Full Circle

Dimitri picked us up at 7:30am on the day we left Russia for home.  The journey to the airport was long and chaotic but knowing it was the final drive made it much more bearable.  We are flying out of Domedevo which is a very busy and crowded airport but we arrived three hours ahead of our flight so we had plenty of time to navigate.  The line up to check in was insanely long but we got lucky. When I asked a man working at the Business Class line where we need to line up he took pity of me travelling alone with a baby and let me check in through the Business Class line.  Sweet!  When you check in through Business class you are then allowed to go through a shorter line for security.  Super sweet! 

The security paperwork for Roman was fine just asking for his passport and birth certificate before we could pass through.  We were at the gate an hour and a half before boarding.  It was great to be early enough that there's no need to stress about missing your flight but this airport sucks for killing time.  It is very crowded, very loud and very few shops and restaurants.  I had the stroller so we wandered around the duty free and strolled the aisles.  The only difficult bit was when I realised that I needed to change him before the flight.  The bathroom has NO changetable.  A large international airport with dismal facilities.  I had a disposable change pad so I had to lay him on the counter between the sinks and do a quick change.  I suppose it's good prep for the plane which is sure to be a situation where even more creativity will be needed.

So, fresh diaper and ready to board.  The gate was packed, felt like I was pushing my way to the front of the stage through a mosh pit with a stroller.  Someone helped me get him into the carrier and I managed to collapse the stroller with one hand... yaaa mama!  If you are travelling solo with a baby I highly recommend having a stroller and carrier.  On top of that you will have a rolly bag for carry on, a diaper bag and a purse.  This will be a physical hell  challenge and your back may get angry with you later.  Part sherpa, part mama and all in to get on that plane for home sweet home.

The plane was packed which wasn't a surprise, my agent had to have me on a wait list for this flight until two days before departure.  Oh Universe, please let there be an extra seat for Roman.  I hadn't purchased him a seat due to budget constraints relying on the good fortune I had so often experienced in this journey.  Fate had my back and not only was there an extra seat so we could sit with just the two of us but we were seated across from another mama flying solo with her baby boy.

This woman represented both the beginning and the end of my international adoption journey.  She is from Kazakhastan which is the country I originally began my journey before it closed for adoption. Her husband name is Roman and her son two months apart in age from my Roman. She lives in Toronto, speaks fluent Russian and welcomed me to keep in touch and keep a connection to Roman's native language and culture.  On the flight we helped each other with our babies.  She cooed and sang to him in Russian and I amused her son with my silly faces.  Being on the flight home with this new girlfriend closeby was truly magical and I knew that everything was just as it should be.  She was exactly what we needed to get through the last ten and a half hours of this journey home and I am once again in awe of our good fortune.

Full circle