THE FIRST TRIP ARCHIVE (Jump to current blog)

June 22, 2005 7am - HB

There have been a few requests for an update, and for some tips and tricks on language use with M, so here it is.

Alex and I will leave on July 3rd for our 2nd trip to Poland. We hope to pick up M from the orphanage on July 5th, and to fly home on July 13th. The additional week is needed to process M's visa, passport, and new birth certificate. We also have to bring him to the doctor's for a quick evaluation and a few vaccinations. According to Polish law, M is actually ours on June 28th! According to the US law, he is a citizen of both the US and Poland the moment our plane hits the runway on US soil.

Here's a brief dictionary of Polish words we couldn't live without. I was surprised at how little language was a barrier, though. M is a determined, communicative little guy, and he managed to let his needs be known no matter how slow Mama and Tata were on the uptake.

Tak - yes	nyet - no	teraz/ nie teraz - now/ not now
pozniej - later	jesc - eat	piec - drink
jest - you are or he/ she is	jestem - I am	siediec - sit
dobrze - ok, alright	dobry - good	dobry dziechne - good boy
jestem sie - I'll do it myself	kto robie? - what are you doing/ making?	to jest? kto jest? - what is that? who is that?
gdzie jest...? - where is...?	spac - sleep, bedtime	nie biegac - no running
benjemie - let's go	nos pokoj - our room	plac zabaw - playground
basen - pool	obiad - dinner	smiedania - breakfast
check eye - stop	po malo - slow down	pokaz mi - show me
wolni - slow	nie skotch - no jumping	hotch to - come here
zabawki - toys	dobranoc- bedtime cartoons/ good night	zemboof - teeth
to bolly? - does it hurt?	nie to bolly? - It doesn't hurt?	jak kocham ciebie - I love you
samochod - car	samalot - airplane	frytki - french fries
sok - juice	mleko - milk	ciastko - cookies or cake
chleb - bread	kanapka - sandwich	ser - cheese
renka - arm/ hand/ take my hand	noga - leg, knee	nie dotikie - don't touch
nie volno - fobidden

June 14, 2005 noon - AH

The court hearing went smoothly, with the judge smiling and cracking jokes throughout. She shortened the legally required waiting period from 21 to 14 days for the adoption decree to become final. After the final decree is issued, we need to sign one paper in the US, fax it back right away, and then we start another 12-day process to get M's new birth certificate issued, and then his passport. While nothing is guaranteed, and things still can go wrong, we expect to be flying back to the US with M around July 12.

June 14, 2005 7am - HB

M woke up all smiles yesterday. We brought him to the mall - the second largest in Poland and easily the largest I have ever set foot inside. We found an indoor playground called Fikoland. For 25 zloty, M could happily crawl through endless tunnels 2 stories above the ground. Kind of a kiddie habitrail. It reminded me of the Discovery Zones I used to take my brother to, but calmer. We were the only customers for awhile, and then we were joined by two 4-6 year old girls and their 2 year old sister. M behaved and had a blast. When he was done, we went to the food court, where he chose KFC from the usual suspects. We passed a Cinema City on the way out of the mall, and decided to catch Robots in Polish. M was psyched. The theater had stadium seating, and we were the only ones there. After we left the movie, M doubled over crying that his stomach hurt. I took him to the bathroom, but he was fine after a couple of minutes. It wasn't until the ride home that I thought that it might simply be vertigo. I can't imagine he goes to the movie theater that often. He kept swinging his head around everytime he noticed the surround sound.

Our attorney called shortly after we arrived back in the room. She was early. We gathered up M, all of the clothes and shoes that didn't fit him, his photo album, a calendar with stickers to mark each day until we return, and most of the toys we had brought with us. M began to jump up and down as soon as he saw the orphanage. He jumped out of the car, saying "Czesch!" to two older boys and a groundskeeper. Sister Director and his legal gaurdian met us in the office. He gave us a big hug and several kisses and smiled as we drove off. He was just so happy to be home.

