Bath Time!

 

Liam's 1st Girlfriend!

The other night we met up with some friends for a birthday celebration.  Our friends Misha and Alina have a 3 month old little girl named Sofia.  It was the first person Liam has ever seen that is smaller than he is!  He was smitten.  He kept grabbing her hand...I was just relieved he didn't try to chew on her!

 Holding Hands

 Trying to get a hug

Liam is in Love!

Sofia's Parents- Misha and Alina

Liam - September 2010

What an Ugly Baby-- continued...

Last Monday, Beth and I attended a discussion group held by our friend Andrea.  Before the group met we all had dinner together and was joined by Andrea's roommate, Lena.

Somehow we got to the subject of our recent blog post detailing various Russian superstitions when it came to infants, and Lena had a personal example.  She has a niece who is a few years old now.  Years ago when her niece was born and Lena was finally able to see her in person, she was beyond excited.  The whole time Lena was with the child she was complimenting her -- "She's so beautiful, she's adorable!"

A couple days later she met again with her family to see her niece, but Lena's relatives told her that she would not be able to see her niece for at least another year.  After seeing Lena, the child could not sleep that night, and according to the family it was because Lena complimented her so much.

Needless to say Lena was heartbroken.  There really isn't much of a happy ending to this story, but Lena was able to see her niece nine months later instead of the 1 year that they told her. 

What an Ugly Baby

Russia is a land of many traditions and superstitions.  Living here we hear about different superstitions on a regular basis.  There are many, many superstitions about being pregnant and having a baby.  These are just a few of the superstitions we have been warned about or that friends have informed us about.

-Things bought for a newborn baby (such as clothes, toys, furniture, etc.) should only be purchased after the baby is born. To buy them before the baby's birth many believe is very bad luck...like counting your chickens before they are hatched.  Baby showers are unheard of.  People also don't really mention a pregnancy or give congratulations.  We did have a baby shower here in Moscow and many of our Russian friends came...they were very curious about it.  While talking to them about this tradition, many recognized the practicality of baby showers and had a lot of fun...but when I asked if they wanted one they said no...they don't want to tempt fate.

-Mothers typically do not show their baby to anyone except the father of that child and the midwife for 40 days after the baby is born.  There is some fear of germs and disease...but they also believe it is just bad luck.  Many mothers will not allow photographs of their baby's face until after the first 40 days.  One of our friend's sisters had a baby a few weeks ago...but she has not been allowed to see the baby up close, or see any pictures.  So she doesn't even know what her niece looks like.

-A stranger should not look at a newborn baby before it is a certain age (between two months and one year). If one looks at the baby it is considered bad luck to compliment it. Instead, one could say, "Oh, what an ugly child!".   Thankfully, many people do not still hold to this...Liam has not been called ugly yet!

-Russians also believe that babies are always cold and must be kept warm at all times.  You will see infants in snowsuits in warm weather...and when it gets  cold...you can't even see the baby!  We get scolded on a regular basis for not putting a hat/gloves/boots or anything else someone thinks Liam might need on him.

The Hermitage Incident

While my brother was here visiting us in St. Pete we decided to get up early one morning and head to the hermitage to see some amazing works of art!  We got there and after standing in line for about 45 min. we finally made it inside to buy our tickets.  It was as we get up to buy our tickets that I realize that Liam had had an incident in his pants (and on his onesie).  Tim, being the amazing husband that he is, rushed him to the bathroom to change him.  However, Russia is a land that doesn't believe in changing tables anywhere in public...so many times we have to change Liam's diapers on toilet seats...but Liam is not a big fan of this and screams like you are killing him.  Also, during traveling and moving around, somehow, Liam's "spare outfit" disappeared from his diaper bag.  So Tim emerged from the bathroom with an extremely embarrassed look on his face and a little baby wearing only a diaper and socks.  After weighing all of our options we decided to wrap Liam up in a blanket and see some art.  And this is how Liam toured one of the most famous museums in the world with no clothes on.  We now refer to this ordeal as "The Hermitage
Incident".

