Thanksgiving 2005

We started Thanksgiving day 2005 at home. Lately Ashton Beau has been into grabbing the phones. Can't imagine why he'd be interested in somthing as boring as a silvery thing that fits in his hand and has buttons that light up when you prerss them.

Then around 11:00 it was over the Fox River, through a bunch of woods, not to mention past the Woodfield mall, to Ashton Beau's maternal grandmother's house. Among the guests were DW's parents, her sisters, their children, and DW's maternal uncle. We enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner along with traditional Bohemian dumplings with sauerkraut on them. Ashton Beauregard crawled around with his cousins in the living room, climbed up and down the stairs and all-in-all really enjoyed himself. He even started walking a lot on his own over distances of about ten feet woitout any coaxing or special encouragment from DW or me.

Ashton Beau with counsins.

Lately, Ashton Beau has taken to making fish faces, especially right after he lets go of something to walk some where. Don't ask me where he picked this up.

Ashton Beau's "Whatch you talkin' about Willis" face.

Next came Ashton Beau successfully negotiating the very steep staircase at his grandmother's house.

Taking a break from the action with his Mom.

We let DW's parents' house around 4:00, went over the Fox River again and through more woods to Ashton Beau's paternal grandmother's house. We arrived a little after 5:00. The guests included my parents, my own paternal grandmother, cousins, and my best friend from high school who drove down with his wife from Milwaukee.

Here is Ashton Beau entertaining one of my cousins at the table. He's also really into grabbing ears and pulling on the really hard. We usually ask that he be gentle, in English and in Russian - нежный, pronounced: "neyehjnwee".

Ashton Beau really liked my fathers' Soviet Army officer's cover. To steal an old saying, you may can take the kid out of Russia, but you can't take Russia out of the kid. We'd never want to.

After the Soviet Army cover, vershton Beau treated us to some of his most engaging facial expressions, including another rendition of the fish face.

Then between 7:30 and 8:00 we took Ashton Beau up to my old room and put him in the pack 'n play my parents keep at their house so he could go to sleep. Unfortunately for Ashton Beau, he had to get up about an hour later to come doen to the car and get in his car seat. However, he expressed his displeasure for less than two minute and was quietly watching the countryside go by by the time we pulled out of my parents subdivision onto the main road.

Allow me to add that I was very proud of Ashton Beau this Thanksgiving. He went to two novel places with lots of people he does not see frequently, had his routine knocked all out of whack, went to bed in a strange place, got woken-up to go to the car, and woken-up again to go from the car to the house. And his worst disposition the whole day was a brief mid--afternoon whine for about ten minutes. Amazing!

Re-Adoption Day

For those of you not familiar with the details of international adoption, the State of Illinois recognizes the order of teh Orenburg Regional Court granting our adoption of Ashton Beauregard. However, to get a local birth certificate, Ashton Beau must be either born or adopted here in Illinois. A local birth certificate is a good thing to have. First, it's in English so local officials can real it when we register Ashton Beau for school and the dreaded day in the distant future when he applies for a driver's license! Not to mention, it's a loteasier to go to the Cook County Clerk's office, pay $5, and wait only ten minutes to get a certified copy of Ashton Beau's birth certificate. We only have one certified copy of his birth certificate from the Orenburg region, and if we lose it, it wil be very difficult to replace.

So, inorder to be able to get Ashton Beau a local birth certificate, we started the process of re-adopting him here in Cook county. Luckily, the re-adoption process a lot shorter than an original adoption becuase the Cook County Circuit Court recognizes the adoptiion already granted by the Orenburg Regional Court. Yet we still must file an Adoption Petition with the Circuit Court, have the Sheriff's deputy serve Ashton Beau with a Summons and a copy of the Adoption Petition, attend a hearing before a Circuit Judge t receive an Interim Order, and await a final order granting our petition.

Becuase I'm a lawyer, I decided to represent DW and me. Usually this means I have a fool for a client. Luckily for me, there is a Gaurdian ad Litem who helps other lawyers that don't regularly practice adoption law represent themselves in their own adoption. He gave me forms for the petition and orders and a sheet of instructions onwhee to go and what to do. Without this help, I don't know if I could have done it myself.

If there are any adoptive parents out there who need help with a re-adoption in the Chciagoland area, please e-mail me and I'll be happy to refer you to a very fine lawyer who specializes in adoption and can represent you at a very competitive price.

This past Monday I went to the Daley Center to file the petition, get a summons from the clerk, and scout out all the places we needed to go. I also went to the courtroom where the hearings usually are and put our names in the motion book to schedule our slot for the following day. I got us down to go second.

Yesterday DW and Ashton Beau came down to my office at about 11:00 AM. After a quick lunch in the conference room next to my office and introductions to some of my colleagues, the three of us, plus my colleague Ridgely headed off for the Daley Center.

Our first stop was the Cook County Sheriff's office on the seventh floor. There we paid our $23 service fee and gave the summons and a copy of the Adoption Petition to a Deputy Sheriff behind the a large counter. After he looked over the documents and signed teh affidavit of service on the back of the summons, the deputy came around the counte, knelt down, and served Ashton Beau with the summons and petition right there in his stroller.

Our next stop was the Gaurdian ad Litem who examined the documnts I prepared, ititialed them with his approval, accepted an parental questionnaire and check fro his fee from me and DW, and sent us off to the hearing scheduled for 1:00 PM in Courtroom 1703.

