1 month today

It was March 28th when Jack was given to us. There have been many ups and downs along the way but God is faithful and has been there everything step of the way. Jack is much more talkative, playful, and humorously expressive now than the first day with us. It's amazing to see his daily transformation! We are truly blessed and we recognize it more and more every day!

Birthday Saturday

We've been having better and better days as Jack learns about us and we learn about him. Weekends have typically been out of 'routine' so it makes them harder but sometimes you just can't help it. For instance, this past Saturday was David's mom's birthday and Jack spent the morning with her and Grandpa, came home for a late nap and then we went to the park for Grandma's birthday family gathering. We found out that Jack loves to walk Uncle Mark's golden retriever Shanaynay (or be walked by her) . Here he is going for a stroll!

Thanks for lending Jack your big dog Uncle Mark and Aunt Gabby! And thanks for the kisses Bubble and Snoop!

Day at the Beach

We had fun at the beach, even though it was only for an hour. We left our house a little late and we stopped by my uncle's in Palm Harbor on the way to the beach. Thanks to everyone there for the cute gifts. We really appreciate them! We tried to get in at Clearwater beach since it is closer and also has a playground but all the parking lots were full by the time we got there. We ended up in Sand Key, a little further south, which was also good but we didn't get to see Gina, my sister, who was at the Clearwater beach for volleyball tournaments. Next time! Here are some snapshots of our visit. Jack's a little timid of the water, which we appreciate, but he's still pretty brave when trying new things. Our schedule got a little out of whack but that's ok. It was a fun day.

Look at those tippy toes!

Jack and Daddy

Playing!

Tough and Fun

David left for work this morning and Jack and I had a pretty good start to the day. We had breakfast, then played a little, went outside and then it was snacktime. After that I tried to cut his toenails and what a fit he had! It wore him out so that after lunch he went to sleep pretty easily. This afternoon was better. After David got home Jack and I took a ride to Walmart. We both did pretty well in the store together and after we got home Dad (David) took Jack for a run. Before dinner they put together the kiddy pool. After dinner, before bath time, David went in with Jack and it was funny to watch his expressions. Here are a couple of snapshots.
Every day is a new realization that Jack is our son. Yesterday brought another clue after realizing that today was Friday but the 'work week' wasn't over. We don't get weekends off... haha

Jack is very strong willed and has a funny sense of humor. Out of the blue he'll just start laughing in this funny type of laugh that makes me laugh. It's been tough keeping him in the area he's allowed to be in but he's learning. He's doing very well with signing. For example, he connects the sign for eat and cracker. Tonight he put the two together and it was cool to see. He's understanding our english much better too.

We've had him for just about 3 weeks now, home for a little over a week. Things get better and better every day. Thanks for your prayer. We know God has His hand in our lives!

Good Days

We've been consistently having good days here. Jack is starting to get into the rhythm of nap/bed times and is sleeping through the night. He LOVES to eat and makes grunting noises as soon as he gets buckled into his booster seat. It's hard not to laugh at him as he's shoveling food into his mouth with both hands while giving us air kisses. He's also starting to understand our english words more and has learned how to sign several things like dog, more, eat, all done and a few more.

Yesterday we took him to the pediatrician for his first check up. He had blood drawn for testing and was given two shots. Needless to say it was traumatic since the nurse had to basically lay on him to keep him still but he bounced back immediately. Hopefully he won't remember it as a bad place.... We were told he is very healthy and is now practically in the 50 percentile. What an amazing blessing to hear since we were told he was in the 3% only 6 months ago.

That's all for now as I have to catch up on things while Jack is asleep. My love to everyone!

First Resurrection day in America

We had a great day today. It was Jack's first experience in church and he did relatively good. He hung out during praise & worship music and then after that had to go to the nursery since sitting still wasn't really an option. David and I took turns.

A big thanks to Jack's cousin Luca for letting him have his old clothes. He looked very spiffy in his cool threads. Thanks Zia Joanna for sending them down! We might not look as good if it weren't for you!

After church we went over to David's parents' house along with my family for a nice dinner. Jack had a great time eating with everyone and did really good for it being past his naptime and with being around a lot of sort of new people and even a big dog. He wasn't afraid of Rocky (the boxer dog) at all and often went to his kennel to get licked by him.
God has been very good to us. On this anniversary of Jesus' resurrection, we have been reminded of our own adoption into God's family. God is SO GOOD!

Flip Side... We made it!

We finally arrived at our home at about 1am Wednesday night (Thursday morning). The 11 hour flight went exceptionally well, considering the previously horrible flight. We had a 4 hour layover in Chicago and that didn't bode well with Jack. About 2 hours into it he started getting cranky and before we got on the plane it was tantrum time. Thankfully when we got on the plane he only complained for a short while before falling asleep and that's when we were able to get about an hour's worth ourselves. By the time we got home we had been awake for almost 24 hours.We were exhausted but of course, Jack was way too interested in everything to go to sleep. He started playing with his toys immediately. It was cute, but the exhaustion continued. We were able to settle him enough and he fell asleep in his crib by about 3am. Of course, we crashed too. Jack slept until about 7am which was wonderful! Jack enjoyed a nice breakfast in his new booster seat which we love since we don't have to chase him around any more, or try to make him sit in a chair to eat. I took a trip to Walmart for supplies and then we ate lunch. We let Jack eat on his own and it was fun to watch. A little messy too but what do you expect from a 19 month old! :) He's down again for his afternoon nap and we're hoping all things go well with adjustment to the new time schedule. Now we're gonna try to get the house back in order.

Thanks for following along with us. I'll still post about things, so if you're interested feel free to check in again soon!

P.S. Thanks for those who prayed for Julie and her son. We crossed paths briefly at the hotel and I was able to meet him and he's adorable. His fever has broken, praise God, and they are now in their last week in Russia!

Flying on a jet plane

We're Outta Here! We have about an hour before we have to be downstairs for our ride to the airport. We are sooooo happy this day is finally here. At some points it felt like it would never come. Our flight to Chicago will be approximately 11 hours in the air. We have a few hours layover and then it's another 2.5 hour flight to Tampa, hopefully arriving sometime around midnight! We're so excited!

Thanks again for all your support and encouragement throughout our trip. A special thanks to Mark and Gabby for keeping our zany dog Chilly!

See you on the flip side!
Michele

ONE day to go

Tomorrow is our last full day here. Jack woke up at a decent time this morning and it has been a 'medium' day. He didn't grind or crackle his teeth much until this evening which I'm guessing is either due to the meds, or the fact that his gums feel better, or maybe both. Looks like there might be some bottom teeth coming in now too but hopefully the meds we have will help. We took a little walk down the streeth this afternoon and I think it went well. We had some more wrestling matches when we got back but by the end of the day he went to bed easily. Fighting with parents can be exhausting. :)

So, we're looking forward to a good day tomorrow, our last day in Russia. We'll be packing for most of the day, taking our time and gathing everything we need. Oh, and please pray for Julie, the other family I've mentioned. She has gotten custody of their son but the doctor says he has bronchitis, and possibly pneumonia. The child is, of course, miserable and not eating well. Please pray God gives Julie strength and heals their little boy, especially in time for his first plane ride. They'll have their trip from Kras to Moscow early Wednesday morning.

Have a great day!

One Week with Jack

Hello everyone. We've had Jack for one week now. The time does seem to have gone quickly, though a little painfully for all involved. We've had a relatively nice day today. This morning Jack didn't wake up fully until 8am!!! Wooohhooooo! We had a decent morning with Jack having a nice breakfast as well. He took a little bit of an early nap as we were leaving at 1:00 to go on a short tour of Red Square since it was closed the first time we tried at the beginning of this trip. Jack did ok most of the time but when he started acting up our guide, Ana, spoke to him in Russian and it helped A Lot! (I jokingly considered asking if she'd like to babysit for us so we can both go shopping but she has a 5 year old of her own so it's just wishful thinking). After we got back to the hotel we ate a late lunch and tried to keep Jack awake so he would sleep through the night again. I know a lot of you can see where this is going... By 5 he was wiped out and while David was out getting more groceries and Sbarro pizza for us Jack and I had a little wrestling match and I think I won this one. I finally let him lay in the crib but I wouldn't let him doze off and that seemed to calm things down.He grinds his teeth, loud!, probably because it helps with the pain but then it turns against him and he then has more pain and starts crying. He won't let me into his mouth to really see what's going on, much less give him anything to put in there except the 3 fingers he likes to suck on. The only way we've been able to look inside is when he's crying open mouthed, or if he's in a good mood and laughing hysterically from our tickling. Anyway, Jack ate a decent dinner as well so we were happy about that. We then gave him a quick bath, let him lay down and he was out like a light! We'll see how tomorrow morning turns out.

