juliatochatt

May 20..HOME!

2009-05-20T15:29:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-12T09:42:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-11T04:19:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-05-09T06:23:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-07T05:03:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-05T14:13:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-05T04:52:00.002-04:00

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.

2009-05-01T05:58:00.000-04:00

Finally May!

2009-05-01T05:57:00.001-04:00

I was able to talk to Ethan via Skype this afternoon. They made it to Frankfurt and are there in a hotel. Ethan said that Caleb traveled like a champ; he said on a scale of 1 to 100, he was a 100. Also, Caleb has been apparently eating nonstop since he left Petro. I was able to see Caleb in the hotel room and of course I cried when I saw my little guy, but I am so happy that he is doing well and the trip home is going smoothly for them! Their plan today is to go to the Frankfurt zoo and out to eat. They will leave Frankfurt around 7 am (Eastern Time) and are to arrive in Atlanta at 4 pm Saturday afternoon.

We are doing fine back here in Petro. Julia slept from 7pm to 8:45 this morning! We went out today to a festival they are having in the town today with Dave and Jocelyn and then went out to lunch. The day has gone by quickly and we are enjoying our one on one time. Tonight a group of Americans are coming over to play cards. I did hear from our agency that we should know my return home date sometime early next week. I e mailed them yesterday just to remind them that I am still here, in case they forgot. I do have Julia's birth certificate and adoption decree in hand. Even though it is in Russian, it is still nice to know that it is in hand. I have included a picture of those as well as a couple of photos I took around town today. Thank you all for the prayers that are being lifted up on our behalf and the sweet encouraging words. They are such a blessing to all of us.

April 30

2009-04-30T10:23:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-04-29T04:52:00.000-04:00

April 29

2009-04-29T04:30:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-27T05:42:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-24T11:56:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-20T10:24:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-04-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-15T11:33:00.001-04:00

"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

2009-04-12T12:30:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-12T12:02:00.000-04:00

April 10...a little late

2009-04-10T22:36:00.000-04:00

The petro airport
Caleb and his new taggies, a new blue and green one! He kept crawling in the suitcase and smelling the new diapers.

Caleb and his dada!

Sorry, this post is a little late. Our internet was down all day on Friday, but I did want to let everyone know that Ethan arrived as scheduled on Friday at 1:40pm. I saw the plane land and I started to shed a couple of tears. So glad to see him! Caleb was very excited and kept kissing him, it was sweet. Unfortunately, Ethan kept falling asleep yesterday afternoon because he only slept 3 hours in 36 hours and Caleb keeps shaking him saying “DADA!”We enjoyed dinner at the mall and being together. Ethan said it was like he never left. We are going to try the small hotel room, pray we can make this small space work for the three of us! We hung out in the bathroom last night as to not wake Caleb.

Ethan of course brought home all the goodies that people sent for us. THANK YOU! Everything was so well thought out and so sweet, the People magazines, toys for Caleb, Julia’s clothes, lotion, books, candles, cards, blankets, DVDs, taggies and of course the Easter basket for Caleb. Everyone was so thoughtful and we appreciate it more than you know. The beautiful thing was Ethan was 50 pounds over the weight limit flying from the States and 54 pounds over in the in country flight, and he was only charged $8! This should have been at least $100! The in country flight always charges 1.40 per pound over 44 pounds, and they never are gracious. Also, I was putting up Ethan’s clothes and I asked him what special detergent he used because it all smelled so good. He said “Purex…it just smells good because it was washed in clear water versus brown water”. I had forgotten what clean smelling clothes smell like. The little things I took for granted. Oh, the bad news is that Ethan bought a Sony DVD player in Frankfurt because mine broke yesterday, unfortunately, DVD players bought in Europe only play DVDs specified to region 2, therefore only one burnt DVD that we have plays. We have our computers, so we will be ok, but it would have been nice to know that DVD players from Europe do not play dvd’s from the States and vice versa. Who knew? Ok, maybe a lot of you, but not us.

We did not visit Julia Friday as Ethan came in during our scheduled visitation. I missed her today and look forward to seeing her tomorrow.

Paka!

