Life in the Orphanage

I was wondering today if Luke misses his life in the orphanage. He was well taken care of and had many kids to play with. The ladies there loved him and he was hugged a lot. I can tell because he loves it when we hug him. Luke is doing really well with bonding with both of us.

He had a very strict routine at the orphanage and we haven't quite fallen into a routine yet. He would take 4 hour "naps" and now he doesn't want to lay down at all during the day. I think he doesn't like being alone and for now, I just have him lay on the couch and have quiet time.

Each day is getting better and better. He speaks more words in English and he has adjusted to sleeping throughout the night.

Here are a few photos from the orphanage. It is one of the better orphanages in Krasnodar and the building itself was nicely decorated. They receive many donations and the kids there have a nice life. We really liked the doctor on staff and she took good care of the kids. Luke has his first doctor's appointment tomorrow with an adoption specialist. We can't wait to hear how he's doing.

Home at Last!

We are finally home from Russia and feel so blessed to be back in America. It was the longest 3 weeks of our lives and we are so proud to be new parents! Luke Mason Dierlam became our son on January 29, 2009. He now has a Forever Family and he is such a precious gift.

I will write more about our trip in the days to follow. Right now, Luke is asleep and I have a few minutes to type. I spend most of my days chasing after him and telling him not to touch things. He will copy a few words we're saying in English but, doesn't really know what he's saying yet. He does talk a lot in Russian and seems to be very happy. He loves looking at photos of himself and one of his favorite things to do is dance.

Here are a few photos from our trip. Many more to come...

Count Down to the Inauguration

Scott and I made a trip down to DC to see the festivities before the Inauguration this Tuesday. It's an amazing time to be living in DC. There is amazing American pride running through the subways and the streets. Everything is decorated here and we can't wait to be a part of this historical event! Here are just a few photos that I took before I had to find a warm cup of coffee. It's freezing here!

Tour of the West Wing

Scott and I had one last chance to tour the West Wing of the White House before President Bush leaves. It was freezing tonight and we had second thoughts as we stood outside of the gate and waited for the tour to begin. It's super cold here and I couldn't feel my feet. We were very glad that we waited because it was a great tour! We only had 6 people in our group and our guide had great stories to tell. We weren't allowed to take photos inside or I would have posted photos of the Oval Office. It was an incredible site! It had to be my favorite part of the tour.

I also loved getting to see all of the personal touches that Mrs. Bush did with decorating the West Wing. They have so many warm photos of President Bush. They show a very different side of him. One of my favorites was him with a chain saw in his hand and mud all over his face. The guide said that he loves to chop down brush and clear his mind. There was also a cool photo of him biking with Lance Armstrong. I had no idea that he was such a great cyclist. All in all, it was a great tour and I'm very glad that we went.

The entire look of the Mall is incredible right now. Ribbons are everywhere, grandstands are being built and I'm proud to be in such a great city!

Christmas with Sarah

We had a very relaxing 2 week holiday with Sarah this year. We went ice skating and took in a few of the museums and sites in DC. Sarah loved the Holiday Lights at the DC zoo and the weather was perfect this year for getting out and about. Scott got to take Sarah to a hockey game and they had a great time! Sarah loved going to the HUGE arena and hearing all of the crazy Capitals fans.

I'm just relaxing today as I get ready to head back to school tomorrow. Scott has to drive Sarah back to South Carolina in one day! That's too long of a drive for me and he was nice enough to leave me at home in my PJ's. What a great day it will be!

Thankful

The Dierlam family was extra thankful this year because we had family here to share Thanksgiving with. Sarah was here for the entire break and we had Scott's parents here for a few days. The break started off by celebrating Scott's accomplishments and we all attended his promotion ceremony at the Pentagon. I can't believe that we all got to go into Sec Gates office and have a personal tour. It was something I'll never forget and I am grateful to have such a remarkable husband.

Here are a few photos from Scott's special day and preparing for the feast.

Home from Russia

We're back from Russia and finally on the right time zone with our sleep. It was much harder this time to come back and get our routine in order. I woke up at 2:00 in the morning for a few nights and I was exhausted at school!

My students were so cute when I returned and I missed them a lot. I brought back candy for them and they loved it. They wanted to keep the wrappers and glue them into their journals. It's nice when children are so appreciative of the little things.

We can't post any photos of our new little boy. And I sure will when we return with him in January. At least that's when we hope to have our court date.

Here are a few photos from Moscow!

Goodbye Rylie

After spending a nice weekend at West Point watching the Air Force football game, we came home to sad news. A phone call came from our new agency. We will no longer be able to adopt Rylie. Scott and I were devastated because this will be the second child that we've lost.

After many tears and trying to see what direction we should take, Scott and I have decided to try and travel to Russia one more time. If possible, we will travel there this weekend and look for another child. We'll have to work fast with tickets and the Russian Visa.

We can't begin to understand this news and can only hope that this means that we'll have a child home by Christmas. At this point, we are numb...