July 18th

Bob and I head to the gym at 8: We're the first ones there and few others join us in the first hour. It's very quiet and purposeful: The only sounds are the clanging of free weights, the clicking of the universal-type weight machines, the skipping of the jump rope and the occasional grunt of exertion. We're playing ping-pong by 9:10 and we have some extra time today, as the girls are walking to Victory Park and back and plan to return to the hotel @ 10:30. We play 13 games and Bob takes the day 8-5, widening his series lead to 75-63. I'm playing better, but he continues to play patiently and very well, and making up ground will be difficult.

Alli & Beth make a detour to the pastry shop, and there's fresh cherry pastry when we get back! Olesya is coming @ noon - she and the girls are going to buy flowers for Dr. Irina, who celebrated her 55th birthday over the weekned. Bob and I walk to the baby home and visit with our friends along the way. We give them a new photo - just Mama and Papa - and show Mama the photo of the little boy with his dog. She gets very animated, points next door as if to say she will go see if he is home and - as best she can at 75 - runs over to knock at the gate. Two young girls answer the knock: Apparently he is not home yet again. I give them the photo and Bob asks to have his picture taken with them. Another girl walks over, and when they see the first photo, they ask if we'll take a picture of the three girls. No sooner is that done than grandmother emerges from the gate and we take a photo of the three girls and grandmother. It's a simple thing to do and has given so many people so much joy....

At the baby home, Bob and I go to Dr. Irina's new office - she is in the process of moving from a second floor location to one just inside the main entrance. She took us on a tour of the new office last week and mentioned the larger space will allow her to entertain guests more comfortably, while her window overlooking the front door will allow her to see everyone coming & going. The girls agreed the best feature is the private bath (with shower stall): Dr. Irina related how on those occasions when many are in line to use the facilities - remember the entire medical and care-giver staff is women - her rank as head doctor affords her no privilege. Now, she will stand in line no more!

Anyway, she's not in the new office so we go outside to get the boys. we arrive to find them both being fed. Nicholas is done first, then changed and handed to Bob. While Aidan is being dressed, Alli comes by to say Dr. Irina would like us to join her (in her old office - who knew?) for champagne. I give Aidan to Alli, she and Bob go ahead and I go for Molly. She, too, is being fed, so when she is diapered and dressed, we join the party. In addition to champagne (and bottled water for Dr. Irina - she's diabetic and doesn't drink - and Olesya - very pregnant and will not drink in front of the doctor) there are candies and cookies. There was singing before I arrived and several nice toasts after, including

Dr. Irina drinks to us and to our children and expresses her hope that we have had a good experience here and will go home and tell others the good things about adoptiong in Kostanai, as she is afraid too many people go home and have only bad things to say.
Dr. Irina drinks again to us and our children, wishing us the best of health, success and money and all the good things in life.
Olesya drinks to Dr. Irina. Clearly she admires the doctor, and they enjoy a special relationship involving mutual professional respect & real friendship.
Ever the charmer, I wish the doctor a happy 29th birthday!
Always a lady, Molly contributes a resounding belch!

The kids are pretty good througout: Aidan talks happily to the coat rack, Nicholas gums a cookie into submission and Molly takes a keen interest in my champagne.

We adjourn to the marble room for a great visit. Molly is becoming increasingly mobile: She goes from belly to sitting and back to belly, moving around the room unconventionally but effectively. I don't know that she has a route or specific itinerary, but she's no longer confined to a specific spot on the floor. Today she rolls herself into a corner where the sofa meets one of the chairs. She complains loudly - and comically - while Dad videotapes and Mom encourages her from off camera. Molly manages to reach a toy, then rolls onto her back and winds up between the sofa cushions and the floor. We get her unstuck and seated in the middle of the floor where she protests her ill treatment and, in mid-complaint, shoves a football in her mouth. The videotape is hilarious!

Aidan is VERY green today. Including the egg over his eye, he's bathed in the green medicine usually reserved for bug bites. He and Mom enjoy a spirited game of "stinky feet" - Alli rolls him on her back and puts his feet in his face, making him grin and laugh. He also crawls over to one of the chairs and, without prompting or assistance, pulls HIM- SELF into a standing position. He is more active and engaged every day and seems to laugh more, too, whether we're tickling or playing with him or he's exploring on his own and talking to whatever he happens to find. He's got a way to go before catching up to Molly in the feistiness & expressiveness departments, but he's making progress.

After our visit, we double-time it back to the hotel to meet Dana for a visit to the local museum. Unfortunately, the museum is closed when we walk over, so we decide to walk down to the river. Folks are swim- ming and fishing and a couple of boys are playing with a soccer ball on the footbridge. I join them for 10 minutes then head over to join Alli, Beth and Bob for a rock skipping contest.

After the river, we walk to the open air market: Bob needs to stock up on almonds and raisins. It's VERY hot in the late afternoon sun. Our discussion of dinner plans focuses on someplace cool, i.e. outdoors in the shade or indoors where there is air conditioning. We settle on the Russian Pub, and though we're too early for some of our first entree choices, we enjoy another nice meal. After walking Dana 1/2-way home, we have another movie night at Bob & Beth's: Tonight, "Helen of Troy." It's very long and, for my money, not as good as "Troy" with Brad Pitt.

After the movie, and in consideration of the nearly eight miles we walked today, it's straight to bed.

July 17th

The alarm goes off at 8:30, Beth calls at 8:40. Cate won't be joining us for mass, but she offers us the services of her driver (Zhanat's husband) in the event Andre does not come (we did not confirm his services with Olesya on Friday and were unable to reach her last night). Andre is not at the hotel by 9:40, so Beth calls Zhanat, who suggests it could take 5 to 10 minutes for her husband to arrive. It's 9:45 by the time they finish speaking, and none of us wants to walk into mass late, but we have little choice. Fortunately, our driver arrives at 9:50 and we are in our pews as the organist is finishing leading the congregation through the day's hymns.

We have Fr. not-Stanislav again today. Very serious last time, he is more animated today and his tone much lighter during his homily. We all remark we wish we could understand what he is saying. He is always very reverent, and at communion makes the sign of the cross with the host while administering the sacrament (there is no cup for the congregation). The congregation are also very reverent when receiving: All genuflect or bow deeply, those receiving do so on their tongues (no hands), and those not receiving - I assume they are not yet in full communion - receive a blessing on their foreheads. I am impressed by the piety and sincerity of these people.

After church, Alli and I return to the photo place. Again, they are quite busy: Two of the folks who take pictures for a living on the mall and in the park are ahead of us and working from cards and disks to select prints and sizes. We are on line behind them, but a third gentlemen walks ahead of us with a digital camera card and, undoubtedly, another large order. I'm not certain we are in the right line, but we're in a line, and I'm annoyed this guy queue barged on us. Frankly, though, orderly lines aren't among the things kazakhs do well, so I'm not sure I'd have much of a complaint even if I could give voice to it. We leave and plan to bring Dana back with us later.

Dana joins us for our walk to the baby home. We've asked her along to meet the kids and speak for us with our elderly friends. We meet the latter along the way and learn
1. they are husband and wife as we had guessed
2. he is Alexander, 78 and she is Magda (or something close to it), 75
3. they are Tatar, not Kazakh or Russian, and their language is a mix of the three
4. they have lived in the same home for 63 years - we ask Dana if it is likely they could have
married at 15 and 12 and she says it would not have been uncommon back then
5. they are proud to say they worked hard all their lives - he as a driver, she a factory worker -
and she has many medals for hard work
6. they have 3 children, 4 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren
7. they are both in good health - all her teeth are her own! - and she hopes to live to be 100

They tell us the little boy whose photo we took with his dog yesterday, and who lives next door, came by this morning dressed in his best clothes and asking when we might return to take his photo again. Mama Magda goes to knock for him but receives no answer at the gate.

They ask about our "business" in Kostanai - professing we are friends now and can confide in them - but Dana is evasive as we had agreed she would be. They ask again about having something to eat. Dana tells them our schedule keeps us verry bust and thanks them for their kindness. Finally, we promise to visit them each day we can, though we remind them we will not have Dana along most days. Mama wishes us long lives filled with good health & happiness and we're on our way, promising to stop by later to see if the little boy is home.

Alli goes with Bob & Beth for the boys, Dana and I go for Molly. Dana has seen pictures of the kids on several occasions and knows Molly is a big girl. Seeing in person, however, is believing! I let Dana hold her in the kids' room and carry her downstairs. Dana is 5'2" at most and might be 100 lbs. soaking wet: Molly's got her winded by the time we reach the marble room. Everyone else joins us shortly after we arrive. Aidan's got a good-sized egg over his right eye. Alli asked about it and one of the care-givers pointed to four of the boys and the playpen, then mimed a wrestling match. It appears our little guy got the worst of it.

He's in good spirits nevertheless, as are Molly and Nicholas, and the three of them surround Dana on the floor. She's great with them, reading, playing with toys and speaking with them in Russian and Kazakh. I get video of her with all the kids and still shots of her with Molly & Aidan. When Nicholas fusses a bit, Bob & Beth take him out for a walk. Not long after, Aidan crawls over to where I'm seated on the couch, pulls himself up to stand at lap level, looks up at me and raises his arms. I pick him up and put him on my shoulder, and he's out cold in under a minute. The girls continue to play with Molly, but it's not long before she's rubbing her eyes and pulling at her ears. I hand Aidan to Dana and get pictures of Alli and Dana holding sleeping babies.

We stop briefly to see Mama & Papa - the little boy is still not home - then it's off to lunch. A woman we met prior to our trip - Amy Rothman - had been here approximately a year ago and had recommended we try a restaurant she called "The Rice Place." It's near the open air market, just around the corner from Mama and Papa's, and we are soon enjoying a meal of plov (rice with carrots, scallions and beef) and "big dumplings" (think wontons filled with ground beef and onions). The food is as good as Amy said but a lot for mid-afternoon: We're all a little sleepy as we walk out into the still hot late afternoon sun.

We discuss plans for ice cream later and decide to invite Cate to join us. Alli, Dana and I head for the photo shop to order prints for later pick-up then hit the Internet cafe for e-mail. Cate's there and takes a pass on ice cream. We finish internetting, pick up the prints and return to the hotel by 6. We hang out in Bob & Beth's room until 7:15 then go for ice cream.

The ice cream place is as modern-looking an establishment as we've seen, a very hip-feeling coffee shop. A dozen or fifteen IKEA-style love seats and chairs dot the tiny room, each covered with colorful, braided floor/area rugs - looks cooler than it sounds - and served by one or two tiny tables. An in-wall TV plays MTV and an interactive music channel to which viewers may vote on the play list. The menu features coffees, espresso and capucino, a variety of teas, desserts and an assortment of interesting cocktails. Bob & Dana order vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and almonds slices, Beth and I get vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit chunks and strawberry syrup, and Alli gets a tiramisu-type cake. She and Beth also get tea, and everything is VERY GOOD!

