April 30

I just wanted to write a quick note to let everyone know that Ethan and Caleb left at 1pm this afternoon and are currently in Almaty at the Hotel Kazakhstan hanging out with a fellow adoptive dad, waiting to catch their 3am flight to Frankfurt. Though, I will say it was a rough start to the trip, as we were standing in line at the little Petro Airport, Caleb pulled on our biggest suitcase and it fell on top of him as he fell backwards. There were tears and more tears and a lot of Russians looking at us like "Stupid Americans, letting their kid fall". Anyway, I pray that the rest of the trip goes a little smoother (he was fine, just a little "shook up"). It was SO hard to say goodbye to Caleb, but I know it is for the best. Seven weeks in Kazakhstan in a hotel room is enough for a little guy. He was such a trooper, I am so proud of my little guy. So, Julia and I had a peaceful afternoon. I took her to the playground and pushed her on a swing. It is amazing how quiet life is without 50% of the family. One more day checked off the calendar, one more day closer to us all being home.
Oh, one story that I did want to share, yesterday I was on the floor with Julia while Caleb was napping and Ethan was on the computer. All of a sudden, I realized that Ethan had downloaded "Proud to be an American" by Kenny Rogers, I looked up at him and he was just sitting there, solemnly listening to the song staring off into space. I thought to myself, "Yep, it is time for us to go home". Fourth of July will take on a whole new meaning for us this year!

April 29

Today is Ethan and Caleb's last full day in Kazakhstan. There is a sense of excitement today as we know that we are almost on the last leg of the journey. I know I have said this before, but I am so glad Caleb is going to get home, to "old home". I was talking to him about it today a little and I saw a sparkle in his eye as I talked of our "old home" and the things we did there. Ethan and Caleb leave tomorrow at 1pm and will fly into Almaty. There, they will have a 11 hour layover, which they will spend with a fellow adoptive dad who is in Almaty about to leave with his new daughter. Then, Ethan and Caleb will take a 7 hour flight to Frankfurt and spend 30 hours in Frankfurt. This is an intentional long layover to allow Caleb and Ethan time to rest up before the last 10 hour flight into Atlanta. The plan is for them to go to a zoo, park, and McDonalds while in Frankfurt.
Today we are packing. It seems that we are leaving with a lot less than we brought. Definintly no souviners to be bought in Kaz. Plus, we have our souviner, a cute little girl, no reasons for Kaz snow globes or magnets. I have a feeling we will not soon forget the trip! Today we were BLESSED as a fellow adoptive couple who we have been spending a lot of time with offered to watch Julia and Caleb while we went to lunch, during waking hours for the kids! It was the first time since April 1 when I have been without a child. I felt light as a feather walking out of the hotel. I could not beleive how easy it was to walk to the "mall" and have lunch. Thankfully Julia and Caleb did great. I was fearful Julia would cry, but she did fine they said. That gives me hope that she will be ok with meeting new people and being alone with them once we get home.
Ethan and I have decided that it is best for me to stay in our current hotel suite rather than move again. We really went back and forth on this, as the room we are staying in now is obviously more expensive than the small one room that Caleb and I shared. But, we decided it was best, as Julia is a very light sleeper and I am not sure what I would do while she slept besides sit in the hallway. Plus, feeding her in my lap at our table is hard enough, I cannot imagine trying to do it sitting on our bed or the floor, which would be our only options. So, there is some sense of releif that we do not have to move again. Plus, our space is big enough for other adoptive couples to come and spend time. Last evening we had 2 couples over which is really nice. Companionship is not something that can be taken for granted.
I have included some pictures of our play time at the "mall" playground that we have frequented a lot over the last 7 weeks. Notice the stuffed animals hanging from ropes wrapped around their necks. I just have not been able to get over how bizarre this is!
Thank you each for your kind words of encouragment and prayers. They have meant so much to Ethan and me. Words cannot express it!

April 27

April 27
So, we are still here! The last three days have been about the same as the first 46 days. We have really enjoyed the company of a couple from Baltimore who are here adopting a sibling group. They have been joining us in the evening for cards and board games. Julia continues to do better every day. She is evolving into a happy and content baby. We figured out she was not getting enough sleep, so now that we have fixed that problem, she is much less fussy. She continues to eat more that Caleb, Ethan and I combined  Caleb is doing fine, though since his hair cut, he will look at Ethan and me occasionally and point to his hair and say “It’s broke, fix it”. The high light of his day today was he found a stick and we let him play in the mud for 30 minutes. This weekend was really cold and wet, but today has been beautiful and a little warmer.
I would say the hardest part of the last couple of weeks is continuing to deal with a culture that does not like Americans. Almost everything we do in public is a battle. For instance, Saturday we were at the market and Ethan pointed to a cookie he wanted behind a glass case and held up one finger to the lady behind the counter. She looked at him and put a sign up, that we suppose said “closed” in Russian and turned away. Those kinds of occurrences happen all the time. It becomes so frustrating that all we want to do is stay inside but that is not possible with a two year old that is for sure. In addition, as most of you know, the culture is very concerned about kids staying warm, and even though our children are very well dressed for cold weather, women on the street will walk up to us and adjust Caleb or Julia’s jacket or point to them and yell stuff in Russian at us. Meanwhile our kids are literally sweating because we have so many clothes on them. So, honestly dealing with the culture is becoming more trying. I don’t know if is because we are tired, or if we are venturing out more. So, though I will miss Ethan and Caleb desperately when they leave on Thursday, I will be so glad for Caleb to be at home where he can run freely and wear short sleeves!
We still have not confirmed my departure date with Julia, we are hoping to know something by the end of the week. Please, continue to pray that we will be able to leave earlier than May 16, even if it is just a couple of days.

April 24

Today we had another 2 inches of snow. I feel like winter is going to last forever! We buzzed Caleb's hair, and we went to several different playgrounds, both inside and outside. Oh, and we connected with a couple from Baltimore. Julia is sleeping better, and we are thankful!Oh,and Caleb is back on a hunger strike.
That's all!

April 22

We are happy to have moved into our new room. It makes all the difference in the world to be in a bright, large space. Moving yesterday was a bit of a challenge with Caleb and Julia, but well worth it. Oh, and the family from Boston left, Caleb saw them carrying their suitcases out of the hotel and started crying saying “Old home..airplane!”. It was so pitiful. But, he only has about 8 days left in Petro and then he too will get to go back to his old home!
Let’s see, we have taken Caleb and Julia to the playground at the baby house the last couple of days. Julia adores the swing, and Caleb the sand box. Caleb also made some friends with the Kazakh “kids”. Julia is adjusting fairly well. She does cry every time we put her down for a nap or bedtime, but every night it is less crying, so we know we are heading in the right direction. Julia is also eating everything in sight, salami, kiwi, cheese, oranges, yogurt etc…She is not a big fan of baby food, so we just do table food and some formula mostly. She LOVES bath time; she is a crazy girl in the bath tub! One more day is gone and we are thankful for our blessings. Enjoy the pictures of our day. Oh, and notice that Caleb is now back on the bottle :)

April 20 Enjoying life as a family of four

Today we awoke to a beautiful day in Kazakhstan. The sun is shining and the temperature is just cool enough to need a light jacket. We packed the kids up and took them to the playground at the baby house for the second day in a row. There is a “sandbox” there and Caleb spent over an hour both today and yesterday playing. He was just in heaven. Julia slept yesterday in the baby carrier, but today she enjoyed swinging on the baby swing. Unfortunately because it was warmer today and she still has to wear a snowsuit, she was not comfortable in the baby carrier. Anyway, this evening we go to get Julia’s passport photo taken and to get a stroller for her. Both Ethan and I will need strollers coming home for navigating the airports and the long layovers, so we have no choice but to buy another stroller. Then the plan is to make egg salad (we have tried to boil them in the tea kettle) and watch some light hearted Seinfeld.
Tomorrow our travel partners from Boston have court and then are flying home. We hate to see them go, along with their 2 year old daughter who Caleb has enjoyed, but we are getting our suite back that was theirs! This will make our 4th move since coming to the Skiff. We are currently in a 2 room suite, but it is small, only 2 windows and no table. Frankly, it feels very cave like and depressing. So, we are heading back to the suite that was ours the first couple of weeks we were here before Ethan left. We will stay there until Ethan leaves with Caleb and then I will move back into the small room that Caleb and I shared while Ethan was gone. Another advantage of the bigger suite is that we met up with a couple yesterday that just got here who want to come over and play card games in the evenings! So, this way we will have space. I never thought playing cards with another couple would bring this much excitement to my heart, but it has! One thing Kazakhstan has taught me is to never take the little things for granted, like English speaking people.
Julia is feeling better; unfortunately Caleb woke up at 2 am last night with a fever, so he is on antibiotics now as well. I am sure it is likely just a viral infection, but I am not taking any chances here in Kaz with them being sick. The last thing I want is to have to take them to any health care facility in Kazakhstan. Their treatment here for kids when they are sick typically involves getting them in as many layers of clothes as humanly possible and putting them in front of the furnace, as they believe that cold air causes illnesses. I am so thankful that we brought antibiotics for us.
Well, no update at this point on when Julia and I will be allowed to head for home. The last word was a possible May 16 departure date, but I think that will not be finalized until the 15 day wait period is complete after court (April 28). I am still holding out a glimmer of hope for a sooner departure date, maybe a day or so, but who knows. Please keep praying! Regardless of when we get to leave, I am finally starting to see a little light at the end of this long tunnel and feeling encouraged.
P.S. Yes, having sick kids, one of which you have only known for a couple of weeks, in a cramped hotel room in a foreign country is a bit stressful…but this will not last forever. In a month it will all be a memory! Oh, and notice the picture of Caleb yesterday, Ethan is in charge of the laundry 