I feel as if I have lost a limb. Or wandered off to run errands without my shoes. But I'm happy that M didn't seem the least bit upset when we left. He must have wondered what one does with parents when the vacation is over. Ten days may not have been enough time for him to build an attachment, but I don't need today's court hearing to tell me he is my son. He had me at "Dzien Dobry" :)

We had a bit of an adventure on the way home. L, our driver and translator, stopped at a local mall to pick up a few things for his wife and child, and was backed into by a taxi in the parking lot. We spent an additional hour wandering in the mall while he waited for the police. He was so distracted by the whole incident, he drove by our hotel on the way back. "I think we missed" he commented in his classic flat affect. "I think maybe 40 floors on top of Lot is not high enough. Maybe they need to build it bigger for me." The Marriott is the second tallest structure in Poland - just shy of the Palace of Culture and Science across the street.

June 12, 2005 9:15pm - HB

It wasn't hard to get M down for the count tonight. The meeting with the psychologists went well, except that M had to miss Dobranocs to attend the meeting, and made his disappointment quite obvious to all of his visitors. Finally, the psychologists asked us what time he usually started getting ready for bed. "Seven." Everyone checked their watches. Ay-yuh, it's 7:30. And he knows it. Alex and M were dismissed, and I stayed behind to answer questions.

There weren't many. "Are you aware of his activity level? Are you aware that he is small for his age?" Umm, yes. I think we've noticed both of those things. And then "Do you think your husband is really capable of calming him and putting him to bed?" Why? Did you want to try? :) I think they mostly wanted to be sure we knew what we were getting into. Most of their questions were directed towards our traveling companion and her 13 year old soon-to-be daughter.

Tomorrow - a morning with with M, and then we bring him to the Sisters. Tuesday, court. Wednesday home. Thursday, back to work - which will be good, because it will get my mind off of who's not waiting for me at home. To all of the Landmarkians: Just don't expect too much from me over the next 3 weeks. Not only will I be dealing with jetlag, I'm leaving most of me in Warsaw.

June 12, 2005 6:00 pm - AH

It's been a full day and it's not over yet... We walked to the Saxon Gardens to go to our favorite playground (there MUST be one that isn't a mile away!), saw the ceremonial changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, scared the pigeons, fed the ducks, watched the dancing fountain, walked to the far end of the Old Town, had a great lunch, watched an outdoor concert, walked back to the Saxon Gardens, played on the playground (again), and took the long way back around the Palace of Culture and Science. We must have walked four miles, three of them carrying M. (I think he was saving his energy for the multipe playground visits.)

We did get a two-hour break watching The Incredibles, but now M is convinced he is Dash, the fast-running superboy. In less than an hour, we're supposed to meet with the psychologist.

June 11 , 2005 3:47 pm - HB

DO NOT FEED YOUR CHILDREN TO THE ANIMALS....

M was psyched to arrive at the zoo this morning. He loved the lions, the jaguars, the monkeys... but one baby pony loved carrots. And M had just had lunch. As mom petted the pony, the pony leaned over the fence and found M's fingers. M calmly stated something along the lines of "Uh-oh. Mom - the horse has got me." Mom flicked the pony in the nose (a trick learned from past experience) and the pony let go. M waited until we were far from the other kids to burst into tears. No real harm done, just a nasty pinch. After that, we stuck to the animals in cages.

All this after a rough night with M showing mom the contents of his stomach around midnight. I'm guessing this was the result of bad cold and too much pizza, as he seemed fine when he woke up.

June 10, 2005, 8:38 pm - HB

Both of the boys are out - and snoring in harmony. We hit two playgrounds today: one outside at the park, and one inside the SMYK children's department store. The store requires you to spend 49 zloty to use the playground for free. No problemo - except, by the time I was done, I had either obtained a free playground pass or paid over 100 zloty for one. Ah, well. M pulled his first "I'm not leaving this toy store without this and this and this and..." tantrum. He was actually pretty good, and had wrapped up before we exited on to the street. He even waited until we were back in the room to break out the few surprises from the SMYK bag.