Afterward, we walk Dana 1/2-way home and return to the hotel at 9:30. Alli works a crossword puzzle while I watch Celtic top Juventus 4-3 in an old Champions' League match. Lights out at 12"30 - gym tomorrow at 8.

July 16th

Nothing on the schedule this morning so we sleep in. We get out of bed at 9:30am, shower and head to the park to write in our journals. The weather has broken and it is beautifully sunny. We find a spot in the sun. There is a small crowd in front of the university. They are dressed in short and t-shirts and are wearing race numbers. We're only there for a few minutes when the race starts. Our bench in on the course and we have front row seats. We notice one man running in sandles. The racers pass us by three times (the winner laps the field) and the event is quickly over. We guess they ran 1 1/2 to 2 miles. We move to a bench in the shade. The sun is strong even at 10:30am. An older man in running shorts approaches us. He begins a conversation and I tell him that we don't speak Russian. This does not discourage him and he continues to chat with us for a few minutes. He seems to be curious about our journals. Are we writing about the race he wonders. We think he tells us he's going to see if he can find someone that speaks English and come back. He must not have had any luck because we don't see him again. Bob and Beth stroll by. Bob is feeling better and wanted to stretch his legs before our walk to the baby home. We go back to the hotel and have a quick breakfast before it's time to go.

We see our friends on the way to the baby home. We give Papa the picture of himself, Beth and me. He is quite pleased and after showing it to Mama and the others assembled there he whisks it away into the house. The conversation is lively dispite the difference in language. Bob and I each take a picture of Mama and Papa. We tell them we'll bring them the picture tomorrow. Mama extends what appears to be an invitation to come tomorrow for something to eat. We thought this might be a possibility (being invited to eat) and as much as we would like to take them up on their kind offer we cannot. We are concerned that they would offer us something we should not eat or drink and would not want to insult them by refusing. We do our best to change the subject and say our goodbyes. We decide that we will ask Dana to accompany us to the baby home and help us talk to our friends. A few houses down Pat snap a photo of a little boy we often see. The boy has his new puppy with him. Both are adorable. We'll bring you a picture tomorrow we tell him and get a big grin.

The kids are inside today. I find Molly on her belly in the group playpen. I enter the room and hers is one of the many little heads I see through the rails. We make eye contact and her face brightens. I pick her up and take her to the changing table. Mama Bibigoul consults me about Molly's outfit. Just socks with her onsie or the turquoise stretch pants? I point to the socks. I am surprised and pleased to have been asked. Mama Bibigoul picks a floral print bucket hat to complete the ensemble. Molly and I head out picking up the weeble doll along the way. We are the last to arrive in the marble room. Pat reports that he found Aidan in a walker when he arrived in the boys room. He was scooting around pretty well and followed Pat to the changing table when he dropped off the diapers. Bob and Beth take Nicholas outside for a walk. It's just the Donohoes in the marble room. The kids are in excellent spirits. Molly plays happily with her toys. We see her on her knees a few times. I waltz around the room with Aidan and brush the curtains across his face. This makes him laugh. We notice that now when he laughs he puts his hands behind his head. Bob and Beth get back with Nicholas and we take Molly and Aidan for a walk. As usual, the kids enjoy being outside. We see Cate and Daniel and stop to say hello. We walk a few feet outside of the gate to get closer to the road. We find a shady spot and hang out for a bit. We want the children to get used to sounds outside the baby home. They follow the cars and buses as they go by. We walk for about 20 minutes and head back inside. It's time to go. We kiss our babies and take them back to their rooms. We can hardly wait to see them again tomorrow. We walk back to the hotel.

To the Internet cafe. We each post an entry but that's it for today. Something has gone wrong with the connection to the Internet and we cannot access our email. We pack up and go back to the hotel.

Dana arrives at 5:30pm as does Cate. Bob is feeling much better so he will join us for dinner. We opt for an old standard - the Dom - and we're in luck tonight. They have shishkabobs. Cate, Beth and I order the pork. We drink Baltika tonight - 7 not 9! We take advantage of the pleasant evening and walk Dana 1/2 way home. We hug, say goodnight and are back at the hotel by 9:30pm. Pat watches TV and I read. We both nod off at some point. To bed at 11:30pm.

July 15th

The alarm goes off at 7:30am and we awaken to another crappy day. The weather is a carbon copy of the day before. Bob calls to say that he is not feeling great and is going to skip the gym. Pat thinks this is some kind of plan to squelch his recent momentum. He heads to the gym alone to workout. I attempt to fall back asleep without success and get up to write in my journal. Pat returns from the gym. He writes in his journal a bit and then we bundle up and go for pastries. We setttle on a large cherry/cheese one that we'll split and also by two pieces of what looks like raspberry coffee cake. "To go, please." we say in Russian. Another new phrase we've recently learned. I head directly to the hotel and Pat stops at the Gros for some much needed toilet paper and juice. I run into Beth back at the hotel. She is on her way to the Gros. Bob is feeling a little better and has requested some 7-up. We discuss taking the bus given the weather and Bob's condition. We'll meet at 12:40pm. Pat arrives back at the room. We eat our pastries, read a bit and get showered.

Bob and Beth knock on the door at the appointed time. "How are you?" we ask Bob. "Super." he replies. Clearly he is stretching the truth. We get outside to find that while it's still overcast the rain has stopped.

We get to the baby home, divy up the diapers and go for our assigned child. Molly for Pat and Aidan for me. We find Aidan and Nicholas standing in the small playpen. I say hello and he grins. The boys are ready to go. The music in their room is crankin'. I dance with Aidan in front of the group playpen. He smiles and the other children rock back and forth. After our dance we head to the marble room. Aidan and I play while we wait for Daddy and Molly. He is in very good spirits. I drive a truck on his belly while making truck sounds. He finds this entertaining. Pat and Molly arrive. She is wearing the torquoise stretch pants we love so much. We haven't seen these in a while. Pat had to wait for Molly to be fed. Mama Bibigoul had Pat put on Molly's t-shirt and tunic. She wiggled around but he got her buttoned up. Molly is also in good spirits. All of the children are active today. The boys crawl around exploring. They stop to play with a toy now and again. They both wind up under the coffee table and play with the blocks that are there. Molly gathers the toys around her and carefully monitors the inventory. One for me - none for Aidan - two for me - I'll take that Aidan - and so on. We experiment with a suggestion from our friend Susie - Pat holds Molly's belly up while she is on her hands and knees in a crawling position. She doesn't move but she doesn't fuss either. We'll keep at this and see what comes of it. Aidan spends time investigating Pat's face. One of his favorite activities. I waltz around the room with Molly and then it's time to go. We look over at Bob and see that he is turning green. There is a stong smell of roasting galic and chicken coming from the kitchen. He opts to wait outside while we take the kids back to their rooms. We leave both Molly and Aidan in their cribs wide awake. We bus back to the hotel. The sun is peeking through the clouds. A welcome sight.

To the Internet cafe. My shameless hints on the Blog have increased our email volume to a more satisfactory level. Dispite the the fact that we are still enjoying our time here immensely, pangs of homesickness find us now and again. We only check email today. We have a lot of company at the Internet cafe. First Beth arrives, then Cate and finally Dana. We invite Cate to dinner. She had a late lunch but will join us for dessert. We run back to the hotel for Beth while Dana finishes her email. Bob is not up to dinner.

We try a new restaurant that Olesya recommended to us this afternoon at the baby home. It is called Cafe Gold and is located across the street from the medical college. We know where this is.
The restaurant is on the second floor of the building and looks new. We select a booth. The seating is a cressent shaped blue velvet couch. Dinner is very good. Dana and Beth order the cutlett. Pat has a chicken dish with a funny sounding name and I have a dish referred to as "French meats". It is thin slices of pork covered with scalloped potato augratin. Tasty. Pat has two Baltika 9s with his meal. I have two Derbes' (another variety of beer from Kazakhstan). The girls get ice cream for dessert. The sun is out and it's a pleasant evening. We walk Dana 1/2 way home. Pat, Beth and I stop at the Gros on the way back to the hotel. We buy diapers (the next size up (4) for Molly), ice cream and chocolate bars. There is live entertainment on a stage in the square and we stop briefly to watch. We arrive back at the room at 10:00pm. Pat immediately falls asleep on the couch (that Baltika 9 has a kick he says later) and I finish my book. To bed at midnight.

July 14th

It's a lazy start today. The alarm goes off at 8:30, we get out of bed at 9:30 and head to the mall across the street at 10:30. It's the most miserable day we've seen weather-wise: cold and rainy and blow-your-umbrella-inside-out windy. We're in search of note paper & envelopes, and we find they sell note paper and note books and greeting cards - but none with envelopes. We buy Dana a notepad, as the one she had been using when we go out to dinner was full several days ago and she has not replaced it. After the mall, Alli opts not to go to the pastry shop and instead returns to the hotel. I brave the tempest for naught: The pickings are quite slim and I arrive home empty- handed.

We bus to the baby home. Even the short walk from the bus on in is unpleasant, and there is much consterna- tion among the care-givers when they see Alli in open-toed sandals and no socks! As previously discussed, these folks take their inclement weather wardrobe seriously....

I join Bob & Beth to get the boys: They are fed and dressed and standing in the playpen ready to go. Alli goes for Molly, who is finishing her lunch. She sees Alli and smiles and kicks her legs. The care-giver makes quick work of the after-lunch wash and delivers her to "Mama" to be diapered and dressed. A great deal of wiggling & squirming ensues and spare diapers go flying. Molly believes diapering and dressing are interactive, participatory activities planned as much for her amusement, apparently, as good hygiene.

Downstairs it's all hands on deck as Cate and Daniel join out merry band. Daniel is still a bit clingy & not too adventurous when playing in numbers. Molly & Aidan and Nicholas roll and crawl around and litter the floor with toys. Molly gets her hands on a toy bowling pin, and Nicholas narrowly escapes a beating about the head and neck. The squeaky toy pig is not so lucky: Unable to move out of her reach, the little porker is defenseless and our sweet darling beats the squeak out of him.

Aidan scurries here and there, stopping as he goes to examine whatever he finds. Both he and Nicholas enjoy crawling over outstretched adult legs, though they tend to get stuck if the legs are crossed. Molly and Aidan meet in the middle of the room where a toy drum has captured their mutual interest. Aidan is leaning with two hands on the drum, his feet under him, his butt in the air; Molly is leaning forward from a sitting position, her hands on the drum, her head resting against his. They appear to be supporting each other's precarious balance with their noggins! We videotape and wait anxiously for this house of cards to fall in upon itself, but they break apart without incident or injury.

Aidan starts to fuss a bit - time to walk the halls with Daddy for a few minutes. While we're gone, Alli gets GREAT video of Molly laughing as Olesya tickles her. When Aidan and I get back, the odor of a dirty diaper fills the room, and the winner is: Nicholas! First time we've seen the kid poop in more than a month of visits! Beth does the honors as Bob cowers in a chair across the room, sweating and mumbling something about gag reflex. So much for the hardened, trained-killer Marine.... Molly is put off by the whole shameful affair and demands a walk in the halls of her own. She and I return right at 2:30.

The weather is still miserable as we leave. Olesya joins us for the bus ride home: We get off a block from the hotel and she continues to her apartment. (When we arrived, she was living with her boyfriend's mother in the mother's apartment while Olesya's apt. was undergoing renovation for three months. She returned to her own apt. last weekend. We asked her once if living with her boyfriend's mother was OK and whether they got along. With her usual dead-pan, she replied, "Of course, yes." Then with a twinkle, she continued, "She loves me," and finally, with a devil- ish grin, she said, "I LIKE her" and giggled madly.)

Alli and I go to the Internet Cafe: Alli Blogs (7/13) while I read and reply to e-mail. Cate arrives and Alli shows her how to e-mail pictures home. We leave just before 5 so we can be back to the hotel before Dana arrives at 5:30. We're still determined to give Baron Munchausen's one more try, and we're pleased to find the tables are already set (you might remember our last attempt)and they are open. Dinner takes more than two hours and we are the only patrons. We enjoy salads: Alli, Bob and Dana get one with cheese, apples, almonds & cucumbers in yogurt; Beth has one w/chicken, carrots & garlic in olive oil; and I have chicken, ham, apples and oranges in mayonnaise served in hollowed-out orange rinds. Bob and Alli have soup - chicken noodle and German sausage - and the entrees include chicken and pork "on a stick." Bob and the girls top off the meal with very fancy ice cream desserts complete with "French syrup" for the girls and paper parasols for everyone. Munchausen was worth the wait and effort for the return trip!

We walk Dana to the bus stop - still raining - then we head back to the hotel for movie night: "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray & Andie McDowell. The premise of the movie: A weatherman is reliving Groundhog Day in Puxatawney, PA over and over. As we've reached a point in our process for which treading water could be an apt description, we can relate to his predica- ment. After the movie, I fall asleep to Manchester United v Liverpool while Alli reads in bed. Bob and I are heading to the gym at 8 AM, so it's lights out at 12:30.

July 13th

The alarm goes off at 7:30am. It's a gym day for Pat and Bob. I get up and fold laundry. When I'm done I write in my journal. There is a knock on the door at 10:00am. We've arranged to have our room cleaned and the girl is here. The windows are open and a chilly breeze blows in. It starts to rain. Pat arrives home with pastries in hand. He gained a little ground in the ping-pong championships of Kostanai. Pat took the day 7-5. The summer series stands at 67-58. We eat our pastries and get showered. We consult with Bob and Beth. It's not raining any longer so we'll walk to the baby home.

It's a cool, blustery day and a jacket is required. We find Mama waiting for us in front of her house. There is a small crowd of new faces. Bob presents Mama with a copy of the picture of her, Pat and Bob. He had it made yesterday after our visit to the baby home. She is thrilled! "Thank you, thank you, thank you" she says in Russian. She says a few other things we do not understand. Finally she starts to flash her fingers and we think that she is trying to tell us her age. There were many fingers flashed. We shake everyone's hand and say goodbye.

The children are inside. Pat goes for Molly. He finds her in the group playpen wearing a t-shirt and diaper. He picks her up and says hello. Mama Bibigoul takes her, changes her diaper and dresses her. Still not a task for Papa. Bob, Beth and I go for the boys. Aidan and Nicholas are standing in the small playpen when we arrive. Both have eaten and are ready to go. We're first to arrive in the marble room. A few minutes later we hear bells. Pat, Molly and the webble doll are here. The kids are in good spirits again today. I check Molly's top gums and see two teeth just poking through. She gnaws on her toys more than ususal. She is not unpleasant but it not quite herself. Aidan is a busy boy today. He crawls, stands and explores. He stops to have an animated conversation with the weeble doll. They're good pals now dispite their rocky start. He stands on the couch. Bob is at the other end and tempts him with his camere (both Nicholas and Aidan LOVE cameras). Aidan cruises two feet or so. Bob rewards him with a touch of the camera. Molly gets a little cranky. I pick her up and we waltz around the room. This makes her smile. She then enjoys a game of peek-a-boo with Daddy. Pat checks his watch. It's 2:35! We scramble to pack up and take the kids back to their rooms. Both Molly and Aidan are wide awake when we leave them in their cribs. It's raining again so we bus back to the hotel.

We head to the Internet cafe as do Bob and Beth. We check email and have only a few (hint, hint). One of them is from our travel agent, Eldo. Based on a recent discussion of our timeline with Olesya, we requested a change in our return flight from August 2nd to August 12th. Eldo's email is a confirmation of the change. Our last day in Kostanai will be Tuesday August 8th. We'll leave that afternoon and fly to Almaty. We'll have the kid's medical exams on the 10th and our US Embassy interview on the 11th. We'll fly home from Almaty on Friday August 12th and are scheduled to arrive in Newark on Friday the 12th at 9:15pm dispite some 24 hours of travel time. The countdown begins. After reading our few emails (hint, hint) we copy pictures of Molly, Aidan and Papa, Beth and me to disks. We take these to the photo center down the street and have prints made. We'll take Papa his picture tomorrow. The pictures of the kids are for our room. We knock for Bob and Beth when we return to the hotel and go to dinner.

We go to the pizza place. We asked Olesya to write down what we'd like to order in Russian and we bring the paper with us. Salads, ham and pineapple pizza and pizza with peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. The drink we handle ourselves. We get we want and everything is very good.

We get back to the hotel at 7:45 pm and decide to have a movie night. The feature is "Anger Management" starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. After the movie we watch an episode of M*A*S*H. Bob and Beth have several seasons on DVD. We get back to our room at 10:30pm. We both write in our journals. Lights out at midnight.

July 12th

Today starts with laundry @ 7:30 - actually, Alli gets up to do laundry and I lounge until about 8:15. I help wring out the last few things before Alli switches the tub over from washing machine to shower. She has agreed to help Cate with her PC this morning @ 10 and then has a manicure appointment @ 11 (following Beth's 10). If you're keeping score at home, that's two manicures, two pedicures and one full body massage in five weeks. So much for our tough living conditions.

I head for the park @ 10 to read and enjoy the brilliant sunshine on a crisp, clear morning. Bob stops by around 11: He's reading/studying a book on estate planning. He moves from bench to bench several times in an effort to stay awake....

After reading, I visit the pastry place we went to after court last Friday and get two cherry turnovers and two lemon & raisin pastries. The cherry are still warm! Next stop: fruit vendor for bananas. Almost all the vendors we've patronized do calculations on calculators and after telling us the price in Russian show us the calculator. My produce woman calculates the price and says it to me while bagging the bananas. She looks up to see me standing there with that
"I have no idea what you just said" look on my face and repeats the price. Using hand signals, I ask her to show me the calculator. She laughs and shows me the price, then laughs again when I accept my change and say thank you in Russian. I return to the hotel @ 11:45, enough time to shower and shave and eat my cherry turnover. Alli gets back at noon and has time for her turnover and a glass of juice before Bob & Beth knock at 12:15.

Our new friends are waiting for us on our way to the baby home. Papa is walking home from the store just ahead of us and Mama comes toward us to say hello. There are several new faces today, including three teenage boys. Bob shows everyone the photo from yesterday in his camera. They are very pleased to see themselves - Olesya told us they might never have seen digital camera technology before - but Mama makes it plain she'd like to have a copy to hold in her hand. One of the young boys speaks a few words of English: He asks where we are going. Still nervous about revealing the true nature of our visit to Kazakhstan, I tell him we have some business a few kilometers farther and that we walk back and forth every day. He nods and says, "I watch you every day." I ask if the woman is his grandmother: I'm not certain he understood the word, but he says no. We say our goodbyes and tell them we'll see them again later.

The kids are outside today. Alli goes for Molly, who is being fed when Alli arrives. Alli reports she sits opposite Molly while she is being fed, and Molly never takes her eyes off of Alli. Aidan has been fed and dressed and is waiting in his crib. He and I go next door to wait while Alli diapers and dresses Molly. We head for the marble room, and Aidan spits up down the front of my shirt and shorts as we walk through the door. Not ten minutes later, I'm not yet dry from round one when he lets me have it again. Other than that, both kids are pleasant and playful today. Molly continues her recent trend: Her favorite toy is whatever Aidan is playing with at the moment, so long as it is within reach. (Over the last two days, we've experimented with moving her toys out of arms reach in an attempt to encourage her to crawl. Yesterday, she seemed confused. Today, she gets pissed. There's much yelling and arm waving. We'll try again another day....). Aidan is happiest playing in Daddy's lap - he's on a quest to get a hold of my glasses, and he usually gets his little face THIS close to mine before making a stab for them, giving me sufficient time to ward off his advance - or with Mommy's necklace, which he's taken to teething on recently. When he tires of both activities, I pack him in the Snuggli and we take a walk outside.

Back in the marble room @ 2:30, Alli takes Aidan out of the Snuggli, and he's nearly asleep on her shoulder in the time it takes me to put the Snuggli away and finish packing the toys. He's sound asleep on my shoulder in the 60 seconds it takes to walk back to his inside room. He stirs slightly when I move him from shoulder to crib....

On the way home, we walk through an apartment building courtyard. Six young boys who just said hello to us on the way through earlier come running over for more English. One asks where we are from: He seems unfamiliar with Philadelphia but brightens when we tell him it's near New York. In Russian, Alli asks him his name ("Kak vas sa vut?"). He's surprised to hear one of us speak Russian. He says his name, then in Russian I say, "Minya sa vut Pat," and shake his hand. Bob introduces himself and shakes hands, too. One by one, the other boys line up to say their names and shake our hands. One of the boys asks Beth how old she is. She replies, "41," and then asks him the same question. It sounds as if he is parroting her, though closer to forty than forty-one. We ask again, and he makes 13 with his fingers. The other boys range in age from eleven to thirteen. One of them has a soccer ball. Bob and I ask who the best footballer is in the group. It appears they point to the boy with the ball: Either he is the best, or they thought we asked if they had a football. In any event, I motion for him to toss me the ball and dazzle them with a little juggling. We've made another group of new friends....

Later on the same walk home, the crowd at our friends' home has grown once again: Everybody is waiting to get a look at the Americans. The young boys from before have been joined by four older men. There are more photos: Mama with me and Bob, Papa with Alli and Beth. Neighbors drop by, a car pulls up, everybody's gabbing away in Russian and Kazakh and we're smiling a lot. We are now ambassadors of good will....

Back at the hotel @ 3:30, Alli and I head for the internet straight away. Beth and Cate join us there. We read and answer e-mail, and Alli helps Beth save a picture from her camera to a floppy disk so they can make a copy for Mama and Papa. We return to the hotel @ 5 and meet Olesya @ 5:30 for the walk to dinner.

