Our 1st Christmas

Natalie's 1st Fall with us..

Four months and a week

Well, we've been home over four months now. At times it feels like we've together forever (in a good way), and other days only yesterday when we traveled to get Natalie from the orphanage. We cannot imagine our lives without her. She is such a precious gift.

Today I want to give God the glory He so deserves. Steve and I still remember getting off the train in Voronezh after traveling for over 24 hours, our translator meeting us with a hearty hug, looking us in the eye and saying, "the girl may not live...do you still want her?" Without blinking an eye we both said "Yes!". Whether she survived with us a day or a year, whatever time we were given to love her, she was ours and we knew it.

Well, 'the girl' is very much alive and on her way to great health. The issues that were so very grave and life threatening only four months ago are under control and under the hand of our beautiful healer, Jesus. Natalie's left kidney is very tiny and will never function over 7%, but the right one is enlarged and compensating for the left one. Both kidneys have grade 2 reflux, but no surgery is needed, just antibiotic daily, tests every six months and the prayer that it will lessen once she is potty trained. Last week we received a report on the MRI we had done a couple of weeks ago. Natalie's head is very small (according to growth charts) and not growing the way the doctors would like. The MRI showed no major reason for the small head size. It did however show that very early in her little life there was injury/possible abuse, inflammation from injury or infection. This thought is heart-breaking, but I want to praise God that there is no obvious evidence that she is at risk for decreased cognitive processes as she continues to grow. Praise God for all His touches on our little girl's life and thank you for all the prayers you have lifted to our King on Natalie's behalf. She is two inches taller, several pounds heavier and talking up a storm! God is good!!

I was told (while in Russia) that love can make a miracle. I believe that and with all my heart, I believe in the Miracle Worker.

Some New Pictures Of the Clarks

Natalie's Dedication Service

Natalie's Birthday Party

It's My Birthday...I am 2 today...

3 months and a day.......

Well, Steve and I have tried to keep you updated with pictures of little Natalie, but it has been awhile since I actually posted something. Here we go--

I can't believe we've been home 3 months already. Natalie is doing so well in her adjustments and transitions. She usually takes everything in stride and is quick to let us know if something is amiss in her world. Her vocabulary is growing and if she can't actually say the words, she uses the vocal intonation and the correct number of syllables to get her point across. She has said her own name using two words she has down pat: dada and wee (for when she is on a swing) become "dadawee" for "Natalie". I think she is genius! :)

This week in particular she has eaten like never before. Every meal she cleans up and I know she is growing because some of her 12 month shirts just won't fit. YES! Finally getting into those 18 month clothes! Natalie continues to try new foods but she still has her favorites. I keep her snacks on the lowest shelf in the pantry and she'll go get a box and bring it to 'mama' to open. We want her to know that she can have food whenever she wants it and I am thrilled that she is understanding this concept.

The end of August brought transition as I returned to work on a full time basis. On Tuesday she is with her Aunt Angie who is spoiling her every chance she gets. Natalie adores her. Natalie has playtime with cousin Jake before he heads to afternoon Kindergarten and then she gets to play with JP and Jake when they come home from school. On Wednesday she is with Miss Kitty and also has playtime with Danica. I would love to be a little girl at Miss Kitty's house---she is soo much fun!

Other things Natalie loves: the carousel rides at Dulles mall; tunnels, slides and swings at the park---any park; chocolate milkshakes; watching 101 Dalmatians with Daddy; singing with Mommy; giving slobbery kisses, sealed with a 'mwah'; petting her 'deacon' dog; being chased; tickle time; bike riding with Mom and Dad in her new 'tyke trailer'; having her hair blow dried; trying on shoes; playing, playing, playing!

Everyday we are humbled and blessed by this little girl God has chosen to share with us. She belongs to Him and yet He has entrusted us to love and nurture her as her life unfolds. Wow!

Have I mentioned that I love being a mommy?
Karen

p.s. Please keep us covered in prayer for Sept. 30. Natalie will have an MRI of her head/brain at Children's in DC. The doctors are concerned with the lack of growth as far as her head circumference. We will keep updates coming.

Natalie chilling out on the steps and looking good...

