"Well, we are almost midway through the ten day waiting period

as we have completed Day 3 and Day 4. I cannot say enough about

how well Kyle is progressing each visit. He is more and more

comfortable with us and has now joined us in Singing Rock A

Bye Baby. Of course, his words are somewhat difficult to discern

but he babbles on and on with the best of them. Even our social

worker in Russia commented today on how much he has changed

for the better. He is as happy as can be and just makes himself

right at home. He has a routine when he enters the room - he

completely empties my backpack and then plays with his toys

and non-toys that he locates in the backpack. Some of his

"favorites" include paper bags (probably not a good toy idea),

pieces of paper with instructions (which he likes to rip up) and

boxes (which now after constant use do not hold much). He

definitely loves music and likes to play the songs on his toy

Octopus which you squeeze and it plays music. When the

music starts, he also has some great dance moves and he is

trying to teach me a few of them. Speaking of routine, Dad

and I have gotten into quite a routine ourselves. Unfortunately,

our routine consists of the same Korsten Hotel buffet which

seemed to offer plenty of options during the first few days but

after one week, the offerings seem to be the same. With the

visits to Kyle being spaced out, we basically return to the hotel,

eat lunch, and head back to the orphanage. Today, we ventured

out to the market to buy Kyle apple juice and cookies (that

takes away 15 minutes of the 120 minutes each visit) and we

strategize on when to give the juice and cookies as we remain

in the same room as Trip 1. Fortunately, the room is not a sauna

like it was during Trip 1! Dad and I have been joking on who

will make it to the Russian hospital first for slipping on the ice.

I would have put decent money on my Dad falling first as he has

already slid across an icy grate that he did not see and managed

a few other manuveurs, however, today I gave him a run for his

money. As we returned from the market, I rounded a corner

and thought I was sliding into home base. Fortunately, a rather

large gutter came down the side of the building which I quickly

grabbed to steady myself and my Dad then assisted the steadying!

So the odds are getting closer to even at this point but I still think

my dad will "eat it" first! Anyway, thanks again for all of your

kind thoughts and prayers! We will keep you updated!"

A weekend in Kazan....we offically started the ten day countdown
on Saturday following the Friday Court Session. We enjoyed two visits
at the orphange to see Kyle on Saturday and each and every day, he
gets more and more attached. In fact, at the end of visit two on Saturday,
he did not, for the first time, want to go back to his room. Once he got to
his room and realized it was dinner time, he was fine. We woke up on
Sunday and the sun was shining...it was a beautiful day in Kazan. The
picture you see is of a frozen Volga River and there are guys who look
like Penguins who sit on the ice, drill a hole in the ice and fish. In the
distance, you can see the Kremlin and with the sun shining today, it was
the prettiest day yet. Suprisingly, despite the beautiful sun reminiscent
of a perfect day in Florida, it was also the coldest day at 4 Degrees
Farenheit. We were only allowed one visit because it is Sunday and
we had a great time today...we danced and Kyle gave me a big kiss :)
Dad and I went to an art gallery and had lunch with our interpreter,
Jane. We also took a walk nearby our hotel but it was too cold for me!
We hope that this week goes by quickly and that we return home soon!

"This morning, we woke up to a snowy winter wonderland outside
the window. The snow ushered me into my first day of motherhood
as it is official - I am a mother! We proceeded to the Russian court
today in Kazan which took place in a relatively small room with the
Judge, Prosecutor, Secretary of the Court, Social Worker, and
interpreter. It was a closed proceeding so Grampy did not get to
listen to the inquisition. I was questioned in great detail but after 1 1/2
hours, the Court advised that Kyle Daniel Fernandes is my new son :)
As the Russian laws are very stringent, the court did not waive the ten
day period so we will remain in Kazan another two weeks to get the
written decision of the Court and all appropriate paperwork and in
Moscow several days following that. We are presently scheduled to
come home on February 6, 2008, and we cannot wait to get home!!
We missed our morning visit with Kyle but got to spend two hours
with him this afternoon. Each day, he is happier and more content
with us. We know that all of you are going to love this little guy but
he is going to be a heartbreaker!"