It's actually been pretty cold here. Colder than when we left Siberia. It snowed yesterday and today but wasn't cold enough to pile up so not too much sloshing this time. That's the news for today. We have 3 whole days left here. We're praying Jack's teeth let up a little, at least until after we arrive home...

Thanks again for all the encouragement and support.

Love,

Michele

Visa completed

Thank you all for your wonderfully supportive comments. Amy, we are doing the ibuprofen/tylenol alternating. I brought every type of meds I could to cover all bases so I have that. I was running low on ibuprofen so our facilitator helped me get the russian equivalent in case we run out before the teething lets up. I even bought a pacifier, just to see if it would help but so far he doesn't get it, which isn't really a surprise. As I was leaving the room to come to this computer Jack was in his crib asleep but crying and tossing. I feel so bad for him. I can see the teeth coming in, and in fact, his eye tooth area has some blood around it as we saw the tip of that tooth today. The part I really don't like, other than the fact that he's in a lot of pain, is that he GRINDS the molars he has and then cries. It's like nails on a chalkboard and I'm worried about his teeth, though they are baby teeth so they aren't going to be permanently ruined.

So, enough about that. Thanks for all the encouragement for the next plane ride. I appreciate all the prayer. I'm desperate for it. It helps to know we're not the only ones. In fact, today we went to the US Embassy to get Jack's visa and there were many other adopting families. There were several families that mentioned their children were acting the same way Jack is, with the tantrums and getting into everything. It's normal... whew!

So, thanks again for all your support. I really, really appreciate it. Some of you might understand, but most might not have any idea how grateful I am to have all of you out there. I'm so glad we only have a few more days and then we're home sweet home... where Jack will be able to cry for as long as he wants and we won't have to worry about the Russian people calling the cops on us for neglect.... Until next time!

quick note... in moscow

Hi everyone. I'm in a hurry as David is in the room with Jack. Just wanted to let you know we made it through the most horrible plane ride I've ever been on. Jack was very irritable from the start but we made it through. We are in the hotel and we're all tired but moving forward. Everything is going well. The doctor visited us in the hotel and Jack got very high marks. An answer to prayer really. The doctor also confirmed Jack is cutting molars and he told us how to find orajel. We've got teething tablets along with other kinds of pain relievers so we're ok for now. It's still a little tough on his little mouth and he expresses it quite plainly. Please pray it works out quickly.

I'll try to write again soon but I wanted to let you know we're doing well. Thanks for all the tips and support. Our portable DVD player is coming in handy now since Jack's finally calm enough to watch a DVD for his age. He doesn't sit for more than 5 minutes, if that, but that's good enough for now.

Love you all. I'll check in again later.
-michele

Last post for a while

Just wanted to let everyone know this is the last we'll have free internet from our computer. We leave very early in the morning tomorrow. Please pray for our flight. 7pm your time. Jack hasn't been very happy lately so we're hoping for the best on the plane for 4.5 hours.

I'll try to post while we're in Moscow but I can't promise anything. My love to you all!

Great morning, and then....

Funny thing, this is part of the cold weather suit we got Jack at the flea market here. It wasn't until we got back 'home' that we noticed the "J" in the corner!

This morning was so sweet. Jack popped up from his crib and stared at us. (Our bed is in same room as crib. We decided to upgrade to a suite so we wouldn't have to tiptoe around him. I'm so glad we did as it wasn't too much more per night.) I got him out and brought him back to the bed and he was very interested in the covers. He seemed kind of slow moving so I turned him and he laid back, in between me and David and we stayed there together with Jack playing with the covers and then our fingers and such for a long time. What a precious moment.

He'd had enough and off we go. We got him fed and then had a nice, calm morning. We still had to keep him occupied but it was calm at least. Then it started. Not sure how, but he started getting cranky and when it was time for lunch he didn't want to eat. (he'd eaten everything before) It seemed like he wasn't feeling good but I couldn't tell for sure if he was just being irritable. He went down for a nap pretty quickly but was very restless and didn't sleep quite the whole scheduled amount of time. We went out again after he got up, like we did yesterday, but he didn't seem like himself and was kind of whiny.

When we got back he seemed a little warm to me. We tried to take his temperature but he pulled it out from under his arm before it finished. Even still it was a little over 100º and I don't like that. We have OTC medicine for him and started him on it before dinner. We tried to feed him and he did eat a little more but just didn't feel well enough to finish.