Natalie in Black and white

Natalie and Daddy going to the Petting Zoo.

Natalie is 23 months old today!

The Natalie Faith Song

Gaining Weight and Up a Shoe Size!

We had a good visit to the pediatrician today. Well, good news for us......Natalie would probably not agree since she had to have more blood drawn and also received two more immunizations..
The good news is that she now weighs over 22 pounds and is finally in the 10th percentile! YEAH! The pediatrician was amazed at her progress just since the last visit which was a month ago. In addition to her weight gain, her communication both verbally and through sign language is increasing. Her new words are: Deacon (my best friend's dog), doggie, woof woof, and ow. She is also showing great signs of attachment to both Steve and I. In fact, just recently Natalie has been reaching for kisses from us at bedtime instead of just receiving them whether she wanted them or not.

We continue to be amazed at how social Natalie is. She loves playing with other children and the highlight of her Sunday is going into the nursery at our church. Her personality and facial expressions are delightful and keeps us laughing. I believe she may become an actress one day. Other things she loves to do include: being in her swing, bathtime, pooltime, running up and down the halls of the church office area, being tickled and chased by Daddy, singing and playing piano with Mommy, Little Einsteins dvds, brushing her teeth, having her hair blow dried and trying on shoes....anyone's shoes..(by the way she's wearing size 5 now).

Everyday we are blessed by this precious little girl. How she loves life! How we love sharing each day together through her eyes.
Love to you,
Karen

p.s. We are having her Dedication Service at our church on October 5th. We would be honored if you shared this day with us.

Daddy's Shoes Video

Health Update on Princess Natalie

We've received good reports over the past two days. Yesterday we went to an audiologist to test Natalie's hearing. This was suggested to us by our pediatrician and adoption specialist in our efforts to alleviate this as a reason for her small vocabulary. Praise God--her hearing is just fine. This week her new word is: "wow".

Today, Natalie and I saw a urologist who reviewed the results of all the tests we've had over the past two weeks on her kidneys. Her left kidney is barely functioning; her right kidney is enlarged due to the amount of work it has to do; both have reflux BUT on a scale of 1 to 5, her condition is a low grade 2---this is good. The urologist believes that keeping her on the preventative antibiotic and watching for any signs of infection are enough for now. He believes there is no need for alarm or surgery at this point, living with one kidney is totally acceptable and that she will probably outgrow the reflux in time. I believe that God has already provided healing in Natalie's body and that He will continue the work He has begun!

It is amazing for Steve and I to think back to the very grim diagnosis we were given when we went to get Natalie on trip two. We were asked if we still wanted her with all the ramifications of her kidney issues. Of course, we wanted her no matter what! But to get home and find out that this is not a life-threatening problem is more relief than I can express. God is good!

Natalie continues to be the happiest little girl on the planet. She wakes up smiling and loves to play and explore her new world. Today she even ate apple slices and drank water--this may seem like a small thing---but to us this is a huge step of adjustment and we couldn't be happier at the strides she is making.

Thank you for your prayers, support and love. We are blessed!

1st Beach Trip Video

Surfin' USA

Steve and I love the beach and for years we would talk about how one day we would bring our family to the sand and waves. This past week we took a short trip to Ocean City and made this dream a reality.

Natalie LOVED the beach! As you can tell by the pictures, she wanted to jump in head first and also loved playing in the sand. This girl has no fear. We spent two days playing by the water and then jumping into the pool. She did great sleeping in her pack and play (thanks Aunt Rhonda) and did pretty well eating. Restaurants are too distracting so we tried to feed her before heading out to eat. She loved standing on the balcony with us and pointing to the water, the airplanes, the seagulls and the parasails.

The beginning of the week was filled with doctor appointments and tests. We spent the entire day Wednesday at Fairfax hospital having a test done on her kidney. Next week we have two more tests and then the following week is filled with followup appointments with a urologist and a nephrologist. So far we know that her left kidney is barely functioning at around 7% and that her right kidney is scarred as well. Living with one kidney is not unheard of but we must do everything we can to make sure the right kidney can do the job of two and stay healthy. Please continue to pray for her as she endures some pretty grueling tests this week and pray that God will touch and heal her little body.