"Hello again from Kazan. Today we enjoyed seeing Kyle

during two visits and as you can see from the pictures, he is

getting more and more comfortable with us each time. We even

get to see his dimples a lot more often as he marches into the room

and is not as distracted as he used to be. He really is a happy little

guy and we cannot wait to get him home. On that note, we spent

time during the two visits preparing for the Court hearing tomorrow

(Friday January 16) at 10:00 am. I was advised that I will be able to

do a 5-7 minute opening statement and also some closing remarks.

I tried to explain that as a lawyer, I would only be able to get my

name out in 5-7 minutes but they let me know with a smile that

I should try to tell the Court about my background, family, friends,

job and education in 5-7 minutes with an interpreter...that should be

fun! With regards to my closing remarks, I was advised that if I

have any chance for the Court to waive the 10 day period, I should

ask during the closing statement but when I asked what my chances

were, I was told none. Apparently, an American couple adopted a

Russian child and a month ago in December, the father left the child

in the car killing the child which has caused the Russian courts to really

tighten up the regulations. Nonetheless, I will try to make a compelling

closing statement but regardless, we will probably be in the lovely

Kazan for an additional week stimulating their economy! We appreciate

your prayers and by the time you all wake up tomorrow, court will be

over and he will be a day closer to offically being mine and the King of

many other hearts! Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!!!!"

"Today, Wednesday January 14, we traveled to the orphanage
and Kyle got to take a road trip to get his passport pictures taken.
This is the first Kazan road trip with Kyle and although most
children, so I am told, cry and scream en route to get the passport
pictures taken, Kyle was perfectly still. When we arrived today,
I did not go to his room to meet him but when he walked down the
hallway, he recognized me and came running down the hall...it
was truly a priceless moment!! I brought his brand new black
ski jacket and red hat which I hoped that he would be able to
wear to go outside and on this trip. Unfortunately, he is still
required to wear "orphanage only" brand clothing. I guess they
picked out the Florida warm winter ski suit for Kyle because it
had Mickey Mouse on it - the one catch being that it was hot pink.
So yes, that is still my all boy little guy in his Pretty in Pink clothing.

When we arrived at the picture place, Kyle had to sit on a stool
to get his picture taken. He sat there as quiet as a mouse perfectly
still as you can see from the picture. The photographer said that she
has never seen a child sit so still for his pictures. Of course, when I
take his picture, he never sits still! Kyle actually sat there mesmerized
by the camera but did not smile at all for the camera. I think he was
happy to leave but not happy to put the pink jacket back on!

During the afternoon visit, Kyle was not very happy because
he is teething but that is nothing a little gel on the gums cannot fix!
After applying the analgesic on his gums, he was back to his usual
happy self and we really enjoyed a nice visit. He definitely likes
Mommy's toys - my phone, my camera and my camcorder being
his top three choices! He is saying "Mom" but I cannot yet confirm
with certainty he is saying it in the correct context (more to follow on
that once confirmation is made!). His two favorite English words are
up and hi! He also tries to say a lot of other words which could either
be jibberish or Russian as they both sound the same to me!

This evening, my Dad and I decided to walk to a pizza place called
the "Boogie Woogie Pizza and Pasta." As the name was in English
and we have been trying past it every day, we ventured into the
restaurant and were delighted to hear a familiar sound - Lynard
Skynard. Playing on the TV was a video of the 30 year reunion
of Lynard Skynard labeled the "Status Quo Tour" which also was
projected onto the restaurant wall. On one side of the restaurant
the lead singer and guitar player were painted onto the wall with
a bunch of people painted on the bottom (the painting was also
done 30 years ago when they were much younger). So here we
are in a Pizza Restaurant watching and listening to Sweet Home
Alabama and Freebird with no ability to read the menu and no
ability to communicate with the waitresses. That basically limited
us to either pizza or lasagna and we opted for the lasagna....no
wonder the Russians are so skinny. They have mastered portion control!!!

Tomorrow, Thursday, January 15, 2009, I will prepare for the
Court hearing on Friday January 16, 2009. I will keep you informed
and thanks again for being a part of this journey!"