On our way to the courtroom we met up with one of my cousins who is Cook County Circuit Judge in the Civil Division who hears adversarial civil cases. He officiated at our weddding. So that morning I phoned his chambers to ask if he would like to attend another important family event. Lucky for us the lawyers in the trial currently before him finished up their closing argments before 1:00 PM and he was able to attend.

My cousinand I went into the courtroom and the DW, Ashton and Ridgely went into an adjoining waiting room nextdoor. This room is pretty spacious and pretty well apointed with children's furniture and toys to accommodate and entertain children while they wait. It's really stange seeing those things in a courthouse.

The presiding judge was hearing the first case when we entered. After the juge finished with the first case, her clerk called the name our name from teh scheduling book. At first I did not reognize the name becasue she mispronounced it so badly. When I realsized it was my name shae called I hopped up and approached the bench, introduced myself, explained that I was appearing for a re-adoption, and handed the package of documents the Gaurdian ad Litem initialed earlier to the judge. She looked at the documents and asked whether I was appearing pro se (as my own lawyer). I said "yes". She asked if this was re-adopting from a foreign adoption. "Yes" I replied. In looking through she documents she notice that Ashton Beau ws from Russia. She asked if this was different than the legal work I usually did and I said "yes" again. She asked about my firm suggesting that she knew other lawyers from there.

Then the Judge asked her in-court Sheriff's deputy to have DW, shton Beau, and Ridgely come in from nextdoor. They entered. The Judge asked if Ridgely was with us. I said yes, that she was a paralegal assisting me, so the deputy allowed her to stay wit us.

The Judge asked us leaned over the bench, asked us several questions about the process of adopting from Russia and our trips there. She mentione how cute she thought Ashton Beau was, had her clerk had each of us a lolly-pop, and signed the Interim Order I prepared. DW, Ashton Beau, and Ridgely went back into the adjoing room and I stayed to speak with the Judge about when to expect the final order granting our petition. She siad it would be ready the first week in January and I could come in that week to pick it up. After that I left the courtroom and met the rest of my party in the corridor outside.

We posed for a few photos and then headed off for lunch. My cousin had to return to his courtroom becuase the jurors in the case being tried before him had submitted a question. Ridgely also left to go back to work at the office.

DW, Ashton Beau and I continued south to the Russian Tea Time restaurant on Adams Street just west of the Chicago Art Institute. It's one of my favorite places to eat and it seemed an appropriate occassion to dine there. I was hoping Ashton Beau would get the chance to meet some fellow Russian expatriates and I would get a chance to practice my now rusty Russian. Unfrotunately, our server was not Russian and did not speak Russian. So on this trip, it was B.Y.O. Russian. Too bad. The last tkme we dined at Russian Tea time our server was from Moscow and we had a great time talking with him about Russia and our upcoming travel there. Maybe he'll be working teh next time we go?

Nonetheless we enjoyed a fine lunch. Ashton Beau had black bread and palmenyi (Russian meat dumplings) for the first time. He loved both. A true Russian. The serve Baltika at Russian Tea Time, but I'm disappointed to report that they do not serve my beloved Baltika #4.

After lunch we walked up State Street back to my office stopping byteh Christmas windows at Marshall Field's for a few photos.

Here are photos of the day. Please allow me to thank Ridgely for a fine job taking many of our photos.

Ashton Beau getting served. I hope it's the last time for you.

Waiting outside the Gaurdian ad Litem's office.







Packing up after leaving the courtroom from a successful hearing.



Ashton Beau enjoying black bread and palmenyi at Russian Tea Time.







Outside Russian Tea Time with Mom and Dad.

Loking at the Christmas window decorations - Cinderella theme this year - at Marshall Field's on State Street.

Sunday Dining

This past Sunday we dined atthe Rainforest Cafe for lunch and my Aunt and Uncle's club for supper.

Nungesser and Ashton Beau waiting to be seated for lunch.

DW and Ashton Beau waiting to be seated.


Ashton Beau and one of his cousins playing with a spoon and a fork at supper.





Ashton Beau demonstrates spoon tricks for my Uncle. We still await the first time it hangs from his nose.


And for my Father too.

Car Seat Shots

DW drove home after teh baptism celebration. I shot a few of Ashton Beau just after putting him in the car and one after we got rolling.

A Friend's Baptism

A few weeks ago DW, Ashton Beau, and I attended the baptism of the son of one of my coleagues from work who also happens to be DW's nextdoor neighbor when they were growing up. After the service we went back to her house to celebrate. Here's some photos while we were there.

Here is Ashton Beau climbing up the back of a chair at my colleague's house. If you sit in a chair with him, he'll climb over you to get up the back, especialy if there is a drape or a window behind you.

More of DW and Ashton Beau together.

Eatin' Like A Big Man

Just the other night we removed the tray from Ashton Beau's highchair and set him up to eat with DW and me at the table.

Trick or Treat

Here are a few photos from Ashton Beau's first Halloween.

Trick 'r treating on Aunt Linda's porch with Nungesser.

Trick 'r Treating on Aunt Linda's porch with DW.



And the best part of the evening - playing with the twist-tie that formerly held together a little homemade ghost a kid who lives around the block gave Ashton Beau, and that Ashton Beau has already managed to disassemble.