Dacha Days

We spent last week at a friend's dacha.  Many Russians have an apartment in the city and a small cottage in the country side called a dacha.  Our friends Andrew and Ira invited us out to spend a few days with them at Ira's parent's dacha.  It was about 2 hours outside of Moscow in the forest.  The air was so clean and we had a wonderful time just roaming the country side and exploring the near by villages.  We enjoyed long talks and delicious food!  While we were at the dacha Liam enjoyed a lot of attention...with Ira's help he first started scooting on his stomach...he will be crawling before we know it!

Liam is ready for winter!

It Takes a Village

During our retreat to Saint Petersburg, Beth's brother Brandon came for a week or so to visit.  While we only had a few days in St. Pete, we still tried to show him as many sights as possible before making our way back to Moscow.

One of those places was the beautiful Saint Isaac's Cathedral.  Because there was a significant admission fee and Beth and I had already visited the church a few times, I decided to stay outside with Liam.  Beth had fed him recently, and he had slept a while, so we felt like it was a perfect opportunity to leave him with me.  He was in a good mood, and we figured Beth and Brandon would only be about 30 minutes.  Everything would be fine.

We were wrong.

I walked Liam across the street to a park, and everything seemed very normal.  Liam was in a content mood, and I decided to sit on a bench and park the stroller beside me.  For some unknown reason (or a probably very easily known reason; babies are relatively simple to figure out), the instant I sat down, everything changed.  Liam began crying-- one of his exceptionally loud, yelling cries.  I proceeded to go through my Stop-Liam-From-Crying toolbox.  I picked him up.  Nothing.  I turned him around to have him face in front of me.  Nothing.  I turned on music.  Nothing.  Nothing.  Nothing.

Literally nothing I did calmed him down.  I didn't know what to do.  I was (and am) still in that self-conscious stage where I fear everyone around me is judging me for having a crying baby. 

After about a minute, I was bombarded.  An Orthodox woman sitting on a nearby bench ran over and kept crossing herself and saying a little prayer for Liam. Then the nearby porta-potty attendant (only those who live in Russia will understand this amazing profession)  ran over to try to help.  At the same time, another woman selling souvenirs quickly put out her cigarette and ran over as well.   Another woman just remained on the bench nearby, but did manage to shout a command here and there.

All these women tried their hardest to help quiet Liam.  To my surprise and relief, not one woman approached me in harsh or judgmental way, and all wanted to help and support me in my mission to get Liam to stop crying.  The questions came at me:

Do you have a pacifier?
Is he hungry?
Is he cold?
Does he need to eat?
Does he have a stomachache?
Does he have a hat?
Where is his mother?
Do you need to call her?

As the women passed Liam amongst themselves, I managed to quickly text Beth: "Hurry."

As I waited for Beth, and as Liam wailed at the top of his lungs, I tried to explain myself.  I would say things like:

"He was happy just a few minutes ago."

or,

"This is my first child."

Anything to make it seem like I'm not actually a horrible parent and Liam is either crying because of something that is out of my control or something I don't know about.

Finally Beth came.  And the women rejoiced.

After Beth finished feeding Liam, we left the park.  But not before going by every woman that helped us to show off a happy child.  Our way of saying, "Look, he doesn't cry like that all the time.  He really can be quite pleasant."

Beautiful St. Petersburg

So we escaped Moscow and went to beautiful St. Petersburg. We thought it would be a 3-5 day trip, however, the smoke lingered in Moscow longer than we imagined it could. We ended up spending just at 2 weeks in St. Pete. We were able to stay at St. Petersburg Christian University in their dorms. We were also able to connect with other people working with our organization in St. Pete. They were wonderful and had us over for dinner a few times...it was wonderful to have a home cooked meal and great conversation with some awesome new friends.

