Happy Holidays and Happy 2008!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long time between posts but it's just been crazy as always. The holidays were just absolutely wonderful and busy for our little guy. Here is a very quick overview of what we did: On Friday the 21st we were off to Lburg and our 3&ahalf-hour drive took 6 which Rinat was not too happy about but we got there safe and sound and were really happy to finally get out of the car. On Saturday, we had lunch with friends and then Peter took off for an afternoon of martini drinking (his first I think) at the annual Martini Party (yes, that is a capital M and P because it is a capital, invite-only affair). Our friends Mer and Lynden came in town and we had a big dinner out while the grandparents babysat. It was so nice to have a few hours to ourselves. Then on Sunday, our little sweetie was baptised and, of course, threw a fit when he wasn't allowed to play in the baptismal font. But I just kept whispering "Pattycake, Pattycake, Baker's Man" in his ear and it calmed the wild beast so he didn't scare the congregation. But then as Dr. Harbison walked down the aisle to introduce him to everyone, he let out his loudest Kazakh war cry to show his dismay at being removed from Mom and Dad. But he looked so darn cute in his little white outfit that you couldn't help but smile anyway. Then Monday was Christmas Eve and about a million people came over to say hi and have a drink. Rinat just loved having all of the other kids around and was exceptionally well behaved. He even sat still for a photo op entailing about 10 kids ranging in age from 4 months to 7 years sitting under the tree and smiling for the camera. He just watched everyone else and played with his Elmo toy. And Tuesday was Christmas Day and he got gobs of toys and loved them all. But most of all I think he loved the attention of all of his grandparents, aunts, and uncle. And what did I get for Christmas? I got the best gift of all- the sound of laughter from my son and seeing my sweet husband beaming with pride. Then Wednesday was our sweet little baby's first birthday. I can't believe that he is already a year old! We went to Roanoke to visit his other grandparents and had tons of fun. He went to town on his cake and just really had fun playing with everyone. The next day, Thursday, we were back to Lynchburg then Friday home to DC. It took us a couple of days to get back in the swing of things and then it was New Years Eve and as the clock struck midnight, I thought to myself "Really, how could 2008 be any better than the year we just had?" Oh yeah, we could be on our way to a daughter :-) Yes, Tatiana, you will be hearing from us soon! (For anyone who doesn't know her, Tatiana is our paperwork guru at the adoption agency. She makes sure we have everyone we need to get our child. She's awesome!) And then I got up on Jan 1 and drove, hungover, to pick up Ted and Liz at the Baltimore airport. They stayed a week while she did her residency interviews at two of the hospitals here in DC. And we of course did lots of tourist things and showed them the city. We want them to fall in love with the city so that they will chose to be here for a few years while she completes her program. No pressure Liz&Ted but it sure would be fun! So now we sit here, Rinat, Peter, and me, as a family. The great influx of visitors is finally done and we are now on our own. After months and months of craziness, we are finally down to us and we couldn't be happier to be a normal family. Oh, but not for long. No, no. Life would be boring if that was it, right? We have Rinat's birthday party coming up, then his surgery (for the cyst) and then I think we'll begin on the next one. Yes, I know, we should just let life float by for a while but what fun would that be? Happy 2008 everyone! I hope everyone has their life wishes fulfilled as we have this year. Much love to all. -m

Busy as Always!

Hi Everybody! We, as always, have been really busy with our little guy. This is a photo of Babycakes after we had the cousins over to hang out for a while. He missed his afternoon nap and so he fell asleep on the bathroom floor at 6:20 that night as I was putting on his butt medicine. He was tuckered out! We also took our guy to NYC for the weekend and I think it might be his favorite place in the world. It was one of those wonderfully cold, Christmassy, kinds of weekends when tourists take over the city. He was so busy watching everyone and everything going on around him that he didn't even want to eat. I think all he ate the whole weekend was some goldfish and cheese sticks. Other than visitors and trips out of town, he has just been really happy to hang out at home. His new thing is being upside down. I guess he wants to see the world in a different way? He thinks it's really funny when I do it too. That and when I chase him around. He is also really close to walking. He can stand for 10 seconds at a time but for some reason won't actually walk. Soon though. And his favorite toy? A wine cork. I guess it helps his new teeth feel better. He has also started screaming really really LOUDLY! I mean, he's so loud that I my eardrum keeps vibrating even after he stops. Sometimes he does it just for fun- to try his lungs out. Sometimes, though, it's out of frustration. Usually when there is something that he cannot reach or when he drops his spoon during meals. So we have been working really hard to teach him the sign for 'please' (it's easier than the help sign) and I swear he finally did it this morning. We'll definitely keep at it until he gets it because the screaming just rattles me (and the other people at the grocery store aren't too fond of it either). Oh, and I just have to give kudos to my wonderful husband who not only still offers to get up at night when Rinat cries (awesome, right?), but sent me to the spa for several hours on Monday to relax. And then when I came home, he told me to get out and shop or something and don't come home until tonight. How fabulous is that? I hope everyone has a relaxing and fun holiday! -m

Let is snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Hey all! We got our first snowfall and Rinat thought it was pretty cool. I need to get him a snowsuit so that he can just go to town in the yard.
Here are some things that our guy has been up to lately. He will crawl to door and wave byebye when people leave. He has started to tear bread into pieces just like mom does if I give him a while slice. He's getting so big! His favorite new game is 'where's mama's bellybutton?' He lifts up my shirt and pokes me in the bellybutton. It's not the best game to play in public of course, but it is really cute. I am also starting to realize how much he really understands when he gets a cup out of his drawer, hands it to me, and makes the sign for milk. I'm amazed. Our only frustration has been his constant rashes. I just counted it up and we have had 13 visits to the doctor in the 13 weeks that we have been home. Ugh. But, all in all, things are good and our little sweetie is happy, healthy, and most definitely adored. Happy holidays! -m

A Lot to be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Here's a photo of our sweetie literally SURROUNDED by admirers. Wow- what a lot we have to be thankful for this year. Peter and I have been absolutely bursting with happiness this whole year. Not only do we have the most adorable, smart, energetic, fun,- shall I go on?- baby in the world, but we also have had such an amazing welcome home for our sweet baby from family and friends over the last couple of months. We have literally been swamped with well wishers and, of course, our little guy just soaks up all of the attention. Who wouldn't? We have had family member after family member come to spend time with our little one but this week was the first time we have taken him on a road trip. He was, of course, adored by all. We had turkey dinner with GParents Pete and Nancy and their whole clan and he had tons of fun being cute for them. And Nancy opened up her store (children's clothing) and we got the most adorable outfits for him to wear. He's so spoiled! And then GParents G and Mar had a welcome party for him and it was just so wonderful to see all of those people who followed along on our journey to Kaz actually get to meet our little guy. Literally, people who I didn't even think knew told me they were checking our blog multiple times a day to see the updates. And, after finally meeting him, they adored him almost as much as we do! And, as usual, I am in awe of my son and how well he is able to adapt. He was passed from person to person day after day this past week and complained not a bit- even though he yet again has a full body rash. As a matter of fact, I think he's a little sad that it's just us again. He's back to being stuck into the jumper when mom has to empty the dishwasher or take the laundry upstairs. Oh well, Christmas is right around the corner offering the opportunity to be fawned over yet again. I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was as wonderful as this one. Love to all at the start of this glorious holiday season. -m
BTW- people keep asking what I want for Christmas, and all I can say is "a girl". But in the meantime, here are the two most wonderful boys in my world wishing for you all to have a great week :-)

Cousins!

