Seeing Nadya again!

On this second full day in Tver, Tuesday, November 16, I got to visit the Konokovo Baby Home again to see my baby!  The drive is a little more than an hour from my hotel. The orphanage is not much to look at- really run down on the outside, but the inside is pleasant and clean, yet dated.

I checked in at the reception and was escorted to the parents meeting room just off the reception area.  My sister, interpreter and I waited a few minutes until they brought my baby in to see me.  It was so amazing to see her again!  I don't know if she really grew in size, but she certainly grew in her development.  At 13 months now, she finally had a few teeth which she didn't have when I saw her at 11 months.  Her hair had grown some so that she had a little brown curl that stood up from her head- so cute!  My sister Catherine and I both had individually dreamed years ago that my baby would have brown curly hair and it seems to have come true!  Nadya (I keep going back and forth calling her Nadya- which is her current name but will be her middle name, and Brighten, which I will name her.  My idea is to call her Nadya while she's not yet adopted and then call her Brighten when she's officially adopted, but I still just go back and forth and call her both names).  Anyway, Nadya was a good and happy baby!  She was sweet, interactive and calm.  And she could crawl now!  She was just motoring around going after the toys I had brought for her. 

After playing with the baby for awhile, an "inspector" came into the room and observed me with the baby and asked a few more questions on how I will take care of the baby.  She then said she didn't see any problems and would approve my adoption. 

I got to play with Nadya longer and my sister Monica sang "Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes" to her and she laughed and laughed!  She loved being sung too and playing baby games- like the Hokey Pokey.

After about an hour and a half, it was time to leave.  I was sad to go, but get to see her again tomorrow.  She looks great to me- I really think she's going to do really well catching up on her development.  The only potential problem could be her eyes- she still has some of he atrophied eye nerves that were caused by her premature birth so that her eyes looked crossed some times.  Although I understand this is completely correctable when I return with her and get her care for it.

At dinner again, I sat with the other Americans and we shared our stories of the babies since we had all been to visit them.

Can't wait to see her again tomorrow, then I have court on Thursday and Friday.  I'm pretty nervous for court.  I hear the Russian judge really 'grills' you, so I keep going over responses in my head- hope I do well!