Passport Visas, Plane tickets, Hotels, and a Baby Shower

Well, I guess the race is on. I had emailed the travel agency that we used when we went to Russia in June and they were right on the ball. They already confirmed with our agency the tentative schedule and have booked our flights, minus one. He have the same flight we took on the first trip going to Ekat. We will leave on Jan 28 at 9PM from JFK in New York and go through Frankfurt. We do have an 8 hour layover there as we did before. However, my Uncle Gordon has a cousin who lives in Frankfurt and they might meet us and bring us to lunch. We will then get into Ekat at around 5AM on Jan 30th. I think we have a visit with Colby scheduled for that day so we will definitely be tired.

The travel agency has also begun work on getting our Russian Visas into our passports. Mike and I signed the paperwork and dropped it and our passports off at a FedEx box on the side of the road. I just hate that feeling. You just never know what might happen. However, FedEx (our new best friends over the last year and a half) delivered our package safe and sound into Manhattan on Friday.

The accommodations are still up in the air though. Svetlana might have an apartment for us to stay in in Ekat otherwise we will stay at the good old Park Inn. We need to sort out the hotel in Moscow though but the dates that we will be there are still up in the air. We should end up close to the US Embassy and Red Square. I can't wait to see that.

Yesterday I was given the best baby shower ever. My mom and my sisters Kristin and Karin planned it for me. When I mentioned at Christmas that we might travel in late Jan they decided to have the baby shower ASAP. They couldn't have planned it any better. All my mom's family was there and a few friends. We had a great time and I received some great toys, clothes, and baby essentials. I will have one very well dressed young man. I only hope that the clothes will fit. Colby seems to be, from the measurements we were given, just in 18 month clothes. He is a little tall for them but under the weight. Some of the clothes are 18-24 months and some 2T. We'll have to wait and see when we bring him back. The party was really fun and I even got to see Marie. She is a very special lady. She lived next door to my grandparents when my mom was growing up. She and her husband had 9 kids and my grandparents had 5. Marie is like my other grandma. It was great to see her again.

So Mike and I are on a cleaning and organizing spree. Luckily I am not working this week so I can get the last few errands done and get this house cleaned and ready for Colby to come home. I still can't believe he will be home soon! Is this really happening? Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming!