In Moscow

What an amazing experience to walk out of the orphanage doors with our little boy in our arms:) We have been waiting for the day when he would come with us and it finally arrived. His caregivers prepared him at 6AM yesterday so that we could pick him up and get on our flight. Malachi waved goodbye and said "paca paca" to his caregivers and headed for the airport. He did amazing on the 4 hour flight from Tomsk to Moscow. The flight was packed so they told us they didn't have an extra seat for us, but I think somebody decided they did not want to be in our row with our little angel so, we had an extra seat! That was a lifesaver. Malachi slept with me and played with his daddy so it all worked out. He learned that every time a flight attendant passed he got some food or a drink so he was very excited to see them come by.
We arrived in Moscow and were met by our new representative and driver. Little did we know that Moscow would be a 2 1/2 hour drive from the airport! We were in the backseat of this little car with 2 backpacks, a large suitcase, three heavy jackets, and a little boy in traffic for 2 1/2 hours. I thought I would die, but Malachi slept almot the entire drive...perfect! Just in case you were thinking after 2 1/2 hours we would be at our hotel..not quite. We had to go to the hospital with Malachi and he would be getting a blood test and physical at the US Embassy. You would think that this would be a nightmare for a little guy that had only eaten some Goldfish crackers, a roll, and a few bites of rice AND had not gone to the bathroom all day AND had been on an airplane for 4 hours and a car for 2 1/2 AND got woken up 2 hours early, but he did not even shed a tear. The doctor took his blood and did the exam and not a tear. The doctor did tell us that he is teething and has a cold, which has been evident with his congestion and cough. He prescribed some medicine which he takes easily (even though it tastes like black licorice.. yuck!) Malachi was amazing at the hopspital. It was also such a breath of fresh air to be at the hospital with 3 other couples from the US that were finalizing their adoptions. There is an instant connection with people that have endured the same torture:) There was a couple there from Texas adopting a boy the exact same age as Malachi from a different part of Siberia. After leaving the hospital, we had to go get pictures of Malachi taken for his visa. Although we took some in Tomsk for this occasion.. they were not exactly right so, we went to a photo place and took some more. After waiting for the pictures we stopped at a little "store" for some food. It was at this moment that I began to wonder what we would feed him and how much we would feed him. I just hoped he would let me know when he was hungry or full.
Finally we arrived at our wonderful hotel!! It is a Marriott so, we have many comforts of home. We filled out all the paperwork for the Embassy and then our representative left and we finally got to go to our room and relax. Although we were ready for bed, we ordered some food and stayed awake as long as we could (7 PM). Moscow is 3 hours behind Tomsk and after our day we were exhausted. Malachi went to sleep quickly and slept about 10 hours before waking up.
It was like a dream to wake up to these 2 little eyes looking up at me smiling. Jason and I were both surprised that he didn't start crying.. wondering where he was and why he was with us. We got ready and took a COLD walk to the Kremlin and Red Square. We made quick work of these sites since we were so cold and carrying Malachi is not easy (we found out from the doctor he weighs 25 pounds). We have had a very relaxing day today, playing with Malachi and taking him to the potty (that's a full time job in itself.) The only times he has cried since taking him from the baby house is in the bathroom. The sink, bathtub, and especially the toilet are all very traumatic. He sits on the toilet and cries, but the job gets done so that's all that matters. Malachi took a 2 hour nap today which was normal in the Baby House. He woke up smiling so that was nice.
All in all, Malachi has done extremely better than I expected. Jason and I are happy to have him in our arms for good and our arrival home is in clear view. Tomorrow we will have an interview at the US Embassy to get Malachi's Visa and then we will fly out Saturday morning, arriving home Saturday at some point (depending on the flight we get.) We cannot wait to introduce all of you to our little boy and give you a big hug:) We miss our friends and family immensely. See you soon.