I can't believe it, but we have been home for three weeks already. Time is just flying by for us. Youth group is starting, acorns are falling all over our yard. It's fall. How did that happen? It's like we were in another world for a month or something! All that to say, I apologize to those who have been checking the blog that I haven't updated you on life at home yet. To say the boys keep us busy is a huge understatement.
The boys are really adjusting well. They seem very comfortable and really seem to thrive when we keep to our routine. I have been back to work full time and the boys seem comfortable and they seem to understand that I always come back and this is just how it goes. They certainly love my attention when I come home. That is always fun. Sawyer is finding out that having somebody else around isn't so bad after all! Kelsey started school a week after we got back, so that has been new to us as well. Kelsey is loving school and it has been really good for her to be away and have her own thing going on and it has been good for the boys to have that time with Julie. Actually, Kelsey's teacher won the Golden Apple Award yesterday, which was really neat. They did a nice news story on her and Kelsey is shown in the class quite a bit. You can watch it if you cut and paste this link: http://www.keyc.tv/story/15465304/golden-apple-award-margene-solt
They boys love to go places. When they figure out we are going out, they run and put their shoes on. Both really like to ride in the van. Silas still loves cars, more so the big semi trucks and diggers. So they are content just riding. They enjoy going to the store, picking up Kelsey from school, or whatever excuse it takes to get out of the house. Kelsey and I were getting ready to leave for church on Sunday and Silas decided he was coming. We weren't going to bring them to church quite yet, but Silas insisted he come to "chuch". He didn't know what he was in for, but did a pretty good job sitting there quietly. We need more tricks to keep him busy next week, but outside of shouting in Russian once in a while, he did fine!
They had their medical check ups this week. Silas was 30 lbs and Sawyer 26. Silas was in the 7% in both height and weight. Sawyer was 12% height and 24% weight. Both were healthy! We figured that, but it was nice to hear a doctor say it. Silas eats extremely well. He loves a lot of things. If he doesn't like it, he is pretty good about eating a portion of it in order to jump on the trampoline after supper. If he likes it, he will eat adult size portions. Where does it go in that 30 pound body? They both have gained in coordination quite a bit. Sawyer runs a lot and is not nearly as wobbly. Silas is now riding a bike (with training wheels) pretty well. Just don't tell him it is Kelsey's pink bike. He is quite content with it for now! They both were very timid on the trampoline at first. Now Silas loves it and jumps all the time. Sawyer enjoys it but can hardly stand up when the others are jumping. It is great for his coordination and balance though. Kelsey doesn't understand how much bigger she is, so she is constantly sending them flying in the air. Sometimes they laugh...sometimes they cry.
They both are very happy boys but they are both pretty whiny. They both expect to have everything done for them and have an entitlement to everything. Both are learning that isn't going to fly. Kelsey tends to act up more often too. I would say the transition has been hardest for Kelsey. She loves her brothers though. I asked her what her favorite thing about having brothers was, and she said... "I really can't think of any."
Sleeping has been the biggest challenge. We have had a few decent nights of sleep since we were back, but sleep is pretty hard to come by. It has nothing to do with the time change any more. Sawyer has been getting up for hours at a time during the night. That wakes up Silas. For a while, Silas would wake up throughout the night and all we would have to do is pat his back and assure him we were there. That doesn't happen too much any more. We decided we needed a new strategy so we moved Kelsey and Silas together and Sawyer has a baby room. Figured it was good for Kelsey and Silas to bond and this way we are more equipt to handle Sawyers fits and unwanted sleep habits! There is a rocker in there and he is away from the others. So far it seems to be working well.
All and all, things seem to be going very well. We haven't had near the issues we figured we would have at this point. Silas still speaks a lot of Russian but we can tell he understands quite a bit of English already. He is starting to use English more on the first try, instead of first saying it in Russian. Sawyer said about 3 words in Russian. He is speaking about 10-15 words of English already which the doctor said is extremely good. We are enjoying the boys very much. It is definitely a lot of work, but worth it. Going to 3 kids was a big jump, so we knew there was going to be a lot of adjustments and a lot of sacrifice for a while. That is definitely the case.
Thanks again to all following and praying. We have been blown away by how many people were following along. It's really been shocking to learn how many people we don't even know have shown an interest in our lives and our experience. I hope the biggest thing that people take away from our story is how God has a plan and we just need to trust that plan. He has taken care of so many things during this journey to make this adoption possible. To God be the glory!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Travel Home Day and 1st Day Home
The flying home experience was brutal. Not the flying, we flew mostly with Korean Air and they are outstanding. The airport experience in Vladivostok was not good. We do not have fond memories of that airport. Milo wanted us to be there very early. We left almost 4 hours before takeoff time. I typically would tease him about being so anal about this (being at the airport extremely early). In fact, I teased him about it more than once. As it turns out, it was a good thing. We got there early but had to wait for customs to open. We sat there for an hour until it opened. Then it was a mad rush to get into this small door into the security section. It was like Black Friday in there! We had to get 6 people in (we were first in line by a half hour)and people were trying to cut in front of us. We were one of the first, but then one of the last to get through. We don't know what the holdup was but she worked on our tickets for almost an hour. Everybody else went through one line and got through in the amount of time it took to get us through. Unbelievable! All three kids are going nuts. Finally we get through customs and get to go to passport control. Something was an issue there too! It only took 20 to 30 minutes to get through, but it should only take 2 minutes max. They had to see all our paperwork for the boys to make sure it was all legit. Again, nobody speaks English in the airport so we are all guessing as to what is happening. All three kids are now on melt down and the trip hadn't started yet! Then after waiting about a half hour, we boarded. (Not after getting shuttled 30 feet to the airplane again)
Once on the plane, the kids all did incredible. Silas loved the airplanes and wanted to look out the window most of the time. Even on the 3rd flight, he was happy to be flying. Sawyer did pretty well except when Julie went to the bathroom. Kelsey entertained herself much of the time. It couldn't have gone much smoother for the actual flying. Sawyer slept off an on but not continuously. Silas slept about 4 hours on the 2nd flight and about an hour on the 3rd. However he didn't eat anything. We found out later he was running a temperature. So his attitude was great, especially if you consider that he had a fever. We were all exhausted when we got back. We gave all the kids baths and sent them to bed. The slept past noon. (Weren't in bed until almost 1am.)
When we got to the MN airport, we were greeted by Julie's brother Dave and his family (Necia, Darien and Keona). They had balloons and gifts for us. It was really cool to see them and for them to meet the boys...even if it was a short visit. Then we got home and found an extremely clean house, clean dogs, and welcome home gifts. Thanks everybody! You know who you are. That was really awesome. Our fridge and freezer was filled with food. You all blessed us so much. Thanks a ton.
The first day home was good. Two boys pretty overwhelmed and still tired. They were in a daze like the rest of us. Our bodies don't know what time it is (thus my posting at midnight). They haven't quite been themselves yet. They are doing well but they are very insecure about everything. Happy but insecure is how we would describe them. Silas is terrified of the dogs and loves the cat. Sawyer loves them all and constantly chases them. He is very gentle though. Karen (Julie's mom) is going to be a big help this week. We are trying to spend lots of time with them and there still needs to be meals made and messes cleaned up. The two boys seem pretty well adjusted but are very sad when one of us leaves to go do something. Sawyer mostly just for his mom, but neither seem to like when I'm gone either. It will be interesting to see how transitioning back to work a little at a time will go. Silas copied a ton of English today. He seems to be soaking it in. He is saying words we didn't even know he knew. Course, he doesn't say the words we know he knows. You know? Sawyer is speaking much more now too. They both ate well today and slept the best yet last night. (Course they were way low on sleep!) Sawyer also dove out of his crib somehow. That crazy houdini! He got a little bump on his head, but nothing even mildly serious. The day went very well.
It was a good day, but now it's time to try to get my body back on Minnesota time. We will try to get them to bed before 10:30 tomorrow night!
Thanks to everybody who was praying us through this process. We did it! Gods blessing of two little boys is now complete. We can hardly believe it's over, but we made it!
Please continue to pray for the boys transition as well as Kelsey's transition and our own! There are a lot of challenging times ahead. We are confident that God will see us through those times. He always does. Don't believe me? Go back and read the blog again...starting from the first visit! Our specific prayers for a sibling group ages 3 and 1 were answered. That is how powerful prayer is. Many people have been praying us through this whole process. We appreciate that so much. God's people praying is a powerful thing! This story is a testimony of what God did in our lives. Hopefully you believe in the power of prayer in your life. Do you have a big request of God? Do you believe that God answers prayer? Then ask and believe. We did. And we were shocked at what God did in our lives. But we shouldn't be. God is in the business of doing the unlikely and the impossible.
Thanks everyone for following along. I'll update the blog not nearly as often, but I will let you know how things are going for a while for those that are interested.
Again, we have been humbled, encouraged, blessed and touched by your interest and support.
Nate
Once on the plane, the kids all did incredible. Silas loved the airplanes and wanted to look out the window most of the time. Even on the 3rd flight, he was happy to be flying. Sawyer did pretty well except when Julie went to the bathroom. Kelsey entertained herself much of the time. It couldn't have gone much smoother for the actual flying. Sawyer slept off an on but not continuously. Silas slept about 4 hours on the 2nd flight and about an hour on the 3rd. However he didn't eat anything. We found out later he was running a temperature. So his attitude was great, especially if you consider that he had a fever. We were all exhausted when we got back. We gave all the kids baths and sent them to bed. The slept past noon. (Weren't in bed until almost 1am.)
When we got to the MN airport, we were greeted by Julie's brother Dave and his family (Necia, Darien and Keona). They had balloons and gifts for us. It was really cool to see them and for them to meet the boys...even if it was a short visit. Then we got home and found an extremely clean house, clean dogs, and welcome home gifts. Thanks everybody! You know who you are. That was really awesome. Our fridge and freezer was filled with food. You all blessed us so much. Thanks a ton.
The first day home was good. Two boys pretty overwhelmed and still tired. They were in a daze like the rest of us. Our bodies don't know what time it is (thus my posting at midnight). They haven't quite been themselves yet. They are doing well but they are very insecure about everything. Happy but insecure is how we would describe them. Silas is terrified of the dogs and loves the cat. Sawyer loves them all and constantly chases them. He is very gentle though. Karen (Julie's mom) is going to be a big help this week. We are trying to spend lots of time with them and there still needs to be meals made and messes cleaned up. The two boys seem pretty well adjusted but are very sad when one of us leaves to go do something. Sawyer mostly just for his mom, but neither seem to like when I'm gone either. It will be interesting to see how transitioning back to work a little at a time will go. Silas copied a ton of English today. He seems to be soaking it in. He is saying words we didn't even know he knew. Course, he doesn't say the words we know he knows. You know? Sawyer is speaking much more now too. They both ate well today and slept the best yet last night. (Course they were way low on sleep!) Sawyer also dove out of his crib somehow. That crazy houdini! He got a little bump on his head, but nothing even mildly serious. The day went very well.
It was a good day, but now it's time to try to get my body back on Minnesota time. We will try to get them to bed before 10:30 tomorrow night!
Thanks to everybody who was praying us through this process. We did it! Gods blessing of two little boys is now complete. We can hardly believe it's over, but we made it!
Please continue to pray for the boys transition as well as Kelsey's transition and our own! There are a lot of challenging times ahead. We are confident that God will see us through those times. He always does. Don't believe me? Go back and read the blog again...starting from the first visit! Our specific prayers for a sibling group ages 3 and 1 were answered. That is how powerful prayer is. Many people have been praying us through this whole process. We appreciate that so much. God's people praying is a powerful thing! This story is a testimony of what God did in our lives. Hopefully you believe in the power of prayer in your life. Do you have a big request of God? Do you believe that God answers prayer? Then ask and believe. We did. And we were shocked at what God did in our lives. But we shouldn't be. God is in the business of doing the unlikely and the impossible.
Thanks everyone for following along. I'll update the blog not nearly as often, but I will let you know how things are going for a while for those that are interested.
Again, we have been humbled, encouraged, blessed and touched by your interest and support.
Nate
Monday, August 22, 2011
Final Day
Here we are. It is our final day here in Russia. Although things have not been bad at all, we are very ready to come home. Right now, nobody has home field advantage. The boys are away from what we know and we are away from our own food, our own beds, etc. They boys will still be starting over when we get home, but at least we will be home. We will have home field advantage finally. We can make food (and buy food that we can read), and do different things with them. We have been doing the same things over and over and I think we are all ready for something new. Nothing has really happened to report in the last couple days. Same schedule, different day. All the days kind of run together.
Silas has been afraid of lots of different things. Dogs, water, big trucks, street cleaners, vacuums, and far away trains. Not sure how he will react to our dogs at home. We think he will love them after he gets used to them. He does love to watch dogs and cats, just from a distance. He also has been extremely whiny. Because he is so small, we think he has been babied his whole life. He expects everybody to bend over backwards for him. That will have to change. Sawyer also has been babied a lot. He wants to be held all the time. When he is crying to be held, Silas is whining about something, and Kelsey is antagonizing...it gets to be extremely frustrating. This happens a lot actually. Still, the boys are doing great. They are really a ton of fun. We are enjoying them so much. Kelsey has done well too, but is finding it really hard to interact with them without one of the boys screaming at her (many times her fault and many times not). This will be a long learning process!
We leave here tomorrow at 3pm (the 24th), this is 11pm on the 23rd for you mid westerners and 10pm for our Colorado family. We should arrive home in Mankato about 11:30pm on the 24th. Weird, I know. But we gain time going back! We have the best possible sinerio for flights and connections if it all works out. Even with great flights and connections, it will take us about 20 hours. So keep us in your prayers during that window. Adults will be tired and cranky and we dont even want to think about what it could be like for the kids. God will get us through. We can't wait to be home. Miss all of you.
This will most likely be my last post from Russia. Thank you so much to everybody who followed along with us on the blog. And most of all, thanks for praying. We are so blessed by our incredible family and friends. Thank you all.
Sincerely,
Nate
(on behalf of Nate, Julie, Kelsey, Silas, Sawyer, and Milo)
Silas has been afraid of lots of different things. Dogs, water, big trucks, street cleaners, vacuums, and far away trains. Not sure how he will react to our dogs at home. We think he will love them after he gets used to them. He does love to watch dogs and cats, just from a distance. He also has been extremely whiny. Because he is so small, we think he has been babied his whole life. He expects everybody to bend over backwards for him. That will have to change. Sawyer also has been babied a lot. He wants to be held all the time. When he is crying to be held, Silas is whining about something, and Kelsey is antagonizing...it gets to be extremely frustrating. This happens a lot actually. Still, the boys are doing great. They are really a ton of fun. We are enjoying them so much. Kelsey has done well too, but is finding it really hard to interact with them without one of the boys screaming at her (many times her fault and many times not). This will be a long learning process!
We leave here tomorrow at 3pm (the 24th), this is 11pm on the 23rd for you mid westerners and 10pm for our Colorado family. We should arrive home in Mankato about 11:30pm on the 24th. Weird, I know. But we gain time going back! We have the best possible sinerio for flights and connections if it all works out. Even with great flights and connections, it will take us about 20 hours. So keep us in your prayers during that window. Adults will be tired and cranky and we dont even want to think about what it could be like for the kids. God will get us through. We can't wait to be home. Miss all of you.
This will most likely be my last post from Russia. Thank you so much to everybody who followed along with us on the blog. And most of all, thanks for praying. We are so blessed by our incredible family and friends. Thank you all.