April 18 Life is getting fun!

OK, so we have now introduced a 10 month old into our family in a foreign country in a 500 square foot hotel room that only supplies 4 towels a day and the trash can is the size of a milk carton. Oh, and a load of laundry cost $25 USD and we are on the third floor with no elevators. Needless to say, life is interesting. Ethan and I are literally out of breath all day long. We have gotten into a bit of a routine, wake up at 7, feed kids, drink coffee as fast as we can then put kids in snow suits and head downstairs. Caleb has decided that he cannot walk down the steps, rather he is going to swing from the railing or if we try to hold his hand he lifts both feet off the ground and swings from our hands. Once we get downstairs, the receptionist gives us a dirty look and we drop off the key and then we are out the door. We usually walk for about an hour and then come back to the hotel and eat "breakfast" in the hotel. Next we head to the gym for Caleb to play "basketball". Then we carry strollers and babies back up the steps and Caleb goes down for a nap. After nap time for Caleb (Julia sleeps on the walks) we watch a video (Curious George or Little Einstein as they are the only ones that play on our Region 2 DVD player) we bundle the kids back up in snowsuits and back out the door we go for another walk. This one usually involves stopping at the store for baby wash as somehow Caleb manages to sneak into the bathroom most days and dump the new bottle out in the bathtub. Then we head back inside and fix dinner and try to keep Caleb and Julia from destroying the hotel room. We eat dinner around our coffee table (we have no real table), typically Ethan cooks something in the electric tea kettle (mac and cheese with hot dogs, boiled chicken or ramen noodles) and then we do baths, rock babies and then kids are asleep by 8. We look at each other and just laugh after wards. It is so much fun, but trying to keep them entertained, fed, and bathed in a hotel room is an adventure. Today we were dealing a lot with Julia as she had a pretty high fever and an ear infection (we think), Caleb managed to sneak to the back of the hotel room, stand inside and get to the poopy diaper pail that we have sitting outside on the balcony (don't worry grandmothers, he did not go on the balcony by himself) and he proceeded to start throwing poopy wipes and diapers off the balcony. He has also managed to unroll all our toilet paper. We keep a pail in the bathroom full of soapy water and one of our precious towels to clean up whatever is spilt on the floor throughout the day because we know they will charge us if there is a stain on the floor. Oh, Ethan is doing our laundry now in the bathtub and we are on a plastic bag ration. And one of the funniest things is that Caleb now has developed an incredibly southern accent...His new saying is "I wanna go in dare" and "I wan dat". Our kind travel partners from Boston just kind of look at us when he says that. We think it is charming. Speaking of the family from Boston, they have a 2 year who Caleb loves to play with.I included pictures, also they brought along the grandparents to help watch their 2 year old, but Caleb has taken a liking to them as well, I included pictures of Caleb "swinging" with them.All in all we are having a blast! Family bonding at it's finest.

Celebrating Gotcha Day on April 13

"Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth… whom I created for my glory" Isaiah 43:6-7
It is with great joy that we announce that on April 13 we officially became the parents of our precious new daughter Julia Elizabeth Collier. We are grateful for all of the prayers that have been lifted up on our families' behalf over the course of the last 15 months during this adventurous journey. We could not have completed this adoption without the love and support of our family in Christ. We are grateful and feel blessed beyond imagination. We have no doubt that God handpicked this beautiful girl to be our daughter; He has given us the privilege and honor of raising her up as a child of God! What joy.