Our traveling companion met us at breakfast today and exclaimed over M's balloons (why must every waiter in Poland bestow balloons upon children? They either pop before we get out of the restaurant, or become weapons of mass destruction back in the hotel room!). She said (in English) "What color is that one? Red?" M turned around in his high chair, examined the balloon in question and answered with "Nyet - rozowy" (No - pink).

The social worker and our attorney were stunned with his English. Then again, he didn't repeat his first words in English to them. We're trying to convince him that that particular phrase is actually pronounce "Thank you." We now reply to it with "You're very welcome!" Not exactly the reaction he's usually expecting.

June 10, 2005, 2:00 pm - AH

Our meeting today went well - the social worker described us as a "perfect family" for M, which should mean her written report is positive. We have one more meeting Sunday night with a psychologist before the court hearing on Tuesday.

June 9, 2005, 10:05 pm - HB

I gave up and Alex took over. M is still bouncing around the hotel room, and we're ready to crash. And who knows about the poor German dude who had the misfortune to have M tug his Speedo's in the hot tub... and then mock his (less than appropriate for a 4 year old) German. Did we mention that we miss the Golebiewski Hotel?

June 9, 2005, 9:45 pm - AH

Today we left Wisla with mixed feelings. I was happy to leave the repetitive "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" Muzak behind, but I had really enjoyed the family-friendly atmosphere at the hotel, between the waterpark, the fantastic indoor playground, and a number of smaller touches. (H caught on today about the connection between the TAGO cookies offered freely everywhere in the hotel and TAdeusz GOłębiewski's hotel chain.)

We had done well at establishing a regular schedule (including the mandatory 7 pm "Dobranoc" cartoon that signals it is time for bath and bed) but today was totally different due to the necessary travel. Unfortunately, the schedule disruption and move to a new hotel has left M off-kilter, and (Saint) H is still working on getting him to go to sleep. In the process, M told us "M koham [loves] Mama" and "M koham Tata" for the first time, unprompted -- we hadn't even used that word for a number of days because it is stronger in Polish than in English. M is certainly known to stall before bed, but we'll take that "koham" as a good sign in amongst the tantrums and attention-seeking misbehavior, which has left us slinking out of more than one restaurant.

Tomorrow is an important day - we're going to have a visit from the social worker, who will be testifying at our court hearing next week. She'll describe how she believes M is adapting compared to other kids who have been through the process.

June 8, 2005, 2:39pm - HB

M woke up this morning with a nasty cold. He's down for a nap right now, and we've been pumping him full of fluids. I feel bad, since today's our last day in Wisla. Tomorrow we head back to Warsaw - a 6-7 hour drive. On Friday we meet with the child psychologist and his social worker. We'll have Saturday and Sunday to explore Warsaw with him, but he has to go back to the orphanage on Monday. Hopefully, he'll have kicked this cold by then. He occasionally asks for his favorite caregiver, and he draws planes with M, Mama, Tata, and Sister Director flying to America. It will be hard on us to leave him with the Sisters until July, but it's clear that they are his home. I'm very grateful that they have loved him so much.

We took M bowling this morning. Mama and Tata didn't do so great - M won. No, he wasn't using bumpers. No, we weren't trying to lose. Yes, we are that pathetic.

June 8, 2005, 8:15 am - AH

This is one of my favorite responses on the water slide debate: "After viewing the pictures of the water slides it seems that there are some practical considerations to bear in mind: Is Heather's life insurance up-to-date? Does she have a living will? How close is the nearest emergency room? Can you say "head wound" in Polish? Of course, having fun tops the list of considerations ;)"  Thanks Chris!

June 7, 2005 6:11 pm - HB

Y'all need to see this slide before you start trying to convince me to try it!

M is busy walking around in Tata's shoes. Literally. It's quite the sight. The kid has started answering our English questions in Polish. We've lost our ability to talk in English and assume that he doesn't understand. This afternoon I mentioned going to dinner and M responded "Nyet! Nie jestem gwodney" (No! I'm not hungry!). I also was trying to ignore his attempts to use me as a human jungle gym when he screamed out "Mama! Let's do it again!" The three of us are getting along fine in Polenglish. We are trying to get as much of his Polish singing on video as possible. I know it won't be long before he can't remember "Pane Jana" and the pociag song.

June 7, 2005, 6:00 pm - AH

Something has malfunctioned in the Muzak system piped everywhere in the hotel, and now it only alternates between "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and "Music of the Night." Unfortunately, today happens to be the day that we never left the hotel because of the weather, and I don't know if I will ever be able to listen to Andrew Lloyd Webber again after hearing the same songs 243 times.

I chuckled to see the contrast between our parents, in response to the last posting. Heather's dad responded almost immediately (how often does he check this site???) with, "Go for it! Your mom and I would..." My mom sent a nice note saying one should never be pressured into anything, so Heather should only do what she is comfortable with. I smiled at both emails. Let the record show that Heather has not yet tried the cannonball / mixing bowl slide, and tomorrow will be the last chance. 

June 6, 2005, 6:25 pm - AH

Below is a picture of our daily walk along the Wisla (Vistula) River, with our hotel in the background. There is a playground, a small amusement park, and food vendors on the left side, and often goats grazing on the right side. (When we get back, ask us about the wrong turn we took on Heather's birthday.)

Our hotel has a "normal" waterslide, open on top, that dumps into the typical pool at the end. They also have a "cannonball mixing bowl" slide, which starts with a fully enclosed tube that dumps into a funnel with a hole at the bottom, which drops a further six feet into a ten foot deep pool. M loves to watch me spin around the "mixing bowl" part. I've gotten Heather to try the normal slide (once, while I watched M) but haven't yet gotten her to try the cannonball / mixing bowl slide.

June 5, 2005, 6:25 pm - HB

We had a visit from the Sister-Director and M's legal guardian today. M was standing inside the hotel room when he heard Sister Director's voice. He was off like a streak of lightening and down the hall. He jumped into her arms, babbling in Polish non-stop. They came and spoke with us, commenting on how he looked so much better than he ever had in the orphanage. He told them that we were his mommy and daddy, and he wanted to be with us. They were thrilled. It was a good visit.

M, Alex, and I went for a walk down town afterwards. We spent a little time on the playground, and then a mountain thunderstorm came through. We stopped for ice cream and watched the lightening. M seemed fine with the storm, and fell asleep on the way home. He woke up as soon as we put him in bed (of course, after the 30 minute walk home UPHILL). He's been showing off his skipping and eating everything in sight (apple, cheese sandwich, cookies, apple juice...). He's been very hungry today, which surprised the Sister Director. He even had seconds on dessert! Of course, it was strawberry jello...

June 5, 2005, 7:30am - AH

Our next door neighbors were partying loud all night. M slept the whole time, and I slept a good portion of it, but Heather is a light sleeper and did not sleep well at all. Now we are tempted to encourage M to run through his complete repertoire of songs, complete with rhythm accompaniment, on their wall.

June 4, 2005, 7:24pm - HB

M is busy with Dobranocs - a daily half hour of cartoons that cues every kid in Poland that it's time to get ready for bed. M was funny at breakfast this morning. The Polish Para-Olympics are staying at the hotel, and M got all excited when a man zoomed by in a racing wheelchair. As far as I could tell, he shouted "That man's got wheels!" The man stopped, turned around and slapped him a high five. M was thrilled and immediately asked me if he could get some wheels, too.

He's also proven to be quite the babysitter. Several toddlers (about 12-24 months) have adopted him as their leader. Whenever they see him at the pool or indoor playground, they come running. He plays house with them, and pushes them around in the fleet of Little Tikes cars. Unfortunately, about half of them are bigger than he is, but less coordinated. We've had a couple spills caused by an overexcited toddler and an overconfident M. He seems to get along well with the 4-6 year olds, too, but he definitely follows their lead. They have at least 10 pounds and 5 inches on him. He must have learned what it means to be the little guy at the orphanage.

Things the Super M loves: FRENCH FRIES, strawberry anything, milk, apple juice, yellow gatorade, airplanes, cars, trucks, Bob the Builder, The Lion King, farm animals, fish. Things he hates: green beans, red meat, leaving the pool, waking up from naps, washing his hands, having his passport photo taken, the sticky feeling of his clothes after coming out of the pool or bath. He's not crazy about soda and chocolate.