Sincerely,
Nate
(on behalf of Nate, Julie, Kelsey, Silas, Sawyer, and Milo)
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Beach Day
There is a beach just a couple blocks from us. Julie and I walked it a few times back in April, but this was the first time on this trip. Everything is Russian so it is really hard to know what things cost and what certain things are. It costs 40 rubles per person to get in. Sounds like a lot but it's really not. The boys loved the water. This isn't the nicest beach here. There is an absolutely gorgeous beach here, but we would need to take a taxi. But this one was pretty nice. The three kids played on the shore and walked into the water. Silas has hated getting his pants dirty or wet up until this point, so we expected a meltdown when he fell in. We assured him it was okay and he was fine. He really loved it. Silas also hates getting water in his eyes and is afraid of sprinklers so we figured Sawyer would be the more adventurous one in the water. Not so. Silas jumped and splashed and had a great time. Kelsey mostly looked for shells. Sawyer wasn't really afraid but not nearly as interested as the other two. Down by the beach was a big bouncy house, so we sent Silas and Kelsey in that. He started off a little scared but ended up having a great time. We came back and got pizza and put them to bed....after their bath of course. Can't skip their coopotsa!
Couple quick funny stories I haven't shared:
1) When we flew into Vladivostok, we got off the plane and were put into a shuttle. That shuttle literally drove 15 feet to the door and let us out. It was crazy. Like something you would see in a stupid movie like Pink Panther or something. All the Americans looked at each other and laughed. It was so unnecessarily silly.
2) Apparently Sawyer is a little Houdini. The first night we had Sawyer sleep in the bed with Julie. I was in the other bed with Silas. Silas tossed and turned all night keeping me up. You have to know that I am a very light sleeper and Julie is an overprotective parent for her 2 year old at this point. Somehow, in the middle of the night, crying is coming from my bed. I pick up Silas to comfort him. Only, it's not Silas. Sawyer somehow got on my bed and was sleeping on the other side of Silas. I am a very light sleeper like I mentioned and was hardly sleeping that night. Sawyer cannot get himself on the bed without help. AND Julie is checking on his every move. How did it happen? We may never know!
That's all for tonight. I added a few more pics so make sure you take a look! Oh, and Julie did much better today. Still a tad sick but we think she is pretty much better. Thanks everybody!
Couple quick funny stories I haven't shared:
1) When we flew into Vladivostok, we got off the plane and were put into a shuttle. That shuttle literally drove 15 feet to the door and let us out. It was crazy. Like something you would see in a stupid movie like Pink Panther or something. All the Americans looked at each other and laughed. It was so unnecessarily silly.
2) Apparently Sawyer is a little Houdini. The first night we had Sawyer sleep in the bed with Julie. I was in the other bed with Silas. Silas tossed and turned all night keeping me up. You have to know that I am a very light sleeper and Julie is an overprotective parent for her 2 year old at this point. Somehow, in the middle of the night, crying is coming from my bed. I pick up Silas to comfort him. Only, it's not Silas. Sawyer somehow got on my bed and was sleeping on the other side of Silas. I am a very light sleeper like I mentioned and was hardly sleeping that night. Sawyer cannot get himself on the bed without help. AND Julie is checking on his every move. How did it happen? We may never know!
That's all for tonight. I added a few more pics so make sure you take a look! Oh, and Julie did much better today. Still a tad sick but we think she is pretty much better. Thanks everybody!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Long Day
Today was a very long day. A very nice day outside but the tornado was inside. Julie needed the boys to sleep last night...and they did. Only, she was up all night again but because she was not feeling well. She took it easy all day. She struggled through it. Sawyer was extremely cranky and Silas was needy and emotional. We tried to keep the kids out of Julie's hair as much as possible. Sawyer took an early nap and they all went to bed early. Kelsey did pretty well today though. The day seemed to go on and on. We made it through though. We are all anxious to head for home.
Pray for Julie as she doesn't want to be sick like last time. And check out the new pictures added! I tried to add video on facebook but the connection was too slow. So the pics will have to be enough for now.
Pray for Julie as she doesn't want to be sick like last time. And check out the new pictures added! I tried to add video on facebook but the connection was too slow. So the pics will have to be enough for now.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
New pics
Nothing really exciting to report today. I know many of you are waiting on pictures, so here you go. Don't miss the family picture all the way at the bottom of the blog page. This is as many as I could get on today. Enjoy!
The pictures don't do them justice of how cute they are!
The pictures don't do them justice of how cute they are!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Nothing more for us to do!
Today we took the boys downtown for the last of our "stuff" to take care of. We got their passports, got their medicals, and got the boys okayed at the consulate. Now our coordinator heads to Moscow for the Visas and finalizing stuff. Nothing more for us to do now. Just sit at the hotel and enjoy the boys...which we have been! We also went to a really cool souvenir shop. It was kinda weird. There were a ton of Chinese tourists in there that went crazy over our "Russian kids". It was like the paparazzi...seriously! They were taking pictures like crazy. They were trying to pick them up, get them to laugh. It was insane. Good thing we had our transporter (taxi driver) to play body guard. Sergei was awesome. He looks like he is in the Russ mafia too. It was crazy. How ever bad you are picturing it in your head...it was much worse.
Silas is a ton of fun. Always laughing, giggling and teasing. He is super small but is extremely active. Doesn't want to be babied at all. He loves playing chase and being tickled. Both boys are extremely ticklish and want to be tickled constantly. Silas has a non-stop motor. Hate to be a stay at home mom with that guy! Sorry Julie, it doesn't get any easier now that Kelsey is heading to school! He loves doing bubbles, loves cars diggers, loves to run, loves to laugh, eats a ton! He won't stay small if he continues to eat at this rate! He hated bath time on day one, but now he is so excited when we say "coo-pot-sa". He is naked in 20 seconds. He just hates getting water in his eyes. Talks quite a bit of Russian but not even the Russian waitresses know what he is saying all the time. He is always smiling. He is an absolute charmer. Everybody loves him.
Sawyer also is fun. Loves to laugh and tease us. Very attached to Julie. He really enjoys me, but after any signifigant span of time (3 minutes) he needs to find momma. He ate a ton the first day but has been much more picky since. Likes to hold bread like a security blanket. He is a giggle box. Always laughing and initiating eye contact. Doesn't say much. Is extremely needy as far as Julie goes. He always wants her attention, so if anybody else is getting it, he cries for it. So there are 3 kids constantly trying to get her attention. Again, that stay at home mom business is going to be great! Julie really will love it. They are all in a very needy period so Julie is exhausted. He has loved bath time. Hated getting in the first time, but since then loves it. Cries when he has to get out. Laughs when he gets water in his face. Chokes on it, gets it up his nose, then laughs. Kelsey found her swimming partner!
It has been great spending time with them. Rough night sleeping last night. Seems to happen often. We are low on sleep but loving it. I hope to get pictures up tomorrow. Thanks for checking up on us everyone!
Silas is a ton of fun. Always laughing, giggling and teasing. He is super small but is extremely active. Doesn't want to be babied at all. He loves playing chase and being tickled. Both boys are extremely ticklish and want to be tickled constantly. Silas has a non-stop motor. Hate to be a stay at home mom with that guy! Sorry Julie, it doesn't get any easier now that Kelsey is heading to school! He loves doing bubbles, loves cars diggers, loves to run, loves to laugh, eats a ton! He won't stay small if he continues to eat at this rate! He hated bath time on day one, but now he is so excited when we say "coo-pot-sa". He is naked in 20 seconds. He just hates getting water in his eyes. Talks quite a bit of Russian but not even the Russian waitresses know what he is saying all the time. He is always smiling. He is an absolute charmer. Everybody loves him.
Sawyer also is fun. Loves to laugh and tease us. Very attached to Julie. He really enjoys me, but after any signifigant span of time (3 minutes) he needs to find momma. He ate a ton the first day but has been much more picky since. Likes to hold bread like a security blanket. He is a giggle box. Always laughing and initiating eye contact. Doesn't say much. Is extremely needy as far as Julie goes. He always wants her attention, so if anybody else is getting it, he cries for it. So there are 3 kids constantly trying to get her attention. Again, that stay at home mom business is going to be great! Julie really will love it. They are all in a very needy period so Julie is exhausted. He has loved bath time. Hated getting in the first time, but since then loves it. Cries when he has to get out. Laughs when he gets water in his face. Chokes on it, gets it up his nose, then laughs. Kelsey found her swimming partner!
It has been great spending time with them. Rough night sleeping last night. Seems to happen often. We are low on sleep but loving it. I hope to get pictures up tomorrow. Thanks for checking up on us everyone!
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