Before heading to the beach, we met with our International Adoption Specialist. He took baseline measurements and evaluated her developmental milestones. Overall she is functioning between 15 and 17 months, with speech lagging behind. He wants us to get her hearing checked to see if there is any issue there that would add to her lack of verbal communication. I can tell she is trying to imitate our sounds and she is beginning to follow simple commands like "please get your pants and let's put them on". Hopefully with our constant conversation and repetition, she will begin to add more words to her repertoire.

After hearing and vision tests, the urologist and nephrologist, we will be headed to the cardiologist and neurologist. There can't be too many more "gists" left for us to see! I am incredibly thankful for the level of medical care in our area and blessed that we are able to get Natalie the kind of care she needs. She was scheduled for surgery in Russia if we did not adopt her and it looks like the procedure they had planned would not have been a long term solution to her kidney issue. I praise God that she is with us now and I pray that He will continue to give the doctors here wisdom in how to treat her.

We are overwhelmed and blessed by our precious Natalie. Thanks for letting us gush over her with you!
Love,
Karen

I'm 21 months old today!

We are so blessed to finally be sharing a 'birthday' milestone with Natalie. Four months passed from the time we saw her till 'Gotcha Day' and each month seemed like an eternity. We can't wait to celebrate her two year birthday in October!

Yesterday we made it to the pool and she LOVED it! We went with Natalie's cousins, JP and Jake and Aunt Angie. She clapped, laughed and squealed with delight the entire time. We are so glad that she likes the pool and the water. We were worried, since bath time was not her favorite thing. But now, even bath time seems better to her since our visit to the pool.

Today has been a sick day. Natalie has had a fever since early this morning and we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon. This afternoon it spiked to 102.8, which can be a bit scary (for the parents). But we were able to get it down with cold compresses and Tylenol. She sat in her Aunt Rhonda's lap for quite a while today, which is a definite indicator that she still isn't feeling well---to get her to be still is not easy---she likes to be on the go. I am sure Aunt Rhonda didn't mind holding the little patient!

This past Sunday we made an appearance at our church so all our church family could see her. There have been many prayers going up on our behalf and we wanted everyone to see her and share in our joy. Natalie is a testimony of God's faithfulness and we want to be careful to give Him the glory for her life and for the privilege of being her parents. Truly 'nothing is impossible with God".

Blessings,
Karen

Our First Week at Home

Tonight marks one week home for us. All three of us have been transitioning well even though Steve and I have been sick. Natalie continues to be a good sleeper. She goes down for her two naps without a problem and then sleeps thru the night at bedtime. What a blessing! When she wakes up, she is happy to see us and ready to play. The only time she is grumpy is when she doesn't feel well or if she doesn't get her way. Wednesday was 'defiance' day and I am glad that she is displaying the normal testing of boundaries typical of a 20 month old. Thursday was our 9th wedding anniversary and we were so blessed be a family---she is the best present we could give each other. Truly a gift from God!

Natalie loves to eat peanut butter crackers and cookies. I am also feeding her nutritious baby cereals and organic baby foods. She is picky about the texture of her food and so we are working on expanding her menu. Natalie has gained 1.5 pounds since she's been with us, so I guess we are on the right track. Her favorite thing is to ride in the wagon her Aunt Becky bought her. We pull her all around the neighborhood. She loves being outside, touching things, playing the piano, taking apart legos, watching Little Einsteins and saying 'hey' to everyone. Bath time is NOT her favorite thing but today we are going to try the neighborhood pool---we'll see how that goes. Her cousins, JP and Jake are in love with her and I believe it is mutual. They follow her around as she plays and babbles to them. She also loves to play with Deacon, Aunt Chelle's dog. He is a patient pet lets Natalie play with his toys and smack, I mean pet him.

So far she has mastered saying "mama", "dada" and "hey". She also learned how to turn around and back down the stairs in one day. I am trying to teach her baby sign language for things like: eat, more, finished and help---we'll see how it goes. Natalie picks things up quickly, but it has to be on her terms, in her time. She is a strong child; she had to be to survive. Natalie also loves kisses, especially on her hand and her belly (anything around her face is not tolerated). I am anxious to see what the doctors say when we go for her pediatric and adoption specialist appointments. It will feel good to get her evaluated and on the road to better health and development.

We have taken her to several restaurants this week, to Target, the mall and the church where I work. She loves riding in the carts and does really well eating out and even enjoys her car seat. Overall, we couldn't be happier or feel more blessed. She is a happy girl and we know that love can create miracles. Natalie is blessing our days beyond what we could imagine.

With our love,
Karen

WE ARE HOME!

Our long journey back home is complete! We began Friday morning, leaving the hotel at 8:30 AM (Moscow time). Our flight left Russia at 12:55 PM and we landed 12 hours later in Atlanta around 4:20. It was good to back in the US--to things that are familiar to us. We will cherish the memory of the immigration officer handing us Natalie's passport and declaring her a US citizen. Then he sweetly bent down, touched her head, and said, "Welcome to the USA, Natalie!"

Our last leg of the trip was from Atlanta to Dulles. Natalie slept this entire flight (mostly because she hadn't hardly slept in over 12 hours). We were completely touched and overwhelmed by the reception of our family and friends (around 50 of you!) when we walked through the arrival gate. Natalie had been crying because we had to wake her out of her deep sleep. But when she saw all the people clapping and heard the happy shouts, she lit up, gave everyone a huge smile and said, "HI". Thank you to everyone for your love and support in praying us home safely. Thanks for the warm welcome home. Our bodies are so tired but our hearts are full. We are blessed.

We'll post more pics and videos once we are better rested.
We love you!
Karen, Steve AND Natalie

We've hit the ground, running in Moscow

It's Tuesday evening here in Moscow and I wanted to give you an update on what we've been doing since we left Voronezh. The 11 hour, overnight train ride back to Moscow went quite well. We were really crammed into our little compartment with all our luggage and a little one too. Natalie slept well on the train--I think she was the only one though. As soon as we ended our journey into Moscow, we were met by our facilitators who took us directly to the medical clinic for Natalie's required checkup. Then to a photo place to get her picture taken for her visa and then to the American Embassy to apply and pay for the visa. Finally, to our hotel. Natalie was incredible. She went with the flow of the busy morning, without her morning nap, with finger snacks and juice to sustain her till we could check in. Then it was straight to the crib for naptime. While she slept, Steve and I ordered a filet dinner and split it---yummmmmmmy!

Today, we completed our Embassy visit and Natalie now has her own visa to enter the USA! Our facilitator will register her with the Russian Embassy tomorrow and will give us her passport with all the necessary seals and stamps. We are getting closer to home and I can almost 'taste' it!

Natalie is still not feeling well. Please continue to pray for her. It's hard to watch her cry and try to figure out how to comfort her, it's a learning process for all of us. Also, pray for me. I have been sick with a sore throat and horrible stomach pain. Our facilitator believes that I have picked up a germ from Natalie---this is hard to imagine!!

I want to end this blog by bragging on my husband. He has become one of the best daddies in the world. Natalie adores him and even wants him over mommy---and that's o.k. with me. They play and laugh together over the smallest things and I love watching them together. My heart is bursting and I think Steve's is as well.

Love to all (Friday's coming!)
Karen

Gotcha Day part 1 Video

GOTCHA DAY !

Saturday, June 14th


The long awaited Gotcha Day is here! We arrived at the orphanage after 12 noon to get Natalie and begin the last part of our journey in Voronezh. The orphanage director, Olga, took us to her building where she sleeps, eats and plays with 11 other children around her age. As soon as we entered the room with the cribs, Natalie got very excited and couldn’t wait to come to us. Little does she know that soon we will be taking her from the only place she has ever known. After a quick change into the clothes we brought for her, we were headed to the car for a long ride back to the apartment. All the ladies at the orphanage were saying their ‘goodbyes’ to Natalie as we made our way down the path and out the gate. It was very touching to see the mutual affection between them. Before we left, a caregiver brought out the bear we had left for her back in February. As soon as she saw it she reached for it and snuggled it. Then she proceeded to press the paws to hear our voices and screamed with glee. [During our second day of court, the orphanage representative mentioned to the judge about the bear we had left with the girl. She thought it was why Natalie had recognized our voices when we returned and applauded us for leaving such a touch

Natalie is a very loving child. Even though she has never received kisses before, she enjoys them immensely now and we are never short of supply. Steve kisses her hands as she touches his beard---who knew facial hair could be so entertaining.

I was prepared for the car ride with lots of finger snacks, juice and toys. She did very well and ate snacks for almost the entire 2.5 hour ride. We could not get her to take her second nap of the day—too much excitement and fun---too many new things to see and do. Finally at 10:40 pm she went down for the night and didn’t wake up till 8 am! Sweet sleep.

It was a good day and we are grateful for all your prayers. We feel them. There is a lot of transition for us and for Natalie. Tonight we board the train back to Moscow leaving our beautiful friends in Voronezh. We are coming home on June 20th at 8:32 into Dulles via Delta! Keep praying us home.

Love,
Karen, Steve and Natalie

Daddy and Natalie in the play yard

Our Third Visit

Mommy and Natalie share a moment

Court, More Papers and Passport, oh my!

Dear Family and Friends,

Here’s an update from us as of Wednesday, June 11th , 8 PM Voronezh time.

The past several days we have been in the ‘hurry up and wait mode’ concerning getting Natalie’s paperwork complete before we can head to Moscow. On Monday we spent the entire day driving back and forth from office to office, around the center of Voronezh submitting documents to apply for Natalie’s new birth certificate and passport. Our facilitator knows how to speed up the process because by Tuesday afternoon we signed and picked up her new birth certificate that states us as the Mom and Dad. It was a wonderful moment as we signed our names and became ‘official’ parents to our sweet girl. Last night our hosts took us to the cinema and we watched an American movie in Russian. Quite an experience. Steve mainly wanted to go so he could enjoy the popcorn!

Today (Wed.) we were able to go and visit with Natalie at the orphanage for an hour. This takes practically the whole day because it’s 2 hours there and 2 hours back to the apartment. When Natalie saw us she smiled and clapped her hands, walked over to me, took the doll (kookla) I had in my hands and sat down in my lap. Everytime I see her I tell her “tea nosha dochka”—“you are our daughter” and I love the way she looks into my eyes as I tell her. Somehow, I think she understands. They let us take her out of the small visitation room out into the play yard and the garden. She loved the flowers but wasn’t so sure about the bubbles I brought. We still haven’t seen her in a bad mood or have a bad moment, but I’m sure it’s in her. She loves to smile and have Daddy take her picture. Today Steve showed a Baby Einstein dvd and she was mesmerized! We think this will a lifesaver on the train and the plane.

Saturday will be ‘Gotcha Day’ and the orphanage asked us to be there by 9 am. I am sure we will be sending pictures of this day we have waited so long for. We will all wave ‘paka’ (byebye) to Pavolovsk and head back to Voronezh as a family. Then Sunday, June 15th, we will board the overnight train back to Moscow and finish up the paperwork at the US Embassy. We’ll let you know as soon as we get information on our flight back home.

Please feel free to comment on this email. We can’t tell you how much we enjoy hearing from you—it is truly the highlight of our day when we get on the internet.

We love you---keep praying us home!
Karen, Steve and Natalie

WE ARE MAMA AND PAPA!!!

At 12:30 today, the judge ruled in our favor and declared us parents of Natalie Faith!
Our hearts are full and words cannot express the relief we felt at the end of this court day compared to yesterday. Not only did she grant us parental rights but she also waived the 10 day waiting period due to her health. We will get to see Natalie again this Wednesday and "Gotcha Day" will be next Saturday, June 14th. Steve will be an official daddy for Father's Day!!

Now, we can finally post pictures of our little princess . . . .we are so blessed!
Thank you for you prayers during this part of the journey. It has been the most stressful and draining part of the process, but now that part is behind us.

with our heartfelt love,
Karen

Court will continue tomorrow

Well, it was a long day in court day and we do not have a ruling on our behalf. There were documents missing and the judge and the DA we not satisfied enough for the judge to make a decision.

We go back tomorrow at 11 am. We hope to have an answer after this session.
The journey continues . . . . . . it will be worth all of this . . . .

God is in control and we will choose to stand and believe on His promises!

