Breakfast arrives at 8:00am. We eat and shower. We've volunteered to watch Sasha and Toby for an hour or so while Beth I makes her last trip to the baby home to pick up her 1 year old daughter Svetlana (Lana). They leave today for Almaty. They hope to leave for home on Friday. Beth I has been in Kostanai for 8 weeks. We pray that our stay won't be as long but only time will tell. We're glad that we have planned to stay for the duration. It's hard enough to leave Molly and Aidan each day. We can't imagine leaving the country without them.
Babysitting goes smoothly. I give the boys a banana for a snack. Pat hides behind a door and jumps out when the boys pass by. The room is filled with the laughter of little boys (and one big boy). Beth I returns with Lana. She is adorable. Dana has also arrived. We will take a bus to the open air market. Only Pat, Beth and I will be going. Bob woke up this morning with a nasty stomach bug caused most likely by something he ate or drank. He is down for the count. We've all tried to be careful and watch what we eat and drink. Odds are that we will all encounter a fate similar to Bob's during our stay. We'll cross our fingers.
The open air market is large and has many vendors selling clothes, fabric, shoes, rugs, knick-knacks and the likes. Althought I've never been, it has been described by others to resemble Rice's market in NJ. We mostly browse this first trip. I buy a Russian stacking doll for Molly. Dana inquires about pricing on a few items we're interested in. We're just looking for now. We'll have a better idea of what disposable income we have after we're here a few weeks. The good news is the there are cash machines here and we've seen signs for Western Union so we don't have to worry too much. We finish our shopping and take the bus back to the hotel. There we meet Olessya, Mary Ellen, Beth I, Sasha, Lana and Toby. Beth goes to her room to check on Bob. She reports back that he's been able to drink some apple juice. We all agree that this is a good sign. We walk to the restaurant for lunch. I have steamed dumplings (filled with ground beef and onions) with sour cream. They are delicious. We're running late after lunch and will take the bus to the baby home.
We arrive at the baby home and find the children outside in their outdoor rooms (we'll take pictures of these to bring home). Pat goes for Molly (Room 11) and Beth and I go for the boys (Room 12). The boys have not eaten yet so we will feed them. Aidan is in his crib looking drowsy. I pick him up and hug and kiss him. He is not quite awake. I wash my hands in the outdoor sink, put on his bib and sit down to feed him. Mama Natasha is there and Beth and I are nervous. Aidan is not really interested in eating at first. I try my best but soon his face, bib and neck are covered with his lunch. Beth is almost finished feeding Nicholas and Aidan still has half of his lunch left. I'm afraid that Mama Natasha will have to intervene and I begin to sweat. Aidan must have know because he begins to eat heartily and his plate is soon clean. He drinks all of his juice. He is such a sweet boy. I wash his face, neck, arms and hands. We're ready to go. Pat returns with Molly. She is bundled today. We head to the marble room. As soon as we arrive we strip the kids down to their onsies. Molly is chatty as usual. She really is a happy baby. She love to play with (eat) her toys. We help her stand to strengthen her ham hocks, I mean legs. Aidan is wide awake. He scoots around on the floor, sits and plays with toys, babbles, smiles and giggles. No one falls asleep. Olessya stops in so we can sign the book. The book is a record of our visitation. After the 14th day of visitation Olessya can apply for a court date. We find out that we will go to court twice. Once for a preliminary hearing and once for the actual hearing. Soon it is 2:30 and we dress the kids and take them back to their rooms. We kiss them, say goodbye and leave reluctantly. We walk back to the hotel. Olessya leaves from the baby home to take Beth I and Co. to the airport. We said our goodbyes earlier in the day. We will see them again. This experience creates a lasting bond. We've made arrangements to meet at 6:00 for dinner. We spend a few hours at the Internet cafe checking email (Tanks to everyone who has commented on the Blog or sent email. We cherish our contact with home.) and updating the Blog. We arrive back at the hotel at 5:55pm. Just in time for dinner.
Dinner this evening is at a place called Baron Munchausen. It is a German style restaurant complete with the head of a stuffed wild boar mounted on the wall. Our beer (Baltika 7) is served in a stein. I opted for just salad and soup. They have great salads here. Not the typical lettuce and vegetable salads we're used to. Many interesting combinations. My salad tonight has apples, cheese and almond slivers in a yogurt sauce with a hint of lemon. Very tasty. The group seems small. There are only five of us. Mary Ellen's husband Brian arrives on Friday (they live on a horse farm in Dover, DE). The will be leaving with their 2 1/2 year old daughter Sabina on Tuesday. The will go to Almaty and then back to the states on Friday. This seems to be the norm. After dinner we go to the Gros and get some ice cream. We arrive back at the hotel at 8:00pm. I've been writing ever since. It's nearly 10:00. Olessya will meet me at the hotel tomorrow at 8:50 to take me to my 9:00 pedicure.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Monday, June 13, 2005
June 13th
Pat and Bob leave for the gym at 8:00am today. I eat my porridge and take a shower. Olessya knocks on the door at 9:30. She asks if we would like to have our room cleaned. I tell her yes. The young woman from our floor changes the sheets and towels, dusts, cleans the bathroom, and runs the vacuum. I think "Who will do this when we get home?" Alas, the answer is us. Pat arrives back at hotel. He had a good workout and more importantly the ping pong tournament is now tied at 3 a piece. He informs me that Beth I is back from the baby home with Sasha and Toby. We walk down the hallway to her room. Toby is on the floor playing with a truck. He warms to us right away. Sasha plays off to the side and keeps his eye on us. Pat plays with Toby on the bed hitting him with pillows as he laughs away. This is too much for Sasha. He hops on the bed and is soon laughing too. The ice has been broken.
We have lunch at an outdoor cafe called the Dom. The boys are well behaved. They have been in the baby home most if not all of their lives. They seem to be adjusting well. After lunch we head to the baby home. We take the bus as we're running a bit late. Olessya comes with us. She has business at the baby home today. The bus ride is quick and costs 25 Tenge. We walk a short distance from the bus stop. I'm on Molly duty today. I find her room without getting lost (hurray!). She is in her crib. Her caregiver brings her out. She is stripped and run under the tub faucet. I am handed a naked girl. I put on her diaper and go into the other room to feed her. Ground meat and beet puree is the main course. Her beverage is boiled mixed fruit juice. She drinks this from a tin cup. She is a good eater (no surprise there!) and cleans her plate. I wash her face and dress her in a onsie. Olessya informed the caregivers earlier that we would like a blanket so that we can take the children outside. I put wool pants on Molly while the caregiver get the blanket. She returns and gestures for me to take the pants off. We leave with Molly in a onsie and babushka. No socks, no layers. Freedom at last! We find Pat and Aidan waiting for us at the door. We go outside and find Bob, Beth and Nicholas in the shade. We spread our blanket nearby. We play for a while. Molly does her standing exercises. She seems to be catching on. Aidan is content to be in his Daddy's arms. He falls asleeps as Pat walks around. He looks so peaceful. Olessya comes to find us at 2:25. She suggests that we try not to let the children fall asleep because it could effect their schedule. We'll take her advice and try and keep them awake during future visits. We kiss our babies and take them back to their rooms. We take the bus back to the hotel. When we get off the bus Olessya goes into a salon and makes an appointment for the ladies to get pedicures (is anyone really still worried about us??). We drop our stuff at the hotel and head to the Internet cafe. There are no computers available in the one we usually visit. We try another place we were shown and get a computer. There is only time to check email before we're expected back at the hotel for dinner.
We eat dinner at a Bavarian restaurant in town. We walk from the hotel. Sasha and Toby are with us. I sit next to Toby and I am responsible for supervising the meal. All goes well. Dinner is good. Afterwards we go to the park. There are rides there. Pat accompanies Toby on the children's merry-go-round. There is no barfing involved. We all go back to Beth I's room. I take Toby to the bathroom and put on a pull-up for bedtime. Beth I puts a Clifford the Big Red Dog DVD in her laptop. The boys sit in her bed under their blankets to watch. The hope is that they will fall asleep. They've had a busy day today and will have an even longer one tomorrow. We say good night and head back to our room. Dana is coming tomorrow to take us to the open air market.
We have lunch at an outdoor cafe called the Dom. The boys are well behaved. They have been in the baby home most if not all of their lives. They seem to be adjusting well. After lunch we head to the baby home. We take the bus as we're running a bit late. Olessya comes with us. She has business at the baby home today. The bus ride is quick and costs 25 Tenge. We walk a short distance from the bus stop. I'm on Molly duty today. I find her room without getting lost (hurray!). She is in her crib. Her caregiver brings her out. She is stripped and run under the tub faucet. I am handed a naked girl. I put on her diaper and go into the other room to feed her. Ground meat and beet puree is the main course. Her beverage is boiled mixed fruit juice. She drinks this from a tin cup. She is a good eater (no surprise there!) and cleans her plate. I wash her face and dress her in a onsie. Olessya informed the caregivers earlier that we would like a blanket so that we can take the children outside. I put wool pants on Molly while the caregiver get the blanket. She returns and gestures for me to take the pants off. We leave with Molly in a onsie and babushka. No socks, no layers. Freedom at last! We find Pat and Aidan waiting for us at the door. We go outside and find Bob, Beth and Nicholas in the shade. We spread our blanket nearby. We play for a while. Molly does her standing exercises. She seems to be catching on. Aidan is content to be in his Daddy's arms. He falls asleeps as Pat walks around. He looks so peaceful. Olessya comes to find us at 2:25. She suggests that we try not to let the children fall asleep because it could effect their schedule. We'll take her advice and try and keep them awake during future visits. We kiss our babies and take them back to their rooms. We take the bus back to the hotel. When we get off the bus Olessya goes into a salon and makes an appointment for the ladies to get pedicures (is anyone really still worried about us??). We drop our stuff at the hotel and head to the Internet cafe. There are no computers available in the one we usually visit. We try another place we were shown and get a computer. There is only time to check email before we're expected back at the hotel for dinner.
We eat dinner at a Bavarian restaurant in town. We walk from the hotel. Sasha and Toby are with us. I sit next to Toby and I am responsible for supervising the meal. All goes well. Dinner is good. Afterwards we go to the park. There are rides there. Pat accompanies Toby on the children's merry-go-round. There is no barfing involved. We all go back to Beth I's room. I take Toby to the bathroom and put on a pull-up for bedtime. Beth I puts a Clifford the Big Red Dog DVD in her laptop. The boys sit in her bed under their blankets to watch. The hope is that they will fall asleep. They've had a busy day today and will have an even longer one tomorrow. We say good night and head back to our room. Dana is coming tomorrow to take us to the open air market.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
June 12th
(Pat's Entry)
Sunday, June 12
We've all remarked on the difficulty of telling one day from another. Our sense of time is distorted by a number of factors including our travel to get here (still not completely recovered), the time differences on the various legs of our journey, our attempts to correlate time here with time back home (for things like anticipating when you all might be reading these entries and when we might expect to hear back from you) and our still-evolving sleep patterns....
After "movie night" last night, we reviewed the collective film library provided by Bob and Beth and Beth 1, the latter of whom has "Groundhog Day." Beth 1 remarked her experience here has been very similar to the premise of the movie: Get up each day and relive the previous day. Breakfast is delivered to the room. Stroll, shop, go to the gym and otherwise pass the time until time for visiting the kids. Go see the kids for ninety minutes. Go to the internet cafe. Go to dinner and hang out before bed. Keep in mind: This has been her routine for nearly nine weeks, several of which she has spent alone, and ours for only a handful of days. NOTE: We are so thoroughly enjoying the experience and one another's company that "routine" should in no way imply boredom. But I think the analogy and/or allusion is effective....
Whew! A rather lengthy rumination whose point is quite simple: I am adding the day of the week to the date in my journal and blog entries as a way of keeping track of time....
We awake to breakfast at 6:50. Alli did change her breakfast order - from "continental" to hot porridge - but I don't believe she requested delivery an hour earlier than previously. At any rate, after breakfast and showers we meet Beth M, Mary Ellen and Andre - our driver - at 9:45 for 10 AM mass.
The church is all brick outside and appears to have been built recently. Inside, the walls are unfinished builder's grade plywood sheathing (no dry wall or trim), the pews are slatted benches of a kind one might see in a park, the kneelers match the pews in wood type and color and are uncovered. Everything is very simple. We arrive as exposition of the blessed sacrament is ending. The chapel is very tiny - perhaps 18 pews with seating capacity of five or six adults, nine on each side of a center aisle - and though it is not full, there is nowhere for the four of us to sit together. The girls find room for three and I go two pews farther toward the front (and, thank- fully, just a little closer to the oscillating fans providing cool air on a warm morning).
Mass is in Russian - Marry Ellen believes they also offer mass in Polish and German, and we learn later the priest is Polish. The rhythym of the mass is easy to follow - reading, response, reading, gospel, homily, consecration - but there is more singing than in our services and, of course, we understand nothing but the odd name here or there. Even the Our Father is sung in a tune with which I am not familiar, and I am done much earlier than the lay women and nuns sitting nearby. We do not take communion: Mary Ellen does not see the woman who vouched for her previously - a friend of Olessya's - so we don't want to risk being denied the sacrament.
Back to the hotel at 11:20. Time for a little journaling before leaving to see the kids at 12:15...
On the medical front, Alli has picked up a cold, and the queasy stomach she had yesterday is mine today. I'm self-medicating with Maalox and hoping it will do the trick. Last night was the first time we've slept through the night. Hopefully, we'll get on schedule here soon, which should help with the few medical conditions we've experienced. Of course, coughs and runny noses abound among the children, so we'll never be completely out of the woods.
The kids are great again today and everybody stays awake for the full ninety! The girls feed the boys and I go get Molly, who has already been fed. We stay inside - "the marble room" - and highlights include a VERY talkative little girl and a very active and mobile pair of little boys. Bob and I organize toy races to get Aidan and Nicholas scooting across the room, and we work everyday to get them all moving as much as possible: crawling, standing, whatever we can think of to encourage movement. Even Molly seemed inspired and more agreeable to standing - with Alli's assistance - against the couch (with her favorite teething toy within reach). Aidan enjoys standing with my fingers for stability. We get great video of both kids!
It's becoming more difficult to leave them every day. An hour and a half goes by so quickly. We are glad to know we will visit them every day regardless of where we are in the process (i.e. waiting for our court date, enduring the post-court waiting period, finalizing our paperwork in Kostanai, etc.).
After our visit, we go to the internet cafe from 3:30 to 5:45. We have had problems w/ slow processing and lost work over the last couple of days, but we persevere and have the blog updated through June 11 before leaving today. Still working out the details on how to send pictures....
Dinner tonight at "The Russian Pub." B&B, us, Beth 1, Mary Ellen and Dana are our party of seven. The big news: Beth 1 will have her son Alex (aka Sasha) with her in the hotel tomorrow in preparation for her hoped-for departure on Tuesday. (She won't have her daughter with her until a few hours before leaving for the airport.) Dinner is good, company and conversation enjoyable. Beth 1 and Mary Ellen take us through court questions and acceptable answers in more detail than our previous review with Olessya, and I anticipate more rehearsals before we do it for real.
Back to the hotel after dinner. Beth 1 formally relinquishes control of "The Box" to those of us staying behind. The box contains odds and ends bought here, brought here and otherwise left here by previous families: from hot plates to hair spray; cleaning products to clothesline; baby rubber pants and baby toys; paperback books and men's magazines. We are entitled to anything we need and entrusted with turning the remainder over to those who follow us. As of now, we've heard there might not be any more families until late September.
Bob and I are heading to the gym in the morning. Both B&B and we have requested room cleaning and fresh linens tomorrow. Alli does laundry in the bathtub for about two hours while your faithful scribe watches soccer: a Russian pro league game and Brazil v Nigeria. The clothes are hanging on clotheline strung across the bathroom, which could make for an interesting mid- night potty run.
Alli's asleep. I'm out. 23:37
Sunday, June 12
We've all remarked on the difficulty of telling one day from another. Our sense of time is distorted by a number of factors including our travel to get here (still not completely recovered), the time differences on the various legs of our journey, our attempts to correlate time here with time back home (for things like anticipating when you all might be reading these entries and when we might expect to hear back from you) and our still-evolving sleep patterns....
After "movie night" last night, we reviewed the collective film library provided by Bob and Beth and Beth 1, the latter of whom has "Groundhog Day." Beth 1 remarked her experience here has been very similar to the premise of the movie: Get up each day and relive the previous day. Breakfast is delivered to the room. Stroll, shop, go to the gym and otherwise pass the time until time for visiting the kids. Go see the kids for ninety minutes. Go to the internet cafe. Go to dinner and hang out before bed. Keep in mind: This has been her routine for nearly nine weeks, several of which she has spent alone, and ours for only a handful of days. NOTE: We are so thoroughly enjoying the experience and one another's company that "routine" should in no way imply boredom. But I think the analogy and/or allusion is effective....
Whew! A rather lengthy rumination whose point is quite simple: I am adding the day of the week to the date in my journal and blog entries as a way of keeping track of time....
We awake to breakfast at 6:50. Alli did change her breakfast order - from "continental" to hot porridge - but I don't believe she requested delivery an hour earlier than previously. At any rate, after breakfast and showers we meet Beth M, Mary Ellen and Andre - our driver - at 9:45 for 10 AM mass.
The church is all brick outside and appears to have been built recently. Inside, the walls are unfinished builder's grade plywood sheathing (no dry wall or trim), the pews are slatted benches of a kind one might see in a park, the kneelers match the pews in wood type and color and are uncovered. Everything is very simple. We arrive as exposition of the blessed sacrament is ending. The chapel is very tiny - perhaps 18 pews with seating capacity of five or six adults, nine on each side of a center aisle - and though it is not full, there is nowhere for the four of us to sit together. The girls find room for three and I go two pews farther toward the front (and, thank- fully, just a little closer to the oscillating fans providing cool air on a warm morning).
Mass is in Russian - Marry Ellen believes they also offer mass in Polish and German, and we learn later the priest is Polish. The rhythym of the mass is easy to follow - reading, response, reading, gospel, homily, consecration - but there is more singing than in our services and, of course, we understand nothing but the odd name here or there. Even the Our Father is sung in a tune with which I am not familiar, and I am done much earlier than the lay women and nuns sitting nearby. We do not take communion: Mary Ellen does not see the woman who vouched for her previously - a friend of Olessya's - so we don't want to risk being denied the sacrament.
Back to the hotel at 11:20. Time for a little journaling before leaving to see the kids at 12:15...
On the medical front, Alli has picked up a cold, and the queasy stomach she had yesterday is mine today. I'm self-medicating with Maalox and hoping it will do the trick. Last night was the first time we've slept through the night. Hopefully, we'll get on schedule here soon, which should help with the few medical conditions we've experienced. Of course, coughs and runny noses abound among the children, so we'll never be completely out of the woods.
The kids are great again today and everybody stays awake for the full ninety! The girls feed the boys and I go get Molly, who has already been fed. We stay inside - "the marble room" - and highlights include a VERY talkative little girl and a very active and mobile pair of little boys. Bob and I organize toy races to get Aidan and Nicholas scooting across the room, and we work everyday to get them all moving as much as possible: crawling, standing, whatever we can think of to encourage movement. Even Molly seemed inspired and more agreeable to standing - with Alli's assistance - against the couch (with her favorite teething toy within reach). Aidan enjoys standing with my fingers for stability. We get great video of both kids!
It's becoming more difficult to leave them every day. An hour and a half goes by so quickly. We are glad to know we will visit them every day regardless of where we are in the process (i.e. waiting for our court date, enduring the post-court waiting period, finalizing our paperwork in Kostanai, etc.).
After our visit, we go to the internet cafe from 3:30 to 5:45. We have had problems w/ slow processing and lost work over the last couple of days, but we persevere and have the blog updated through June 11 before leaving today. Still working out the details on how to send pictures....
Dinner tonight at "The Russian Pub." B&B, us, Beth 1, Mary Ellen and Dana are our party of seven. The big news: Beth 1 will have her son Alex (aka Sasha) with her in the hotel tomorrow in preparation for her hoped-for departure on Tuesday. (She won't have her daughter with her until a few hours before leaving for the airport.) Dinner is good, company and conversation enjoyable. Beth 1 and Mary Ellen take us through court questions and acceptable answers in more detail than our previous review with Olessya, and I anticipate more rehearsals before we do it for real.
Back to the hotel after dinner. Beth 1 formally relinquishes control of "The Box" to those of us staying behind. The box contains odds and ends bought here, brought here and otherwise left here by previous families: from hot plates to hair spray; cleaning products to clothesline; baby rubber pants and baby toys; paperback books and men's magazines. We are entitled to anything we need and entrusted with turning the remainder over to those who follow us. As of now, we've heard there might not be any more families until late September.
Bob and I are heading to the gym in the morning. Both B&B and we have requested room cleaning and fresh linens tomorrow. Alli does laundry in the bathtub for about two hours while your faithful scribe watches soccer: a Russian pro league game and Brazil v Nigeria. The clothes are hanging on clotheline strung across the bathroom, which could make for an interesting mid- night potty run.
Alli's asleep. I'm out. 23:37
Saturday, June 11, 2005
June 11th
Pat and Bob return from their morning walk to the baby home. It's about a 35 minute walk and easy to find. Beth I pointed out things of interest on the route and where the bus stops are in case the weather is bad. So far it has been beautifully sunny. We decide we will walk or take the bus in lieu of the car. We can save some money and get some exercise. We will begin today.
The walk to the baby home goes smoothly. It is warm out but the streets are lined with large trees and there is a good bit of shade. We have all remarked at how similar the trees and plants are to what we have at home. I don't know what we were expecting but it is nice to be in familiar surroundings. We go to find the children when we arrive. I look for Molly while Pat heads off with Beth and Bob to find the boys. I make my what to Molly's room. I say "Dobry Dyen" which is good afternoon. The caregivers and I communicate through gestures. I find out that Molly has she has eaten already. I let them know that we are staying indoors today so she does not need to be bundled (a babushka is still required). I leave with Molly and attempt to navigate to Aidan's room. The hallways are not lit very well and look similar. I get lost in the maze and we wander around for a few minutes not making any progress. I recognize one of the caregivers in one of the halls and ask for Artyom (this is Aidan's given name). She points me in the right direction and we find the others. We all play on the floor for a few minutes. I finally remember to video. Next it's time for Aidan to eat. Daddy's turn today. Pat does a good job shoveling lunch. Some assistance from Mama Natasha is required when Aidan becomes more interested in the boy being fed next to him than eating. I hold Molly on my hip and video tape the extravaganza. After lunch we take the children to the marble room. This is a small room with walls and a floor made of.....marble. Most of the floor is covered by a rug and there are several couches. We play with the children on the floor. We encourage movement and exploration. Aidan "crawls" around. He is quite mobile and is facinated by his surroundings. Molly plays, giggles and gnaws on her toys (she is teething). Both children are vocal today. Molly begins to grouse a bit, finds her thumb and falls asleep on my shoulder. She sleeps peacefully until the end of our visit. Pat plays with Aidan on the floor and in his lap. Aidan gets sleepy and Pat holds him as his eyes get heavy and he drifts off to sleep. We wonder if the children are not used to this much activity and are tired from playing. Or, maybe this is what 7 1/2 month old babies do. At 2:30 we take the kid back to their rooms. I get lost again after I drop Molly off. Somehow I stumble into Pat and Bob and Beth who are waiting in the lobby. Another visit has flown by. Back to the hotel.
When we arrive at the hotel we meet Dana. She teaches English to 16-17 year olds at a local school and is Olessya's weekend assistant. Dana is not associated with the baby home or adoption process. She is responsible for looking after us, making sure we have what we need, and taking us to dinner. She is 21 and a sweet girl. We go shopping at the mall then out to dinner. We go to a pizza place. The pizza is very good. It is made on flat, crispy bread and you can order many different toppings. It has cheese but no sauce. Pat and I try a Baltica 5 lager. It is quite nice. After dinner we stop at the Gros to pick up a few things. Bob buys ice cream for everyone (btw, ice cream is hugely popular here). We meet in Bob and Beth's room when we get back and watch a movie. Bob hooked up his DVD play to the TV. Bad Boys II was the evening's feature. The movie is over shortly before 11:00pm and it's still light outside. Off to bed. We have arranged to be picked up tomorrow at 9:45. There is a catholic church nearby and we will be attending the Russian mass (Polish and Ukranian are also offered at different times). We will only be able to receive communion if Olessya's friend is there to vouch for us.
The walk to the baby home goes smoothly. It is warm out but the streets are lined with large trees and there is a good bit of shade. We have all remarked at how similar the trees and plants are to what we have at home. I don't know what we were expecting but it is nice to be in familiar surroundings. We go to find the children when we arrive. I look for Molly while Pat heads off with Beth and Bob to find the boys. I make my what to Molly's room. I say "Dobry Dyen" which is good afternoon. The caregivers and I communicate through gestures. I find out that Molly has she has eaten already. I let them know that we are staying indoors today so she does not need to be bundled (a babushka is still required). I leave with Molly and attempt to navigate to Aidan's room. The hallways are not lit very well and look similar. I get lost in the maze and we wander around for a few minutes not making any progress. I recognize one of the caregivers in one of the halls and ask for Artyom (this is Aidan's given name). She points me in the right direction and we find the others. We all play on the floor for a few minutes. I finally remember to video. Next it's time for Aidan to eat. Daddy's turn today. Pat does a good job shoveling lunch. Some assistance from Mama Natasha is required when Aidan becomes more interested in the boy being fed next to him than eating. I hold Molly on my hip and video tape the extravaganza. After lunch we take the children to the marble room. This is a small room with walls and a floor made of.....marble. Most of the floor is covered by a rug and there are several couches. We play with the children on the floor. We encourage movement and exploration. Aidan "crawls" around. He is quite mobile and is facinated by his surroundings. Molly plays, giggles and gnaws on her toys (she is teething). Both children are vocal today. Molly begins to grouse a bit, finds her thumb and falls asleep on my shoulder. She sleeps peacefully until the end of our visit. Pat plays with Aidan on the floor and in his lap. Aidan gets sleepy and Pat holds him as his eyes get heavy and he drifts off to sleep. We wonder if the children are not used to this much activity and are tired from playing. Or, maybe this is what 7 1/2 month old babies do. At 2:30 we take the kid back to their rooms. I get lost again after I drop Molly off. Somehow I stumble into Pat and Bob and Beth who are waiting in the lobby. Another visit has flown by. Back to the hotel.
When we arrive at the hotel we meet Dana. She teaches English to 16-17 year olds at a local school and is Olessya's weekend assistant. Dana is not associated with the baby home or adoption process. She is responsible for looking after us, making sure we have what we need, and taking us to dinner. She is 21 and a sweet girl. We go shopping at the mall then out to dinner. We go to a pizza place. The pizza is very good. It is made on flat, crispy bread and you can order many different toppings. It has cheese but no sauce. Pat and I try a Baltica 5 lager. It is quite nice. After dinner we stop at the Gros to pick up a few things. Bob buys ice cream for everyone (btw, ice cream is hugely popular here). We meet in Bob and Beth's room when we get back and watch a movie. Bob hooked up his DVD play to the TV. Bad Boys II was the evening's feature. The movie is over shortly before 11:00pm and it's still light outside. Off to bed. We have arranged to be picked up tomorrow at 9:45. There is a catholic church nearby and we will be attending the Russian mass (Polish and Ukranian are also offered at different times). We will only be able to receive communion if Olessya's friend is there to vouch for us.
Friday, June 10, 2005
June 10th
The gym was terrific, though a 9AM workout after 8AM breakfast was too soon. I don't know whether it was the sit-ups, the rope jumping or the breakfast meats and cheeses, but I was feeling pretty barfy after about 45 minutes. I took it easy the last 15 minutes, then Bob and I played three games of ping pong. Bob won 2-1 and we decided to make a summer-long tournament out of it....
Today brings another change of plans: The medical records review we were told would take place on Monday will take place today instead. (Olessya called Beth M while Bob and I were at the gym.) Our marching orders: muster at 11:45, meetings with each couple individually beginning at 12 noon and visitation with the children to follow. Bob and Beth go first and emerge with good news: The review covers information from birth through the most recent updates in June, 2005 and includes all tests, measurements, vaccinations, illnesses, diagnoses and treatments. Dr. Irina and a very serious-looking Kazakh doctor go through all the paperwork in Russian, and Olessya translates for us. We are shown the paperwork, but it too is in Russian and we can't follow along. (We will receive copies translated into English by Olessya sometime next week.)
The updated stats on the kids: Molly weighs in at a robust 8 Kg (17.5 lbs) - we laugh when the doctor notes her hearty appetite - and measures 64 cm in length (2.54 cm to the inch, I'm told, for those of you interested in doing the conversion at home). Aidan is 7 Kg (a wee bit more than 15 lbs) and 65 cm long. For a frame of reference, Molly was 3 Kg, 350 g and 52 cm at birth and 5 Kg, 170 g and 54 cm when admitted to the baby home. Aidan was 3 Kg 200g and 53 cm at birth and 4 Kg 810 g and 57 cm when admitted to the baby home. The only news of any concern: Aidan has been diagnosed with an umbilical hernia. Interestingly, Bob and Beth's Nicholas has the same diagnosis, yet his belly button protrudes a good inch or more whereas Aidan shows no outward sign of his condition. In sum, both children are in "generally good health" and progressing normally, and Dr Irina makes a point of remarking the care givers consider them both nice children.
After the meetings, we all go to the boys' room. Aidan is more animated than in any of our previous visits. He responds when Alli says his name with motion and a big smile, and she gets a few giggles later when tickling his leg just above the knee. It's lunch time: Alli stays with Aidan and I'm off to feed Molly.
She's in a jump seat when I arrive: Hard to say if there's any real recognition - I get the fish eye as usual. But she's cooperative with my effort at feeding her a particularly attractive maroon mixture of something including what looks to be ground beef and beets and a shot glass - no joke, an actual shot glass - of some kind of broth. Apparently, I'm a little slow, however, and one of the care-givers takes over to finish the last 1/2 dozen spoon- fulls. After she gets a quick post-lunch wash up, we dress in the requisite two layers - appears to be the same pink sweater outfit as on the previous day, though with a smaller, cuter bonnet this time - and we set off to meet up with the boys.
Neither Aidan nor Nicholas is dressed, so I sit Molly on the floor. She sits up by herself but doesn't make a move to get to her belly or crawl. When the boys are dressed, everybody hits the floor on all floors. All prop themselves right up, and Aidan is the first to actually move. Nicholas looks up and all around, while Molly rocks in place. Rounds of applause for our wonderfully talented children!
It's 11:55 and our ride back to the hotel will be here at 2:10. We go outside where Aidan becomes very sleepy and Molly takes a shining to Alli's hair - death grips on two handfuls - and then to one of her new teething toys. Aidan likes to play with my beard and is more interested in my watch than his teether. At 2:10 we drop the boys in their outside room and I take Molly to her inside room.
We're back in the hotel at 2:30, off to the internet cafe at 3. Alli and I do Blog updates and answer e-mails. On our way back to the hotel, we see Olessya and Beth 1: Beth 1's paperwrok is complete, and they're on their way to get her airline tickets for the return home! Alli and I stroll around the park and one of the more residential areas adjascent to it from 5 to 6, and we meet the gang - Bob and Beth (B&B), Beth 1, Olessya and Mary Ellen, who has just returned today for the second of her two trips - at 7 for the ride to dinner at "The Kabob Place" (probably not the real name, but simpler for us Yanks.
Dinner is great. After Olessya patiently translates every item on the menu, we ordered salads, sides and a mixture of chicken and pork kabobs, which she writes out in Russian for the wait staff. After dinner there's dancing. Alli and I break the ice to a round of applause from our gang. Olessya asks me to dance - this after telling me earlier that I look younger in person than in our dossier photo - and she's pretty smooth on her feet for 29 weeks pregnant (get with the program Vegas!!). Eventually, everyone but Bob's Beth - claims she can't dance - and Mary Ellen (who has hit the traveling wall right in front of our eyes) makes an appearance on the dance floor. We're back in the hotel at 10....
It's now 11:25. Tomorrow, Bob and I will walk to the baby home with Beth 1, who walks every day at 7:25. She's adopting two children - I think I mentioned that earlier - of different ages, so she gets an hour and a half with her son and another with her daughter. The four of us will walk for our visit at 12:15.
We've made arrangements to go to church on Sunday: A Roman Catholic mass in Russian, though we might not be able to take communion without someone from the congregation to vouch for us. Mass is at 10, then we'll visit the kids at 1. Might do some shopping or sight seeing with Dana, the girl who takes Olessya's place on the weekends.
Alli's asleep and I'm fading. More tomorrow....
Today brings another change of plans: The medical records review we were told would take place on Monday will take place today instead. (Olessya called Beth M while Bob and I were at the gym.) Our marching orders: muster at 11:45, meetings with each couple individually beginning at 12 noon and visitation with the children to follow. Bob and Beth go first and emerge with good news: The review covers information from birth through the most recent updates in June, 2005 and includes all tests, measurements, vaccinations, illnesses, diagnoses and treatments. Dr. Irina and a very serious-looking Kazakh doctor go through all the paperwork in Russian, and Olessya translates for us. We are shown the paperwork, but it too is in Russian and we can't follow along. (We will receive copies translated into English by Olessya sometime next week.)
The updated stats on the kids: Molly weighs in at a robust 8 Kg (17.5 lbs) - we laugh when the doctor notes her hearty appetite - and measures 64 cm in length (2.54 cm to the inch, I'm told, for those of you interested in doing the conversion at home). Aidan is 7 Kg (a wee bit more than 15 lbs) and 65 cm long. For a frame of reference, Molly was 3 Kg, 350 g and 52 cm at birth and 5 Kg, 170 g and 54 cm when admitted to the baby home. Aidan was 3 Kg 200g and 53 cm at birth and 4 Kg 810 g and 57 cm when admitted to the baby home. The only news of any concern: Aidan has been diagnosed with an umbilical hernia. Interestingly, Bob and Beth's Nicholas has the same diagnosis, yet his belly button protrudes a good inch or more whereas Aidan shows no outward sign of his condition. In sum, both children are in "generally good health" and progressing normally, and Dr Irina makes a point of remarking the care givers consider them both nice children.
After the meetings, we all go to the boys' room. Aidan is more animated than in any of our previous visits. He responds when Alli says his name with motion and a big smile, and she gets a few giggles later when tickling his leg just above the knee. It's lunch time: Alli stays with Aidan and I'm off to feed Molly.
She's in a jump seat when I arrive: Hard to say if there's any real recognition - I get the fish eye as usual. But she's cooperative with my effort at feeding her a particularly attractive maroon mixture of something including what looks to be ground beef and beets and a shot glass - no joke, an actual shot glass - of some kind of broth. Apparently, I'm a little slow, however, and one of the care-givers takes over to finish the last 1/2 dozen spoon- fulls. After she gets a quick post-lunch wash up, we dress in the requisite two layers - appears to be the same pink sweater outfit as on the previous day, though with a smaller, cuter bonnet this time - and we set off to meet up with the boys.
Neither Aidan nor Nicholas is dressed, so I sit Molly on the floor. She sits up by herself but doesn't make a move to get to her belly or crawl. When the boys are dressed, everybody hits the floor on all floors. All prop themselves right up, and Aidan is the first to actually move. Nicholas looks up and all around, while Molly rocks in place. Rounds of applause for our wonderfully talented children!
It's 11:55 and our ride back to the hotel will be here at 2:10. We go outside where Aidan becomes very sleepy and Molly takes a shining to Alli's hair - death grips on two handfuls - and then to one of her new teething toys. Aidan likes to play with my beard and is more interested in my watch than his teether. At 2:10 we drop the boys in their outside room and I take Molly to her inside room.
We're back in the hotel at 2:30, off to the internet cafe at 3. Alli and I do Blog updates and answer e-mails. On our way back to the hotel, we see Olessya and Beth 1: Beth 1's paperwrok is complete, and they're on their way to get her airline tickets for the return home! Alli and I stroll around the park and one of the more residential areas adjascent to it from 5 to 6, and we meet the gang - Bob and Beth (B&B), Beth 1, Olessya and Mary Ellen, who has just returned today for the second of her two trips - at 7 for the ride to dinner at "The Kabob Place" (probably not the real name, but simpler for us Yanks.
Dinner is great. After Olessya patiently translates every item on the menu, we ordered salads, sides and a mixture of chicken and pork kabobs, which she writes out in Russian for the wait staff. After dinner there's dancing. Alli and I break the ice to a round of applause from our gang. Olessya asks me to dance - this after telling me earlier that I look younger in person than in our dossier photo - and she's pretty smooth on her feet for 29 weeks pregnant (get with the program Vegas!!). Eventually, everyone but Bob's Beth - claims she can't dance - and Mary Ellen (who has hit the traveling wall right in front of our eyes) makes an appearance on the dance floor. We're back in the hotel at 10....
It's now 11:25. Tomorrow, Bob and I will walk to the baby home with Beth 1, who walks every day at 7:25. She's adopting two children - I think I mentioned that earlier - of different ages, so she gets an hour and a half with her son and another with her daughter. The four of us will walk for our visit at 12:15.
We've made arrangements to go to church on Sunday: A Roman Catholic mass in Russian, though we might not be able to take communion without someone from the congregation to vouch for us. Mass is at 10, then we'll visit the kids at 1. Might do some shopping or sight seeing with Dana, the girl who takes Olessya's place on the weekends.
Alli's asleep and I'm fading. More tomorrow....
Thursday, June 09, 2005
June 9th
We slept much better last night. Our room has air conditioning so we were able to keep the windows closed. A knock on the door at 7:45am announces the arrival of breakfast. It is included in the price of our room and will be delivered everyday. Not too shabby. The phone rings. It is Olessya. There has been a change. We are to be at the baby home at 9:30. She and the drivers (Andre and Boom Boom) will pick us up at 9:15. This is fine with us!! We arrive at the baby home on time and are greeted by Dr. Irina. She will be our tour guide (Olessya will translate). Dr. Irina explains the history of the baby home and the children it cares for. She then shows us around. The children are divided into groups based on age. Each group has a large room where they play and are fed and a room where they sleep. The baby home currently cares for 98 children ages 3 and under. Children over 3 are cared for at another home. We are shown all of the different children's rooms. We recognize a few little faces in a couple of them. Molly and Aidan are not in the same room. There are two groups for children their age. Aidan is in the same room as Nicholas. We are also shown the kitchen, milk room (this is where they make formula and prepare and wash bottles), the infirmary, sauna and pool. The tour lasts for 30 minutes and when we are done we go and get the children. The weather is nice and we are told that we will be taking them outside. First to Molly's room. She is handed to me and I am tasked with putting on her diaper and dressing her to go out. Everyone stares as I attempt this and I begin to sweat. Olessya tells us that infants are dressed in 2 layers in summer and 4 layers in winter. We are thankful that it is summer. Molly is bundled adn a babuska is placed on her head. Time to get the boys. Pat is tasked with dressing Aidan as I am holding Molly. He is doing well but the caregiver steps in to assist. Bob and Beth dress Nicholas and we're off. Aidan and Nicholas are wearing similar outfits and the same stylish hat. They look like twins. We stroll around outside and get to know one another. Aidan quietly takes it all in. Pat was able to get a small smile out of him. He is content to be held and blow bubbles. Molly was also pleasant. She laughs out loud when you kiss her cheeks or tickle her belly. Too soon it was time to go back inside. We take the children back to their rooms and say goodbye. The baby home is clean and bright. The children are well cared for and the caregivers show them genuine affection. We feel that Molly and Aidan were loved in our absence.
Lunch with Olessya after the baby home. She departs after lunch and the four of us walk around town to get aquainted. We ran into a man we met at the airport in Astana. He is from Russia but lives and works in Kazakhstan. He helped us find our gate. We say hello, take a picture and exchange email addresses. He is quite a character. His English is halting but his use of off color language is perfect. We're on our own for dinner tonight. We went to the Gros (supermarket) which is across the street from the hotel to pick up a few items. I whipped out the Russian phrase book so I could ask for banannas and lemons (produce is not self-serve). We've been picking up a few words as we go and hope to continue to do so.
Lunch with Olessya after the baby home. She departs after lunch and the four of us walk around town to get aquainted. We ran into a man we met at the airport in Astana. He is from Russia but lives and works in Kazakhstan. He helped us find our gate. We say hello, take a picture and exchange email addresses. He is quite a character. His English is halting but his use of off color language is perfect. We're on our own for dinner tonight. We went to the Gros (supermarket) which is across the street from the hotel to pick up a few items. I whipped out the Russian phrase book so I could ask for banannas and lemons (produce is not self-serve). We've been picking up a few words as we go and hope to continue to do so.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
June 8th
(Pat picks up the tale here....)
The street outside the hotel is nearly as bust at night as it was during the day. With windows open for air, we are serenaded by cars racing, tires squealing, horns blowing and the occasional conversation from three floors below. Sleep comes in fits and starts amidst the cacophony and we're up for good when the alarm rings at 7 AM. I knock for Bob and Beth: Bob's been up since 2:30, Beth since 3. We go to breakfast: An intriguing buffet of meats and cheeses (including, we believe, horse sausage), something that looks like quiche but turns out to be cold (ugh!) and - salvation - some fairly nice breads, jam and fruit juice.
Back to the room to pack @9, downstairs to meet our new facilitator - Oleg's father - and Nikolai, our trusty driver from the previous day. Off to the airport at 11 for our 12:55 flight to Astana. Minor problem at the airport: A group of young men descends on us to help with the luggage then seems a bit disappointed with the tip. Nikolai assures us the tip is fair and tells them to piss off.
Our luggage is overweight by 32Kg: Nothing the equivalent of $100 US can't solve. We fly from Almaty to Astana with an English gentleman: It's good to hear English from someone other than ourselves for the first time in two days. The flight lasts 1.5 hours and includes lunch. We change planes in Astana, say a prayer that our luggage does too and endure a crush of humanity pushing and shoving its way (and us) through security and check-in. A bus takes us from the terminal to the plane: a fifty-seat twin prop. Alli and I sleep most of the way during the 1.5 hour flight to Kostanai (missing another lunch). We depart in a light drizzle on the tarmack and bus to the terminal.
While we wait for the luggage, I wander to the area just beyond customs and look for a sign with either our names or the name of the agency. Better yet: A young lady smiles at me and says, "Hello, Patrick." She is Olessya, our facilitator/translator, and she has great news: Despite the late hour - nearly 6 PM - we will go directly to the baby home and meet the children. Four weary but greatly excited parents-to-be load bags and selves into to small cars for the 15-20 minute ride to the baby home.
We are introduced to Dr. Irina, the head doctor of the facility. She welcomes us and conducts a brief interview through Olessya - Dr. Irina speaks very little English - including questions about how long we've been married, what we do for work, what our families think of our adoption and who will raise the children. At the conclusion, she asks if we'd like to meet our kids.
Molly (called Vika, short for Victoria) arrives first. She's a butterball and looks just like her picture, with the same mixture of surprise and circumspection in her expression. Alli holds her and in no time finds a tickle spot beneath one of her chins and has her cooing and laughing.
Aidan arrives next making a fist as in his photo. He's lean and long. I get to hold him and he takes a liking to my glasses and Livestrong bracelet. Bob videotapes, Beth takes a photo for us. Alli notices they both have two teeth - the kids, not Bob and Beth.
Bob and Beth's son Nicholas is the last to arrive, and shortly after we are told they must return to their rooms. We are given our schedule for the next two weeks' visits: Tomorrow at 12:30 for a tour of the facility and an hour and a half with the kids, then a regular time line of 1 PM to 2:30 every day.
Just like that, we're off to the hotel. There are just seven rooms: All are large and comfortable, good news considering the likely length of our stay. Pleanty of drawer and closet space, a nice bath with a platform tub/shower. Two single mattress/box spring sets pushed together in a single queen size frame. A fridge and - Eureka! - an air conditioner. We're all set.
No time to unpack: Off to dinner with Olessya and Beth (we call her Beth 1) who hails from Pipersville, Bucks County and is in the eighth week of her effort to adopt a three-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. Dinner is very good: I have beef stroganoff, salad and vegetables and will have it again when we return to the cafe, which is just a few blocks from the hotel.
Back to the room to unpack and settle in. It's 11 PM and the words to capture the emotions of the day escape me. We're in a surreal mist of weariness, joy and anticipation of the events to unfold in the days and weeks to come. Speaking for us all, the last three days have been exhausting, the last few hours overwhelming. A good night's sleep and a chance to catch our breaths are in order for all. And we can't wait until 12:30 tomorrow afternoon...!