Greetings again from Kazan, Russia, birthplace of one

of America's soon to be newest residents, my own little
guy, Kyle Daniel Fernandes!!! We arrived in Kazan

today weary and wary. Weary from our exhausting

travels, wary because I anxiously await Kyle's responsiveness

to us in our reunion after a month's separation. It has

been an adventure beyond anything I could have ever

imagined or projected.

As I last reported, our arrival in Moscow was accomplished

without two pieces of our luggage and I previously wrote

that the missing items were "allegedly"due to arrive in

Moscow Sunday afternoon and then delivered to our hotel. At
the time of my writing, I didn't know how significant my term

"allegedly" would actually be. The bags did not arrive Sunday,

nor did they arrive Monday. We were told the bags were definitely

in Moscow at the airport, yet customs would not release

them for transfer to our hotel. I can't explain to you how
significant one of the bags was. It contained my Dad's C-pap

machine, a machine.

You see, without the C-Pap, my father's snoring is reminiscent

of a freight train constantly roaring through our hotel room.

We were so exhausted the first night from our sleepless

international travel that I could have slept through a
freight train contantly roaring through our hotel room.

In fact, I did! The next night in Moscow was a somewhat

less tolerable. Day three without the machine was intolerable!

Our flight to Kazan Tuesday morning was scheduled for
7:20 A.M., which meant we had to leave our hotel by 4:50

because of the Moscow traffic. We were advised that we

could pick up the missing bags at the airport.

The freight train awakened me at what I thought was

2:30 A.M. Since we were scheduled to wake up at 3:30,

I got up early and took a long bath, hearing the constant

sound of the roaring freight train even with the bathroom

door shut. I was conscientious enough to let my father sleep

until he had to get up. I wakened the freight train at 3:45.

At least what I thought was 3:45. My father asked, "Why

are you up so early?"

"It's not early," I replied. "It's 3:45. We HAVE to get

to the airport to get your bags before our flight."

"It's not even midnight," he said. "It's 23:45, not 3:45."

In my frustration I had missed the extra 2, which made

it really 11:45, not 3:45. My Dad had been asleep for an

hour and a half. Now he was the one being conscientious, staying
up the rest of the night so that I could sleep!

We arrived at the airport around 5:30. We went to

Lost and Found as instructed. There weren't many

people there, but there were hundreds of suitcases in several
different areas. The Customs people looked through a series

of manual logs (non computerized) searching for the missing

bags. Their efforts appeared futile. I was going to Kazan.

My Dad was staying in Moscow until the breathing machine
was found even if I had to go alone. WE were finally told to

look through the piles of misplaced baggage in what looked to

be an impossible task. Many of the bags looked alike.

Fortunately (Thank you Lord!!!), the key bag was my Father's
UM bag!! Miraculously, after searching hundreds of bags,

near the end of the stack, somehow, my Dad identified

the UM symbol. Even being the proud Gator that I am,

I was never more relieved in my life to see that old UM symbol!! It
was time to go to Kazan and see my little guy.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention about my Monday, which

included an 8 doctor physical exam which lasted several hours.

The clinic is the facility which serves the Kremlin staffers.

It was an interesting experience, which I shared with two
other adopting couples, one from New Brunswick, Canada,

the other from Minneapolis. All went well. The day in Moscow

ended with a sleety snow, which resulted in sidewalks that

resembled skating rinks. Somehow, we survived the
icy terrain without falling, although I must confess that

there were several close calls!

Today was reunion day with Kyle. He just must be

the cutest guy in the whole wide world! I won't say

that he jumped up and down recognizing Grampy and me
after a month's absence, but I will tell you that he did

remember many of the experiences of our first visit. He

still says, "Up," when we take him for rides in the back

of the toy dump truck, just like it did last month. He still
follows our instructions to hold on to the side of the dump

truck before we lift him, just as we taught him in December.

It was a great reunion and our time with him was special.

He has matured some in a month. He is definitely
more focused than we recall. I can't wait to get him

back to South Florida. Tomorrow, he takes his passport

photos, which should be another adventure!

Sorry to make this so long. I will keep you posted.

Trust all is well with all!! Bye for now.

Kyle Come Home