Hi! Here's our little guy pretending to help Daddy rake the leaves. Mostly he just wanted to hand them all to me or eat them but whatever. This week was really fun for our little guy. We had Walt/Nan/Sam/Sara in town again for most of the week. They stayed up in Baltimore for a couple days for Nan's conference and R and I drove up and went to the aquarium with them. Rinat had a lot of fun watching the big fish and playing with his cousins. Then they came and stayed with us for a few days and we went to the Natural History and the Air & Space Museums down on the Mall. But Rinat's faorite part of course was just hanging out with family. Sam (he's 4) just loves Rinat and spent a lot of time smushing Rinat's cheeks and kissing him. And Rinat spent a lot of time just staring at Sam. I think they are going to be good friends when they get older. And Sara (she's 1) taught Rinat how to point and he now says 'more' her way sometimes instead of his clapping way. And speaking of his sign language, he is doing more and more signs. He now has 'milk' and 'all done' down pat and he'll do them without me even saying the word. We all lay in bed for a while in the morning, and when he's had enough, he just lets us know by signing that it's time for milk. It's so great. And we have nicknamed our guy the Diaper Houdini because he somehow has figured out how to take one side of his diaper off during the night through his pajamas and he pees all over his clothes and crib. His still slept through the night though so it must not bother him to be soaking wet. That makes it three nights in a row for him and two happy parents. And this happy parent will talk to you later. Have a great week! -m

Future Adopters Post

Here is a post for those of you reading our blog that might be adopting- especially those who are going to Astana to find your child. I hope it helps you feel a little more prepared! If there is anything that I left out, let me know by commenting and I will edit this post to include the info.


Groceries- You can basically get anything you want at one of the grocery stores in Astana. While there, we found PeanutButter, Peanut butter crackers, all kind of cheeses, tortilla chips and salsa, pringles, good chocolate, mac and cheese, spaghetti sauce, and pretty much everything else we wanted. And of course there are restaurants and takeout from the bakery too. Yum! Next time we'll save the room in our suitcases and just bring some spices or something instead of boxes of food and snacks. You can also get american cosmetics and shampoo like Pantene and Olay and stuff so don't bother bringing your own.
Cost of things- Restaurant cost was about the same as in the US. Baby toys are really really really expensive (like $100!)- bring them instead of buy them there. I would suggest bringing a pack of onesies and/or footies instead of buying them in Kaz. Also, you'll have cute clothes for those first photos of your baby. Just go to Target and buy a 5 pack or something- plan on some of them getting lost at the Baby House so buy cheap. Strollers are really expensive too ($70 for a cheapo foldup) so I will bring my own next time. And it was also nice to have a Bjorn (and Rinat loved it) but the stroller came in handy for our 8 hour layover at the Frankfurt airport. I couldn't find anywhere for Rinat to play or a quiet place for him to sleep but I could just throw a blanket over him in the stroller and he did alright.
Internet- We had highspeed installed at our apt and it was about $100 for a month. There are also tons of internet cafes around the city. Other people said their internet connection was not reliable and it only worked sometimes but they just had to make sure to take advantage of when it did work. They still managed to keep in touch with family.
Shopping- There are 'American' foods at the Ramstore (at the bottom of the big yellow building) but I really found more stuff at the Zhannur. They are also building a huge Ramstore that will be great but it's kind of off the beaten path so you may have to get your driver take you periodically. There are several shopping malls and they all have small shops so you will have to go to about a million to find what you are looking for. Mothercare is a baby store over by the cinema and they have really cute but expensive clothes (although the onsies and pjs are reasonable). Go there when you can't take it anymore at the Baby Mall.
BabyHouse- You will need some kind of bag to carry stuff to and from the BH. They also want you to have a blanket for the baby to play on, clothes for him/her to wear, fruit tea to give him (buy at any store), a bottle, a pacifier, warm stuff to take your baby outside (hat, socks, etc). A lot of this stuff will get lost so be prepared for that. You also might want to bring some washcloths for spitup and wipes to clean him/her up (I don't know how often they bathe them). Oh, and you can't buy washcloths in Kaz- I couldn't find them anyway- so bring them from home. They'll also come in handy for cleaning your apt and stuff. And as for what not to do at the BH- don't tell them how to take care of your baby. Remember that they have been taking care of your child and know him/her well. That's not to say that you shouldn't point out a runny nose or diaper rash, but then let them take care of it. When you take your child out, you can run the show- until then, defer to them.
Clothes to bring for you- Bring only enough so that you can wash it and then have something to wear for a day or two while the load you did dries. And only bring what you won't care about getting ruined- I somehow dyed an entire load purple (a black TShirt did it). And if you haven't seen those giant ziplocks, go find some. Put your clothes in those, close it most of the way, push out all the air, and then close it up. Your clothes/towels/whatever will take up a fourth of the space that way.
Nervous about meeting your child?- Everything will work out. The whole thing is weird and scary but also amazing. The one thing I would say is don't have a picture in your head of who your child will be (boy/girl, age, size, race, health). The child you get will never match that picture. Every single one of us said it took a little while to feel like this was our child after meeting him/her. It's completely normal. Also bonding is not immediate for the child. If you think of it, one month of visits equals only 2days of your child seeing you. It took a full month before Rinat saw us as more than playmates.
Stuff to do- We spent a lot of time reading, watching movies on the laptop, surfing the internet (and buying baby stuff online), and listening to our ipod. We also got together pretty often with the other families which was nice. We had potluck at someone's apt or we met at a restaurant. Or just went shopping together.
Getting around- Astana is really small and you'll be able to find your way around within days. Your driver should also be able to take you places. And there are cabs but you'll have to be able to communicate with them.
Phone- We downloaded Skype and it was fantastic and cheap. You will need highspeed internet and headphones/microphone. You can also rent a worldwide cell from your cellphone company.
Gifts- You will have to buy a ton of gifts. At the Baby House for the day you take your baby home, you need ones for 7 caretakers (they are in their 20's up to their 40's and not too expensive- we gave inexpensive jewelry), director of the baby house (something really nice for a woman in her late 50's- we went in with another couple and got her a purse), and your child's doctor (most of them are in their 30's and 40's). In court, you will ones for the judge (a very stern looking woman in her 50's- we got her a wallet, scarf, and bracelet- or it could be the man judge- I don't know anything about him except he's not nice), the prosecutor (a man in his 40's- wallet), court secretary (a cute girl around 30- scarf and bracelet), and the ministry of education representative who is there with you (ours was around 40- scarf and wallet). We also gave gifts to our coordinator (perfume), translator (purse), and driver (soccer ball and athletic bag for his sons). This part of things was really stressful for me because I didn't want to offend anyone by not getting the right thing. Or coordinator actually went through all of our gifts and figured out what to give to who which helped. We bought some of the gifts in the US and brought them with us and it made it a little easier but you will also have lots of time while you are there to shop. And I bought stuff for our driver, coordinator, translator, and BH director there so I would be sure to buy something they would like. But the gifts I brought with me were fine for those that I never got to know like the BH caretakers, and people at court.

After your get your little Sweetpea- First of all, you will have him/her/them for about 10 days before you get out of Kaz so bring what you'll need to take care of him in that time (I ran out of bottle DropIns and had to buy another bottle to use on the plane since they don't sell them in Kaz). There will be a lot of crying involved- both on your baby's part and proably you too will cry out of frustration. When in doubt, feed him or give him something to drink. Our guy ate way way more than we thought he would. The plane ride will be horrible so just expect it and tell yourself "It's only one day out of my life". And telling everyone around you that you just adopted seems to help too- people are really nice if you just admit you have no idea what you are doing. Same goes for when you get home. Have patience with both your little guy to get adjusted and with yourselves- you are new at this and you all have jetlag so it makes for a difficult transition. I kept having to remind myself that he would still love me even if I messed up and got frustrated or left him to scream while I calmed myself down. And most of all, know that this transtition time will one day be over and you will tell youself that it wasn't so bad. I haven't quite gotten there yet but I'm close. :-)

Devil vs. Angel

He just can’t decide- is he a little devil?
Or a little angel?
Well, let's put it this way- nights he has slept through this week- 4 of 7, times he woke us up Halloween night- 5, times he falls over laughing every day at something silly I've done- countless. He's such a good audience! The things he thinks are the most funny lately are tickling him with my foot, having a crawling race with him to get a toy, and putting anything and everything on his head and pretending it's a hat. I just love that he thinks it's so funny that his secret little dimple in his right cheek makes an arrearance. And he has some new tricks that I am particularly proud of. First of all, he can now use this little semi-spoon utensil to scoop up his oatmeal and get it to his mouth- with my help of course, but still I am impressed. He also will drop his binky (pacifier) into his crib after his nap when I ask him to. And he has this 'more' sign down pat. Now, anytime I am eating or drinking anything that he thinks looks interesting, he gives me a very insistent MORE sign until I cave in- I have to reward him for not screaming, right? And he has been making all kinds of interesting sounds now too. For a while, he made a little kissing sound which was cute. Then he started making a clicking sound with his tongue which was nice because I always knew where he was since I could hear him clicking around the house. And now Peter has taught him how to do the American Indian war whoop thing- you know where you use your hand to make it sound like "WaWaWaWa"? Except Rinat does it with the back of his hand. Whatever, he thinks he's really cool. And Halloween was really nice. We went over to our friend Jen's house and all of the kids played. Rinat was an alligator by the way- isn't he adorable? Have a great weeekend! -m

Our Little Pumpkin

Hi everyone! I know, I know- long time, no post. Sorry. I don't know what I've been doing... Oh yeah, raising a willful adorable and loud ten month old. It's so fun that I forget that there are other things I should be doing too besides sitting on the floor letting him stick his fingers in my mouth. So things have been going really well with our little sweetie. He has his fourth tooth coming in which makes for some wakeful nights but he's a trooper. And so is Peter who, more often than not, will offer to get up and put him back down so I can sleep. He's the best. Also, our little troublemaker has figured out how to open the sliding doors to the office so we blocked that with an ottoman (until his little arms get long enough to reach the doorway anyway). He figured out how to open the under-the-stairs storage so I blocked that with some dumbbells (until he gets strong enough to lift them). He also figured out how to open the kitchen cabinets so they are now baby(and me)-proofed. And he figured out that the cat sleeps under the bed so it's my daily entertainment to see the face-off between the two of them. Rinat always wins and the cat jumps up to the bed (smart cat, right?) to escape. Poor MassieCat is actually pretty tolerant of Rinat grabbing handfuls of his hair but looks at me while R's attacking him like "Could you do something about this please?" Rinat has gotten pretty good at playing by himself which is fantastic because it means I get to cook again (which I love to do). We have gotten some fantastic fancy toys but our boy's favorite is of course the box and ribbon. He also really likes to hijack a tupperware from the dishwasher and stick it over his face and yell "DADADADADA!!!!" into it at the top of his lungs while sitting under the dining room table. All I can do is laugh. It's so ridiculously cute. And have I mentioned he is obsessed with the bus? Everytime that I am trying to feed him, the bus goes by at least three or four times and he will come close to falling out of his highchair because he's craning his neck to look out the window and watch it stop at the stop sign. I swear that's going to be his first word- not Mama or Dada- but BUS. And, of course, all of the family think he is just as cute as I do. Last week, we had GParents Pete and Nancy visit on Monday, GParents Geri and Lamar on Wed/Thurs, and Cousin Cara+Bfriend and Cousin Kevin on Fri. And we took a superfun trip to the pumpkin patch (complete with hayride) with Mer/Lynd/Caroline on Sunday. It was a good week. This week, we have NO VISITORS at all. I can't believe it. Anyone want to come? The guest room is empty! Until next time... -m

Dr. Visits, Visitors, Giggles

Hi everyone! Things are good here in DC. We have Auntie Kate in town for a few weeks for the Solar Decathlon down on the Mall (she's in architecture school and they are participating in an eco-friendly design competition) and it has been really fun. Sweet Baby has also been really busy lately. Wednesday was the eye surgeon and decided we'll be having the cyst out sometime in January. Thursday was the pediatrician. He is very healthy and over all of his illnesses. He is now 18 pounds/29 inches tall and got blood drawn for a lead test and 2 vaccination shots- he was soooo mad. And the doctor was really impressed with him. He said that not only is he on target cognitively, but has the intelligence of around the 15 month mark. I knew his name would rub off on him! I did a little research on how the people in Kaz name their kids and found that they name them after attributes that they hope their child will have like grace or strength or things like that. His name means 'scientific revolution' so I guess that means he'll be a scientific genius, right? Only time will tell but I think he's on the right track. Then on Friday, Aunt Ann came and we went to check out Kate's cool house that they built. Then on Saturday we went and had lunch at Mer's house with Mer/Caroline and Margarita/Chrissy. He was a little cranky for some reason but guess which toy of C's he loved? The stacking buckets. Yup, he's consistent anyway- it's always the stackers. And here are some milestones he has hit this week- cruising the furniture, clapping, getting a tooth (and I think maybe even two) on top, and yesterday I think he signed the word 'more' when he wanted more hash browns. And the cutest thing he does lately is play the Where's Babycakes? game. He crouches down next to the sofa that I am sitting on, and I say "Where's the Babycakes?" and he pops up and laughs. He'll do it for as long as I can deal with it. Soooo cute. And Kate got to hear his belly laugh when she showed him Hot Potato. He found it highly entertaining. The other time he does it is when I let him play with my teeth. He's obsessed with them and he loves to watch me brush them too. Don't you wish you could be as easily amused? Anyway, that was our week- wonderfully calm. Oh, and he slept last night from 8:00 until 7:00 this morning. It was heaven. More next week! -m