Last Train Out

We left the camp on Saturday afternoon with the plan to see how things were in Moscow and if they were to bad...possibly trying to go somewhere else on Monday. However, as we drove into the city we realized how bad things really were. We could not see some buildings that we knew we were passing. I started getting a headache and Liam started coughing and wheezing. We knew we needed to get out of Moscow as soon as possible. We got home, packed a few things, and a friend came to drive us to the train station due to the metro being filled with smoke. Tim stood in the long lines and got us tickets on the next available train out. Thankfully there were two tickets on the 1:35am train to St. Petersburg. They were in a 4 person compartment and we had the 2 top bunks. I shared a bunk with Liam...it was not a comfortable ride, but we were so thankful to be getting out of Moscow we didn't care. We heard later that by the next morning train tickets were sold out for the rest of the week and over 100,000 people flew out of the city. We feel so blessed that we were able to get Liam out of the smoke and somewhere safer.

Liam sleeping on the car ride back to Moscow.

Liam hogging our bunk!  This is where we both slept.

At the Camp

Tim went out to help with an English Camp outside of the city...and after a couple of days of just Liam and I in our hot, smokey apartment...we decided to go out and join him for the rest of the week. There were about 30 campers between the ages of 14-23. They were so much fun and Liam was voted the most popular person at camp. It was great walking around with Liam around the camp in the fresh air, however, it was a little surreal. Walking around the grounds of this former soviet youth camp there are many reminders of communist Russia...a time Liam will never know.

Fire and Brimstone!

It has been a crazy summer here in Moscow! Liam has had an adventurous first few months. This summer Moscow experienced the hottest weather ever recorded for the longest period of time. It was sweltering...and there was no relief. We live in an non-air-conditioned, cement block apartment building. The temperature inside never went under 100f...even at night. I have never experienced such heat...and I am an Atlanta girl!
Then came the fires! Due to the heat and drought there were over 2,000 fires around Moscow and the smoke filled the city. Some days would be bad and some days would be clear...depending on how the winds were blowing.

Liam at 1 Month!

A Unique Find

While my mother was here, we took her to a popular souvenir market.  While a majority of the souvenirs for sale are carbon copies of each other, there are a few stands that are truly doing something original-- and even personal.

One stand in particular, towards the back and far enough to pass by unnoticed, is a stand owned by Viktor and Ludmila.  They specialize in matrioshka dolls, but with a twist.

We found this particular matrioshka, and knew it would go perfectly with Liam's decorations.

Another Montage -- Liam's First Few Weeks

Liam at 3 Weeks

Failure at ZAGS

Well, we were not able to get Liam's birth certificate yesterday.

It turns out that we need our marriage certificate to be "apostilled."  Basically that means we need an original copy with an internationally recognized notary.  In order to get this Beth's mother will have to go to the same courthouse that we received the certificate in Georiga, and not only get another certificate but have it apostilled and rushed to Moscow. 

We hope to have all of this finished and his birth certificate in hand by July 9.  If it's a month after his birth there will be slight fine, but it's good to know that there is no major rush.

Liam Doesn't Exist Yet -- Legally Speaking

Yep.  As of right now, Liam does not exist in any sort of legal status.  The only current information about Liam is a sheet of paper stating that Beth Rhodes gave birth to him on June 9.  He has no name, and I'm not mentioned in anything.

But tomorrow, everything will change.

In order to get Liam's birth certificate, tomorrow we will have to go to the записи актов
гражданского состояния, or ЗАГС (ZAGS), the civil registry of Russia.  We most not only bring our passports but also our marriage certificate, and the previously mentioned paper we received from the hospital.  We still are not sure yet if we need to bring Liam, but we hope to find out tomorrow before leaving.  Our best guess is that it's going to be a long day.

And we do all of this to receive Liam's Russian birth certificate-- only then can we go to the American Embassy and get his American citizenship worked out.  Right now we're also looking into dual citizenship.  We've heard both that he will and won't be able to, so we'll hopefully find out a definite answer  tomorrow.  But how cool would it be if he could have a dual?

We'll let you know how things go!

Liam at 2 Weeks

Liam at 1 Week

Liam's Birthday

We went in for a check up on Tuesday the 8^th.  The doctor said that there were still no signs that the baby was going to come in to the world on his own and she wanted to start the induction process.  She sent us to the first floor to check into labor and delivery.  As soon as I got there I was surrounded by a troop of Russian nurses, each with a job.  They took my blood pressure, felt my stomach, measured me, weighed me, felt my ankles, asked millions of questions, took my clothes, showered me, and dressed me in a gown and robe.  I felt like I was in a whirlwind and didn’t understand anything going on.  But finally I was ready and they admitted me to the hospital and took me to my room. 