After dinner last night, we took a walk and passed a restaurant with a nice courtyard outside. We noted that we had not been there and agreed it must not be any good if Olesya had not taken us there to date. Our restaurant tonight is the one we were discussing last night: It is good, but she had not thought to take us there prior to tonight (and, in fairness, we have been dining with Dana more often than Olesya, and Dana has not been everywhere Olesay has been). The restaurant is called the Art Cafe: The first floor is an art gallery/gift shop & the second floor is the restaurant, the walls of which are adorned with the painting/print efforts of local artists, some of which are for sale below. We enjoy a nice meal: Bob and I have chicken breast (his in a peach sauce, mine with pineapple and cheese) & the girls have pork (Alli's is a chop with mush-rooms, tomatoes, onions and cheese, Beth's a pork and vegetable shishkabob). Olesya has beef. It's a plce to which we will return.

After walking home, we're in the room at 8:20. Alli cuts my hair while I watch a Dutch Premier League match, then we both have an ice cream bar before settling in to read & journal. Gym in the morning @ 8, and we've arranged to have our rooms cleaned between 9 & 11. Lights out
@ midnight.

July 11th

Bob knocks at 8:00am and he and Pat are off to the gym. I'm behind in my journal again and have two days to cover. Pat returns from the gym as I finish up. After going down 5 games, Pat rebounded to end the day 5-5. The summer series now stands at 62-51 Bob. We eat breakfast and watch video of Aidan and Molly from the day before. We have exellent footage of a brother-sister wrestling match. Aidan scored first on the take down but Molly gets the reversal and extra points because Aidan began to cry. He has much to learn. We shower and are ready when Bob and Beth arrive at 12:15pm.

The day is sunny with a light breeze and we enjoy another pleasant walk to the baby home. We see one of our new friends along the way. "Papa" is waiting for us in front of his house. He shakes hands with Pat and Bob and gives them a hug. He waves at Beth and me and clasps his hands. We arrive at the baby home to find the kids outside. I go for Molly. She is ready and waiting for me in the group playpen. I pick her up and head out the door. Pat is on his way to get me. Olesya met them in the boys room. We are to meet with Dr. Irina (the head doctor and director of the baby home) to present her with our monetary gift to the baby home. The gift will be used for something they are in need of. I reluctantly put Molly back in the playpen. I'm afraid this will be confusing for her but have no other choice. She stares at me as I go. We meet with Dr. Irina in her office. We present her with our gifts and Pat speaks on behalf of us all. He thanks Dr. Irina for taking such good care of our children, asks God to bless her and her staff, promises that we will tell the children about the baby home and says perhaps we'll come back some day to visit. It is a heartfelt and touching moment. Dr. Irina hugs Pat and says thank you.

We return for the kids and see Molly buck naked ouside of her room. She is having a quick wash. Mama Bibigoul (bee-bee-gool) places her on the changing table and I diaper and dress her. Zhanat, Cate's translator, is also in the room. She tells me that Molly was upset after I left. I don't ask her to elaborate but I feel terrible. Poor girl. I vow to fuss over her more than usual for the remainder of the visit. We make our way to the marble room. Bob, Beth and Nicholas are already there. Big news, they have been entrusted with the key. Until now the key has only been given to Olesya or one of the caregivers. Bob and Beth take Nicholas outside for a walk. Molly and Aidan are in good spirits today. We have found a few tickle spots on them both and melt when they smile and giggle. Aidan explores and Molly plays with her toys. We lay her on her belly and move all of the toys out of her reach to encourage her to creep. She looks confused. I decide that it's too much trauma given the earlier incident and pile the toys around her. Our visit is over much too quickly. It has been increasingly difficult to leave the kids. We know in our minds that it's just for a short while longer but our hearts feel differently. We meet out front and catch the bus home with Olesya. We make arrangements to go to dinner with her on Tuesday night. We will see Dana again either on Wednesday or Thursday.

Bob and Beth go to the park and Pat and I to the Internet Cafe. We each post on entry to the Blog and are current with our postings once again. After checking email we head back to the hotel shortly before 6:00pm to get Bob and Beth for dinner.

We opt for the Russian Pub again this evening. Not only do we like the food but the Russian and English menus correspond. Not so for the menus at the Dom. Pat writes down our selections and Bob rings the bell to call the waitress. Several of the entrees we want are not available nor are the alternatives we've selected. The waitress is patient and we're all able to find something we like. We also order bread and butter - no small matter when you see the tongue-twister for bread. The waitress asks a question and we don't understand. She motions for the phrase book I have in my hand and looks in the Russian dictionary found in the back of the book. She points to a word - white. Now we know. She was asking if we would like white or brown bread. We usually get both but white is fine tonight. We enjoy another excellent meal. We decide to go for a walk afterwards and stroll around town for about 45 minutes. We stop at the Gros on the way back to the hotel. We purchase tissues, water, milk, cereal and ice cream bars. Pat falls asleep on the couch and I read for awhile before dozing off. Pat wakes me for an ice cream bar and writes in his journal. Lights out at midnight.

July 10th

Up at 8:30 and ready to meet Andre @ 9:45. Church is very crowded as we arrive during the final minutes of exposition. A few folks leave, others shuffle around, and we find seats in the second row from the front: Catholics, it seems, are the same the world over, filling the back rows first....

Not sure of the occasion, but mass is concelebrated by the two priests we've seen thus far, and they are attended by four altar boys and an older but still young man who, we guess, could be a seminarian...?

Following mass, Fr. Stanislav, the priest with whom we spoke two weeks ago and with whom we had hoped to speak with the assistance of our translator last week, comes down the aisle for a quick hello. We greet him in Russian ("Zdrastvuytse") and he smiles then laughingly asks if we have learned to speak Russian so quickly. I hold my index finger and my thumb a fraction of an inch apart and he alughs again. Several people are waiting to see him at the rear of the church so we say our good-byes .

Mass runs longer than usual: It's past 11:30 when we return to the hotel, just time for me to change and both of us to grab breakfast before Bob & Beth knock at 12:15. I get Molly: She's fed and dressed very nattily today: an orange top with a seagull/sailboat print, white and pink check pants with a blue teddy bear print and pink & red striped socks. Perhaps it was dress yourself day? (We got the outfit on video, but even video hardly does it justice!) She's sitting in a walking chair - JUST sitting, thank you - and teething on a rattle. I think she's glad to see me, though she's a little miffed when I insist we leave the rattle in the playroom.

Downstairs, Bob & Beth take Nicholas outside in the new snuggli they bought here in Kostanai, and we have the marble room to ourselves. I encourage Aidan to explore the wonders of the radiator! I stand him up so he can hold on, feel the steel and press his head against it - he likes to explore things head first. He inspects it closely, but it apparently fails to live up to the hype: He's through with it in less than a minute and never tries to go back. We get great video of the kids "playing" together: At one point, Aidan scores a takedown before Molly comes back with a reversal. They share toys (i.e. Molly takes whatever Aidan is playing with at the time, so long as it is within reach, and Aidan plays with something else). At one point, Molly is playing with a pig squeeze toy and cracks herself and her brother up with the noise.

After Beth & Bob return, we take our kids out for a walk. Each talks a little and Molly flaps her arms and kicks her legs a lot. Each makes ample use of the nuks attached to their Snugglis. Once again, they are very content being outdoors and walking around. They enjoy the breeze and don't fuss in the sun. We hope to take every opportunity to get them outside.

Alli takes Molly back to her crib. Molly goes down but pops right up, then sits and watches as Alli leaves. Aidan goes down in his crib, fussing just a bit until I get his sleeping nuk, then he too pops up to a sitting position. Alli and I remarked yesterday how cooperatively both kids go down, and even when they aren't tired enough to fall asleep, they seem content to lie still or entertain themselves. Let's hope this trend continues!

After walking back to the hotel, we're off to the Internet Cafe to Blog (July 6, 7 & 8) and check/ answer e-mail. We return to the hotel @ 6:30, call Cate ( we saw her at the IC and she said she'd join us for drinks even though she and Zhanat had already had dinner), and the five of us head for the Russian Pub shortly before 7. Olesya, her boyfriend (whom we have not met) and another couple are unexpectedly there when we arrive. We are determined to order for our- selves, though I can see Olesya watching our every move out of the corner of my eye. The Russian Pub has an English menu, and we are making headway finding our food in English, then finding it again in the Russian menu when the waitress arrives. I have no idea how to ask for a few more minutes: Olesya to the rescue! She sits on the arm of my chair and giggles as we flip from page to page then, with a combination of pointing and Russian numbers (adin, dva, tri), we place our order. (Later, we learn the waitress was one of Olesya's students and speaks English!)With that done, Olesya takes her leave and we enjoy yet another terrific meal. Bob and Alli have the stuffed cabbage, I have Slovenian chicken and Beth has deep fried pork. Everyone has salad and sides and Beth has ice cream. Alli, Cate and I drink beer, Beth& Bob split a litre of Coke, and the bill comes to 2500 TT (not even $20).

We wander home slowly, enjoying a mild evening in the park. Bob & Beth and Cate stop at the Gros, Alli and I head for the hotel. Alli reads before falling asleep and I journal while watching parts of a French Premier League match, an Italian Premier League match and a Champions League match. I wake Alli up for bed at 11:45. Gym @ 8 tomorrow....

I want to leave you with the following vignette from our stay in Kostanai:

Nearly every day on our walk to the baby home, we see an elderly woman in her babushka and apron sitting on a small bench outside her gate enjoying the shade on warm days or the sun on cooler days and eating seeds (a favorite snack among the locals). For several days, I would wave and she would nod and that would be that. Recently, I would wave and greet her in Russian - either hello or good afternoon - and again she would nod in return. She is the very image of old Soviet Russia, and I mentioned to Bob on a couple of occasions that I'd like to take her picture.

Beginning last Thursday, my usual wave and verbal greeting began to elicit a spirited verbal response, though I had no idea what she might have been saying. We didn't see her Friday due to our different schedule, but yesterday her response was even more animated. Finally today, she was gabbing at me before I had a chance to say anything on our walk to the baby home. Bob and I were joking about what she might have been saying - "Stop talking to me crazy man in short pants and funny hat!" - but I truly believed she was trying to ask what just about every- one we meet wants to know: who we are and what we are doing here. The girls wanted to know what I had said to infuriate the poor old woman, but I laughed and told Bob we'd ask her if we could take her photo if we saw her on the way home.

Sure enough, she's out on the walkway supervising some painting being done on her home, and she sees us coming. She starts in on me, but I smile and greet her in Russian, then again in Russian say, "Photo please?" Before she can think about it, I ask Bob to grab his camera, and when she sees it, this woman, who must be 75 if she's a day and looks like she's worked very hard for 70 of those years, actually blushes, reaches up to fix her babushka and looks at Bob as if to ask whether she looks OK for the photo. She calls her husband over and Bob takes a picture of me with the two of them! We try our best to thank them and wish them well while helping them understand we are American and don't speak Russian. A gentleman who stopped to watch the picture-taking now speaks with us. We tell him we don't speak Russian, and I think he tells us the older couple don't speak Russian either! He corrects our Russian good-bye with its Kazakh equivalent. We do our best with this new information and take our leave. The old man shakes hands with Bob and me and kisses each of us on the cheek. It is a wonderful moment....

