Gotcha Day!!! Tuesday

So here is the run down on one of the best days of my life! At 9:00am we had an appointment at the notery's office. From there back to our hotel to wait for 1.5 hours until our next appointment at City Hall at 12:00. We waited for almost an hour there.. no air and it was hot! From there we went to the Visa Department to get a number (to wait)..then to the supermarket to get 2 cakes and 3 bottles of champagne for the head nurse and director..Then at 2:30 we made it to the orphanage. We went into the head nurses office and they asked for his clothes including a diaper. While we waited they gave me the only baby picture they had of him. It was a picture of him when he was 3 months old=) Then they brought him to us!! So cute in little boy clothes! His shorts and shoes were massive on him!! I even measured on trip one.. I somehow still got it wrong=) He seemed to remember us..After only a couple of minutes they said, "ok..get the child and lets go!"...so off we went! Surpriseingly he was all smiles on our way out!! All smiles until we got into the car and into the car seat! You have to remember.. as far as we know he has never been outside the orphanage so everything from this point on is a new experience for him.  Once we got him in the car seat I gave him what every child loves... Cheerios! He was in heaven! Next stop... back to the Visa Department..this time we were there for an hour...yea for cheerios.. he ate all of them...I was now out of food=( From there we went to the Supermarket so our translator could show us what kind of milk etc.. to buy for him... wow..this was an experience... all that food..he wanted all of it and didn't understand why he couldnt have it! I had to take him out of the store..Once we got into the car we opened up a yogurt drink and poured it into a cup.. (he didn't have a clue how to drink out of a sippy cup..they only do cups in the orphanage) he downed the entire drink in under 1 minute.. then continued on to eat some crackers!!He did not stop eating all afternoon.. if we tried to stop him.. he cried..by the time we got back to the hotel I think he was in a "food coma"... he was about ready to pass out! He was as we said all day "cautiously happy"!! As soon as we got into our room we skyped Kennedy and Mika! He was to into his toys to really care about the computer..After dinner.. like he really needed to eat again.. we gave him his first bath. It went much better than I thought! He was nervous but he did well. We were trying to keep him on his schedule and get him to bed by 8...not so much.. after his bath.. he came alive!! He was so funny! He was "talking" and laughing about everything! He would not go to sleep.. He didn't want the party to end! Everytime we would change his diaper, feed him, or do anything to help him he gave the biggest smile!!! It's like he knows.. not in the same sense that you or I know.. but I think he somewhat gets it! This boy is soooo happy!  He is so good too... I hope it stays this way!
When it finally got dark out side.. around 12:00am he got scared..the orphanage does not have room darkening shades! So once we figured out why he was crying we turned a light on.. then his bug bites started itching..no air in the orphanage and Russia is having a heat wave so it is in the upper 90's.. so they leave the window open with no screens.. so a little medicine later he calmed down...but no sleep.. we tried walking, bouncing, singing, but nothing seemed to work.. ultimately he fell asleep at 2 AM leaning up against a pillow in between us......
Nothing says good morning like waking up to your son staring at you and when you look at him he gives you the biggest smile possible..That one single smile in that one moment made everything worth the wait!! He is an amazing little boy and we are truly blessed to be a part of his little life!