Moscow- day 24

Things have been interesting at bedtime. Ruslan started crying right away because we put his car to bed up on the dresser. We tried giving them comfort objects like their car or a stuffed animal but then they would just lay there and play. He does not like it when the car has to go to bed too. Pasha doesn't like it but willingly hands it over as he knows it is inevitable. We also make multiple trips to the bathroom still. Once we get a physician to tell us there is nothing wrong medically with the whole peeing thing we will limit bathroom visits I think. So, after about an hour they finally calmed down in bed and I thought we were in for a quiet night. As I began grading some final exams, Pasha let out a blood curdling scream. Ruslan followed suit. We ran into the bedroom because it sounded like someone was really hurt. Next came the hard part. You know when little kids are really scared and they talk fast and are crying at the same time so it all comes out like mush? Imagine that happening but the kids are talking in a foreign language. I couldn't figure out what was wrong because I didn't understand anything he was saying except that he was terrified (and in turn caused his brother to be terrified). So, I did what I have done with Callie and that is lie down with them for a little while to see if they will settle down to sleep. The minute I moved an inch their eyes popped open and the screaming commenced. I kept telling them in Russian that everything was okay, don't cry, don't be scared. (I wonder if they secretly talk to each other about how horrible my accent is). I thought that maybe Pasha was bitten by a spider, or a saw a bug but wasn't sure. After sitting in their room and then moving a few feet out of the room they finally fell asleep. This morning I woke up as I felt someone was watching me (Callie does this all of the time). Sure enough, Ruslan was standing in the doorway staring at me. When I asked him what was wrong he told me he had to go to the bathroom. Okay, progress... as he usually will wake up in his bed and cry until I come and see what's what.
Today we went to the US Embassy for our interview appointment. We had no idea what to expect. We hit a traffic jam a few blocks from the Embassy and were actually late. Once again, the boys were extremely well behaved little gentlemen. (And terribly cute with their fisherman Gilligan hats... I know this is not a complete sentence but it is MY blog so I guess I can use incorrect grammar). They held our hands the entire way and sat quietly while we waited. It felt weird as each time we encountered a line we were told not to wait and to cut to the front as we had special priviledges as US Citizens whom were adopting (whew... to be given priority was nice but I felt very rude cutting in several long lines of Russians waiting for their visas). A woman came out and explained to us that our children are still Russian citizens and will not officially become US citizens until we arrive at our port of entry in the US. Once the customs official stamps their passports, then they will be both Russian citizens and US citizens. The boys will remain Russian citizens unless they decide to renounce their citizenship. If they were to travel to Russia between the ages of 18-35 they could be forced to enlist in the military for two years as is the rule here. Hmm, good to know. We waited a bit more for our interview which took five minutes. A nice woman asked us to hold up our right hands and swear that all of the information we had presented was correct. (I didn't confess that maybe I had fudged on my weight a bit). She showed us the information on the boys and we stated their names and birthdates were indeed correct. We then left the Embassy to wait on the coordinator Katya. She came and picked up the documents we had just received with the boys' passports so that she could go to the Russian consulate and register them as we had agreed to do as part of our adoption. A lot of families wait to do this until they arrive back home but our agency requires we do it prior to leaving Moscow. SO.... in summation, we have completed all of the formalities to officially complete jumping through the hoops of adoption. Has it been tough? Yes. Has it been the most difficult thing I have ever done? No. Has it been worth it? A million times YES.
On the home front, Callie graduated from Pre-K at United yesterday. Dad told me today she performed with grace and maturity. Samantha has decided to try out for cheerleading on the 7th grade squad. She has her tryouts today so I am thinking of her (and honestly remembering my own cheerleading tryouts). She is really putting herself out there as she doesn't typically feel comfortable performing in front of people. She does love to sing and dance and has got some moves that I wish she didn't (alas, she is growing up). So now I am one of THOSE people that i secretly loathe as they blather on and on about how amazing their children are. Don't worry though, with four kids I won't have time to do a Christmas letter.
Tomorrow we are headed to the zoo and then to some memorials. There are some really amazing statues everywhere from the time period of the Russian Czars. We may attempt to take the boys out to eat too. Right now we don't have any other plans for the next few days. We talked to the girls briefly this afternoon (their morning) and the girls talked to the boys. We look at pictures all the time and name them but I am really interested to see how they do when they meet each other for the first time.
Well, I should wrap it up as the boys are waiting for their "kupatsya" (bath). They were mesmerized to see Chad shave earlier. That was a really special moment; one of the first of many to come. Thanks again for reading and posting comments I feel like I am "talking" to all of you. Enjoy your weekend!