April 9...Flight update

2009-04-09T11:25:00.000-04:00

Infamous garbage truck that comes every morning
Julia and Lilly (our travel partners from Baltimore's daughter)

Well, for those of you who know, Ethan's flight was delayed over 6 hours leaving Atlanta. Therefore, up until about an hour ago, we did not know if he would get "stuck" in Frankfurt or not. Unfortunately, he did miss his connecting flight in Frankfurt, but they have re-routed him and he is to land in Astana tomorrow morning (Kaz time) and will have a 6 hour layover in Astana and then fly directly into Petro and be here by early afternoon. I am very thankful he will arrive as scheduled. I have to admit I was a little panicked when I got a text from him this morning that said "Wake up sleepy head" at 8 am. As, he was supposed to be over the Atlantic ocean at that time. Never a dull moment.
Julia was a little sleepy today, so she played pretty quietly. I was holding her in my lap and talking to her, and she fell asleep sitting staight up in my arms. We did spend some time with little Lilly, her parents were our card playing friends and are due to come back and pick her up later this month.
Caleb and I went back to the inflatable playground/pizza place today. Then, we came home and there was a near disaster. Our portable DVD player broke! This is not good, as unfortunately DVDs are a big source of entertainment in this hotel room in Siberia. Ethan is on it though, he is currently looking for a replacement DVD player in the Frankfurt airport. Oh, and Caleb learned a new phrase today that he has said ALL DAY, it goes something like this "What's that?". Any of you parents heard that before???

April 8 A little Cabin Fever

2009-04-08T11:52:00.000-04:00

our little cabin

Well, I have to admit, the cold wet weather this week has been a bit challenging. So, we have started trying to take daily outings to pizza places. Yesterday we went to the "mall" and ate at a Turkish pizza restaurant and then played in the playground. Today, same story, cold weather, and Caleb looked at me at about 4pm, pointed out the window at the balcony and said "I'm gonna jump it mama". So, we called our translator and a taxi and out we went. Poor guy, he needed to get out! So, we went to another Turkish pizza place (the Turks have a monopoly on the restaurant business here b/c they run a large pasta factory in Petro). Anyway, there was a huge indoor inflatable playground there and we had a great time. I have to say those blow up playgrounds are a workout for both child and parent.
Ethan is leaving today and will arrive in Petro a mere 36 hours later. He has a suitcase filled with pink things for our little girl. Speaking of our little girl, she is all smiles these days. She saw me come yesterday and I thought she was going to jump out of her walker she was so excited. It brings me so much joy to see her so happy. She is busy, busy during our visits, but we have a little routine including snacks, songs, paddy cake, tickle time and then a nap. Only 19 more days until we get custody of her. I do apologize for having no pictures of her, I am always trying to get out the door as the sitter comes and I keep forgetting the camera.

Not up for taking a picture
A baby rat of some sort at the restaurant that is owned by the waitress, something tells me they would fail their restaurant report card in the States..
Pizza place was packed today

Yet another self portrait Caleb must have took while I was in the shower today

April 6, serious, then not so much

2009-04-06T12:52:00.000-04:00

not a big fan of the gloves...
Stylin in the black head band
Not so sure about the big pink bow
Julia and the little girl from her "class" that we share visits with each day
So, I can understand why going on a stroll in cold weather is a little frustrating for him

I walk to the baby house each day to visit Julia. It is about a one mile walk down a busy street. Typically, I enjoy the fresh air, and the freedom of walking without pushing a stroller. The last couple of days, this walk has turned into a time of deep reflection. See, the kind couple from Atlanta loaned me their iPod, as I did not bring mine. So, as I have walked the last couple of days, I have listened to my music and just soaked in the culture and my surroundings. I find myself feeling as if I am in a dream. Am I really on the other side of the world in a 2^nd world country alone with my toddler? Is this really happening? Why am I not fearful? This is me; I get nervous walking downtown in Chattanooga by myself at night. But, I feel a sense of protection here. I feel His shield about me, almost as if I KNOW I am being guarded, that I am safe. I know His eyes are upon me and that I am safe in His arms.

I will switch gears a little bit to the practical aspect of our day. Caleb and I had a great one. We had our usual morning fun of basketball and breakfast. Then baby house for me and nap for Caleb. I did a little grocery shopping and carried it back in my book bag; man did I look like an American, as it was not a black book bag, fun green instead. This evening we went to the Atlanta couple’s house for dinner and fun. Unfortunately for Caleb, the weather has turned colder, so gloves were a must for the walk over to their apartment. He hates his gloves, as evidenced by the picture I have included of him just laying in the floor after he realized he must wear them. The community here would stone me if they saw him outdoors with no gloves in 30 degree weather. Most kids are walking around in snow suits, he is lucky I did not put him in boots and snow pants. We had a great dinner of egg salad (yes, that is great here) and then took a taxi home.

