepared our video camera and digital camera for his arrival. Before they brought him in, they explained that he had a cold and would probably not be as active as he normally was. Then, a caregiver walked in holding a tiny little person under a pink striped blanket. As she removed the blanket, we saw him for the first time! He looked very different from his 2 month old picture we had seen, and he is very, very cute! He looked around at everyone-I can't remember exactly, but there had to be 7 or 8 people in the room. His caregiver walked over and immediately gave him to me. I was not sure how he would respond, but he allowed me to hold him without hesitating. Michael was videotaping and taking pictures, and we both began to talk with him and show him toys. Initially, I showed him a small rattle that is mini version of a rainstick toy. He touched it and looked at it, until he discovered the stacking cups! He grabbed some in each hand and held on tight. He loved touching the numbers on the bottom of them and putting them in his mouth! We also showed him the "Who Loves Baby?" book and the beach ball that we brought. He liked touching the beach ball. We tried to sit him on it while holding him, but he preferred to just be held. Michael blew some bubbles, which he watched for a few seconds. He was very content just sitting in our laps and holding his stacking cups. We are not sure if he has ever seen a man before, but he did not have a problem going to Michael. Michael made silly faces and silly noises, and he thought it was funny! We wanted to put him on the floor to see him crawl, but our translator said that we needed to keep him on the couch. He really just wanted to be held so that was okay. Towards the end of our visit, he discovered that he was wearing navy blue leather shoes with laces, and he began to play with his shoestrings. It was as if he had hardly worn shoes before! (It may have been the first time!) Before he had to leave the room, we tried to take some pictures with all three of us, but he was very interested in these shoestrings and in the green stacking cup he was holding. In all of the pictures, he is leaned all the way over focusing on both of these, and you can't even see his face! :) We were only allowed to spend around 45 minutes with him, but we enjoyed our time together so much. They said it was time for a nap, so they took him to put him down.

After he left the room, we asked numerous questions related to his background to the social worker and about his medical history, daily routine, and what he eats to his doctor. They patiently answered each of our questions. Both the doctor and the social worker said they thought he liked us, too! :) The social worker and all of the employees of the baby home were extremely nice, and we felt very comfortable during our visit with them and with our little boy.

Because the baby home was so far away and since we were there over the weekend, we were only able to visit with him a total of two times. Tomorrow, I will post about our second visit with him.