Lots of Vistors this Week

Hey! Wow has this week just flown by! Last weekend was really busy with my my mom, brother, sis-in-law and their two kids in town. It was so much fun. And on Saturday, we had a little mini family reunion with all of us plus my mom's sister & bro-in-law in from Texas, and my cousin & her boyfriend from NYC, and my other cousin & his gfriend (who live here in DC). It was so great to be able to see everyone. And then we went to the zoo not just once but twice- once on Sat and once on Sunday. Gotta love that everything is free in DC. Peter had a great time with Nephew Sam who was just so adorable with Rinat- he is so excited to have a boy cousin. And we got to see how big Niece Sara has gotten now that she is a year old. One night we threw them all in the tub for a Cousin Bath and it was so adorable. Then on Mon&Tues I still had to serve on the jury which was not fun but it was nice to have Mom here to watch Rinat. Meanwhile, after dropping Mom at the airport, Peter took our little guy to the doctor on Monday afternoon for massive diaper rash and we found out he also had Scarlet Fever. Oops. So anyway, one more trip on Friday for the rash that wouldn't leave and he is now almost back to normal. But you really wouldn't even know that there was a thing wrong with him because he is just as happy as a clam. He loved getting all of the attention from grandma, cousins, aunts, and uncles. And I was done with jury duty as of Tuesday so it has been really great finally being able to get into a routine. Again, I am just so amazed at how well he is able to just roll with the punches. Of course he was really confused when I brought him into the guest room on Thursday to say good morning to Peter's sister Kate who is staying with us for a few weeks. I think he was wondering where Grandma Shay went and who was this new person. But it only took him a second to break into a smile. And I know exactly what he was thinking "Aha! A new person to adore me. Awesome.' Have a good week! -m

Busy Busy Busy!

Hey All! Rinat is a crawling fool these days but he doesn't want to leave anything behind so he has started carrying them in his mouth like a dog- especially his cherished bottle of water. He's so funny. I hope everyone has been doing well. We sure have! My mom is in town which has been really great. She has been a huge help to me and of course Rinat thinks she's the greatest ever because she'll play with him 24/7- unlike me who has laundry to fold and dishes to wash and dinner to cook. And it has been especially good timing that she is in town right now since I got picked to serve on a jury. I didn't defer because I thought the likelihood of actually getting placed on a jury was pretty small and I might as well get it over with. But no, I am actually having to serve. But it's been good because Babushka Shay has been here to take care of him while I'm there doing my civic duty. But we have been doing lots of fun stuff too like having a picnic in the park and just playing nonstop. He's such a good little guy and I am surprised at how quickly he has settled in. He is consistently sleeping through the night, and he goes down easily for 2 naps every day, and he eats nonstop. I bet he's gained at least a couple of pounds in the last few weeks since we've been home. And he has come to love his stroller and he likes to go to the park and watch the other kids. He is just unbelievable. He can also climb the stairs and is starting to cruise the furniture. And he talks constantly (dad must've rubbed off on him). He spent a good part of yesterday screaming "DADADADA!!!" at the top of his lungs just for the fun of it. And his little tooth is all the way through and I get a glimpse of white protruding from his gums every time he opens his mouth. For all you parents out there- Hyland's Teething Tablets are a godsend. I think 2 of those do more to relax him than my 5:00 martini does for me. He really is just wonderful. Every once in a while, he has some kind of issue (like diaper rash) that causes him to wake up too early in the morning but I have to admit that I'm secretly happy about it. Peter goes to get him and changes him or gives him a bottle and then when he won't go back to sleep in his crib, we bring him into bed with us and when I hold him he falls back to sleep in seconds. It the best way to start my day and the entire rest of the day I have that Jack Johnson song running through my head that says "When the whole world fits inside of your arms, do you really need to pay attention to the alarm? Wake up slow, mmm, mmmm, wake up slow". I hope all is well with everyone out there. Until next time. -m

Alive and Well

Hi Everyone! Here's a photo of our sweetie in the tub. He's just so cute you want to squeeze him all the time, don't you? Me too. I can't believe we have been home so long- and that I haven't posted in almost a week. Time is just flying by and we are getting more and more into our little routine every day. We have had several doctor appointments and several groups of visitors and Rinat is doing fantastic through it all. I am constantly amazed by him and his ability to adapt to new situations and new people. He is also wearing us out- but in a good way of course. Spending the entire day with him is wonderful but I just about crawl into my bed at the end of it. Today was especially tiring as our little sweetie is finally having a couple of teeth sprout up. I kept thinking that it had to be sometime soon with the amount of drooling and chewing on things that he has been doing. Today he was extra fussy and I just assumed it was due to the diaper rash that he has developed since I am weaning him off the Kazakh formula. He took a big chomp on my finger as he always does but this time I felt something. I thought maybe it was a crumb or something that he had picked up off the floor, but nope. It is actual teeth! His bottom right one is coming in a tiny bit faster than the bottom left. And I can't even tell you how amazed I am at his skill at standing. Now, not only does he pull himself up on things and walk his hands from the sofa to the table, but today he bent down, picked up a toy, and stood back up while holding onto my pants leg. Wow. I was impressed. Anyway, it is 8:40 which is sadly now past my bedtime so I am off to get some snooze time before he wakes me up in the a.m. I hope all is going well with all of you and I swear I won't let so much time go by before I post again. Oh, I forgot to tell you that one of the appointments that we had this week was at the eye doctor. They took a look at the cyst by his eye and reaffirmed what all the other people said- that it is nothing to worry about but that it will grow over time so we should get it taken out before it affects his vision- sooner rather than later. So we'll have to put that on the calendar asap so that he can heal up before the holidays hit. And they also did an eye check and told me that he will likely be just a little bit nearsighted (as am I). How can they tell that already? I thought it was sort of amazing. Alright off to bed. Have a great night! -m

Getting Settled In

Hey everyone! Today is a momentous day. Sweet Rinat slept an entire 8 hours last night which made Peter and I very very very happy. He still woke up at 4:00 but he is sleeping, thank goodness. And he definitely needs it because poor baby has a runny nose, hacking cough, and yesterday he even lost his voice. I think maybe he's sick, what do you think? A warm bath with Johnson&Johnson's Cold and Flu bath seemed to help a little bit or at least it distracted him from not feeling so great for a few minutes and maybe the humidifier helped too. But we are actually headed to the doctor for our first visit this afternoon so I figure he can give him the once over and make sure there's nothing to worry about. Today is also fantastic because it's the first time that I have put Rinat down for a nap and there has been absolutely no screaming whatsoever. And it only took 4 minutes- I checked my watch. And he is slowly learning that just because we walk out of the room for a few seconds doesn't mean that we are gone forever and he doesn't need to start crying every single time. I yell to him "I'm still here! I'm still here!" over and over and it seems to help. But all of us are definitely getting a bit more comfortable with our new lives and it gets easier and more wonderful every day. He does still scream his head off but the second that smile comes out, it makes me forget that he's not perfect. Because right then he is. Oh and I am going to figure out how to use the fancy new camera that our sweet family got us so maybe I'll have some cute photos on the next post. Hopefully he'll smile for the camera and you can see that our perfect little sweetie is happy in his new home. Love to all. -m