June 4, 2005, 3:15 pm - AH

This has to be one of the best exercise programs - between two hours of pool time every day, a daily walk to town (carrying M on the way back) and the indoor playground, we're getting in pretty good shape. I didn't realize how much I'd be using my arm and back muscles - I should have been lifting weights and carrying around a heavy backpack in preparation.

It is getting easier though as we figure out M's rhythms and moods, and he has begun to trust that something good will happen when he transitions from one activity to another - he just always wants to know what is next.

June 3, 2005, 9:20 pm - AH

What a musical kid - he sings almost every time we walk somewhere. If he hears classical music, he plays conductor. (He usually does this with a fork, which slows the whole eating thing, and can create an occupational hazard for any nearby serving staff.) When he hears pop music, he dances...

June 3, 2005, 12 noon - HB

Alex just got M down for an afternoon nap. He's a little tired after a morning in the pool. Alex surprised me with a birthday dinner out last night, and hired our interpreter, L, to babysit M. M was already asleep at that point. We had a good time, although we talked about M through the entire dinner.

Both of us have come down with colds, but we stocked enough medicine to supply a clinic. The pools are heated, which helps. M will have a bit of a surprise when he jumps into the Walpole pool and finds out it's not bathwater temperature!

June 2, 2005, 10:30 am - HB

I think this is my best birthday ever! M, Alex, and I explored the swimming pools. M loved the waterslide and proved to be quite the little ryba (fish). He would dive underwater and come up shouting "Jestem ryba! M jest ryba!" He wasn't happy when we decided that 2 hours of pool time was plenty, and it was time to go upstairs for some quiet play and a snack. Next, maybe bubbles in the park.

Alex is teaching him to flip a coin and yell "Heads" or "Tails." Apparently, this is an important survival skill for most boys...

June 1, 2005, 4:00 pm - AH

We just went through our first major tantrum, when we tried to change M into his swimsuit. I think he was just overtired, and he sometimes takes a nap at 3:00. I don't think it was specifically connected to the swimsuit, because he has been asking to go to the swimming pools and waterslides since we arrived here.

He was in a full-blown tantrum for about fifteen minutes, hiding his face and trying to pull away from us. At the end of it, he fell asleep and has been sleeping since. From what we hear, the next 48 hours are usually the most difficult time, as children have lost the initial happy excitement, and still have strong fears of unfamiliar people and places. I expect he is going to be doing a lot of testing to figure out where the boundaries are with us, and to see if he can get more favorable treatment from one person or the other. We're going to have to work hard to be consistent. 

June 1, 2005, 9:35 - HB

Happy Birthday Dzia-Dzia Bell!!! M already recognizes your picture, and when I told him that you and Charles fly "samalots", he made airplane noises and asked if he could go, too. I think the next generation of flying boys is in the making!

Something tells me these entries will become shorter from now on... M slept really well until 6:30 this morning, and then we went for a walk. Now he's curled up with Tata watching the Polish equivalent of Sesame Street. He surprised us by writing his name and copying letters in the car. He also can count in Polish and English. I love getting emails from you all - so keep sending them!

June 1, 2005, 9:30 - AH

Our seven hour drive from Warsaw to Wisla went surprisingly well. M started singing Frere Jacques in Polish as soon as we got in the car, and then Heather joined in French and English. (It was cute for the first ten verses. On about the 30th verse, our driver turned the radio on really loud.) He slept for a couple of hours, then was thrilled when we stopped at a McDonalds. Apparently French fries and chicken nuggets are on his short list of what he'll eat

May 31, 2005, 11:50 am - HB

Court went great! Alex and I are wildly packing, and then we're off to pick up M. See you in Wisla...

