Brendan Christopher is Here!!!

Brendan Christopher was born on November 12th, 2010 at 7-14 p.m. in Perinatal Clinic in Moscow, Russia. His weight was 8 lbs., 2 oz., height 21.25 inches. He is a big boy! Chris and I are so happy and are so much in LOVE with him! He is the best!

I will post details about the delivery later. In short, it was the best labor experience you can get. The clinic we chose is definitely the best in Moscow and all the doctors are super professional. It all came down to my delivery being so well planned that it was easy and non-stressful at all!

Anyway, now we are learning to be the parents: changing diapers, bathing, feeding, figuring out problems etc. And we love it!

I will try to write more about The Day. For now, I have some pictures:

A few minutes after he was born:


November 14th


November 15th:
Finally home in his cradle, November 16th:

Today's pictures:

We are ready!

Come on, Son! We are ready to meet you :) The doctor will be back tomorrow, Chris' birthday was yesterday, so from now on any day is fine with us!
Yesterday we got through Chris' birthday without me going in labor. Of course, it would be fine if our boy decided to share his Dad's birthday but it was also cool that Chris and I had a nice dinner at home. I made Caesar salad with shrimp, rice and curry with duck breast and got Chris' favorite chocolate dessert. He also had some red wine. The dinner was very nice, we really enjoyed all the food and Chris was happy. I gave him a new cell phone and it was a total surprise for him. He uses a company's cell phone and it got so old that I thought it would be nice if he has something more modern. He will definitely use it on our or his trips when he needs to check his e-mails, for example. He said that he really liked his gift and now he is excited to set it up so he can use it to the full.

Yesterday on the way from the grocery store I felt some cramps a few times and thought that it's starting. Then I felt the same a couple of times at home, none of them were regular, so I just kept wondering if that was just the beginning or so called training contractions. Later they disappeared and I felt fine the rest of the day and night. Just in case I packed the rest of the things in my hospital bag, did the dishes and just put things in places. I had a long list of things to do before The Day and now there is almost nothing left which is great and makes me feel ready. Of course, I'm scared and sometimes when I think about it I have tears both from how hard it's going to be and how happy we will be to meet our son. Even typing it now brings tears to my eyes. It must be the happiest moment in people's lives and we are about to experience it. I'm also a little scared as I'm afraid to miss or not recognize contractions and not knowing when to call. I guess it's pretty normal to worry about such things especially when it's the first time.
Oh well, just a few days or maybe one day. Who knows :) The latest it should be November 17th and the earliest tomorrow November 10th.
Again, I'm ready and Chris is ready and all our family members, friends, acquaintances and colleagues are waiting for the good news from us. It's great to feel their support. I hope that everything goes well and I will help our baby boy to be born healthy and well.

40 weeks:

The carriage we bought, perfect for the coming winter in Russia!

The cradle in our bedroom is ready

Full term, taken today:

Happy 2nd Anniversary to us!

Chris and I got married two years ago on November 1st 2008! It seems like we know each other forever and at the same time it feels like we just met. I think that it's great! Our wedding was beautiful and perfect for us! In addition to usual wedding preparation we had to plan and do more things than other couples. As a US citizen Chris married a foreigner (Russian) and he had to apply for a fiance visa for me months in advance. We got really lucky with how fast my documents were processed and I was invited for the interview to the US Embassy in Moscow. The interview was easy for me as our story is simple and true. Although, it was necessary to provide proof of our relations such as pictures, letters from our friends and colleagues. After I got my visa, we started the process of helping my parents to get their visas to go to our wedding. In the end, everything worked out fine! It was great to have my parents, my brother and two of my friends at our wedding.

We are not doing anything special tonight, just a nice dinner. I'm going to make scallops with mashed potatoes and asparagus for dinner, get some awesome dessert and watch the video of our ceremony. And I'm very excited about a small glass of champagne! Last year for our 1st anniversary Chris bought us a trip to the Bahamas, Atlantis. It was one of the best trips we've ever had! Such a wonderful and fun place! This year we are celebrating our anniversary just a few days away from meeting our first child - our son! It's very exciting! Every day when Chris leaves for work he says: It could be today! :)


Two years ago:







With my parents and my brother: