Travelin' soon

For those who haven't heard the latest update, Mike and I received our travel plans and are leaving 15 November for Irkutsk, Siberia in Eastern Europe to formally meet Vadim (to be named Michael Jr., when adopted and called "Skip"). The first visit is a week's travel, but 5 days in Irkutsk. We'll fly from Boston to Paris, then to Moscow, and finally to Irkutsk. The process dictates that we formally receive the information on him "The Referral", meet with Dr's to review his medical information, then go to Angarsk (40 minutes away, to the Baby Home where he is living. In Russia, they're called Baby Homes, not orphanages. We'll get to spend a couple of hours (minimum) with him every day from Monday through Friday, then fly back Saturday and wait for our court date. We've been told the judge in this region is EXTREMELY tough and that she is infamous for delayed court dates (months) however, we've spoken recently to several couples who used the same agency we're using, Children's Home Society of Minnesota) and Facilitator, Boris, and have had very quick court dates. They say while the judge is indeed very strict, she is fair, and Boris is a class act, always prepared, and highly respected by this judge (the ony one in Irkutsk to hear adoptions) and therefore seems to get very quick results (dates to finalize). Let's hope that 's the case for us! The second trip will require a 3 week stay and longer if there are any "details" that arise... We are bringing the laptop with us and we're told internet access is available so we hope to post to this site as we get more info and pictures. Check back often and wish us luck and good weather. Currently 8 degrees with snow forecasted for the next 5 days. (Average daily temps in Dec. & Jan are -20F - 40F