We are now doing our visitation with another family who is here adopting a little girl that is in Julia’s “class”. The little girl had a big bow today that the caregivers put in her hair, I tried it on Julia, she was not a big fan. She did like the black headband though. Oh, and I tried a “zerbert” on her big belly today, she loved it. Something is telling me the caregivers here do not give out “zerberts”.

Ethan is due to fly out Wednesday, thank goodness for Skype as I am trying to tell him what to pack for court for me to wear as well as picking out some short sleeve shirts for me to wear.…I had him up in the attic going through rubber maid containers last night via Skype, holding up clothes to the camera for me to see. He is a good man J

April 5 Lazy Sunday

2009-04-05T07:17:00.000-04:00

Sorry, no pictures to share. I have forgotten my camera the last couple of days at the baby house. I just wanted to report all is fine here. We again enjoyed the company last night of the couple from Atlanta. Today it snowed and rained all day so we have stayed in all day. Caleb is currently watching Curious George the Movie. He keeps laughing and looking at me saying "Funny monkey mama". My main goal for the day was to get taggy from Caleb and get it washed as it is brown now. But, I have failed in that task. Everytime I take it from him he gets so upset. Oh well, all the parents out there can relate. Luckily, a back up taggy is going to make the trip over with Ethan on Wednesday. Oh, and Julia is doing just fine. She was a little more mellow today. She enjoyed a snack of cheerios and banana nectar that I brought her. I have a tenative return date with Julia of May 9 to leave Almaty and arrive in Atlanta on May 10. That means only 4 weeks and 6 days left, but who's counting?

April 3 pics

2009-04-03T11:06:00.001-04:00

Looking out our window, waiting for the garbage truck that comes every morning

Our travel partners from Baltimore and the nightly card game in the hallway..notice the hand sanitizer, one can never be too careful

April 3, 2009

2009-04-03T10:52:00.001-04:00

All is pretty good today in Kaz. Our travel partners from Baltimore flew out yesterday, so gone is my evening card game. I have been able to enjoy the company of another couple from Boston. They have a two year old and Caleb has had a great time being around another "kid". In addition, we met a couple from Atlanta who are here adopting and we went over there for dinner tonight. They were incredibly gracious and hospitable. So, there are enough fellow Americans around that I don't feel alone. Caleb and I continue to have good days. Sure, there are moments that are very trying, like when he tried to chug the bath water last night, but overall we have enjoyed our time together. My time with Julia gets better every day. She enjoys "Paddy Cake" and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider". She loves to be tickled and play airplane. Today I finally thought to take her tights off, and sure enough she has ten toes. She is crawling and pulling up on everything. We now have our visits with the other family from Boston. That is nice to have some company in the room, as two hours can be a long time to sit in a room with a baby, no matter how much you love them. It is hard to fill up that amount of time with only a couple of toys.

Caleb continues to try to "break" the Kazakhs. He has begun waving to every person he sees and saying "hi" to them. Some respond, but most of them do not. Walking down the street, or really going anywhere, people just look straight ahead with a scowl on their face. It is nice to see the contrast of Caleb's joy with their lack of joy. It makes me so thankful for the life we have. Caleb has broken the lady who works in the gym. For the past week, every time we go down there, she gives Caleb a big hug and a cookie. I imagine he will have a few more "converts" in the next three weeks. To replace my nightly card game, I have begun watching the Cosby Show in the evenings (thanks Blacks, especially Porter) which I find is a great way to end a day. I am going to try to post some pictures of the town in the next couple of days. The couple from Boston has done a web site with some great pictures of the hotel we are staying in if anyone wants to see it. The link is www.kzadoption.com

Paka!

April 1 Pics

2009-04-01T10:44:00.000-04:00

At least he is consistant!

April 1

2009-04-01T10:21:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrated our 9th anniversary, continents apart, but it has actually been a great day. Ethan arranged for me to have flowers delivered. These were very Kazakh style. Big, bright wrapping and 7 roses inside. I asked the translator why only 7, she said because 2 more would cost the equivelant to $25 dollars. I am glad she stopped at 7, I know how many years we have been married, I don't need to see it counted out in roses. Caleb and I went to the store this morning and Julia and I had a great visit. I brought her fruit juice and she drank like there was no end! Then, after our visit, my translator said Ethan had arranged for me to get my hair cut and some other special things at the "salon". See, here spa services are incredibly inexpensive, pedicures are $5, a haircut is $6. And these are the prices at the "best" salon in Petro. So, I spent all afternoon there getting prettied up, for no one, but it was a great day! Caleb spent the afternoon with our travel partners (Ethan had arranged that) and he seemed to have fun. So, all in all, life is pretty good here in Petro.

