Finally May!

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

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!