Day Twenty-one: Surprise!

Today we woke up around 7:00am. The hotel has a breakfast buffet so we headed downstairs for the first breakfast we didn't have to cook in two weeks. We ordered omelets, but they covered them in chives. I really think when we get home I won't want to see chives or dill for a very long time. We came back in the room and I decided to unpack our little guys things and get the room a little more prepared for his arrival. It was raining and I knew we would be in the room most of the day, but I didn't want to just sit. Dimitri called and asked for JJ. It is funny how he always wants to talk to only one of us at a time. He wanted JJ to be in the room around two so we wouldn't miss his phone call. He said JJ would go with him to get the birth certificate. Now that we had our plans for the day JJ decided to take a nap. He had horrible heart burn last night and didn't sleep well. I stayed in the other room while he rested and practiced music for camp. It was so peaceful to sing and listen to songs. I read some in the Bible and surfed the web a little. Then Dimitri called back and said he wouldn't be at the hotel until 3:00-ish. The phone woke JJ up and we decided to get some lunch. The restaurant in the hotel was so quiet at lunch, but it has always been that way. We ordered off the "business lunch" menu (which seems to be a hugely popular concept here by the way) and our food came very quickly. Then we had ice cream for dessert, of course.

The ice cream at this restaurant is actually my favorite of any place we've eaten. Dining out in Russia is always an experience. They seem to make everything fancy, even ice cream bowls. We came back to the room and watched a movie. Our friend from Michigan came up to talk while his wife and kids took an afternoon nap. It was so nice to just talk about our experiences and things at home that were familiar. Dimitri came for JJ and I was left alone, so I decided to call my parents on Skype. In the middle of our conversation JJ came back. He asked me to sign a paper really quickly and then he totally shocked me. He said our little guy is coming tomorrow at 9:00am!! What??!! What happened to Thursday? JJ said Dimitri had told him there was a change in plans. He hurried out with the paperwork. I was left to wonder if it was real. I got off the phone and JJ came back shortly. Sure enough, Dimitri had said we would get our son tomorrow morning at 9:00am!! We were overwhelmed. I know this is the moment we have been preparing for all along but now that it has arrived ahead of schedule, well I'm so happy and so I don't even know what. I don't want to say nervous because that doesn't quite seem like the right word. Just full of emotions I guess. We hurried to tell our friends and then off to the store to get some food that hopefully will work for our little guy. Then we hurried back to the hotel. We had already planned to eat supper all together at a nearby restaurant. While we were talking in the lobby a gentleman approached us saying he noticed our English. Turns out he is adopting as well! This is their second child. He wife stayed home with their son and he made this final trip alone to get their second son. He had the same surprise as JJ and I. His son will be arriving tomorrow morning, also ahead of schedule. We will probably be finishing the end of our adoptions together. We all went to the restaurant, now a group of 5 adults and 2 toddlers. This place was called Route 66. Isn't that crazy? The really crazy part was the lack of English on the menu and the surprising resemblance to Hooters instead of just a burger place in the US. Our new friend told her little girl she couldn't wear shorts like that when she got older even if she likes orange. =) Our waitress spoke English rather well and we ended up with some good food. We even got onion rings that looked homemade. I couldn't help taking a picture of one of the table tops as we left. We are on the map all the way in Russia!

Now we get to try to rest. It is going to be hard with all the thoughts about tomorrow. I can't wait to share pictures with you guys. Tomorrow we will be a family of three!!