March 30 & 31

2009-03-31T06:21:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I don't know what happened here with the pictures, but you guys are used to it. Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know that Caleb and I are doing well solo. We went to the Kazakhstan version of chucky cheese yesterday. Caleb did great except everytime I left his side he screamed "Mama" at the top of his lungs. Totally not like him, I guess he is just nervous he is going to be left alone in Kaz. Today we hooked up with another family who just started their visitation yesterday. They are staying in our hotel and have a two year old girl. The couple is about our age and brought the grandparents along to watch the two year old. So, we all went on a walk today, Caleb was excited to see a "kid". Hopefully they will play well together. My time with Julia is precious and as much as I miss home, I would not miss being here with her for anything. She was so excited when I came to the baby room today, it just filled my heart with joy! Oh, and health status report, my tooth is getting better, Caleb now has a cold.

March 29, one down for a little while

2009-03-29T09:39:00.000-04:00

Well, as of this afternoon, Caleb and I are now solo in Kazakhstan. Ethan left at 3p today (Sunday) and is to travel for 36 hours before landing in Atlanta. Granted, there is 15 hours of layovers, but it still a LONG way home! It was hard to see him leave to say the least. He took Caleb out for dinner last night and explained to him that he had to go to work and would be gone for a little while. Caleb of course asked if diggers would be involved and Ethan said yes, there would be diggers at work. When I got home from my visit with Julia today, Caleb immediately asked for “Dada”, I told him to remember that dada went to work..Caleb said “riding diggers”. Cute. Please pray that Caleb will be settled once he realizes Ethan really is gone for a couple of weeks and not just the afternoon. I know this is hard on a two year old as he has limited understanding. We had a nice afternoon, running in the gym, playing basketball, eating ice cream, oh and eating dinner at the restaurant here. I am so thankful that we are in a nice, safe hotel!
Speaking of hotels, yesterday we moved to a new hotel room as our suite was booked by another family. This room is about the size of a bedroom. There is a small refrigerator and a closet. Thankfully, Caleb’s tent fits. The good thing about the room is that it is about a half the price of the suite. So, if we can make this work for the remainder of the stay, then we will save a lot of money. It may be doable, as the weather is definitely warming up. The only problem is evenings, since Caleb goes to bed so early. We’ll see.
Our little girl is just so much fun. I realized that one of her favorite activities is dancing. I was alone today at our visit as the interpreter and Ethan were at the airport. I turned on some music and started to dance, she LOVED it. She pulled up on a chair and danced along with me with a huge smile. So fun! Today we completed our 14 days of “mandatory” bonding. I think the Kazakhs really got this right. It is amazing to see how much more comfortable she is with us now after spending 2 hours a day for 14 days. This procedure seems to make the transition for baby and parents go much smoother. I just wish we had court tomorrow and home Tuesday since we had a successful bonding! Oh well. We’ll wait it out another 6 weeks and continue to jump through the hoops. Whatever it takes to get our little girl home is what we will do.
Oh, and Ethan and I went out on a great Anniversary date last night to an “eastern” restaurant. We had good food and there was good company with our travel partners! I posted some pictures of the evening. There was food and dancing!
P.S. For those of you who may be concerned, I am not alone over here. Our travel partners are here as well as a really nice couple we met at the grocery store has taken me under their wings. He is a family physician, so he said I could call anytime if Caleb or I got sick…So, God is watching out for Caleb and me.

Ethan and Julia right before he left today

Yes, red markers on his lips, just like mama

March 26 & 27 On second thought....

2009-03-27T10:38:00.000-04:00

Well, there has now been a change of plans (as there always seem to be in international adoption), yesterday I was granted permission to stay the entire trip. When I wrote the blog entry on March 25, I had not received a response back from an e mail I sent 3/18 requesting to stay, so I just assumed that no response was a “no” to our request. But, thankfully yesterday I got a positive reply. Therefore, I will stay the entire 8+ weeks in country and bring Julia home around the middle of May. Ethan will return as planned for court around 4/9 and stay through 4/27 and then he and Caleb will fly home together (yes, Ethan got the short end of the stick there) and I will stay and bring Julia home. It is complicated, but at this point we feel it is best to keep at least one parent with “our” kids at all time. So, the thought of staying another six weeks is a bit overwhelming to me, but it is the right decision, we have no doubt about it. The only reason I have been anxious at all about it is that I have a tooth that has really been hurting the last couple of days, it was one I really should have seen the dentist about before I left, but I did not. So, I was asking my interpreter today if I had to get dental work done, what would happen. She said there are very good dentist here in Petro and she would take me to the “best”. She told me a root canal would only cost me about $200, and if I wanted “new” instruments, I would just have to pay a little more. I think I would splurge for the new needles, but my mind is at ease. I may have the total Kaz experience, hair cut, horse meat and a trip to the dentist!
Julia becomes more and more animated every day. She babbles all the time, makes great eye contact and laughs at us. It is wonderful to see her blossom. Today was a big day because we got to take her outside. It is about 45 degrees today so we brought the obligatory snow suit. They dressed her in it along with three sweaters and two pairs of pants and a hat. Poor little thing fell asleep shortly after going outside, she was so warm and could barely move. Same as her big brother, he fell asleep the first day we took him outside too. The difference here is they take the kids outside in the summer, so I am sure she went outside last summer. Hopefully, as the weather warms we will continue to be able to take her for a walk outside. The fresh air is good for them.
Caleb is his normal happy self. Loving the 24/7 attention from mom and dad. Talking NON STOP, and learning table manners. Ethan is leaving on Sunday and we move to a smaller hotel room tomorrow. We (Ethan and I) are going to go out to celebrate our 9th anniversary tomorrow night, since we will spend the day on April 1 on opposite side of the earth. Who knew? Thanks to all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement. We feel lifted up!

Short end of the stick....:)

Ice cream is so good, there's the camera, time to cheese!

March 25

2009-03-25T13:16:00.000-04:00

He loves his kitty, but will not smile without doing the cheese thing, seriously we get the camera out, he shuts his eyes and says cheese!

Just to let everyone know who has asked, we found out court was scheduled for Monday April the 13th. Therefore, at this point we as a family of three (not Julia) will leave Petro together on April the 15th and fly into Chattanooga on April 16th. We have requested for the third time that Mary be allowed to stay the entire trip, through early May, but up to this point it does not look like that will happen. Therefore unless s something changes (which it always could) that is the plan. Then we will fly back around the first week of May pick her up and take her to Almaty where we will spend approximately one week getting her visa, passport etc and then fly home. Hopefully we will make it home with her by mid May.
Time with Julia was fun today. Her cold is better and she was talking up a storm, saying “na, na, na”. She is a sweet little girl, with some spunk. I look forward to getting her home, though it still seems so long away! Caleb is doing great. The repairmen came into the room today to repair the curtain rod and he tried to show the men his diggers. He is definitely not a shy little guy. His latest thing is to ask us to “toast” at meal times. We asked him yesterday, “Caleb, what do you want to toast to?” He answered with “Kitties”. So, we are toasting to kitties! I can’t think of anything more appropriate to toast to!

March 24 The Hunger Strike is Over!

2009-03-24T08:18:00.000-04:00

Notice the Electric Tea Kettle, the brown water is standard around here in Kaz..we boil it so it is ok

Caleb in his tent...watching Curious George

We are happy to report that as of yesterday, Caleb has begun to eat again. Yes, it was kind of touch and go there for a while. Everything we put in front of him was "broke", "dirty" or he just plain "don't like it". If it had not been for chocolate power bars during that week and a half, I don't know what the poor little guy would have done. But, we are proud to say that he started eating again yesterday and it has continued. He has been done to the basketball court with us three times today and unhappily went on a walk with me this morning while Ethan worked. He really does not like walking, I know I have said that, but today I made him walk two blocks. He survived and is a better little guy for it. Oh, and tonight at dinner we were telling Caleb that Ethan builds houses, he then said that he "Wants to help". So, we said "Sure, when you get back home, you can help", he responded with "Oh man, awesome!". Ethan and I laughed so hard we had tears in our eyes. He is becoming such a big boy overnight. And, I suppose it is a good thing with Julia on the way. Unfortunately, she is still snotty, so she was a little less active today. Again, she fell asleep around half way through the visit and slept for about thirty minuetes. I love to rock her to sleep, poor little baby has likely not had many times when she was rocked to sleep and held while she took a nap. Every baby deserves that and I intend to make up for those months.

What else, oh, we had a great American dinner with rotiserrie chicken, peas and instant mashed potatoes. We were kind of stumped as to how to heat up chicken and peas. Thankfully, Ethan came up with a brilliant idea to heat it up in a plastic ziploc bag in our electric tea kettle (our only means to cook with). This worked pretty well, except the chicken bag busted so our chicken was floating in boiling water, but that's ok, we cleaned the kettle well and hopefully our instant coffee does not taste like chicken in the morning. I could kick myself for insisting on buying generic ziploc bags...should have splurged for the real thing.