We saw Natalie today!

Our hearts are happy! We saw our little girl today at her orphanage. She turned 20 months on Monday, is walking well on her own, she has 4 more teeth, her hair is growing, she is taller and has a bit more weight on her. That's the good news!

Tomorrow is court day and we spent the evening with our translator going over questions the judge could ask us. We are hoping to get the 10 day wait waived due to her health. Her kidney issue is getting worse and we need to bring her home and get medical attention as soon as possible. Please remember us in prayer for Friday court.

Hopefully we will be able to post pictures of Natalie once the judge has made his decision---we can't wait to hear him say he is "satisfied" with the answers to his questions.

Off we go!

Bags are packed and repacked numerous times, but I believe we are ready to zip them up and try to get some sleep before we head out tomorrow. We fly to Atlanta around 12:20 pm and then to Moscow around 5 pm; arriving in Moscow 10:30 am (their time)on Tuesday, June 3.

I can't wait to see how Natalie has changed over the past four months. She is 20 months old tomorrow (Monday) and I pray she has grown and is still the happy little girl we spent three hours with one unforgettable day in February. I want to kiss her dimpled cheeks again and watch the twinkle in her eye. My arms can't wait to wrap around her, cuddle her and rock her to sleep. We're coming Natalie!!

Our court date is June 6th (not sure of the time yet) but please lift us up in prayer on Thursday night as we will be eight hours ahead of you and probably headed into court by then. We are believing that we will find favor with the judge as he asks us questions that will assure him of the safety, well-being and future of this little life. I will be relieved, grateful and completely thrilled when we hear him say "dah" (yes!).

Mark your calendars now, we arrive in Dulles airport on Thursday, June 26, around 8:30 pm. Everyone is welcome to come and catch a glimpse of the Clark Family!

More to come as we journey on . . . . . . .

5 Days and Counting!

Hard to believe, a week from now we will be in Voronezh, seeing our little girl again. It all seems surreal and immensely overwhelming.

We are putting the final touches on making the house child-proof. Her car seat is in my car and I am sorting through what to take/what not to take for our trip. My suitcase will hold her clothes, my clothes, all the gifts for those helping us, toiletries, meds for us and meds for her---all under 40 pounds. hahahahaha

Thank you to each of you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Don't stop! Especially for our June 6th court date. We need you to join us in praying for God to give us eloquence of speech and favor with the judge for Natalie's sake. Pray that we will hear the judge say 'dah' (yes). Secondly, pray that Natalie will bond with us quickly and that she will tolerate all the traveling back to Moscow and then home to the US.

We will attempt to keep you all up to date on our journey to bring Natalie home through this venue, providing technology cooperates while we are there. It's finally happening: Natalie will soon be ours and coming home!!

Karen

WE HAVE OUR COURT DATE!!

We will be leaving for Moscow on June 2nd and our court date is June 6th. More details to follow. . . . . . . .

God is Good!

While we wait....

Here we are. Still waiting for our court date. So, what are we doing to keep from going crazy? Steve is making sure that Natalie will have technology at her little fingertips: she has her own tv in the playroom off of the kitchen. I am washing her clothes in Dreft and every so often I just go in her room and open the drawer for a whiff. :) My friend, Randy, is helping me with a Life Book for Natalie. So, I've been gathering and passing along items of use to make her book special. I also read alot of blogs of other people who are on this journey. One family in particular is in the same region we will be heading back to for our daughter. They had a successful court date at the end of April and are now living out the required ten day wait in Russia till they get their little girl.

For the last couple of weeks there have been a few Russian holidays which closed the courts. Hopefully we will hear something soon. Waiting and walking in faith has gone to a whole new level for me during this process. I can't put it all into words right now, but I KNOW that God is in the waiting times of our lives, and that's what I'm holding on to.

Natalie turned 19 months on May 2nd. I pray that she is growing and happy. I know that God is holding her in His hand. Hopefully we will be with her or near her for her 20th month.

Love,
Karen

We are blessed

Our church family AND family gave us a 'little girl' shower on April 12th. We were overwhelmed by the love and presents we received. I told Steve that we were really experiencing the "pressed down, shaken together and running over" principle! What is so beautiful to me, is that a little girl over in Russia is already loved so dearly and she doesn't even know it . . . .yet!

Thank you to all of our family and friends. This was a day I had yearned for so long and I praise God that he does make our dreams come true. Our sister, Laura came up with the idea of wearing a pink and green ribbon till Natalie comes home. I am amazed at how many of you are wearing them. My heart is deeply touched.

Now, I need to ask you to pray. We are facing more obstacles in getting our court date. It has been two, agonizing weeks and we need God's hand to move in this situation. Since the shower, it has been even harder to wait for the court date. Thank you for joining your prayers with ours.

We love and appreciate each of you,
Karen

What I Know . . .

Things that I know today:
Our documents are translated and are in Voronezh;
Things are moving--the other couple ahead of us have their new court date;
Natalie's room is almost finished;
There are many people praying for Natalie and for us;
We are blessed by the love of our families and church family;
God has ordained the exact day that Natalie will be ours---forever!

My Prayers for today:
that our documents will be exactly what the judge needs; (no do-overs, please)
that God will bless the judge He has placed over our adoption case;
for a court date SOON!

He IS in the waiting,
Karen

Our Natalie is 18 months old today!

Happy 18th month birthday my sweet girl! Mommy and Daddy love you and pray that we will be together for your 19th month celebration.

Please continue praying with us for a court date soon and the new judge in Voronezh. God is in control!

Won't be long now

This week is beginning much better than last week.
Today I tracked our documents (that were sent DHL on Friday) and discovered that they are already in Moscow and signed for. Praise God! I know that the translation process is in the works and that is another step closer to a court date.
Also, another couple adopting from the same region (Voronezh) has finally received their court date, so we can't be too far behind! We are thrilled for the Sheldons and hope to meet them in the near future. Thanks Missy for sharing your journey, our hearts are with you, and we rejoice with you.
Natalie's room now has a crib, a rocking recliner, and a dollhouse bookcase. Hopefully tonight we will tackle the changing table/dresser and hang the window treatments. I love just sitting in the recliner, staring into the crib, with the nightlight on . . . . . . soon she'll be sleeping there and my heart is bursting with anticipation!

The Paperchase Continues . . . .

It's only Tuesday, and this week has already been filled with so much craziness! We finally received the documents I sent to Richmond for apostille on Saturday, only to find out that two of them must be redone. Today I met with our FC (family coordinator) to discover that 4 of the apostilled documents must also be redone. Two of which were our medicals which are a bit difficult to obtain in the first place. For some reason they completed our medicals but not on letterhead. This is unacceptable--why didn't I catch that? As soon as I left the agency, I drove to the doctor's office to see what could be done. We go to a group of doctors, so we don't always see the same one and at this point I didn't care. I was not going to leave until a doctor, any doctor filled out our health form on letterhead. After explaining my situation to several people at the doctor's, someone finally came up with a solution to fix the documents, but their notary had already gone home for the day. Here's my "but God" moment for the day: I have a friend who is a notary and she hopped in her car and met me at the doctors to notarize the signature. Just when you think there is no solution, God steps in--I love 'but God' moments. Thank you Jesus and thank you Chelle!
Thursday I will drive to Richmond and get these fixed documents apostilled so we can DHL them to Moscow on Friday for translation and ultimately receive a court date soon. This journey just keeps us laughing, crying and on our knees. It will be so worth it when we have Natalie in our arms. Steve reminded me that Sunday was Natalie's last Easter without her family. :)

Karen

ONE more piece of paper!

I had hoped to have all our paperwork heading to Richmond tomorrow for the apostille seals .. . . . but we are still waiting for our police clearances. Pray that they come quickly, so I can send them as well. It has only taken one month to gather everything, but a month away from our little girl has seemed like an eternity. As soon as all documents are sealed, our dossier will head to Russia for translation and then we should hear about a court date. I am thankful to be near the end of this paperchase once again--hopefully the last time!