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
June 7th
After 23 hours of travel we arrived safely in Almaty Kazakhstan (6:00am local time). The trip was relatively uneventful but extremely long. We were well fed on both flights. Not much sleep on either. We found a "quite lounge" at the Heathrow Airport which featured uncomfortable lounge style chairs and caught a quick cat nap. Bob and Beth and Pat and I took turns watching the luggage while the others strolled around the airport. The flight from London to Almaty was a little "lumpy" as the pilot had warned. We stopped in Ekatrinburg Russia to refuel. We spent the hour wait chatting with the stewardess. We met a woman on the plane name Amanda who was adopting a little boy from Almaty. She was traveling with her mother Janis. She will most likely still be in Almaty when we return. We exchanged contact information and will try and get in touch with her when we get back. Going through customs was not bad at all. Several security guards assisted us with several forms which needed to be filled out (all this and no English spoken). We collected our bags, had the forms stamped and we were done. Two men holding an Adoptions From the Heart sign. They introduced themselves as Oleg and Nikolai. The agency had given us these names so as best we could tell these were our men. Oleg is the Almaty coordinator. Our bags were loaded in a van and we were driven to our hotel. Oleg informed us that he was having difficulty booking our flight to Kostanai and that we would not be leaving that evening. He got us settled in our rooms and told us that he would call later with an update on our flight. It was 7:00am and we were exhausted so we hopped into bed for some much needed rest (two tiny singles and yes my feet did hang over the end). We slept until 3:00pm when Oleg phoned to say that we would be flying out the next day at 12:55. This was happy news because we had been told earlier that the next available flight was Friday. After Oleg's call we got up, took a shower (plenty of hot water), and headed out to explore. Exchanging Dollars for Tenge was the first order of business. Money changing booths were readily available. We handed over $200 and received 26,300 TT (Kazakh Tenge). The rate is about 133 tenge to the dollar. We walked around town and took in the sights. The weather was beautiful. Sunny and warm. It was nice to be outside after beeing cooped up for the past two days. We ate at an outdoor cafe. We dined on a delicous meal of Kazakh rice (rice with beef, carrots and garlic), tomato and cucumber salad and chicken kabobs. We tried a local beer which was also good. More walking around after dinner. We stopped to watch a man singing and playing guitar. By that time it was 9:00pm and we decided to call it a night. We headed back to the hotel feeling good about our outing and proud that weren't flattened trying to cross the street. We got back to the hotel and Oleg called to confirm our flight. We'll be picked up at 11:00am. We fly from Almaty to Astana (1.5 hours) and from Astana to Kostanai with an 1 1/2 layover in between. We're not sure if we will see the kids upon our arrival since it will be later in the day but we'll see them on Thursday for sure. That's all for now.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
We're Off
Well, today is the big day. Our bags are packed. Hopefully they're all within the 70# weight limit. Pat had to remove a few pairs of shoes from his bag when he learned that he had packed more than me. He was too ashamed to bring more shoes than his wife! I have economized and will be bringing a scant 4 pairs. We also have a huge backpack each to carry on and one "personal" item each. Now imagine the trip back when we'll each have a baby strapped to us in a Snuggli. Quite a sight!! We're headed to the airport in about an hour. Hard to believe that we're finally going. Our flight leaves at 6:20 pm from Newark. We arrive in London tomorrow at 6:40 am. We have an eight hour layover in Heathrow. We haven't decided yet whether or not we'll venture from the airport for some quick sightseeing or hang out until our flight. We'll play that by ear. From London we head to Almaty, Kazakhstan with a brief one hour stop in Russia to refuel. Travel time to Almaty is 9 hours and we will be arriving at 4:50 am local time. We will be met at the airport in Almaty by the in-country team. We think the plan is to go a hotel to shower and catch a nap before heading to Kostania. Kostania is the city where the baby home is located and is our final destination. This is where we will be spending the majority of our trip. Travel time to Kostanai is about 5 hours. BTW, we'll be 12 hours ahead of east coast time. Time to go. We'll be checking in as soon as we can.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Time to get Crackin'
We were informed today that we are to be in Almaty Kazakhstan on June 7th!! This is happy, happy news. Our projected travel date was June 10th. We were preparing ourselves for a possible delay but secretly hoping for a timely departure. Never did we imagine that we would be going a few days early. Words cannot adequately describe our feeling of relief and the sudden rush of panic. This is really going to happen. Much to do. Tomorrow we’ll send for our visas and make flight arrangements. We’ve just about completed the paper work we were required to redo. We had our fingerprints redone on Friday the 13th (good luck?). I discovered that you're not allowed to bring coffee into the USCIS building. I had to throw out perfectly good hazelnut coffee that I just bought. That was the only incident to report (well, that and the little boy who peed on the floor at the processing center). We’re having a bon voyage BBQ this Saturday and are expecting about 50 guests. Perfect timing. It will be nice to see everyone before we disappear for the summer. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we will be traveling with our friends who are also adopting from Kazakhstan. We met them at the adoption preparation classes we were required to attend. They were supposed to travel last week and I’m sure they’re dissapointed to have to wait a few more weeks but we’re happy that we’ll all be going together. Time to start packing.
Friday, May 06, 2005
The Countdown Begins
Sometime in June (that's as exact a timeframe that is available in the world of international adoption) we head to the Republic of Kazakhstan to adopt two children. Our adoption journey began in April 2004 and after completing the mountains of required paper work and waiting just about an eternity the realization of becoming parents is almost here. Now we wait for our Letter of Invitation from the Kazakhstani government. This invitation will include, among other things, the date that we are allowed to enter the country. Then we will have our exact travel date and can begin making final preparations for our trip. Our stay will last eight weeks and take us to two cities. The baby house (where the children are) is located in Kostania and the US Embassy is in Almaty, the former capital. The trip promises to be a grand adventure. It is the experience of a lifetime. We won’t be flying totally blind as we’ve had an opportunity to talk to a few people who have been to Kazakhstan recently and of course there is a wealth of information on the Internet (what did we do before Google?). English is rarely spoken so we will have to take a stab at Russian. Kazakh is the official language of the county but Russian is commonly spoken. We will have a facilitator looking after us while were in country and she will translate for us as needed. We will try our best to adopt an “go with the flow” attitude but that will be challenging for two people used to having all of their i’s dotted and t’s crossed and used to being in control (some of us, who shall remain nameless, have even been labeled “bossy”). Time moves differently around the world so we’ll have to shed our hurried American ways and learn to relax. No worries (now, repeat that 1000x). So that’s it for now. The purpose of this Blog is twofold. First is to document our thoughts and feelings as we embark on the final leg of our amazing adoption journey. And the second and most important is to record these events for our children. Much, much more to come.
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