July 9th

Up at 8:00am. To the gym for Pat and Bob and journaling for me. I've gotten behind and have two days to do. Pat returns just as I'm finishing up my second entry. To quote my husband "The wheels have completely come off Pat's Ping-Pong Express". He lost the first 6 games and then won the next 3 of 5. Bob takes the day again 8-3. Summer series stands at 57-46 with Bob still in the lead. We have some breakfast, shower and are off to the baby home.

We arrive at the baby home and I go for Molly. I change her diaper and dress her in the clothes I'm given - onsie, flannel pants and jacket and a knit cap that looks like it is for a newborn. I stretch the cap over her head, grab the webble doll (which by the way we found out is an antique), and we go to the marble room. The door is open and it's just Molly and me. Cate arrives shortly after with Daniel. He was born in August and is nearly one. Daniel holds Cates fingers and shows off his walking abilities. I'm hoping Molly is taking notes but alas she is merrily chomping on a toy. The rest of the gang appears. Aidan was sound asleep when Pat arrived to pick him up. Pat woke him and talked with him while Nicholas was being fed. Mama Galena fed Aidan next and Pat played the piano to pass the time. Aidan is dressed in floral pants and a hot pink 101 Dalmations print flannel shirt. The outfit is completed with a red and white striped baseball cap. This is one of the more "creative" ensembles we've seen him in and mind you we've seen a few! The pictures will not do it justice. The kids are very pleasant again today. Molly plays with every toy in the bag. Beth brought a bag of toys from the hotel that were left by families that were here prior to us. Molly takes a shining to a pig toy the squeaks (it reminds me of one of the three pigs I had a close encounter with in Disney Land). The ear fits perfectly in her mouth. Aidan sits on the pig later making it squeak. He looks around and wonders what's going on. He explores and takes an interest in the radiator under the window that is usually hidden by stuffed animals. I try to block his way with a pillow but he goes around. I move him to the other side of the room and attempt to distract him with a toy. No go. He heads back to the radiator. The boy is focused. Aidan also overcomes his discomfort with the weeble doll and bats it with an open hand as his sister and Nicholas do. We sit all four children on the sofa and attempt a group photo. That lasts for about 30 seconds. In one of the pictures Daniel is crying and Molly is looking at him like "what's wrong with you". It's a nice day and we spend the remainder of our visit walking outside with the kids. We walk home from the baby home.

Pat runs to the Gros for game beers when we get back and then we head to the Internet cafe to check email. We are heartened by the many responses we received to our court date news. Support from home continues to energize and sustain us. We hear from some new voices as well as many of the faithful.

Cate meets us back at the hotel and we go to the Dom for dinner. Dana will not be able to join us due to family obligations. Pat does the ordering and we get everything we want except mashed potatoes. Instead we get boiled potatoes with butter. A tasty substitute. Baltika 7 for Pat and me and #3 for Cate. Back to the hotel after dinner for our make-shift cooler - backpack with two frozen litre bottles of water wrapped in plastic bags and 16oz cans of Baltika 7.

We find our way to the stadium and our seats without any problems. We see some familiar faces and say hello. Ura is among them and he gives Pat a flag. Pat and Bob will share flag waving duty tonight. Pat give Ura a beer and he clinks it against my open can to toast. Tobol's opponent tonight is Almaty. Almaty is ranked 15th out of 16 and that's pretty much the way the game goes. It's 5-0 Tobol at the half and this turns out to be the final as well. As we file out of the stadium Pat notices a young boy behind him giggling. "Do you speak English?" Pat asks. "Yes, a little." the boy replys. Bob asks the boy his name and tells him his. The boy asks where we're from and well tell him America. Another man asks us on the way out if we like their stadium.

About 1/2 way home a man we recognize from our section catches up with us to chat. We tell him where we're staying. He knows the hotel and lives nearby. He tells us he is an artist and has a friend living in New York City. He asks Pat is he is here for work and if so what kind. Pat says yes work but implies that it's secret. "Ok, ok, I know." says the man. The man apologizes for his poor English. Much better than our Russian we say to him. Pat has his fan club flag draped over his shoulders. People ask on the way home who won and what was the score. Thanks to the phrase book we are able to tell them.

We get back to the hotel and I crash on the bed while Pat hits the couch to "watch" soccer. Lights out at 11:30pm.

July 8th

Today starts at 6:45 AM - we'll meet Bob and Beth at 7:20 for the walk to our 8 AM visit with the children. It's overcast and damp following last night's heavy rain, breezy and quite cool: Remarkably, we can see our breaths as we walk! On the way, we discuss our curiousity to see the kids at a different time of day.

The four of us go for Nicholas and Aidan. Aidan is sound asleep in his crib when we arrive. One of the care-givers lifts him gently from his crib and carries him to the changing table. He wakes slowly, stretching and yawning while he gets a clean diaper and a clean sleeper. The care-giver talks to him soothingly, stands him up and stretches his arms up over his head. He watches and listens to her attentively and smiles behind his sleeping nuk.

Aidan, Alli and I go for Molly. She emerges from the sleeping room dressed only in a t-shirt, and her care-giver, a young girl we've not seen before, motions to us for a diaper (remember, we bring four diapers per baby per day). The care-giver diapers and dresses her in no time and we're on our way....

The kids are pleasant but subdued. Aidan's runny nose is back, and he REALLY dislikes having his nose wiped. Otherwise, he entertains himself standing at and crawling under the coffee table, admiring Alli's necklace and figuring out the magic of a nuk with a handle. Molly plays and gabs. Over the last few days, we've allowed the kids to empty the toys from the backpack (once we remove the cameras, the umbrellas and Alli's purse). Molly seems to catalog each toy by sound and taste, and each toy's value appears to increase depending on her brother's interest in it.

After the visit, I take Molly back to her room and, once again at the direction of the care-giver, she goes in the playpen, where one of the other children is spread-eagled and sound asleep. In the boys' room, Alli and Beth feed the boys breakfast of porridge (with mashed banana and 1/2 egg yolk) and a shot glass of peach juice. The boys are hungry & the girls have trouble keeping pace. It's nearly 10 by the time we leave. On the way home, we stop for pastries and bananas, so it's nearly 11 by the time we return to the rooms. We are meeting Olesya for lunch at noon. Alli showers while I journal, then dresses while I shower and shave. Bob & Beth stop by at 11:45 and we head for the Spinach Tea Place....

Olesya goes over a few last-minute instructions/details for court while we eat lunch. She walks back to the hotel with us and waits in the lobby while we change. Although our appointment is at 2 and Bob & Beth's at 3, we'll all walk over together. Olesya asks us to meet her in the lobby at 1:35.

Lunch for court employees is from 1 to 2. We arrive at 1:45 and wait in the downstairs lobby for about fifteen minutes before walking up the four flights to the judge's chambers. The four of us present Her Honor with the plants we bought yesterday. She tells us they have a saying in Kazakhstan: "Plants are like children,'" and she promises to take good care of the "children" we have entrusted to her.

Moments later, Alli and I are called into chambers. The judge is wearing a very nice robe. We are joined by the prosecutor, a representative from the Guardianship and Trustee Committee and the judge's secretary (who will record the proceedings long-hand). We are expecting the head doctor from the baby home, but she is running late and the judge instructs us we will get started rather than wait.

I remain standing while everyone else is seated (I am also the only man in the room). The judge asks many of the same questions from the pre-trial hearing including a few new ones:

(1) she asks me to tell her the childrens' given (Russian) names
(2) she asks if I believe the children know we are to be their parents
(3) she asks if we have noticed and changes/improvements in the childrens' development
since we began visiting and if so could I explain what they are

I do my best with the Russian names - no ears bleed, no panes of glass crack, so I guess I do OK.
I tell her I believe the children recognize us when we visit, understand that we are now part of their daily schedule and look forward to our visits. ( I do not say I don't think they know we are to be their parents, but really, how could they know such a thing? Moreover, I did not say but thought later: Though the care-givers call us Mama and Papa, identify us to the children in the same way and encourage the children to call us by those names - which has not happened to date - I don't believe the children understand the new meaning attached to the words. In their experience, "Mama" is synonymous with care-giver and virtually any other woman with whom they have contact, while they have little if any contact with men other than other childrens' adopting fathers, thus even less of an understanding of "Papa.")

Finally, I relate Aidan's inability to sit up unassisted when we first arrived and report he now sits by himself and stands with assistance. Further, I report Molly now stands with assistance
(however unwillingly at times). In conclusion, I report both children have made great strides in their overall mobility (Molly still does not crawl but moves from belly to back and from seated to all fours and back to seated without help; Aidan does the same and will pull himself up from our laps to look me in the eye or admire Alli's jewelry), their animation when engaging us (better eye contact, a better sense of recognition, etc.) and their efforts to communicate (both are more verbal than ever).

The baby home doctor arrives while I am finishing and concurs with my evaluation of their improved development, remarking she scarcely recognized the children upon her return from a recent two-week absence from the baby home (during which she was on a business trip to the US). She states her opinion that approval of our petition for adoption of these two children is in the best interest of the children.

I'm directed to sit and Alli is asked to stand. She's asked first if she agrees with everything I have said in response to questioning. She's then asked if she is aware of the childrens' medical conditions, whether we've consulted with our doctors at home about their conditions and if we are prepared to seek immediate medical attention as required upon our return home. The representative from Gurandianship and Trustee Committee (Jana) introduces evidence of each child's medical conditions (we reviewed them during our medical review on June 10) and then evidence the children had been offered for adoption to the local citizenry but had been turned down because of their medical conditions. Alli is asked if we still want to continue with our petition for adoption, and questioning ends with whether she is willing and prepared to dedicate the time and make the sacrifices required to raise two children. Alli answers in the affirmative and Jana echoes the head doctor's earlier opinion re: the best interests of the children will be served by approval of our petition.

When questioning is concluded, Alli takes her seat and the judge reads into the record the contents of our file (as to the names of the documents, not the specific content of each). One of the last documents was added following the appearance of Molly's birth mother in court last week (you'll remember Aidan's mother did not appear and could not be loctaed). We are asked if we would like to see her picture, and we are shown a black & white photocopy of her driver's license.