So Monday we had a court at 10 am. Unlike last time, we had no real "prep" for court. Our interpreter said we had done this before, so we would do fine. We waited in the holding room for a little while and then the judge called us in. She was a large woman in a burgundy robe. There she had Ethan stand and asked him a lot of questions such as "If you had a biological child, will you still love your adopted child?" and "Do you have a stable marriage" and "How does your extended family feel about this adoption". Then she had me stand and asked a lot of the same questions. Then the prosecutor who represented us gave her recommendation that we be allowed to adopt this child. The doctor stood and gave her health history and the social worker also gave her history. Then the judge sent us out of the court room and wait for about a half an hour, then we came back in and asked us if she could read the shortened version of the decision, and the answer was yes. We then gave her the gift, which Ethan handed to her and then he gave her a big ole kiss on the cheek. One funny thing that happened during court is that our lawyer was texting the entire time and the judge kept yawning and answering her phone. So, at that point I was not too concerned about the decision. After court the head doctor at the baby house invited us into her office to celebrate the adoption. We had champagne and chocolates. Then, she told us she was going to let us take Julia home. We were shocked. Our interpreter said she has never had this happen, all other cases, the family has to wait out the 15 day wait period that Kazakhstan law has in place after the court date until the decision is final. We are not sure why she allowed us to take Julia, but we were thrilled. We had to move into a suite and shuffle some things around to be ready for a baby. Julia is now doing great in our "new home". She loves to watch Caleb and slept the first night a full 12 hours. She only fusses when she is sleepy, other than that she is a happy, content baby. Granted, two babies in a hotel suite is a little tight, but we are making it work. Oh, and I have had a GI illness on Monday and Tuesday, so I was very thankful to wake up this morning and feel some better. I told Ethan last night that I hoped I was not going to die in Kazakhstan…a little drama from my side. Thankfully I am still alive.

I did get news today that my trip home which has been scheduled for May 9, might be delayed until May 16 due to some holidays that slow down the process of getting Julia's passport from Kazakhstan. This is hard for me to think that I still have 4 ½ weeks left in country, as I have already been here 5 weeks. So, I do ask for prayers that the passport will come quicker and I can depart for home as scheduled. But, we knew when we requested to stay the entire trip that this was a possibility, as far as the trip being extended. But, it is worth it to have Julia with us know, as opposed to leaving her for over a month.

P.S. Caleb is doing great being a big brother. He really has taken to Julia and is giving her lots of kisses and hugs. He is crawling again and has taken to a pink pacifier, but we think that will pass!

Easter Sunday

We awoke this Easter morning to about six inches of fresh white snow! What a contrast to the typical spring day that we so enjoy on Easter. But, this year is extra special, as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior in Kazakhstan. Ethan and Caleb spent part of the early morning playing in the snow. I was trying to straighten the hotel room up (and enjoy some peace and quiet drinking my instant Nescafe) but every couple of minutes I would hear a faint "Mama", I would look out our "balcony" and there was Caleb playing in the snow yelling up for me, I guess he just wanted to make sure that we were all accounted for. We read Caleb the Easter Story (thanks Aunt Ginger) and gave him his Easter basket (thanks cousins Jack and Joe). He of course loved the basket, candy everywhere and tonight he has played with his basketball "eggs" in the tub for an hour and a half. Though we desperately miss our church and family and friends today, all in all it has been a sweet day.

Also, today was special because we took Caleb to the baby house to meet his little sister. Caleb is not allowed in the baby house itself, so we had to bring Julia outside to meet him. Julia was very interested in watching her big brother. She did not take her eyes off of him. Caleb wanted her to swing with him, and then was very concerned when her pacifier fell into the snow. Though the pictures don't really show it, he really took to her and was very kind to her. He fed her cheerios and gave her some kisses. It was a special day, and I am thrilled they are going to be close in age, only 16 months apart. Caleb is going to be a great big brother.

Last night Ethan and I went out to dinner with our translator and her Peace Core friends. We had a fun evening hearing their stories of life in Petro for the last year. I enjoyed what has now become my favorite food in Petro, liver hot pockets. Yes, they look like mini hot pockets that you can buy in the States, but they are filled with some kind of liver meat. I don't know if the liver is from a pig, cow, horse, or chicken…who knows but they are delicious. Oh, and you dip them in hot butter…mmmm! I guess that is all for today. We want to wish everyone blessings as they celebrate this amazing day!

Happy Easter from Kazakhstan