March 23 Pictures

2009-03-24T00:30:00.001-04:00

To the right is the "view" out of our hotel balcony

Not always a happy girl

Eating Gerber Graduates

March 23

2009-03-24T00:25:00.001-04:00

There is nothing much new to report. Our time with Julia was great today. She played, ate Gerber graduates and fell asleep in my arms. Her cold is almost completely gone. We have now completed eight days of bonding. We will find out our court date on 3/30. Likely it will be between 4/8 and 4/15.

Otherwise, we woke up with about four inches of fresh white snow. This really made Ethan's day. Granted, there is about one foot of snow already on the ground, but it was iced over. This new snow was beautiful! The days are getting somewhat warmer here; I would say it is in the thirties for the high. We went on a walk this morning to the local mall. Again, it is hard with Caleb because his stroller is not really made for snow, yet he does not like to walk in the snow. So, we carry about 30 pounds on our hips when we go anywhere these days. We had a nice lunch in the mall with pizza, and Caleb played on the indoor playground. Tonight our travel partners are going to come over and we are going to eat pie and play cards…again. Oh, what I would not do for a board game. I would pay $100 for monopoly right now! Enjoy the pictures.

Oh, and just some clarification on yesterday's pics. The log cabin was the art museum we went to on Saturday, and the playground was outside of the babyhouse.

March 22 Pictures

2009-03-22T12:18:00.000-04:00

March 22, 2009

2009-03-22T09:27:00.001-04:00

Hello. We are winding down Sunday night here in Petro. Our time with Julia continues to improve with each passing day. Every visit she becomes more relaxed. She does have a cold, though today she seemed less snotty than yesterday. She was incredibly active today, crawling all over the music room, pulling up, standing on her own for a second or two. Ethan and I just looked at each other with the same look, like, whoa, we are going to be parents of two very busy children! What fun…what little rest we are going to have for the next several years. She loves to be held by me and for Ethan to play with her. When she is in my arms she will look at him and start to clap, that means she is want him to come tickle her. She is also eating Gerber Graduates puffs like there is no tomorrow. I caught Ethan eating them today….he got a good scolding. I feel like we need to ration them…the two containers needs to last at least three more weeks until Ethan comes back for court. We had a little drama today because Ethan walked into the baby room…apparently the baby room is on quarantine lockdown because some of the babies are sick with the cold. Our interpreter and the caretaker had words. The way people communicate with each other and the lack of southern "manners" amazes me still. There are no smiles; there is no polite conversation, no acts that we consider in the states common courtesy. We wonder if it is a result of their communist history, culture, or their religious views. Likely, it is a combination of all these factors that lead to their way of life that is so drastically different from the south.

We have immersed ourselves some into the culture. Yesterday we went to an art museum and to the bowling alley. Both were fun, the bowling alley was more like a disco hangout where people sat around and ate and drank, listening to techno music in a room where there were five bowling lanes. Ethan walked into the bathroom and there were two men kissing. Don't worry; Caleb was asleep at the "new home" with the babysitter. Ethan ate liver hot pockets and I had fries. Tonight our travel partners are coming over again to play cards. That helps a lot! Oh, and more importantly we now have DSL. This has changed our lives!

Caleb is doing as well as can be expected. Last night he slept from 6p to 9a. He keeps asking for "kids". I think he really misses playing with his cousins and friends. He was able to see his Pop Pop and Pippa via Skype yesterday, he managed to try to play hide and seek with them. Feeding him is challenging, as all we have to cook with is an electric tea kettle. Tonight Ethan made him peanut butter grits; yeah we are trying to get creative. Luckily he thought it was the best thing ever and ate it up. He will not eat sandwiches which are our staple at home; because he keeps saying the bread is "broken". Every day we let him look at the pictures we have taken during our visit and he looks at Julia and says "Baby Sista". Oh, and we have included in the pictures Caleb's first self photo...it is the close up of his teeth J

2009-03-22T09:20:00.000-04:00

Pictures

2009-03-19T11:20:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the pictures. we are trying to figure out what is happening.