So Far

Hey everyone- Here's Rinat's first trip to Starbucks. He wasn't as excited as Peter and I were. I don't think this bodes well since I am planning on making it a part of my morning stroll every day. I guess I will have to teach to appreciate the good things in life like Grande Lattes. I know everyone is wondering how things are going so far now that we are home so here's a quick update. Just like any new parent would probably tell you, some of our time at home has been really fantastic and some of it has been sorta miserable. Those of you who know me well know that I don't function all that great on no sleep so to say that I am annoyed when he starts screaming at 3 in the morning is an understatement. My sweet hubby Peter takes the 12:30 wakeup, gives him a bottle, plays a little while and puts him back down around 2:00. Then I get the next round when he wakes up between 3:00 & 4:00 and then I put him back down around 5:00. I know we don't need to make this a habit but poor guy has day and night confused right now. This morning though, he woke up around 4 and then never went back to sleep. And when baby don't sleep, no one sleeps. Oh well, that's what naptime's for, right? But overall things are going alright. Slowly but surely it's getting easier as we get settled in and into some semblance of a routine. He no longer screams when I feed him which I really appreciate since it got me all rattled every single time he did it. And I am already feeding him a bunch of non-babyfood things which he really likes. The faces he makes are really entertaining. Yesterday I gave him some mashed up egg yolk and he just scrunched up his little face in concentration and kept sticking him tongue out (I guess the texture was weird for him) but he asked for more so I guess he liked it. But boy are we in trouble with the motility factor. I was really hoping that he wouldn't even be crawling by the time we got home just so it would give us a little while before we had to worry about him getting to things he shouldn't but of course he didn't agree. This morning at 3:00am when I went to pick him up he was actually STANDING UP in the crib. We are in major trouble here. I can't believe that after spending his life at the baby house (where he should be behind all the regular kids) he is actually getting ready to start cruising the furniture. I guess I need to take a look around the house and babyproof the higher up stuff. Good gosh. But he is really a sweet, stubborn, funny guy and we are so lucky to have him. Who needs sleep anyway? Love to all and I swear I will post again now that I am getting a bit more rest and can actually think straight some of the time now. -m

Soooo Happy!

Hi Everyone! I'll write more later but I didn't want to leave anyone hanging so I'll do a super short post. We're home and I could not be any more happy than I am now. The trip was long but we got here safe and sound with all of our luggage and and brought a new citizen to the States. Our bed was so incredibly comfy and Rinat loves his crib almost as much as I love the fact that we are not sleeping in the same room as him any more. He is doing pretty well considering that day is night and night is day for him right now. And us too. Alright Screamfest 2007 has begun. He freaks out any time Peter or I leave the room. Gotta go before he has a conniption. -m

Still Coming

Hey all- Just wanted you to know that we are still on track to head home tonight and we'll see you in the states on Saturday. Rinat's health stuff checked out fine at the American clinic and we met with the embassy people today and they gave him the big thumbs up even though he was covered in barf and we both smelled horrendous. Oh well, goes with the territory right? Well, I may have a chance to update in Frankfurt. What else will we do there for 7 hours? See you stateside. And we're out... -Maren, Peter, and Stinkpot Rinat

Almaty

OK so this will be a quick one but I'll come back and edit it when I get a chance- I only have 4 minutes. We're in Almaty, Rinat did wonderfully on the plane, it is gorgeous here and we love it, we've been to the doctor to get the thumbs up for him to immigrate to the States and we'll get the results tonight and then go to the embassy tomorrow. Everything is fantastic and we are really enjoying our time here. Last night we met a really nice woman from Flushing, NY who also adopted and talked to her for a long time. Alright, I'm out- more later. -m

The Road Less Traveled

Hey there everybody! Here are my boys at our favorite place (Astana Bakery- yum) giving the big thumbs up that we are going home soon. Don't you love the way Rinat is looking at the statue? I can't believe we're headed home. We came here as a couple and are going home as a family. It's crazy. You know, I am not a big lover of poetry but ever since we started the whole adoption thing I have had that Robert Frost poem in my head. You know, the one that goes something like 'Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by'? I'm sure you've seen it on a bumper sticker somewhere or an inspirational refrigerator magnet or something. Well, the other day I was thinking about it again and wondering what the rest of the poem said. I wanted to know what happened when he took the less traveled way- where did he end up?- so I Googled it (gotta love the internet, right?). The final line of the poem say 'And that has made all the difference'. And I got to thinking about how accurate that is. Forever ago, back when I was young I had a plan. I would get married to Peter, we'd wait a few years and have kids, and then we'd go about our happy lives. Well, as anyone over the age of 20 can tell you, life never turns out exactly how you thought it would. But it does usually work out for the best. If things had gone according to plan, I never would have had some of the adventures I've had in foreign countries, never had the two years in AZ to see Peter sort of come into his own, never known how strong our marriage could become, never known the strength that Peter and I have to make it through the last few years, never really known what wonderful friends and family we have to support us, and most of all, never come to the other side of the world to Kazakhstan and met our beautiful son, Rinat. Taking the path less traveled has made all of the difference to us and I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel like we have arrived at the exact place that we were meant to. And that said, I can't wait for that path to lead us home to DC in a few days! We leave for Almaty tomorrow afternoon and then the US on Friday night. I will try my best to keep up the blog while we're in transit but I am not sure how much access we'll have to the internet- I feel sure I can find an internet cafe somewhere along the way. But I will most definitely update everyone when we get home safe and sound. So, bye for now and I'll post as soon as I get a chance! Much love to everyone out there reading this. Thank you so much for your comments because they have been our link to home for this crazy journey. We can never thank you enough. -m

Watch Out America- Here We Come!

Hey everybody! Guess who's going home this week! Yup, the three of us families in the photo. I am so excited! I just realized that it's labor day weekend there in the States. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and enjoying an extra day off. Things here have been good. We are very very slowly figuring things out with our guy and getting a bit more sure of ourselves in knowing what to worry about and what not to. And he's getting a lot more comfortable with us too. We had another uneventful day today for the most part. Get up, go for a walk, spend the day eating and sleeping in the blazing heat of our apartment (it's cooler than outside at least). Oh and we had Gulsanna and Baheet come by to fill out some paperwork for his embassy registration. He is totally and completely obsessed with Gulsanna- he wouldn't leave her alone and kept crawling over to her feet and fussing to be picked up. I think he likes her more than I do and I think she's great. But instead of just another walk and then bed tonight, we met up with everyone at our friend, Soraya's, apartment to have a farewell dinner (and her court date was today so it was a celebration for her too- yay!). Everyone pitched in and we had a really nice time seeing everyone one last time. And I think Rinat really enjoyed it a lot. He seems to be quite a people person. The more activity that is going on, the happier he is. So he spent the whole hour long walk over there laughing and smiling and waving at the traffic and people on the street and then spent the whole 2 hours that we were at dinner happy and playing. Then of course he fell asleep in the Bjorn on the way home. It has been a really exciting, happy time for us here in Kazakhstan and there are really only a handful of people who will ever understand the whole range of emotions that us adoptive parents go through over the course of the almost two months that we are here. From the initial meeting of your child, through the bonding period, to the court date, and crossing your fingers waiting through the appeals, it is more of a roller coaster than anyone can know. It is the people here who offer the support and encouragement to make the whole process so wonderful and let us know that what we are all going through the same feelings. So many thanks to all of the other adoptive parents here in KStan who made it a easier and more enjoyable to be a million miles away from anything and anyone familiar while going through the most drastic change of our lives. Thank you so much to: Meagan/Tony (and Taylor), Annette/Merwan (and Kate), Jennifer/Mike/Sarah (and Matthew), Denise/Rolando (and Claudia), Soraya (and Maxium), Carolyn (and Sabina), Jen/Jay (and Nuzhan). (Did I leave someone out? I feel like I did but maybe it's the lack of sleep over the last week- if I did, sorry). It has been a wonderful and crazy time. And to those of you who are still here in Astana waiting- good luck. I can't wait to hear the happy news that you too are headed home with your baby. And now I'm off to bed. -m