Steve and I are having so much fun getting the house ready for our daughter: putting together furniture, measuring entry ways for safety gates, cleaning out closets (o.k. this is really only fun for me), working on the baby shower registry and having great conversations that begin with "when Natalie is here . . . ." :)

So, the journey continues. Thank you for walking alongside us--you are loved!
Karen

Waiting for word

Many of you have asked what our next step is in the adoption process . . . .at this point we are waiting to receive a court date from Russia. We are praying for our court date to happen by Mother's Day!
Before this can happen there is much to be done. I thought I had completed a considerable amount of paperwork for the adoption up to this point. However, I am having to redo a majority of the previous papers and then some. The main thing keeping me from getting a bad attitude is picturing little Natalie's face. This is my focus. We are also keeping busy by getting the house ready (Steve has already bought her a pink princess couch for the basement playroom); registering for a shower our church is giving us ( I never knew there were so many cribs and strollers to choose from!); and preparing her room for her arrival.
I am also trying my best to journal and document all that has happened in our lives since we received that wonderful phone call on January 2nd.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our little girl--Keep praying for a court date soon!

Blessings,
Karen

Steve and Karen at St. Basil, Moscow

From Russia. . . . .full of love

We are now HOME! The trip was an incredible experience and we know that God was in every step of the journey.

We are in love with our little girl, Natalie Faith. She is 16 months old, happy, inquisitive and her health is better than we anticipated. We were able to spend 3 hours with her last Thursday and time seemed to stand still for us. She loved receiving kisses from us and the little doll that we brought along with us. She laughed the loudest when Steve gave her 'eskimo kisses'. When she was getting sleepy, I cradled her and she kept putting her finger up to my lips to get kisses. (o.k., I'm sitting here crying just remembering how she felt in my arms). When it was time for her to go for her nap, she clung to me----and me to her. I am thankful that our first meeting will forever be a treasure in my heart.

Thank you for all your prayers on our behalf. It was so evident that God was going before us as we found favor with so many of the people who are in place to make this all happen for us. Keep praying! We still haven't brought her home with us and there is much to be done to make this happen. We now wait for a court date that is set by their court system.

Please pray for a quick court date ( I would turn around and go back this morning if they would let me!); and pray for continued protection and health over Natalie.

Love to each of you,
Karen and Steve

p.s. we will post pictures of Natalie when we are able . . . . :)

Packing and Praying

We are five days away from our departure to Moscow, and I am in the process of trying to fit everything in a carry-on piece of luggage! Those of you who know me are probably laughing at this. I am known to overpack a bit for all those "in case" situations. So this is truly an adventure for me!

Today I went to the travel clinic at our doctors and escaped the vaccinations they wanted me to get (they'll need to be updated for trip two)but I did walk out with my Cipro prescription (for 'just in case' sickness).
We have secured our clean cash--new bills with no folds or markings; purchased three outfits for her to try on for sizing, along with a Build a Bear with our voices in its paws and other toys for us to play with; and bought postcards of where we live to give to her caregivers. We have our warm clothes and dress clothes for our Minister of Education appointment ready to go. And I have packed meds for ALL the 'in case' moments. Steve is working on making sure we will have all computer and phone capabilites once we are there. And he is putting together a little photo album of us/our home to leave with her.

Please keep us in your prayers---we feel your love and support during this incredible time in our life. What would we do without the family of God?

with much love,
Karen

"Don't be afraid! For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With His love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song."
Zeph. 3:16-17

We have received a referral!

Dear Friends,

Much time has past since our last update. We have waited together so long but we do have a new update to share. On Wed., January 2nd, we received a call from our family coordinator with a referral for a little girl! Steve and I both cried as she told us about this little one. She is 15 months old and has such a sweet face, I think I am already in love!

There are some health/medical concerns that we must face, and after meeting with two International Adoption Specialists, we have decided to go and see her for ourselves. So, on February 4th we will be boarding a plane to Moscow. From there, an overnight train to Voronezh, where we will meet with the Minister of Education for that region. The next day we will get to meet her and the specialists have given me a list of ways to check her cognitive and motor skills as we play with her and get to know her.

God has a plan for her life and for ours too. We believe that He will reveal this plan to us. So, we are asking you to please pray that we will have the wisdom, discernment and peace concerning this HUGE decision.

We love each of you and I cannot tell you how blessed we are by your love and support. God is so good!

Karen