We are asked to wait outside while the judge types her decision. Dr. Irina, head doctor from the baby home, extends her hand to each of us and offers her congratulations: The only words we can make out are "Mama" and "Papa." Jana, the representative from Guradianship & Trustee Committee (the body with jurisdiction over all orphans, among other interests) also extends her congratulations. When we return to chambers - all previously assembled - the judge reads her decision approving our petition and the prosecutor follows with several sentences affirming her consent in accordance with the laws of the government of Kazakhstan. Olesya says simply, "And so, congratulations," and we are parents! Fifteen years of marriage without children, fifteen months of paperwork & planning, evaluation & travel, visitation & legal proceedings have brought us to this moment and the emotions are overwhelming. Alli and I exchange a tear-filled hug, then hug Olesya, Dr. Irina and Jana. Still crying, we sign and date our acknoweldgement of the judge's decision and we are done. Olesya hands us a copy of the judge's decision (in Russian) and while Bob and Beth are in chambers, we photograph each other holding the decision beneath a sign bearing the judge's name.

When Bob and Beth are finished, it's photo time: one with each couple and Dr. Irina, Jana and the prosecutor, one with each couple and Olesya, then one with both couples and the judge and, finally, one with each couple and the judge. When we conclude, Olesya says what I'm thinking:
"I would like a cold beer!" We adjourn to a local shop for pastries and a beverage and a toast to the new parents. Olesya remarks we are the first group with whom she has ever worked who celebrated right after court! We adjourn @ 4 with plans to reconvene for dinner @ 6. Alli and I head straight for the internet cafe to share our great news via e-mail and a special Blog entry.

Dinner @ The Pancake Place and Dana joins our merry band. Pictures afterward (we press the waitress into service) then our nightly walk with Dana, during which we make plans for dinner and the soccer game tomorrow night. Bob and I agree to start the day in the gym at 8:30.

Back in the hotel, I spend the evening journaling while Alli sleeps. It has been a long and truly memorable day. I wake Alli so we can brush our teeth and go to bed. It's 11:30....

SPECIAL EDITION

Today we had our final court hearing. We convened in chambers at 2:00pm, recessed at 2:30pm and returned to chambers at 2:40pm for the judge's decision. The judge approved the adoption and declared we are the parents of Molly Claire Donohoe and Aidan Patrick Donohoe!! With tears in our eyes we hugged each other, Olesya, the head doctor of the baby home and the woman from Guardianship and Trustee Committee. Bob and Beth followed us at 3:00pm and were declared the parents of Nicholas Robert Meuser. It's a GREAT day in Kostanai.

After a quick celebration over beer and pastries we rushed to the Internet cafe to share the news. More celebrating at dinner tonight. New Blog entries tomorrow.

July 7th

Pat and Bob are off to the gym at 8:00am for an abs workout and ping pong. They will not be able to go to the gym on Friday because of the change in our schedule. We will visit the children at 8:00am on Friday since our hearing conflicts with our regularly scheduled visitation. I catch up on my journal and grab a shower. Hot and cold water today! Another tough day of ping pong for Pat. Bob takes the day 4-2 (after winning the first four) and leads the summer series 49-43.

Dana arrives at the hotel at 10:00am. We're walking to the soccer stadium to get tickets for Saturday's game. We are able to get the exact same seats as the previous game. Pat and Bob anticipate flag duty again. From the stadium we go to the small open air market. Bob and I want to buy nuts and dried fruit. I purchase almonds, dried apricots and candied pineapple rings. Outside the market a man is selling assorted items which are displayed on a blanket. Among his wares are soviet-era coins. We purchase two as does Bob. They are 1 ruble coins and are the size of a half dollar. We get back to the hotel and relax for a few minutes before our trek to the baby home.

The sky is overcast and the weather has become unseasonably cool. I'm wearing long pants, a fleece and a light jacket. Everyone we see on the street is bundled. So it's not just the baby home. We enjoy another good visit with the kids. Highlights include:

1) Molly head butts Nicholas in a tussle over the weeble doll

2) Very good day for Aidan - He laughs heartily while Olesya tickles hims with her finger nails and again while I hold him in my lap and brush the window treatments across his face. He also spends 15-20 minutes exploring Pat's face: Rubbing his fingers on Pat's whiskers. Putting his fingers in Pat's mouth, nose and ears and putting his mouth on Pat's mouth. This is a little boy who doesn't like sudden physical contact but allowed to explore and proceed at his own pace is very gentle and inquisitive.

3) Molly fusses a bit and walks around the inside of the baby home to wind down the visit.

And so another visit goes by. We pack up and take the kids back to their rooms. Gone are the days when we lay them down and they go right to sleep. We know this was too good to be true. They don't fuss though. They entertain themselves in their cribs.

We run errands with Olesya after our visit. We go to an office supply shop and have copies made of the attendance book we sign each day. These copies will go with us to court tomorrow. We also stop at the mall and Beth and I each select a plant for the judge. We make arrangements to meet Olesya at noon for lunch and say goodbye. Back to the hotel to drop off our stuff and then to the Internet cafe to quickly check email.

We meet Dana at the pizza place for dinner. She has to pass it on her way to our hotel and we thought it was silly for her to do the extra walking. We know our way around (even me!) after being here a month. We have a very nice meal. Nothing spilled or broken. We walk Dana 1/2 way home and get back to the hotel at 7:30pm.

Movie night at Bob and Beth's. We watch "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". Everyone enjoys the flick. We all have a busy day tomorrow. We turn in at 11:00pm.

July 6th

We went to bed last night with no water and awoke to the same condition this morning. I'm very discouraged: On the heels of the power problem on Sunday and no cold water on Monday, I've had my fill of utility issues for one week. Bob and I are heading for the gym, so I pack a bag to shower there....

When we arrive, the woman at the front desk spots my bag and communicates to me they have no water either. Somehow, I feel better knowing it's not just the hotel. Bob and I work out and play ping-pong. He gets the better of me again today 6-3 and now leads 45-41 overall.

Back at the hotel, still no water: can't shower, can't flush but can brush our teeth since we don't use tap water for that. I dump bottled water over my head for a "shower" - amazing how cold water at room temperature feels when dumped over one's head. Alli and I journal, read and eat breakfast - yogurt and bananas - before Beth and Bob knock at 12:15.

It's alternately sunny and cloudy/threatening on the walk to the baby home. At one point, a few big drops have us considering breaking out the umbrellas if not looking for a bus, but we walk on and make it there high and dry. The kids are outside: Considering the clouds, cool temperature and threat of rain, this is surprising. As I've mentioned earlier, however, we don't have the kids inside or outside vis-a-vis the weather thing quite figured out yet....

Molly is eating when I arrive. I busy myself playing with three other children in the playpen while the care-giver finishes giving Molly her lunch and dressing her. The little ones enjoy holding onto my fingers while they stand, and one takes a shining to my watch. Bottom line: They enjoy a little extra attention whenever they can get it, which despite the best efforts of the care-givers is not often enough. Molly's dressed in long pants, long-sleeved top, coat and hat with ear flaps! She looks very cute, if somewhat less mobile than usual. It begins to rain as we prepare to move from the outside room to the marbel room, so her care-giver throws a blanket over the two of us.

Bob and Beth are under their umbrella with Nicholas, then Bob goes back for Alli and Aidan. The boys are bundled in long-sleeved/long-pants sleepers, flannel pants and coats with caps. It's NOT cold, just cooler than it has been, but the children are always dressed on the warm side of cautious.

With everybody playing nicely in the marble room and the rest of the children outside, Bob and I sneak away to videotape the kids' indoor accommodations. Aidan's room is locked at first, but Mama Galena, his head care-giver, unlocks the door for us and agrees to let us film (she would likely not agree - and we would not ask - if the children were around, as taking photos or filming other children is strongly discouraged). I film the general play/eating area and the sleeping room as well as the wash room, etc. I do the same in Molly's room and find our new friend Cate there with the little boy she hopes to adopt (Daniel). We visit briefly and I take a picture of them with her camera.

Aidan's having another good day. He's happy sitting with either one of us or crawling around and playing. While I'm gone, Alli reports, he talks animatedly to Beth's shirt; after I return, he cracks himself up running his fingers through the carpet. Surprisingly, Molly fusses a bit, so it's off to the Snuggli for her. Alli does the honors, and they return just as we are packing up for the day. Everyone is bundled for the return trip to the outdoors. At the care-giver's direction, I leave Molly in the playpen, and Alli puts Aidan in his crib.

We bus home with Olesya, then Alli and I head to the internet cafe. Dana is there, as are Cate and her facilitator Zhanat, and Bob & Beth join us momentarily. Alli and I Blog - July 4 & 5 - and read/answer e-mail. It's good to hear from Kristen....

Dinner with Dana @ 6. We are determined to try Baron Munchausen's again. Dana called during the day and received assurances they would open at six. It's raining hard enough for umbrellas as we set out for the block-and-a-half walk and continues to rain while we stand on the porch outside the locked door of the restaurant at 6:10. We knock twice: no answer, though we can see employees setting tables. Dana calls on her cell and tells them we are waiting in the rain. The reply: We are setting tables and will open when we are finished. See you later Baron Munchausen: We're off to the Russian Pub. Beth starts the meal by spilling her entire glass of Coke in my lap, but other wise we enjoy another nice meal (this time with live music: a pianist and a viola player) @ one of our favorite places.

We walk Dana half-way and return to the hotel to find water - cold, certainly, and the first trickle of warm. Alli reads, I sleep through a Bundesliga match - Bremen v Rostock - then wake for Barcelona v Racing and a little bit of journaling. Outside there is thunder, lightning - and fireworks(!) following a political rally on the mall across the street. I wake Alli for the fireworks, then she gets a few cookies and goes back to sleep. Bob and I are going to the gym tomorrow morning, as Friday's schedule has been changed to include a morning visit with the kids ( 8 AM for the boys and 8:15 for the princess) in light of our afternoon court times (2 & 3 PM). It's lights out at midnight.

July 5th

The alarm goes off at 8:00am. Pat and Bob are going to the gym for ping pong only today. Beth and I have pedicures. My appointment is at 9:00am and they're ready for me when I arrive. I remember to bring a book to read. No Russian Cosmo this visit. I select a shade of red for my toes. Beth arrives at 10:30am and I stay and chat with her until my nails dry. I find Pat back in the room. Bob had the better of the play this morning beating Pat 9 games to 2. The cosmos is out of order once again. The summer series now stands at 39-38 with Bob in the lead. Pat showers while I eat breakfast. There is no cold water.

We enjoy another walk to the baby home in beautiful weather. We arrive and hear the children outside. On our way to their rooms we see a woman walking with a baby in her arms. She looks up and says Hello in English. We stop to say hello and introduce ourselves. Her name is Kate and she is from Nashville. Her little boy's name is Daniel. His is in Molly's room. Pat thinks it is the little guy we refer to as the sumo wrestler. This is Kate's second trip to Kostanai. She has a three year old son at home who she adopted from the baby home when he was 14 months old. We tell her where we're staying and invite her to dinner this evening. She's familiar with the hotel and would like to join us.