Jumping on the Bed

Hey Everyone! Our internet is doing much better today (although our power- and the water too- have gone out twice) so I thought I'd put up a video of our (mostly) happy little guy. Peter is jumping on the bed and tickling his belly in case you are wondering what he is laughing about. So our day today was good. We got up at 5:30 right on schedule, had some b'fast, and went for a walk before it got too hot. Then we hung out in the blazing hot apartment all day and went for another walk after it cooled down tonight. A pretty uneventful day. I'm sure it sounds boring to you but I can tell you that we were never bored- our guy won't let us sit still! We did have a first today though- we gave him his first bath ever. I kind of thought that he might be freaked out but he wasn't. He just basically attacked the water. Him sit and tentatively splash around? No way. Instead, he pretty much pushed me aside and tried his hardest to do a faceplant into the water where he then went insane and tried to beat at it with the stacking cups. He was flinging water all around the bathroom in his frenetic attack. He wasn't laughing or even smiling but I think that he was perplexed by it because he had his Concentrating Face on. He has seen water of course but they don't give them actual bath at the BH but just kind of run them under the faucet to clean them off. We tried to get a video but it didn't come out so well. We'll try again tomorrow when it's Peter's turn to get in with him. He is a totally insane. I hope you are all having a good weekend! -m

House of Shrieks

Hi all! So the honeymoon is over and it only took one day. I knew it was just a matter of time before it all kicked in for him. Today has been a combo of fantastically happy giggly times and really miserable eardrum-busting bad times. Most of the bad seem to center around us either leaving the room and leaving him behind, daring to put him down on the floor, sitting down while holding him, not shoveling food in fast enough, taking away the bottle before he has sucked it dry, not understanding that he was hungry again already even though I had just fed him an hour ago, and not realizing that an hour and a half is an adequate amount of playtime before napping again. It's all a learning process we are slowly but surely learning. I have decided, however, that the Bjorn is my new best friend (Thanks, Mer!). After 20 minutes of the previously mentioned earth-shattering screaming, I found that sticking him in there and walking around the apartment worked wonders. He still wouldn't let me sit down or even stand still- except for the three minutes when he was mesmerized by some monkeys on the TV- but anything is better than the shrieking. I am going to be hearing it in my sleep. But really he is just so sweet that I can't be mad at him. Frustrated, yes. Mad, no. And and I have found that he is fantastic when we go out for walks. We went out last evening to the amusement park across the river and walked around for an hour and he absolutely loved it. We watched the roller coaster and the twirly rides and had fun just wandering around watching people eat cotton candy and ice cream and the popcorn lady making popcorn and people playing games. It was really nice and I think we may have some people join us tonight if they can make it. Anyway, I know it sounds like our day was kind of awful but it really wasn't. I was expecting the transition to be much worse than it is- maybe just not so loud. Oh and we made reservations flight reservations today to both Almaty (Tuesday) and home to DC (Saturday). I can't believe that we will be leaving in week. Both of us are really ready to get home and be in our own space, but I will still be sad. I hate goodbyes in general (Peter makes fun of me because I always get all vaklempt when saying goodbye to Carson or whoever when they visit us in DC) but I think that this goodbye will be especially hard. Of course, we are planning on returning in a couple of years for Rinat's sister so I guess it will just be 'til next time rather goodbye. And while we're on that subject, I'm outta here. I have to take advantage of Peter taking over Rinat duty and get something to eat. Bye! -m
Our internet is not working so great again and so this post didn't get added earlier when I wrote it. So I added the above photo from tonight. Two of the other couples met up with us at the park and strolled around until Rinat started telling us it was time for bed. He fell asleep about 1 minute after this was taken. Bye again -m

Naptime, Shmaptime

Hey everyone! We don't need no stinkin' naptime! That's what Rinat says anyway. Our sweet angel went to bed last night at 8:00 like normal and mostly slept though the night (unlike Mom) until he woke at 6:01 this morning right on schedule with big smiles on his face. And there has been nothing resembling a schedule since. He really really really didn't want to take his 8am nap and I spent 45 minutes in the bedroom with him crying. He had tears! I couldn't believe it. I think he finally realized he's not going back to the BH and he was just sad. Peter tried for another 20 minutes to get him to sleep and I knew it was time to give it up when I heard giggling coming from the bedroom. Peter's a sucker. Oh well, what's one nap gone? And we decided to go for a walk along the river at 11 to pay off Peter's haircut that he didn't have enough money for yesterday and he snoozed for maybe 20 minutes during our hour outing. His 12 o'clock nap? No way. But at about 2:15 he started sitting really still and chewing on his little bite cloth that he loves and we decided to strike while the iron was hot. I hear him in the other room right now but I think he slept for almost 3 hours. Peter and I slept for 2 of them. I think we were all just running on adrenaline and happiness and didn't want to miss a single second of our first full day together. I have never seen more smiles, laughter and contentedness from Rinat than I have today (despite the lack of sleep). It fills my heart to know that he is happy with us. Sorry for the lack of a photo with this post but we decided to just enjoy the day and forget about the camera for once. I may try to get a video of him getting ready for bed tonight though. Last night I wet a washcloth and gave him a good rubdown and he LOVED it. He was laughing and laughing. I can't even tell you how many times today that I have said to both myself and to Peter "God, do I adore him." Oh, and I will have to get a photo of the 'nest' I made for him. I put a folded up comforter and some blankets on the floor for him to sleep on. There is no crib and I don't want him in the bed so he is boxed in by a wall on one side, the bed on the other, the bedside table at his feet, and a suitcase at his head. He woke up once last night because he had somehow pushed the suitcase away and was on the floor stuck in between it and the comforter. Poor guy. Alright, time to get the little guy. God, I adore him. -m

Video Worked!

Hey everybody! I finally got the video to upload and put in a cute one of him with his fave toy- the stacking cups of course. Just push the 'play' button and it should start. I hope it works for you because he is absolutely adorable. And do you notice it is NOT in the BH? Yup, it is in our living room in our very own apartment. Well, after our last post, our sweet baby slept an entire 2 hours and then started making some noise that it was time to get up now. When we went in to get him, he gave us that 'oh hey, it's you guys!' look and was smiling more than I have ever seen. I think he likes us. And we of course adore him. Even his terydactle shrieks. :-) We have also discovered in these few short hours that he likes carrots with potatos and that he loves apples. Yum. And now that he is not eating some gross porrige thing, his spit up doesn't actually smell all that bad. We may wait for a couple of days to give him a bath until he is totally comfortable with us, but I can't wait for that too. He will be so cute! And you can guarantee there will be some nekkid photos posted for all to see. Keep commenting and I'll keep posting! Much love to all. Your comments are so sweet and they mirror everything that we are also feeling- happiness, excitement, and gratitude for everyone around us. Have a wonderful day! -m

He's Ours!

