Going out with a bang!

Maks has been very irritable lately and developing a rough little cough. So today we decided to take him to a Doctor. Our fear was primarily an ear infection as being on a plane tomorrow for 11+ hours would be very tough on an ear infection. We called Katya our coordinator and asked about taking him back to the American Medical Center where Jason & I had our medical exams. She was able to help us get an appointment and coordinate a driver.

Poor little Maks had a traumatic experience at the Doctor being checked out. Nothing terrible but checking his nose, throat, breathing, height and weight was more than he could bear. The Doctor said that he has swollen tonsils, inflamed nasal passages, bronchitis and dermatitis. He prescribed an antibiotic, body cream, nasal drops and cough medicine. I know in the US they don't normally give kids antibiotics but with bronchitis I don't know that there's a choice?? We're trying to make an appointment for this Saturday at our Doctor in Naperville but we're having a tough time getting him in b/c techinally he's a new patient.

So the trip on the plane that I was already worried about just got a bit more interesting. Last night Maks wouldn't sleep in his crib at all. He slept for 2 hours and then wouldn't go back down into the crib. We ended up bringing him to bed with us and he was tossing and turning all night. More than a few times he would wake up and fling himself across my chest to lay on top of me. It was fairly clear that he wasn't feeling well. He's taken 2 naps today and we're hoping for a good nights sleep tonight before the trip tomorrow.

This will be my last post from Moscow. I'll of course keep you all up to date on how Maks is doing with the transition!

One last tip for families traveling to Moscow for an adoption- bring lots of long sleeve T-shirts, short sleeve shirts and very light sweaters. Don't bother bringing any bulky sweaters. Everywhere is so hot inside that you won't wear them. As we're getting packed to leave I'm noticing some of the sweaters/sweatshirts that we brought that were never worn! Save yourself the packing room!

It's been a long trip, but a good one. One that I'm sure we'll remember for the rest of our lives. Here's to hoping we have a good flight! Talk to you all on the other side!