Molly is seated at a tiny table when I arrive. She has been fed and is ready to go. We walk next door to see what's going on in the boy's room. Nicholas is finishing his lunch. Aidan is in his daddy's arms dressed and ready to go. Off to the marble room. Our Molly is very pleasant again today. She gabs away and puts all of her toys in her mouth. She makes a few unsuccessful attempts at her brother's hair. She laughs heartily when I tickle her belly. Our little boy is also happy today. He crawls around and climbs on his daddy. He laughs when I unbutton the front of his sleeper and tickle his belly. We get out the motrin bottle. Aidan is mildly interested. It appears to have lost its magic. All goes well until Aidan crawls across the room, loses his balance and bops his head on the floor. He wails away and we see tears for the first time. Pat holds him on his shoulder and walks him around. The wailing stops. I should mention that while Aidan was wailing Molly was doing the same wiggle that she does when we sing to her. Music to her ears perhaps? It's 2:30pm and time to go. Pat hands Aidan to me while he packs up. Aidan puts his head on my chest and closes his eyes. He's out. We take him back to his room and put him in his crib and he continues to slumber away. I put Molly in the group playpen as instructed by the caregivers. I lay her on her belly and she promptly rolls over onto the head of the child next to her. The baby wails. I find another spot for Molly and a toy for the other child and sneak out the door. We say goodbye to Olesya. Andre picks her up and takes her to the salon for a pedicure. We walk back to the hotel.

Internet cafe this afternoon. We both post an entry and check email. We stop at the bookstore on the way back to the hotel. We need new journals. The ones we brought are filled. We also stop at an outdoor produce stand and buy bananas.

Kate is in Bob and Beth's room when we get back. Dana arrives and we walk to the restaurant - mushroom soup place tonight. The weather is nice and we find a table outside in the patio courtyard. Dinner is very good and the conversation enjoyable. Pat and I have 2 Baltika 7s each. Only one mishap to report. We're seated on plastic patio chairs. As dinner winds down Bob leans his elbow on the arm of his chair. CRACK! The arm breaks. The waitress rushes to our table to speak with Dana. We already know what she is saying. We'll have to pay for the chair. What we don't know is how much. Restaurant menus here include a page which lists the cost of items (glasses, plates, etc.) should you happen to break something. This will cost Bob 2,000 TT (about $15). Bob vows never to return.

We walk Dana home. Kate joins us. We're back at the hotel by 8:30pm. Pat writes in his journal and I doze on the bed. I wake up just long enough to eat an ice cream bar. Lights out for good at 12:30am.

July 4th

No flags or cookouts or fireworks here, but Happy Independence Day to everyone!

Bob and I start the day at the gym. After an hour of lifting and exercises, we're ponging by 9:30. Play is much more even than during our last outing: I take the day 6-5 and lead the series 36-30.

After I return to the hotel, Alli and I go to the park to read for a while before getting ready to walk to the baby home. The daycare/summer school group we've seen before is back again: The kids are very cute, but it is clear the teacher has her hands full, particularly with one little girl who, despite her skirt, purse and pigtails wants nothing more than to be one of the boys. As the other girls are sitting quietly playing dolls and chatting among themselves, little miss tomboy is quite the sight tearing around after the boys (while they drive their cars around the edge of the fountain) and lifting her skirt up over her head! And the entire group of them can't seem to stay away from the four older gentlemen playing a board game under the gazebo. The older kids know they shouldn't be there and keep a watchful eye out for the teacher, scattering quickly at the first sign of her approach, but out intrepid wannaboy gets caught red-handed every time....

It's a beautiful day, sunny with a nice breeze, and we enjoy our walk to our visit with the kids. Everyone is outside today. Molly is glad to see me when I arrive: She has not been fed yet and appears wet through her diaper and pants. I spring into action: She's naked and I'm half-way through a fresh diaper when the care-giver comes over to investigate. Upon further review, she might have been wet from having sat in something, but I need the practice. We pick out a pink onesie and a little bonnet. The care-giver laughs at Papa, who is struggling to tie the bonnet because it is on backward! The care-giver feeds Molly while I play with the other kids, then we're off to the marble room.

Molly's string of sunny days continues, while Aidan's blues persist. Luckily, Alli hits on a new toy: a small container of Motrin. Aidan laughs as if it were the funniest thing he's every seen, giggling so continuously he's soon out of breath. We get some great video! Capitalizing on his first good mood in three days, we saddle up the Snugglis and take both kids outside. Once again they are quite content: They appear to be comfortable in the Snugglis and more than sufficiently amused with everything we encounter on our walk. It's a great way to close a good visit.....

We bus back with Olesya: we get off near the hotel, and she continues home. We have our pre-trial hearing today at 5:30, and she asks us to be ready in the lobby of the hotel by 5 so we have plenty of time to walk there and arrive early. Alli and I grab a quick nap from 4 to 4:30 and all are dressed in our best by 4:55. Olesya is in the lobby when we walk downstairs and we're off.

The walk is not long - maybe ten minutes - but it's warm in the afternoon sun and warmer still in a suit and tie. The good news is we will meet the judge and prosecutor in chambers. The bad news is chambers are on the fourth floor of a building without either air conditioning or elevator. We're sweating profusely in the hallway outside chambers at 5:15, and we're invited in around 5:40. The four of us sit in straight-back chairs against a wall opposite the judge's desk. Between the judge and us sits the prosecutor, perpendicular to both the judge and us. Olesya sits across the desk from the prosecutor. A doctor from the baby home sits at a desk behind Olesya. So you can picture this better, from the judge's perspective (she is the twelve o'clock position), we are at six o'clock facing her, the prosecutor is at 3 o'clock facing Olesya at 9 o'clock.

The judge, the prosecutor and the baby home doctor are women, so Bob and I are the only men in the room. The judge and the doctor are Kazakh; the prosecutor is fair and probably Russian. The judge welcomes us and introduces herself and the prosecutor. She has our large files on her desk and decides to begin with us, specifically me. She asks several factual questions - my date of birth (she congratulates me on my birthday the previous day then congratulates us all on our independence day holiday), the date of our marriage, the date we arrived in Kostanai and the date we first met our children - then asks a series of more probing questions re: adoption - why we decided to adopt, why we chose Kazakhstan, why we are adopting two children at one time, from whom will their primary care come, whether we have carefully considered the responsi- bility that comes along with raising children and how much our lives will change as a result, etc. I remember to look at her while she is questioning me and when I am answering her- though she is more often than not reading from our file or making notes from the last reply - and look at Olesya only while she is translating. I'm nervous - and still sweating - but I think I answered as asked and well. Alli is next. She gets similar factual questions - including her birthdate and our marriage date (luckily we got our stories striaight on that one! - and the judge also asks whether Alli is up to the challenges of motherhood, who will help her if needed and how our families feel about our decision. Ironically, the judge closes her questioning of Alli with an admonition that her nightclub days are over. (Have their paths crossed in Key West or New Orleans...?) We receive our final court data and time - Friday July 8 at 2 PM - and sign an acknowledgement of same.

Bob and Beth are questioned similarly, and when the judge has finished, the prosecutor asks the boby home doctor several broad questions about our visitations. Bob and Beth receive their court date, too: Friday the 8th at 3 PM. I believe this is the best we could have hoped for and we are pleased. Olesya thanks us for the good answers we gave to the judge's questions. It is we who should thank her for her preparation.

After court, a quick change and we're off to dinner. We had thought Olesya might join us, but she decides to head home. We don't want to drag Dana out, so we decide to try The Dom on our own. The waitress recognizes us and brings the English menu over: Good. Our waitress does not read English: Bad. We convey several choices successfully (salads, beef stroganov and their "scrambled vegetables") but we strike out with french fries and mashed potatoes. As Bob had planned on a meatless meal, this leaves him staring at the prospect of no more than vegetables for dinner. We inquire about shishkabob: Our waitress does not appear to recognize the word. I point to the grill where the kabobs are prepared: A smile of recognition means we're halfway home. Now, how to convey pork instead of chicken...? While Alli pages through her phrase book I take action and perform what I believe to be a more than passable pig imitation. Gales of laughter ring out and our order is complete. We cross our fingers that she properly translates my snorting and grunting and, voila!, we have pork shishkabobs five minutes later. Our first dinner on our own is a success!

Back to the hotel for leftover birthday cake and a movie: The Italian Job, a loaner courtesy of Olesya. Post-movie, Alli reads and I journal on the last page remaining in the book I brought with me (courtesy of our MC). Bob and I agreed to go to the gym for ping-pong only tomorrow.
Lights out at 1 AM.

July 3rd

Happy Birthday Pat (and Mom in OC)! We get up at 8:30am and get ready for Mass. We lose power as I'm drying my hair. Pat looks out in the hallway and sees that the lights are still on. Beth peeks her head out her room. Their lights are out too. She was also drying her hair. Hmmmm. Andre is outside the hotel waiting for us. He drops us in front of the church. Dana is waiting for us. We go in and the church is crowded. Dana and I squeeze into a pew in the back and Pat, Bob and Beth find seats a few rows in front of us. The woman Olesya knows from the Ministry of Education is sitting at the end of our pew. The woman next to me hands me a song book. Mass begins and there is a different priest celebrating this week. We had hoped to talk to the priest that we've had for the last three weeks - Father Stanislov we think. I warn Dana about the blessing with holy water. The priest comes around with a medium size broom and dips it in holy water at every pew. We get drenched. When its time for communion the woman from the Ministry signals for me to go with her. She also signals to Pat, Bob and Beth as we pass their pew. We are able to receive communion again this week. We wait around for a few minutes after Mass but the priest does not come out. Pat asks one of the nuns (through Dana) where Father Stanislov is. He is in Astana and will return tomorrow. He will be at Mass next week. She gives Pat his cell phone number in case we would like to call. We'll wait until next week to speak with him. We say hello to the woman from the Ministry. We ask Dana to properly introduce us which she does. "I recognize you from the photos in your files" the Ministry woman tells us. We say goodbye to Dana. We'll see her later today. Bob has an appointment to get his hair cut at 5:00pm. Dana will go with him to explain to the stylist how he would like to have his hair cut. We are going to the Knights Castle from dinner to celebrate Pat's birthday. Andre takes us back to the hotel. We hope that the power is back on. It is not so we inform the girl on our floor. We call her down to our room and show her that the lights don't work. OK she says. They will have someone come take a look.

After a quick bite for breakfast we walk to the baby home. The children are inside. My turn to get Molly. I get to her room and she is laying on her belly in the group playpen. She sees me from across the room. Her face lights up and she begins to wiggle. She recognizes me. I ask if she has eaten and she has not. I get to do the honors. Lunch looks to be a mixture of apple sauce, pureed beets and ground meat. Molly eats every bite and drinks all of her juice. I wash her face and dress her in a pink onsie. I grab a pair of socks and hat and we go. We find the others in the marble room. Pat tells me that he found Aidan standing in the playpen when he went into his room. This is a first. He also tells me that Aidan sneezed when he picked him up and drenched his shirt. Molly is very pleasant today. She plays happily with us and her toys. Aidan alternates between happy and grouchy. Not much in between. Pat sits with him in his lap. Aidan begins to grunt loudly and is making a funny face. Something is going on. Happy Birthday Daddy. A special present for you!! I change him and he fusses as I do so. We load him in his Snugli and Pat takes him for a walk. This seems to make him happy. Molly and I hang out and play. Pat and Aidan return and we pack up. I take Molly back to her room and put her in her crib. I pat her back and tell her that we love her. She turns to look at me as I go. I meet the others out front. Pat put Aidan in his crib but he didn't appear ready for a nap. We start to walk home from the baby home and it begins to pour. Luckily we are near a bus stop and we hop on a bus.