May 31, 2005, 7am - HB

Just a quick message this morning before we head off to court. Most of today will be spent in the car as we drive down to Wisla. It's a 4-5 hour trip, not including multiple chou-chou (pee-pee) trips. At least the weather is more comfortable. We'll try to post more tonight, but I think survival will likely be more important :)

May 30, 2005, 10:20pm - HB

I've held my boy! Alex and I had a visit with M, received many hugs and kisses, played in the sandbox, "ate" sand ciastko (cookies) served by the little waiter, and chased him through a rose garden. Mighty, mighty M is also a mite, maybe the size of 3 year old at best.The 4T clothes will be far too large, and we might even have to put away some of the 3T stuff. But his Polish is excellent, and he looked at us like we had 3 heads when we spoke English. He knows his numbers at least through 8 (ok - that's only because Mama could only follow his counting up to 8), and he pointed out all of his colors. After many tries to get us to name red correctly in Polish, he shook his head and told us to just stick with white (bialy). We dug holes to Portugal. We ate cake with the nuns. As we left, M came out with his group and immediately broke away to give us one last hug. For today. He told us to come back tomorrow, and then skipped off with the Sisters and his group.

The only thing they had told him about us was that Mama is small, and Tata (Daddy) is very, very, very tall. He sat on Alex's lap for awhile, but when Alex stood up with him in his arms, he grabbed hold and looked surprised that they just kept rising. Alex almost hit his head on the door frame, which had M and and the Sisters doubled over in laughter. It's clear - Mama is good, but Tata is da bomb.

What else? He loves computers, dogs, running, digging holes as deep as they can go, playing trucks, biking, climbing (you should see this kid scale a fence - He'll get along great with Keri!). He hates most foods - especially vegetables (Mom - HELP! How did you ever get Melissa to eat?), being told "nyet,"and the fact that Mama and Tata just don't get it. He's the most gorgeous kid in the whole wide world, and he'll soon be ours! Tomorrow we have our preliminary court hearing and then leave for Wisla with him. I don't know if I will ever sleep again!

May 30, 2005 - noon - AH

Waiting to go to the orphanage, we climbed up a tower to see this view of the Old Town. Here's where we're headed tomorrow, to stay for the next week.

May 30, 2005, 7am - HB

We meet with M today! A, our attorney, met us yesterday morning and gave us the run down. Today: visit the orphanage and meet with M, his social worker, and the Sister Director. Tomorrow: court, pick up M from the orphanage. Wednesday: travel with M down to Wisla.

Our attorney told us we would lose weight running after M. Apparently, he's kind of on the energetic side. That's ok - we always fall in love with the trouble makers! We are allowed to take pics this afternoon, so we'll post them tonight for those of you who have access to that section. By the way, we're 6 hours ahead of EST, so the pics will be posted this afternoon, your time.

It has been terribly hot in Warsaw. Today is supposed to stay in the upper 80's, but then temps will drop tonight. By tomorrow, things are supposed to settle into the 60's (the kind of weather I packed for...). We went shopping yesterday, and I bought a sundress and sandels. I'm still in them, and I don't intend to change until the temperature drops to something reasonable!

May 29, 2005, 7:25 am - HB

Dzien dobre! Alex and I just returned from a morning stroll through Ogrod Saski Park - a beautiful park that includes the tomb of the unknown soldier, a giant fountain, and (of course) a playground. A guard is constantly posted at the tomb, and we watched the morning shift change. You can see the view from the park below. The tomb is the white structure in the lower right. Our hotel is the building on the left. The Palace of Culture and Science is poking up above the tomb. Much to the Poles regret, you can see it from just about anywhere in the city.

We had a wonderful dinner in the Stare Miasto (Old Town) last night. We discovered beautiful restaurant with coup d'oiel painted all over. After explaining that they were absolutely full but we could have the last remaining table, the waiter led us through a completely empty restaurant. Room after room of elaborately set tables... but no people. Exactly who were they packed WITH, anyway? To their credit, the tables were all full when we left. I forget that most restaurants in Europe have only one seating. If you leave before closing, you're a dork. We were jet lagged, so we chose dork-dom over falling asleep in our zurek.

We meet with our attorney after breakfast today, and then I'm off to buy a sundress. It's supposed to top 90 degrees today and I packed for the mid 60's.

May 28, 2005, 2:30 pm - AH

We're here! We had a very fast cab ride past familiar sights - I was surprised I was getting nostalgic over the concrete-wedding-cake Palace of Culture and Science, the towering "gift" from Stalin to Warsaw in the 1950s. There have been a number of proposals to tear it down and replace it with something else, but there are too many important offices in it.

After 18 hours of straight travel, I am almost feeling human again after a nice long shower...  

May 27, 2005, 5 pm - AH

In a few minutes I'll start my contortionist's routine to squeeze myself into an airline seat designed for a four foot tall munchkin. I always dread the moment when the person in front of me reclines, cutting off any circulation below the knees. I'm tempted to say, "Don't worry - I didn't need the last eighteen inches anyway. Really, I'd be better off without the extra altitude." One of our traveling companions said that they are already offering compensation for people to take a later flight, so there's no chance there will be an empty seat in front of me or anywhere else on the plane.

May 27, 2005, 10 am - HB

We're off! Well, almost. Fact of the day: No matter how hard you try, air is not compressable. And exploding ziplock bags can be dangerous. We've tried every trick we can think of to get 3 weeks of clothes for ourselves and M, a group gift for the orphanage staff, toys, and the entire pediatric section of Rite Aid into 3 carry-on size bags. We are now resigned to checking something. After a bad episode several years ago on our way to a camping trip in New Zealand (we went to NZ - our bags went to Canada, Australia, and somewhere in Micro-nesia), we've resisted checking anything. If my clothes get lost, we go shopping. If M's toys get lost, we get creative. If Alex's clothes get lost... there's no saving us. Where do you find clothes to fit all 6'9 of him in Warsaw?

The next time you hear from us, we'll be soaking up the rays in Warsaw. Enjoy the next Nor'easter!

May 24, 2005, 6 am - AH

I added the Warsaw weather button - hope it stays nice!

May 23, 2005, 6:00 pm - HB

We've had many questions about how one adopts from Poland, what the process is, who the players are, etc. I'll use this entry to explain.

Poland has a 2 trip process, meaning that Alex and I must travel to Poland twice over the next two months to bring our little guy home (the little guy being M, a 4 year old in Warsaw. M can stand for his name, or the ever popular "Munchkin," which seems to be the nickname of the month). Trip 1 is often referred to as the "Meet and Greet" trip since we will spend time meeting M, his caretakers, his social worker, our attorney, and the judge. If all goes well, we will spend a week and a half in a Polish resort area with M, enjoying waterslides and hopefully warmer-than-New-England weather.

We will then return M to his orphanage, and go to court to request to be officially declared his parental units. We will then board a plane back to the US, and return for M in about 3 weeks. Yes, leaving him will be terrible, horrible, and heart-wrenching. We are trying not to think about it.

Other players include A, our attorney in Poland and MM, our US-based facilitator. There are also homestudy agencies, BCIS officials, the nurse who managed to draw multiple blood tests for health approvals, and the poor town clerk who we greet early in the morning with a panicked "Can we get this notarized? Now? Please? Hurry up!." But, to simplify, I'll only refer to A, MM, and M. We will be traveling with another family from our area who is adopting a child from the same orphanage.

Other popular questions:

Q: Do they speak English? A: No, do your kids speak Polish? :) I have to admit... I actually said this once and they said "Yes!"

Q: Do you speak Polish? A: Tak, drohe. We'll see what 4 year old Polish is like, though.

Q: Have you been to Poland before? A: Yes. We were there almost exactly a year ago. We met our attorney, visited Alex's family's village, and did the tourist thing. It's beautiful and we can't wait to be back.

Q: What do you know about M's background? A: Sigh... this is the tough question. We know some, but we can't share that with you. M will know his story, and he will share it with whoever he chooses.

Q: Is he healthy? A: Yes! He's a healthy, active, verbal 4 year old boy (so we've heard). We're sure we will have our hands full. And we can't wait!

April 30, 2005, 4:40 am - AH

We purchased our airline tickets yesterday based on a "99%" certainty that our attorney knows the exact dates for our court appearances. Since we will be traveling over a holiday weekend, many flights were already full, and the travel agent recommended we go ahead and purchase. We'll see if that was a good idea...

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