Ethan

Smiles March 19th (p.s. we figured out the picture deal half way through this post)

2009-03-19T10:46:00.000-04:00

Hello! We are starting to settle into a routine here in Petro. Ethan and I finally slept more than 5 hours last night, so we are hoping that the jet lag is coming to an end. Caleb, on the other hand is still struggling and waking up every night around 11p, wired and ready to go. That has been somewhat challenging…but we like challenges.
Our time with Julia was good the last 2 days. We had our visit in a room called the music room. Basically, it is a huge storage room with a radio in it. I spend the majority of the visits holding her and rocking her. We have finally figured out that she LOVES to be tickled and she will belly laugh if Ethan does that to her. She stares at us a lot…I think she is just trying to figure us out. Today the caretakers suggested Ethan not wear so much perfume. Ha! I guess Americans just smell different to the Kazakhs because we were deodorant and bath daily? Anyway, he is going to cut maybe the lotion out that he was putting on his face after her shaves? We found out today that she weighs 17.6 lbs and is about 27 inches long. So, she is a strong, healthy little girl. She spit up all over me today, nice to go back to that again.
We are finding that our days are going by really fast. We eat breakfast in the hotel, and then usually get out for a walk before our visits at 1p. After our visits, we usually take Caleb out again on a walk or to the basketball court. Yesterday we found an American style mall with our travel partners; they had a playground where you drop your kid off to be babysat while one shops. No, I did not drop Caleb off there, but he did have a good time playing in it. I think he is enjoying being with mom and dad 24/7, but I know he misses home. Yesterday morning we were sitting on the couch together and he looked up at me and said “New home?” I said “Yes, for now Caleb”. We look at pictures daily of family and friends, and explain to him, that we will go back to our “old home” again. Sweet boy!
By the way, we figured out the lady bugs up the nose are thanks to his cool big cousin Jack. Today he brought me a flashlight, pointed it up his nose and said, “Look for ladybugs mama?” J

Houston we have a problem "with images"

2009-03-17T11:22:00.000-04:00

March 17, Happy St. Patricks Day!

2009-03-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

Our first full day of visitation proved to be much easier than yesterday. Granted, it started out a little difficult. Julia cried for the first 10 or 15 minutes, as she seemed scared. We decided to take her back into the play room with the other babies and then she seemed to relax. So, we spent a good hour right in the middle of the 10 other babies in the room (ages 6 months to 12 months). Ethan played with the mini basketball with the other babies and put on quite a show. Julia was in my arms the entire time and every couple of minutes, he was touch her foot, her leg etc...Gradually she warmed up to him and let him hold her for a couple of minutes. That was a huge success. Unfortunately these babies in the baby house never see men, so it is common for them to be scared of the dads when they first start visiting. Towards the end of the visit we were able to get her to laugh by tickling her. That mad my heart so happy, I have long wondered what her smile would look like and it was just perfect. And man on man, she has a belly laugh! About half way through the visit they brought the snacks out for the babies, applesauce and cookies and bread mixed in milk. I spoon fed that to her, she is quite the eater. We were able to kindly talk them into letting us remove her sweater, which is why she has a tank top on in the picture that says “Hawaii Forum”, and she is a chubby little thing. Let’s see, what else can I add, she does crawl and is in the process of getting her four front teeth (2 on top, 2 on bottom). She takes a pacifier, and her hair is quite a bit blonder than I had thought originally. We are thankful for a good first day of bonding and look forward to seeing her tomorrow!
As to everything else, we had a great day with Caleb. He is over jet lag, and slept his normal 12 hours last night; we on the other hand woke up at 5am. We went on a fun walk this morning in the ice and snow. There has to be at least 3 inches of ice on the sidewalks here. There are men everywhere chipping the ice with shovels and then a big digger (I don’t know what kind) comes and picks up the ice chips to clear the sidewalks. We went to a coffee shop on our walk this morning and the gentleman behind the counter was practicing his English on Ethan and asked us why we were in Petro, Ethan told him he was building roads…He then asked which ones, Ethan said “Big ones…”. Funny. For those of you who don’t know a lot of locals do not agree with international adoption, thinking we adopt children for their organs. Outrageous. We spent some time playing basketball and Caleb slept for 3 and ½ hours this afternoon while we were visiting Julia. Till tomorrow.
P.S. Who told Caleb that ladybugs live in his nose? He has had his finger in his nose a lot on this trip and I have asked him why and he says “Getting the Ladybugs” ???

