I'm coming for you Gracie

Yep, that's right little girl, your mama is coming to take you home!

It will be 10 months since I saw you last and I wonder about so many things. I wonder if you'll remember me. I wonder if you've grown. I wonder if you'll be excited or scared to go on your new adventure with me. I can't wait to find out.

We have quite an adventure ahead of us you and I. I can see it unfolding before us.....

This is what I know so far: I will fly out of Eppley Airfield in Omaha at 10:30 AM on August 6th. I will catch a connecting flight at Chicago O'Hare at 3:40 PM and fly Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Germany. There is a +7 hour difference between the two cities. That makes this a little over an 8 hour flight. Then I'll leave Frankfurt at 7:50 AM on Sunday, August 7th and arrive in Moscow, Russia at 1:00 PM. Moscow is +2 hours ahead of Frankfurt. That makes this flight a little over 3 hours long. Then on to Novosibirsk, Russia on a flight that leaves Moscow at 10:45 PM and arrives in Novosibirsk at 5:40 AM on Monday, August 8th. There is a +3 hour difference between Moscow and Novosibirsk which makes this flight a little under 4 hours long. WHEW!

Sometime the first couple of days after I arrive in Novosibirsk, I will have my physical which is performed by several Russian medical professionals. I'm hoping to see Gracie on the 8th as well, but I don't know what will happen.

Court will be held on August 10th and God willing, the judge will say yes and so we'll begin our 10 day waiting period. My understanding is that these are 10 business days, so Gracie will be released on the 24th of August. There are a few details that need to be taken care of while we are still in Novosibirsk. She will need her passport made and I'm not sure what all else.

We'll leave Novosibirsk on the evening of the 26th and fly back to Moscow. While we are there, Gracie will have to undergo a physical and then we'll get her Visa so that she can enter her new homeland. :) There are several things I would like to do while we are there. I am really hoping to take Gracie to the zoo. I've heard a lot of great things about the Moscow zoo, but I will have to decide if I have the bravery to make that excursion or not. I also want to tour Red Square and find something small as a keepsake for Gracie to remind her of her heritage.

Then on August 31st, one Miss Grace Clifton will make her first Trans-Atlantic flight. We'll leave at 7:05 AM to arrive in Frankfurt at 8:25 AM. We'll leave Frankfurt at 10:45 AM and arrive in Chicago at 12:40 PM. That makes this an almost 9 hour flight considering the time difference. And then finally from Chicago, IL to Omaha. We'll be landing at 4:48 pm on Wednesday, August 31st. ANYONE who is near enough to come meet us at the airport will be welcomed with open arms and tears of joy. I won't guarantee that either of us will look or smell very good at that point, so be forewarned. You can cancel now for your own protection. For anyone who can't meet us at the airport, hopefully in the coming weeks we can try to meet up with you.

The very next day, we will begin a new month and Gracie will begin a new life. I expect that she will be overwhelmed with all of the changes and other than medical appointments, we'll spend most of our time in the quiet of her new home where she'll learn to be loved and to live as a valued part of a family who fought for her and loves her more than she can comprehend. I will be establishing myself as her mother and so she will not be out of my care during this time. I will however, be more than happy to receive any visitors as I'm sure this mama will want to catch up with everyone but I feel that I need to do what I can to ease Gracie's transition into her new world. I will of course be doing what I can to update this blog frequently to keep you all posted.

God is so good! I'm getting my girl!