The induction process my doctor wanted to use was a slow process.  She started Tuesday evening with a preparatory procedure…I was then supposed to sleep through the night and then they would start medication in the morning.  Tim and my mom stayed with me until about 11 that night and then they had to go home.  I slept like a baby until the nurse woke me up the next morning. 

About nine o’clock Wednesday morning they gave medication to start labor.  Tim and my mom arrived five minutes after this and contractions began soon after.  By 11 o’clock they were rolling me to the delivery room.  Tim had to go downstairs to get scrubbed in and suited up.  I was in the delivery room for about 30 minutes waiting for him…getting a little desperate…I was so glad when he finally arrived.  I sent him right out to ask the nurse when I could get my epidural.  By noon the anesthesiologist was in my room giving me my epidural and I couldn’t wait!  He told me, “five minutes and no more pain.”  However, fifteen minutes later one of my legs felt a little tingly…but not quite the pain relief I was expecting.  I told the nurse and the anesthesiologist came back and upped my dose.  My other leg felt a little tingly…but my pain was increasing by a lot!  I told the nurse again that I was still feeling pain.  The anesthesiologist returned and after chatting with the nurse for a moment…decided to redo my epidural.  He pulled the first one out of my back and put a new one in a few vertebras higher.  Then he gave me twice the dose.  Five minutes later I was feeling nothing…my lips were even numb.  I guess due to the fact I couldn’t feel anything I stopped breathing as well as I should, and the baby’s heart rate started dropping.  A small army of nurses came into my room and yelled at me to breathe.  I had to really focus and breathe…but his heart rate stabilized.  This was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

I napped for a while and Tim and I talked.  I was thinking that this labor thing wasn’t so bad.  We were incredibly surprised when around five o’clock my doctor came in and told us it was time to turn the epidural off.     I told her no…and asked why!  She told me they must because I had to be able to feel to push.  I was confused because I know a lot of women in America who have not felt anything and been perfectly able to push.  For about the next two hours…I got the full natural birth experience.  I really thought I might die.  I also glared at my doctor constantly.  Only the fact that I needed her then kept me from telling her exactly how I felt about her.  If you have spent any time in Moscow you know that Russians are crazy about their cell phones and answer them whenever they ring.  You can always hear stories about teachers answering calls during a lecture, bank tellers in the middle of your transaction, or waiters while you are ordering.  This cultural trend is also true for doctors while you are in labor.  At least six times during the final part of my labor, my doctor’s phone rang and she would leave the room.  One time she told me that the next contraction we would push…however, right as the contraction started she got a call and left.  I told Tim I was going to push anyway…but he talked me out of it.  Finally at 6:53 William Soren Rhodes was born.  They washed him right there and wrapped him up and Tim was able to spend the next hour or so walking with him and talking to him.  I was not so lucky.  The doctor needed to fix me up…so they called the anesthesiologist back.  He gave me what he called a super epidural…he said I wouldn’t be able to feel my legs at all or be able to walk for at least 2 hours.  However, when the doctor came back in a few minutes later I quickly informed her that I could feel everything and wiggled my toes for her.  She promptly took a needle and poked me with it.  I yelled and told her that it hurt…she asked if it was pain or pressure.  I informed her it felt like she just poked me with a needle.  The anesthesiologist came back and gave me something else.  An hour later I started coming to.  Tim kept talking to me…but I couldn’t really understand or respond to him.  I could just look at him and our son.  It didn’t matter what I was feeling…seeing them together was pure joy.  About 2 hours after Liam was born we were able to go to our room.  My mom and our friend Andrea joined us in the room and we ate dinner.  I couldn’t stop looking at Liam.  He was perfect and it started to sink in that I was his mother. 

Liam's Homecoming

On Saturday, Beth and Liam came home from the hospital.