Hi there everyone! Aren't my two boys just precious reading together? I don't want to jinx it or anything but this has been way too easy so far. We went and picked out little angel up from the baby house around 12:30 today (he usually naps 12:00-2:00), made the rounds and saw the caretakers, doctors, and Dr. Alma one last time and then just came home to our apartment. He fell asleep in the car on the way here but then was wide awake the second we came through the door. New places are so exciting, aren't they? Well, I guess they are to 8 month olds anyway. Actually, he definitely was wide awake when we got on the elevator in our apt building with some other people and there was a man right next to him who he was absolutely terrified of. Sometimes I forget that they never see men at the BH. Gulsanna said that he was really scared of our driver Yurlan when they took him to the passport office that morning. Yurlan was supposed to hold him while they did paperwork. Gulsanna said "I have never seen him cry like that before but I think he was scared because Yurlan is a man. He was crying with tears down his face even!" Poor baby. But I think that Gulsanna was kind of touched when Baheet tried to hold him and he was having none of it and almost jumped into Gulsana's arms he was so eager for her to hold him. I told her that of course he loves her- he spends two hours a day staring at her in the playroom of the baby house. I think he is fascinated by her. Oh and our door lady at our apartment saw us bringing Rinat in the door today and she had a shocked expression on her face and asked something to the effect of "Is his yours?" and we nodded yes. I have a feeling that one is going to get around the apartment grapevine quickly. No one is actually supposed to see us with hm but oh well. Then we just hung out in our apt and played for a bit. He really likes Peter's calculator. It's so fun. I went into the kitchen to make come coffee for my sweet hubby (who has been sooooo nervous by the way) and when I heard one of those happy squeals that all babies make coming from the other room where they were playing together, I just started crying. Not just got misty-eyed but tears down my face crying. I'm sure Rinat thinks I am insane. I just couldn't believe that after all this time, it's finally MY child in the next room. OK so I teared up just a little at the Baby House as well when the caretakers were saying goodbye because they were starting to cry when they said goodbye to him- I guess it's just a happy crying kind of day today. So we played and we tried to feed him some lunch (mashed up noodles with chicken and veggies FYI) around his normal time but he wasn't really all that interested. I was a bit surprised too because the caretakers always say that he loves to eat and screeches when you don't shovel it in fast enough. Then we played some more until he started to get a bit crabby so I decided his afternoon nap might come a little bit earlier today since he didn't get one in the morning. So we made him a bottle, stuck in his binky, read some books, and put him down to sleep with a big grin on his face. He was snoozing within five minutes. I know because, like the nervous new parents that we are, Peter and I checked multiple times. And he's been asleep for almost an hour. Now, I know that our good luck will not last indefinitely but it's nice that he's letting us ease into things before the big freak out when he realizes we aren't taking him back home. I'm guessing it'll happen around 3:30am. What do you guys think? We'll be loving every minute of it though. I know that your day can't be even remotely as wonderful as ours, but I hope it's a good one. Much love to everyone- we would never have made it through everything without the support and encouragement of all of our family and friends. Love, (new parents) Maren & Peter

Last Day of Freedom

Hey everybody! I tried to put up a video but it gave me an error message several times and I have to head to bed so I'll try again tomorrow. Sorry. So it was our last day ever without our little one. It's so crazy! But I am glad that we decided to wait and get him tomorrow because we spent the evening with all of our other buddies celebrating. There are two other couples, the Peruvians and Canadians, who are also picking up their sweeties tomorrow so everyone met up at the Biteryk (I have no idea how to spell that one but it is the tall spiky building near the capital) to see it at night and then we all walked down the 'mall' to the base of the oil building and had dinner together. There were 10 of us and it was a mix of people like us who are almost done with the process and who are excited to be on their way out and people who have just gotten here and are excited to be starting the process. It was really nice. And as always, Gulsanna came along with us. I just love her. She entertaining and fun and helpful and I just want to kidnap her and take her home with us. How exactly do we get her a visa to visit the US? We are still not sure exactly when we'll get getting our guy but you can bet that we will let you know the second he is permanently ours. We were supposed to go in the morning but there is some kind of 'special inspection' of course so they said they would let us know. "Probably the afternoon" is what we were told. We get to sleep in anyway. 'Til tomorrow... -m

Monday Could Have Been our Last Day of Visiting

Hi Everyone! So here is why most of our photos are ones of him not looking at the camera. When he notices me taking his picture, this is what happens. He's obsessed with the camera. Oh well. Anyway, today was good as well. We had lots of other families visiting at the same time so it was fun. And our guy wasn't the only one shrieking so that was good (except that we were supposed to be quiet because of the inspector). I told our friend from Cleveland that Rinat taught her boy how to do it. HaHa- I'm so proud. Then after visiting time we went to get some stuff notarized which took about 2 hours. In Kaz, when something gets notarized, they don't staple the documents together like in the states. No, they sew them together with two stitches along the side and then glue a signed piece of paper over the ends of the string to show it has not been tampered with. Interesting. After sitting at the bank for several hours, we then went to a souvenir shop across the street and Gulsanna helped us buy some small paintings for Rinat's room. By that time, it was just about time for dinner so Peter and I went again to our fave place, Ali Babba, and had piva, shashlyk, and broccoli (yum, a green veggie!). I think I may have described it before, but the restaurant is both cheap and really pretty. It is a tented outdoor restaurant with everything decorated beautifully with small secluded low tables at the sides and the servers in gorgeous costumes. I just love it. And they have a playground off to the side with dining tables near it and there are kids having meltdowns and playing so I thinking we may have to have one last dinner there before we head to Almaty when we have our shrieker with us. And, OK, I have something to admit. I am a bad mother already. As Yurlan was dropping us off at our apt yesterday afternoon, Baheet said that we were going to pick Rinat up Tues night. And what was my response at her saying we were getting him a day early? Nope, not me jumping up and down in joy, I said "But we are all going out to dinner one last time. We can't take him yet." Yes, we could have gotten him at 6:30 tonight (Tues) but instead, the horrible person that I am, we are going Wednesday morning to get him. I think that will be better anyway. Poor babies get picked up right before they are supposed to go to bed, are brought to a totally new place, and then they are supposed to go along with their regular schedule? Yeah, right. I hope that if we get him tomorrow morning, then he'll have a while to adjust and calm down before it's actually time to go to sleep at night. That and the fact that I don't have enough tissue paper for all of the caretakers gifts. And I still need to put a bunch of stuff away in the apt so he doesn't get into trouble. Bad mother? Maybe just a little. But I have to say, that Peter didn't protest either. As a matter of fact, we had both considered the stay-at-the-BH-until-Almaty option as well too. Anyway, our internet is kind of on the fritz so if we are behind in emailing or blogging, that's probably the reason. Oh, and I realized that Blogger will let us put in video now so be sure to use a fast connection next time you check our blog and hopefully we'll have a short video for you of our guy on our next post. Maybe he'll even shriek for you! -m