Pictures (sorry for duplicates)

2009-03-16T11:22:00.000-04:00

Mary and Caleb Sleeping at Mcee Dss in Frankfurt (far right)

Caleb and DADA playing in Tent

Mary and Baby Sista Julia

2009-03-16T10:51:00.000-04:00

March 16
“The Meeting”
Today we finally met Julia. I will first describe her as best as I can and then rewind to the events leading up to the moment. She is precious. She has bright blue eyes with long eye lashes. Her skin is fair and her hair looks to be coming in dirty blond. She is small, but looks strong and healthy. She was timid of us, as expected and I don’t think she had ever seen a beard before, so she seemed kind of frightened of that. So, as I write this entry, Ethan is shaving off all his facial hair (yes, I have been asking him to do this for 9 years of marriage, and it took five minutes with his daughter and it is a done deal). We were only able to spend five minutes with her, so there is little else to say besides we feel that God has blessed us in a most unbelievable way by putting this sweet little girl into our lives.
The morning began with the translator coming to pick us up; we then went to the Department of Education where we were interviewed by them. Questions were asked such as “What kind of child are you looking for?”, “What do you do for a living”, “Are you prepared to deal with any health problems the baby may have” and “What about your son Caleb, is he healthy?”. It was laid back and the Minister of Education was very kind. From there we went to the Baby House. It was amazingly clean and nice. Bright colors on the walls, the floor was spotless and the caregivers seem to really love the babies. We waited for about 45 minutes in the hallway. Finally we were asked into Dr. Rimer’s office, the director of the baby house. There she sat with our social worker and two other ladies. No one acknowledged us when we walked in, we sat down in the office and they begin to show us children that we could choose from. First we see this precious little two year old boy, he waved at us and says “paka” which is goodbye in Russian. Ethan leaned over to me and said, “That could be Micah”. Then, another little baby girl was brought in with a seizure disorder and a little girl who had some mental handicaps, but looked to be a bundle of fun.. Then, we waited a good 20 minutes while the ladies who were discussing our case were talking very loudly to each other regarding some of the paperwork in Russian. I started to get a little nervous thinking, “Are they going to send us home without a baby, couldn’t they talked about this before we traveled three days to get here?” Finally, they looked over at us and smiled like it was no big deal they had all been yelling at each other in Russian and in they brought our beautiful baby girl. She had on a sweet little pink dress and sweater with tights with flowers on them. I held her, there in the office with everyone staring at us. She was scared, but seemed to calm a little as I rocked her. Like I said, she was not a big fan of the beard. They then took us into her play area which was a big room with toys, walkers, and play pens. There were about 9 other babies’ ages 6 months to a year. This broke mine and Ethan’s hearts. We just want to scoop them all up and take them home! I know they are being well cared for, but they need families. Funny though, all the little babies were staring at Ethan, like they had never seen such a thing, a man with facial hair. When we walked back into the play area, Julia saw her caretaker and of course began to cry for her. Which is normal and healthy, and it was time for us to go anyway. So there we left her. We will go back to visit every day from 2p to 4p.
Otherwise all is well here. Caleb spent the morning with the girl who is going to be his nanny during the trip while we visit Julia. Her name is Kate. She speaks English and has been a friend of our interpreter for 7 years. Caleb took to her, but apparently had Kate looking all over the hotel to see if she could help him find his dada. We explored the hotel some today and there is a gym with a basket ball hoop. So, I imagine we will be spending many an hour there.
Thanks to all of you for your love and prayers. We feel blessed beyond words and know that the hand of God is upon this adoption of Julia.

To Petro

2009-03-15T09:22:00.000-04:00

March 15
Well, we finally arrived in Petro at about 2pm today. The trip was long and challenging at times with a toddler in hand. Caleb was a trooper, but there is no way to communicate with a 2 year old that we must be on a plane for 19 hours. We arrived in Almaty on Saturday morning at about 2 am. We stayed in a smokey, little apartment. It was there that "green" taggy saw his final hours. When it went missing, I asked Caleb where it was and he said "I thrown it", off the poarch from 8 stories, along with a dirty diaper. By the time we realized it was gone, there lay the dirty diaper in the mud, but "green" had gone on to another home.
We met with the "sisters" on Saturday and spent Saturday night in the apartment. Caleb woke up at 1 am and we all watched a couple of episodes of Curious George, before all falling back to sleep around 4am. This morning we took a small plane about 3 1/2 hours to Petro. It is a small city covered in snow. Our accomadations are very nice and we are very pleased. The only drawback is that our internet connection is a very slow dial up, so hopefully we will have the patience to keep the blog going.
Tomorrow we meet our daughter. We are of course excited, but I don't think the full meaning of that has set in with the business of the last couple of weeks. Hopefully we will be able to post some pics tomorrow.