[kkhawes]

Hello All,
Working on final preparations for the trip...and panicing!!! Does everyone turn into a nervous wreck at this point? We leave Saturday morning and our court date is next Wednesday. Worried about what to pack, will she need bottles or cups? How many outfits? how many diapers? The orphanage said to bring formula but she is 17 months old??? Toys how many should I bring? Court outfit...what do I bring when I may not be able to find an iron? and the list goes on.........
Advise would be welcomed from anyone willing to offer it.
Thank You Everyone.
Kristin Hawes
Soon to be Mommy of Jekaterina (Katya)

[sickmeig]

i just got home 4 days ago with my three year old katya. i only needed one outfit per day. don't forget shoes. you can't have too many toys. different ones for the car rides, the hotel, airplane. if you buy cheap ones, you can dispose of them as the trip goes on and you see which ones work. magnadoodle - they really like. the hotels have irons. you do not need to dress fancy, even for court. just plain black pants, etc. we took a nice long walk in the fresh air before the plane ride to wear her out a little - but the plane ride was not fun. i tried to cash in my miles for elite seating but they said i didn't have enough. if you have the miles or the extra money, i would recommend better seats for the way home.

[willowbeads]

Ok, I'm leaving Saturday for trip #1, so I don't have a lot of advice other than take a deep breath! BTW, where are you flying out of? We are going on Delta out of JFK sometime Saturday evening (I think around 5 or 6).

For court, I would suggest a black skirt and dark top with dark heels. Just something business-like. I would buy an inexpensive travel iron and take it along, just in case.

Wish I could help on the other questions, but I'm already wondering about that stuff myself! I'm pretty much in panic mode, too. We've been out shopping almost every night because we keep thinking of things we need, and I've repacked about four times!

Have a safe and wonderful trip!!

Wendy

[Tracy922]

Hi,
Im starting to get panicky too...and we dont leave for 3 weeks. We dont have the room ready or anything because Ive been working so many extra hours to earn some money for this adoption. Goodluck. Tracy

[manon]

Don't bother packing an iron because then you'd need adapters to make it work on Russian electricity & even then it might not work. One woman travelling the same time I was on my 1st trip told me she had brought an adapter & her curling iron. She turned it on to heat up while she was in the shower & it melted.

One friend had brought a blow dryer (she was at a different hotel, different city) and an adapter & it blew the fuse for the whole hotel!

But do pack your court clothes in your carry on. It doesn't much matter what you look like any other day. Especially if you're plus-size (I am), it could be difficult to replace if your luggage gets lost.

You may be able to get your court outfit ironed at your hotel, even in the region (unless you're staying in someone's house). I didn't realize til my time was almost over at the hotel in the region that the floor lady at my hotel would take care of getting laundry done for me if I had asked (for a price, of course). You might have to draw a picture for her though to get it across what you're wanting!

You can probably purchase more diapers in the region, and you definitely can purchase them in Moscow. Ask your agency; they've probably had people travel to that location before & they'll know if there's a store when you can get that. Some places to look: pharmacies (there's a chain that has a green cross) and grocery stores. At the pharmacy, diapers may not be in plain sight & you may have to ask for them. You actually may find that your child at 17 months is somewhat toilet-trained & you may want to try buying a little plastic potty when you get to the region, and then keeping her on the potty often. They start toilet-training kids as soon as they can sit up, sometimes even at 6 months. But it's different from the way we toilet-train kids in the US - they put them on the potty very frequently & on a schedule anytime the caregivers think the child might need to go.

Bring simple toys & things that make noise/play music. My little one (24 mos. at adoption) had no clue what to do with stuffed animals or the soft dollhouse I had brought. Didn't dawn on me til later that she had no experience of houses! She also was not very interested in the travel-size magnadoodle I had brought, but I wound up using it to keep score when the other Americans & I were playing cards (our 10 days didn't get waived). I gave up on the crayons I'd brought because she kept trying to eat them. The toys she liked best were an abacus-type toy where she could move beads around on a frame, and I bought a toy that plays different songs when you push the buttons.

And, oh, I almost forgot! The best toy to bring is nesting cups. The little one can play with that in the bathtub too. My little girl was terrified of the bathtub for about the first 2 weeks. I don't think she had ever seen a bathtub before.

Ask the caregivers if there were songs they sang to the kids there & if it was dark in the room they slept in or if there was a light on. Record the songs if you find anyone willing to sing! Also ask if there are nicknames they used for your child. Even if you don't call your child that as a name, you might want to have it as a special nickname in your family.

Best wishes!

[waitinginnj]

I hope that your trip is marvelous.

[emjay]

Hoping you have a smooth trip, an easy date in court, and a wonderful trip home with your Katya!

- Maura

[LindaBel]

Good luck on your trip. And dont forget to bring something to keep a journal. We wrote so much down during those long flights.

Our son was about the same age when he came home, and they were still giving him formula at the orphanage. Our facilitator got the details from their staff and took me the store so we could get the same stuff they were givng him - we figured that with all the changes going on for him if we could keep even little things like formula the same why not? He was on a soy formula as his history said he had a milk allergy. As soon our pediatrician saw him here he had us take him off formula and on to more "regular" food. Turns out he has no milk allergy.

We were there in the summer so we didnt have to pack any real heavy clothes. For court I just took black slacks and a dark blouse - in a fabric that travels well - no room for an iron. All our hotels had them (and hairdryers too).

We brought along a couple of bottles and a couple of sippy cups and ended up using mostly cups. The shoes we brough didnt fit so the orphanage let him wear his old ones and we left the new ones there. We went through 1 or 2 outfits a day (depending on how lively mealtimes were). I packed way too many diapers but was totally paranoid about running out and being unable to find more. Don't forget ziploc bags too. An inexpensive umbrella stroller is great when navigating airport terminals.

For the trip home, I strongly recommend paying for a seat for your child, even if she's young enough (under 2 years I think is the limit) not to have to have her own. You can never count on empty seats on international flights and even if you end up holding her or walking around the plane a lot you'll appreciate the extra room.

Even though you're going crazy now make sure you savor every minute of that trip - it's over before you know it. But I still remember it like it was yesterday.

[Military Momma]

I wouldn't know what to pack for a 17 month old but just wanted to say...Good luck on your trip and we can't wait to hear your details when you get back!

[ahnasmom]

Can't really add much other than my best wishes for a safe and happy trip!!! Enjoy every minute!!!