May 20..HOME!

So, we finally made it home as schedule May 14. The flight was long and a bit hard. Julia slept the first 3 hours and last 3 hours of the 24 hour long trip (6 hour layover in Frankfurt). She never really cried, just wanted to play and people watch. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time we got home. But, in retrospect, I was so thrilled to be in the USA, that it did not really matter that I had only slept 3 hours in 48 hours. So, we have been back for almost a week now and Caleb and Julia are doing great and we are loving being a family of four. I am so thankful for the little things in life now, like a dishwasher, washing machine, endless towels, hard wood floors, AC, English, friendly people and the list goes on and on. Thanks to each and everyone of you who prayed us home. The trip was long and trying, but the hand of God was with us every step of the way. I am thankful for the two gifts from Him from the other side of the world and I am filled with thanksgiving!

May 12

I got the official word today that I can leave on May 14. Everything was hinging on Julia's passport being released from the US consulate, and it was! Needless to say I am thrilled to have a concrete, firm, tickets booked departure date. We will be picked up by our driver tomorrow at 11:30 pm, our flight then leaves at 2am, we have a 7 hour flight to Almaty, then a 6 hour layover in Frankfurt, followed by a 10 hour flight to Atlanta, to arrive at 4pm Thursday afternoon. It is a long trip and a little, ok very overwhelming for me to think about. But, it is the last leg of the journey. A very specific prayer request is that Julia will sleep on the plane, so that I can sleep. I am going to try to get a couple of hours sleep tomorrow in the evening before we are picked up, but I doubt that will happen because I am sure I will be busy getting things ready.
Today we went to the "sisters" office in Almaty to fill out forms for the US embassy and for the USCIS. Then, we went to the SOS clinic (international medical) where Julia had a "physical". It was basically a very quick look in her ears, listen to her heart, ok she is fine physical. That has to be done for the US embassy to issue her a visa on her Kazakhstan passport. Tomorrow we have our final meeting with the adoption agency here, then we go to the US embassy where I will pick up her new passport and visa.
Thankfully Julia and I have been able to get great rest here at the Holiday Inn (picture included), it is very quiet and very clean. She slept 14 hours last night and took a 3.5 hour nap this afternoon. I assume that the more rested she is for the trip the better off we will be. I am a firm believer that well rested babies sleep better. Well, that is all for today. I will post once more after we are home. Thank you all for your prayers and kind words of encouragement as we have gone down this 65 day journey. They have been such a blessing to Ethan and myself.

To Almaty

Let me preface this blog entry by saying Julia and I are fine and happy as of Monday afternoon at a Holiday Inn in Almaty. But, the road getting here was a little rough. This was definintly a Mothers Day I will never forget. So, we left yesterday at 1, my driver was late picking us up, so we rushed to the airport and barely made the plane ride. Julia fell right asleep, I was so thankful, as she had decided not to nap that morning (how do kids know when we need them to nap?). So, I was happy, she was asleep, all was well, for 20 minutes. Then, they brought out lunch which was assorted meats and cheese in a plastic container. Well, everyone started popping their lid on and off which caused Julia to wake up. She was then up the rest of the flight. She was ok, just moving and grooving. She only cried and screamed a couple of times. I did manage to take her to the back of the plane and rock her, she had just fallen asleep when the flight attendent came and told me to sit down and that woke her up. She had 2 poopy diapers on the 3 1/2 hour plane ride, which is fun to change in a tiny airplane bathroom. I had to lay her in the sink. Then I looked up and realized my diamond earring was gone. Thankfully, I found it on the aisle of the plane in the floor. So, we land in Almaty and drop off some papers and go to Hotel Kazakhstan. The lobby is big and pretty and nice, so I was excited. Then, they take us to our room which is literally the size of most people's closet. There was a twin bed made for a 4 foot tall person and about 2 square feet of walking space. So, I ask for a bigger room, "No other rooms" they say. So, I say "there has to be a bigger room in this 17 story tall building". Sure enough they came up with a "suite" that was the size of 2 closets for 300 USD. I say, "No way,I'll go to another hotel". Suddenly they find me a regular room with a double bed. Exhausted, Julia goes to sleep quickly and I make some calls to my mom and Ethan and lay down. About midnight I am awakened b/c our room is really bright, sure enough our room is next to a neon Hotel Kazakhstan sign, and we only have sheers on the windows. Then, I hear the music next door start which continues until about 3am. Of course, after that begins the diarrhea and vomiting. So, there I am, 3 am praying that God will let me live and give me a way out of this situation. I finally fall asleep around 3:30 watching the Cosby Show and then little Julia is up about 6am. The first thing I do is call Ethan, then the Holiday Inn and book a room. So, we moved at about noon today. So, thanks to my husband, mom and the Holiday Inn, we are now very happy and settled. We have no appointments today, but tomorrow we go to the SOS medical clinic to have Julia checked out and then I find out at 4pm whether I get to go home on Thursday (pending Julia's passport release from the US consulate). My gut tells me I do, and that is usually right. So, this evening Julia and I are going to go to the hotel resturant and eat. Kids eat free here, that is no small thing with Julia :) Hopefully tonight we will get some rest. Thankfully the new hotel room has heavy curtins and clean floors! I might just sleep without my sleep sack tonight!

May 9 The Sun is Shining!

So, I have to say that I am elated today! Tomorrow I leave for Almaty at 1pm. I am packing and have tears in my eyes, I NEVER thought this day would come. This journey seems so long, even though it has only been 2 months. When we came to Petro, the snow was 2 or 3 feet deep and now, the sun is shining and the trees are starting to bud. Today was Victory Day in Kazakhstan. They are celebrating their(USSR) battle against the Germans in WW2. Everyone was out on the street today. There was food, babies in snowsuits (85 degrees) and of course dancing. Not my little Julia, I had her in a long sleeve shirt and I decided that was good enough. I got a lot of looks, but I decided I did not care, it was too warm for her to be in a snowsuit. So, tonight I am going out to dinner with the American families here for a final farewell, an Uzbekistan meal. I think I am going to go vegetarian. So, we are ready to say good by to Petro and hello to Almaty, one step closer home!
I included some pictures taken around town today. Notice they paint the bottom of the trees, it is purely to make them look "pretty", but they don't ever plant grass?? Oh,and the wedding dresses I found at a indoor shopping area.

Nothing is ever concrete in international adoption...May 7

So, as many of you know I have been scrambling to try to get a flight out of here on May 16. When I first talked to my travel agent there were no flights available. After about 20 e mails of my begging and pleading and a small charge, I was able to get my flights confirmed today to Atlanta. Well, then this afternoon I got a phone call from my agency that is located in Almaty saying that my dates have been changed and they THINK I can leave for the USA on Thursday May 14, but they will no know for sure until Tuesday May 12 at 4pm. As far as I can understand the reason why is because Julia's Kazakhstan passport has to be registered at the consulate and they are estimating that it will be released from the consulate Tuesday afternoon. So, I have sent another e mail to my travel agent and hopefully there will be tickets available for May 14 and she will be able to hold them until May 12. The good news is worst case scenerio now, I will be home on May 15 and the best case scenerio is home May 14. So again, we wait. But, I very excited that I will be home for my nephews birthday party at the Lookouts on May 16 regardless!!! This is the hard part about international adoption, we are dealing with agencies and governments that do not work like those in the US. The rules and timelines are different over here, not better or worse, just different.
Everything else is status quo. Julia is taking steps here and there. She is laughing and smiling all the time. She is sleeping pretty well, but she now demands to be rocked to sleep, it is funny how fast children learn, as I know she was never rocked to sleep in the baby house. We are trying to have two outings a day. She does OK in the stroller, not great, but ok. I can tell she misses kids because when I take her anywhere that other children are, she will bounce up and down in her stroller to try to get their attention. It must be a strange adjustment for her to go from having other children around all the time, to never seeing other babies. That will change soon enough though! She also is seeming to become more secure, for example when other people talk to her besides me she does not scream. Also, Dave and Jocelyn babysat her on tuesday while I ran to the store and she did fine. That is very encouraging. I am spending my time watching romantic comedies, sitcoms, reading and playing cards in the evenings. Ok, well, only maybe 7 more days!

Return home date

So, I finally got my concrete departure date of May 16. I am thankful to have a date and to know when this journey is going to come to an end and a new one begin (parenting 2 kids in the US, not starting another adoption)! Therefore, I have 10 days left in Kazakhstan, I can see the light!

May 5...Waiting

I just wanted to put out a quick update. Ethan and Caleb made it home safe and sound Saturday afternoon at 4pm. Caleb has transitioned quickly to being home and is sleeping mostly through the night. He has been thrilled to be home and see his family and friends. He is now cleaning up his room when asked and sleeping in a big boy bed. Next, potty training!
Julia and I remain in Petro. Her passport came in yesterday (Monday) which was ahead of schedule I think. Today they are filing the passport with the immigration police. I was hoping to have a departure date by now, and for a short while really thought it would be earlier than the projected "worst case scenario" date of May 16. But, as of now (3pm on Tuesday afternoon) I am waiting for a phone call or e mail to let me know when I can leave. Please continue to pray as this last leg of the journey has be frustrating as I am tired and ready to have our family together at home. On the bright side Julia is doing beautifully, she is smiling and laughing all the time. She stands on her own and will take a step every now and then. Therefore, I do not regret my decision to stay with her as I feel it was the right choice. But would like to be home at some point. I will keep everyone posted as to when my departure date will be when I am told.