After a little while longer we decided to let him sleep, which seemed like what he wanted to do, even though it is a little early for him. He might wake up in the middle of the night, but that's ok. We'll be keeping an eye on his temperature but please continue to keep us in prayer. I'm not tremendously worried because it's not like we're in a third world country, but I'd like to not have to get a doctor involved.

Go Bucs

Thanks for all your wonderful comments. It's nice to see notes from home as it's really starting to get a little 'old' being here.

Learning

Suffice to say, it's been a long day. We started out with a nice morning. Jack was in his crib restless for about the last 2 hours of his sleep. I know because David and I both woke up with every turn. Finally, we got up and checked on him and he was peaking through the sides, calmly, with his wide eyes open and just stared, figuring out the situation. I said hello and he immediately got up and wanted me to pick him up. David and I played with him a little in the big bed but he's a morning person so it was playtime first thing.

We had a nice breakfast and then some good play time. He's a tantrum thrower when he doesn't get his way so that's been oh so fun. He seems to be more sleepy than his schedule accommodates for but maybe that's just because everything is so new and it's wearing him out more. He took a mini nap right before lunch and then after lunch took his regular nap. He was up with a cry and then we decided the afternoon was too beautiful to waste. We walked a lot, going to stores and generally watching people and horses. He was definitely worn out when we got back and acted much nicer than yesterday. We had dinner and then a little more play time, along with a visit from his friend Julie. It was then off to the bath which he's ok with as long as he has his squeeky toy but he won't sit down in the tub.

We hung out a little while longer but then I was able to hold him until he fell asleep. I move him to the crib but if he's not far enough gone then he wakes up and cries. Poor little guy. So many new things for him to deal with. Now he's asleep and hopefully he'll have another good night's sleep tonight.

It's been tough as we have to constantly keep him occupied. David has been wonderful about walking up and down the halls with him. Gives me time to clean up and ready the next meal. If he doesn't get his way he likes to throw a tantrum but I think we're learning how to deal with it. It's tough being in a hotel where it's important to keep a lid on his crying. We won't really be able to start any true discipline until we get home due to the circumstances.
(check out the slippers! They rattle when he walks and he finds them very interesting! The floor maid held him a little bit, they've been really great. She decided, along with so many others around here, that his shirt should be tucked into his pants... and they're pjs too.)

We are here another couple of days waiting on passport documents for Jack. We arrive in Moscow on Wednesday for our last week to this trip. We really didn't have a difficult time during our inital two weeks here. We found things to do during down time and slept because we were sick so that helped pass the time. :)

That's all for now. Gotta get ready for tomorrow!

Day 1 of the rest of our lives....

Hello everyone. I really should be in bed right now. The time changes here tonight. We are now 12 hours ahead of EST. I thought I'd introduce you all to Jack Yuri Pentecost though.


We picked him up from the orphanage at about noon and he was all smiles, which was wonderful!!! He fell asleep in the van on the way back to the hotel. About 3 pm he was up and we had snack time, play time, outdoors time, dinner time and then bath time. Getting him settled for bedtime went a little slow but I was able to rock him to sleep. David spent a lot of the play time with him keeping him occupied and trying to avoid all the things he shouldn't get into. That was tough as Jack is a really, really curious little boy.

We are so thankful for all of your prayer and support. Keep it coming. It's all new and kind of stressful at this point. That's all for now. We must get some sleep "for the morning cometh quickly".... love you all!

End of day 10

I'm not sure I got all of my post titles correct but either way, today was the end of day 10 of our 10 day waiting period. Tomorrow, Saturday, we have to be downstairs at 9am to head off to a couple of different stops for yet more paperwork. This will include Jack's new birth certificate among other things. We'll come back to the hotel while our facilitator submits paperwork for Jack's passport. When she returns we will then head over to the orphanage to actually get Jack into our custody. It truly seems surreal.

Today's visit was a little tough at times, but it was still good to go. He's definitely coming out of his shell, if he had one, and we're learning all kinds of things about his personality, his likes and dislikes. He runs to us and gives us kisses and hugs. I think playing kookoo (peekaboo) is his favorite time to do this.

So, this might be my last post for a while, (at least until tomorrow night) but there's no telling what tomorrow will be like so I can't promise anything. Just continue to pray for us and I truly feel God's strength in everything we've done so far.

That's all for tonight. We're gonna get a good night's sleep, hopefully, and become a 3 person family tomorrow! AHHHHH