We go to the Internet cafe after our visit. Pat updates the Blog and I check email. I head back to the hotel and leave Pat to finish his posting. I meet Dana and Beth at the hotel. Dana is taking me to buy birthday cards for Pat. Beth is going to buy a cake for Pat. We finish our errands and meet Pat and Bob back at the hotel.

We walk to the Knights Castle. The sun is shining again. We have an excellent meal. Dana and I have beef, Pat and Beth have pork and Bob has ribs. Dancers perform several numbers and two young men sing popular music. In between a DJ plays music and we dance. Dana makes a charming toast to Pat. Beth and I also make toasts. We all head back to the hotel for cake. Dana has a gift for Pat. Olesya made a special trip into town earlier to give Pat a gift. A memorable birthday I would say. The festivities end and 9:30pm. Dana will walk home since she had a big meal and had a piece of cake. Watching her form of course. We head back to our room. I read and Pat watches soccer. Another great day in Kostanai. We turn in around midnight.

July 2nd

Up and at 'em at 8 AM. Alli showers, I shower and shave. Our cleaning girl arrives promptly at 9 and begins with the bathroom. She's interrupted twice to help serve breakfast to other guests. I actually make the bed while she is gone for the second time because we must be in the room while she cleans, but we don't want to be in the room past 10 AM if we can help it (we're going to the open air market at 10). She's finishing with the vacuuming as Dana arrives to take us shopping.

It's VERY warm again today. Bob and I do a little videotaping for a flavor of the market: very tight quarters; long narrow aisles of kiosks and booths (average size about 12' x 12'); and on this day, very little air moving. Bob and Beth buy Russian dolls, Beth buys sneakers (though she has trouble finding her size - size 8), Alli and I buy toys for the kids and a babushka for Molly, and I buy two nice shirts (Nike and Adidas) for about 1300 TT (about $10) each. At 12:40 we leave the market and walk to the baby home.

Wow, is it hot! It's as warm a day if not warmer than any day thus far. It's a relief to walk into the long, dark, cool corridors of the baby home. (They don't have air conditioning, but they open doors at the ends of the hallways to create a pleasant draft & generally turn out all unnecessary lights.) Molly's dressed and ready when I arrive - a nice sleeveless onesie & socks - and she's in a great mood. We stop to visit the rolly, poly bell doll and I decide to take it to the marble room with us. The doll is a big hit with Molly and Nicholas, but Aidan appears somewhat disconcerted: The doll is as tall standing as he is seated and weebles relentlessly into his personal space, and he lacks his sister's charming knack for sending it pinwheeling across the room. Aidan is not having a good day overall. In contrast to Molly, who is boisterously chatting and fully engaged in playing, Aidan's grumpy and pretty unhappy with just about everything. I decide to invoke the magic of the Snuggli, and it works like a charm. He and I wander the halls, visit with the women baking bread, and stop to chat with one of his care-givers. While we never get so far as a smile, he stops grumping and seems content with the diversion.

It rains quite hard for about five minutes during our visit, but the rain does nothing to alleviate the heat and appears to increase the humidity. On the walk home, dark clouds gather to our left and a cool breeze picks up. Fearing the impending storm, the four of us cancel plans for grocery shopping and the internet cafe in favor of napping in our air conditioned rooms. The rain never comes....

Dana, however, arrives promptly at 5:30. We decide to try a new place for dinner: We named it the pancake place when we poked our heads in the other night after eating across the street at the pizza place. The pancake place has a full menu (soup, salad, entrees and desserts) and offer two pages of pancakes (crepes) in combinations/varieties of fruit, vegetable and meat & cheese. Beth & Alli get dumplings in personal-size crock pot (Beth gets salad and ham & cheese crepes, Alli gets salad and a side of rice with mushrooms), Bob abd I get crepes with jam and chicken (two delicious drumsticks) with vegetables & pineapple. Alli and I split three Tyan Shan beers: another nice meal! The staff (we think it's a family-run business) are very nice and encourage us to come back again.

On the 1/2 way walk home with Dana, we get caught in a bit of a downpour and see two rain- bows, one over top of the other, the lower of which touches down not more than a block away in the street on which we are walking. Bob and I get a couple of good photos.

Alli and I head to the Gros for tissues and bath soap, then it's back to the hotel for laundry night. I write in my journal and Alli reads. Church tomorrow: We'll be praying for success in our pre- trial hearing on Monday and a date in the not too distant future for our final court appearance. Dana is joining us at church so we can speak with the priest. We plan to take the camera along for shots of the church and, maybe, a group photo.

Tomorrow is July 3. Alli is doing the Blog for July 3, so I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM today. In addition, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY UNCLE MUTTY.

July 1st

Off to the gym at 8. We're ping-ponging by 9 and it's clear in the early going today is my day. Our plan is to play 13 games - Bob's "lucky number" - but the game tally is 3-0 in my favor after just ten minutes and at 6-1 in games, we revise from 13 to 11. Final game tally: Pat 9 and Bob 2. Summer series scoreboard: Pat 30 and Bob 25. Order has been restored to the cosmos.

After the gym, Alli and I head for the park to do a little reading. Moments after we arrive, we hear what sounds like marching band music. We wander over to the plaza near the statue of
"The Smart Guy" to find what appears to be a high school band playing while similarly young people wearing matching t-shirts and caps and carrying signs, banners and flags gather. On a small stage behind a bank of five or six microphones, a young man (no older than 18-19) leads the gathering crowd in several cheers and songs. The band plays - including the movie theme from The Godfather (more on that later) - and several numbers feature audience participation.
The band applauds the audience, who respond in kind with the "We Are Good" cheer we heard
at the soccer game the other night. It's beautifully sunny and very warm: Signs and banners are soon used for shade. At 11:15, a contingent of government officials arrives - including the head of the Kostanai Region, the leader (mayor) of Kostanai town and several others (a similar group to that which we saw at the graduation ceremony a few weeks back). Speeches ensue and we leave around 11:30 so we can eat a quick brunch - yogurt and cereal - and get ready for our walk to the baby home, which today will include videotaping....

The attempt to capture the sights and sounds we experience every day on our walk to and from the baby home makes the walk seem to fly by. It's interesting to decide what to film, what to try to convey in terms of some flavor for this country and its people. On the way, Alli and I decide we will take the kids for a walk in their Snugglis and videotape the exterior of the baby home, too.

Alli grabs Molly and I get Aidan. It was VERY warm on the walk over and I cringe as the care- giver dresses Aidan in a long-sleeve/long-pants one piece sleeper with socks. There's no fight- ing city hall in any language here, though, so we quietly sweat our way to the marble room for a brief period of play before heading outside. The kids enjoy the ride and, with the sun peeking in and out of the gathering clouds, Mom and Dad enjoy it too. Molly helps with the narration in a couple of places on the video, which includes footage of the kids' outdoor living quarters and the various gardens around the grounds.

After our visit, we return on the bus with Olesya: She and Bob head off for the open air market (the one with the better selection of foods), while Beth, Alli and I go to the internet cafe. Beth finishes early and returns to the hotel. Alli is done with her Blog entry (June 30) and a quick check of e-mail @ 4:30 and hurries back to the hotel for her 5 PM full-body massage appoint- ment. She's nervous as she heads off: She's never had a massage like this before and the woman will likely not speak any English. I'm anxious for her full report later....

I finish my Blog entry (June 29) and reply to a couple of e-mails. As I'm wrapping up, I notice the woman next to me is reading MSN's website in English! Not sure of the protocol concerning eavesdropping on one's neighbor's monitor, I take a shot and ask if she's American. She is, her name is Tanya ("... fits right in here.." she tells me), she is from Colorado and is in Kostanai with the Peace Corps. She's been here for more than a year, inquires about how our process is going and expresses her relief that things are going well for us, as she has heard more than one story about things not going very well for others. She's nearing decision time on whether to go home or re-up for another year. I hope we'll see her again whatever she decides.

Back at the hotel, the door to our room is closed and Alli is not in Bob and Beth's room. Olesya had told Alli the massage could take up to ninety minutes, and not wanting to interrupt, I hand out with Bob and Beth. At 6:30 I hear what I think is our door closing and call the phone in our room. Alli answers: The masseusse just left and Alli feels wonderful. She comes next door to fill us in: Beginning with her scalp, the woman - who also works at the baby home (yes, the babies get massage therapy!) and from whom Olesya gets her massages - massaged every limb, joint and muscle from head to toe. Alli's apprehension melted away, replaced by relaxation and rejeuvenation. The fee for a ninety minute full-body massage? 2000 tenghe including tip (or about $15)!!!!

Dinner at The Dom: pork shishkabob! Dana stops by @ 6:50 breathless with news: Bob had wanted to have a photo of Nicholas reproduced in a drawing, and Dana noticed an artist in the park on her way to the hotel. On our walk to the restaurant, we stop by to see the artist - he tells Bob (through Dana) he'll need 15-20 minutes. We go across the street to the restaurant and place our order. Bob and Dana go back to the park and return moments later with the drawing (charcoal, I think) just as our food begins to arrive at the table.

Following dinner, we walk Dana 1/2-way home and return to the hotel. While Alli's napping, I slip out at 10 PM to film the phenomenon of bright daylight at that late hour. Back in the room at 10:30, I get Alli her nightly bedtime snack - ice cream bar tonight - and continue reading The Da Vinci Code. We're having our room cleaned tomorrow morning at 9 and Dana is coming to take us to the open air market (the one known better for its clothing and other wares) at 10. Lights out at midnight with the alrm set for 8....

Almost forgot: the Godfather music.... You might recall that on the very first day we arrived in Kostanai, after we were met at the airport and whisked to the baby home, we were introduced to Dr. Irina, head doctor of the home and, as alluded to previously, quite an imposing woman. The four of us were seated on one side of a table with Olesya and Dr. Irina and a woman from the Ministry of Social Work (or something like that) were seated on the other. Dr. Irina was asking us some fairly basic questions about ourselves and our decision to adopt, including whether we thought we would recognize our children when they were brought into the room. As we were working hard to answer her questions coherently following thirty hours of travel and very little sleep, and fearing a wrong answer might somehow jeopardize the process in some way, the radio audible behind the doctor began to play the theme music from The Godfather. Bob and I looked at each other like "What offer won't we be able to refuse...?" and to this day we laugh when we remember that moment.