February 17, 2011
Vlad picked us up promptly at 8am. He asked if I had everything together and wondered where my coat was. Oh Vlad, I don’t need a feather filled coat to ride an airplane to Atlanta and then to Kansas this fleece and my hat will do. He thinks I’m crazy, they all do. Oliver’s coat comes apart and he is wearing just the inside part which is also a cozy fleece and his hat. I can just manage to carry everything on my own and if I had on all those extra clothes I would just overheat and fall down, really.
On previous car trips Oliver hasn’t made a peep. Like total silence. Today was not that day. Today he was all over looking at everything and making all sorts of noise. Vlad says “that is the first I hear him.” Little did I know, at the time, but that car ride was a sign of things to come...
We arrive at the airport and I’m nervous about a few things.
- My travel agent said “they” will be upset that I got Oliver a round trip ticket. (it was about $300 less than one way)
- Do I have all the proper paperwork that says I’m him mom and not some random lady trying to snatch him.
Vlad walks us over to the Delta ticket counter and the line is ominous. Not really thrilled about that. First we stop at the passport checker guy and he asks those usual questions, who packed the bag, what do you have, is this your kid, etc. After passport checker the line to check in starts but some Delta agent lets us cut the whole thing and check right in. The lady checking us in doesn’t say anything about Oliver’s round trip ticket and she doesn’t ask for any other documentation besides our passports. Lovely. We get our tickets and Vlad walks us over to the passport control area. He can’t come any further so we say goodbye. He is a really nice guy and I found this help, especially since I was alone, invaluable. Well worth a good tip at least. Oliver and I head into passport control land I wonder if they will ask to see any paperwork. While I’m waiting in line I look back and there Vlad is, still watching to make sure we make it in okay. The woman asks for nothing besides our passports and sends us on our way. We give Vlad a wave and move on.
Now it’s only 10:30 and our flight is at 12:50, so we have time. My plan is simple, run baby around the airport that whole time, so he will sleep for some portion on the almost 12 hour flight. We walked all over terminal D, looked out every window, played pee-a-boo around all the columns, and at a little lunch. I’m pretty sure he put in more mileage at the airport that morning then he has in this whole life. I soon discover the joy of a child during the boarding process, getting to go first!
We found our seats and got settled. Snacks here, toys there, a lesson on how the window shade works, shoes off, get comfy. Shortly after takeoff they serve us some lunch. Oliver is a little bird hungrily eating the pasta primavera, a roll, a cookie, some water, and crackers. Then they put on a movie and I think okay now would be a great time to nap, nope. That movie finishes and another starts, how about a nap now, nope. Then another movie and another movie, so that’s at least eight hours awake on the plane walking laps, playing shadow puppets, eating cheerios, playing toys, operating the window shade and visiting the bathroom to look in the mirror and play in the sink, all mixed with bits of yelling and slapping mommy. I don’t blame him because, unlike the tub, this is actual torture. His eyes are getting glassy and bloodshot, he is sooooo tired. Next three sitcoms play, still awake. Finally after 11 hours and 15 minutes we start to see the ground in Atlanta. Just as the plane is landing Oliver thinks this, this would be the perfect time to nap. So he did sleep, about 5 minutes out of the possible 720 minutes we were on the plane. Of course he promptly arose when I picked him up and loaded him into the baby carrier.
We get off the plane in sunny 72 degree Atlanta and head to immigration. We need to hand over a specially sealed package of papers to the immigration desk and wait for them to process it, after about 45 minutes (still awake) they call us over and stamp Oliver’s passport and suddenly I’m holding a little dual Russian/American citizen. We go get our luggage because they make us recheck it and go through security again, off to our gate to wait out the next 2 hours of our 3 hour layover. I let Oliver down, and take my boots off because I’m just that hot (temperature) and classy. Bags down on a bench and we start walking laps around our gate area. He is so tired, I am so tired, it’s 3am where we came from and we have been up since 6am. Not lovely.
This next airplane is the kind with two rows of three seats. I ask the gate agent if maybe there is a row that is empty so we can have that extra third seat in case he decides he still has an aversion to sleep. There is a row but it’s the last one, I don’t care please switch us. Just before boarding, back in the baby carrier, Oliver is taken over by sleep. A nice man lets me cut to the front of the boarding line and we get to our back row and settle by the window. I put my legs up on the seat purchased for Oliver and that extra third seat.
A few rows up some men are moving about because there are some extra seats. Someone gets on the plane late and is supposed to be in that seat in row 36, the guy sitting there says “is this your seat” he says yes, but I’ll just go sit back there pointing to what I really wanted to be my foot rest…oh well. Now this isn’t just any guy. This guy is that guy that has been “wronged” by the airline. You know him, he is grumpy and loud and bossy. He is mad because on his flight from FLORIDA (we are in Atlanta, so what is that a 5 minute flight) they checked his bag all the way to Kansas when he thought they were just going to put it under the plane to pick up between flights. He is mad because his keys are in it and what if it doesn’t arrive. He is loudly stating his story to the people around him and to the stewardesses who are trying to ready the plane to leave. He wakes Oliver up and looks annoyed when Oliver starts to cry. I say “I understand you have had a hard day but we have been awake for the past 21 hours and just arrived from Russia and this is the first my kid shut his eyes, if you could just be a little quieter I think he will fall back to sleep.” The guy calms himself and Oliver and I sleep. That hour and 45 minute flight felt like 10 minutes in comparison, but we slept the whole way so we both feel a bit better.
Oliver wakes up upon arrival in Kansas. We get off our plane and are greeted by that classic "Welcome Home" group. Jim made a few signs and brought some flowers and balloons. We are so lucky to have good friends from church. Thanks for coming guys, it was really wonderful to see you and have such a sweet welcoming.
The next morning I take a breath and think ahhhhh this is better. Then I check my email. I have a message from our coordinator. Congratulations on completing your adoption. In the next 7 days you need to send us this paperwork, that paperwork, and the other paperwork. At least it does not need to be notarized and apostilled.