Our Last Day without Rinat

Hey all- This will be a short one since we have nothing really to report and also my goober husband needs the internet for his fantasy football league in 10 minutes. So today we did nothing. Literally. Peter read an entire book and I spent a long time looking at baby clothes online. I figure it's the last time we will be legally barred from spending time with our little one so we better get in all the rest and relaxation that we can. Also, I am tired of looking at souvenirs and baby clothes and we don't need anything from the grocery store so our choices were limited. But we did get together with all of the other families who are here with the exception of one who was under the weather. Our friend from Cleveland made beans & rice, Peter and I brought apps, someone else brought wine, salads, dessert. And we just hung out for a few hours. It was nice to have something to look forward to on the day that we don't get to see our sweet baby. Anyway, that was our day in a nutshell. Hope yours was good! -m

The IceShow/Circus- a full day

Hey everybody! Today was a pretty good day too. We got up and had visitation from 10-12 since there is only one visitation time on Saturdays. It was chaos. But in a good way of course. Let's see, there was Me/Peter/Rinat/Gulsanna, our Canadian friend/her sis/her son, our friend from Cleveland/her son/their translator Malika, our friends from Peru/their daughter/their translator Aliya, a new friend from Manhattan/her daughter, our new friends from Michigan/their 2 year old son/translator. Like I said- chaos. But it's so fun to have the kids play together, share their toys, and beat each other over the head with them. Kidding. Sort of. Rinat was his usual sweet self and I finally made a point to get some photos of him smiling just in case anyone didn't think that he ever did. It seems like whenever he is smiling and giggling, I just forget all about the camera and enjoy playing with him. I can't believe I have a whole day before we can see him again. Argh! But on Wednesday, he'll be ours forever. It's kind of unbelievable and I just don't know that it will sink in until it actually happens. Peter kept obsessing over when exactly the 15 day waiting was up and I finally figured out that he is wanting to know when the mother is no longer allowed to come back and reclaim him. Someone told us about a mother who came back on the 14th day. But we're not going to think about that- cancel, cancel. I kind of got a kick out of the new couple from Michigan who, after me saying my name, they said "Oh, we know who you are, and that your son is Rinat, and that you get him next week- we've been reading your blog." It was kind of weird but also kind of great that we could actually meet one of the people who were are helping to prepare for their trip. It was nice. So, after visiting with our little hellfire, we went to lunch at this Uzbeck place that we have been once before and loved it. It's so good. The menu is pretty much the same (lagman, manty, mongolian chicken), but the restaurant is prettier and the service better, and the food is soooo good. Yum. Then we went back to the apt where Peter slept off his piva for a bit, then off to the ice show/circus. First of all, we went with Gulsanna and her cousin's two kids- aged 2 and 10. The older one was sooooooo excited about meeting Americans. It was so cute. She even made sure to get a photo with us before it was over. And I gave her some little pencils that I brought from America. She was just the sweetest ever. But back to the show. It was really kind of fun. It's been a while since I've gone to any kind of event where children outnumber the adults 3 to 1 and I forgot how crazy it is. The show included everything from regular figure skating on a rink that was all of 25 feet across, to animal tricks, unicycles, double dutch, magic, juggling, these cool spinning shapes, people hanging from ropes (with no tether), clowns, trapeze, and, best of all, rocking out to 'Back in the USSR'. It was so fun. And it was really nice to do something out of the ordinary here. I am looking forward to next Thursday, Friday, Saturday which is a holiday (Consitution Day). I am hoping that there might be some cultural stuff going on. Of course it might be a struggle to get out on the first day after we get our feisty little guy (I'm a little apprehensive about that first night- can you tell? I hope he can't), but I am really hoping we can manage it for at least a little while. They have left the stage up from the Nur Aton (Homeland) celebrations prior to the parliament elections on the 18th so I am guessing there might be something going on there next weekend. And it's only a few minutes from our place. Anyhow, we will let you know what we find. Until then, enjoy the quiet of DC (and everywhere else) because Rinat the Shrieker is coming soon! Have a great Saturday! -m

The Museum

Hi all- Here's our post for Friday even though I know you'll be reading it on Saturday. This morning, we went to the museum across the Ramstore and it was really nice. They had a lot of gifts given by different world leaders including something from the President of Tatarstan where our little guy is perhaps from. And there was the Ethnographic Hall with beautiful rugs and a big yurt in the middle. On the second floor they had lots of replicas of the amazing mausoleums around Kazakhstan and a room full of decorations with gold and gems including a full suit made of gold. And there was an area that talked a bit about the pagan religions that existed before either Islam or Christianity came to Kazakhstan. By then we'd been there for a couple hours and we decided to go back and eat some lunch. We'll check out floors 3, 4, 5 & the museum store (with rugs) later and let you know how they were. Our visit with Rinat was, of course, fantastic as always. He was really sleepy when we got there (I think they woke him up, fed him, and handed him over) and he just sat still with me for a about 30 minutes and then was raring to go as always. He is just loving the fact that he can get around so quickly. We are not loving it so much but at least in the playroom, we know there is limited trouble he can get into. We'll have to figure out how much to babyproof at home so we can feel the same there. Then we ran and got Baheet's gift (some perfume) and some Russian baby books at the bookstore next door. Then we hung out at home, made dinner, went to bed. I can't believe that pretty soon our life will be completely different. I can't wait. -m

Our Little Drooler

Hi- Yes, I am a slacker and am behind on blogging yet again. And I really should not be because our little sweetie was an absolute angel today (Thursday) and I should have told you. He had not one single complaint so apparently whatever it was that was the problem was not repeated. I have been watching what they feed him for the last day or so and there was no buckwheat involved in today's lunch so maybe that helped? I dunno. But he was laughing and smiling the whole entire two hours. We were so happy that our guy didn't have any more problems. The only time we heard a peep from him in the screaming department was when he thought I was taking Peter's sunglasses from him- he loves to chew on them- he let out one of his shrieks and I loved it. He's so spunky! And I love that he is letting out a big grin when he realizes that we are there to see him. And that he crawls into my lap when he's tired and needs to snuggle. And that he chuckles when Peter attacks his belly. And that he has the biggest, toothless grin whenever he sees himself in the mirror. God, does he love to look at himself. I think he might be kinda vain. I have to admit, thought, that I think he's really good looking too. And I have found myself trying to find his father in the crowd here. Before, I kept looking at the kids trying to figure out what he might look like when he's school aged, but I have started trying to find someone with his same chin. For some reason, I feel like his chin comes from his dad. It seems like a strong chin. And I think his eyes come from his mom- they seem intelligent and kind. Maybe that's weird but for some reason I just have it in my head. Of course everyone here tells us he looks like Peter. I had always thought it would bother me for people to say he looks like one of us when we both know he doesn't share any of our genes, but it doesn't. It makes me happy. Although I wouldn't have cared if he didn't look even remotely like us either. I would have adored him just the same. Anyway, it was a great day. I hope yours was too! -m

Same Old, Same Old

Hey everyone! So babycakes was a little bit better today but still had some issues. Gulsanna even went to try and find the doctor and see if she could offer any guidance but she was out of the building. It's so sad! I am wondering if they gave him some new food or something that maybe doesn't agree with him. Gulsanna said it looked like mashed potatoes (which he has had before) and buckwheat. But since we have no idea what they feed him the rest of the time, it's kind of hard to know. Oh well, he's ours soon enough and we can do whatever we want, feed him whenever we want, and give him water if we want. I guess it's kind of good that we are alone for visitation these days because I'm afraid it might have scared the bejeezus out of the others. But aside from that he was happy and smiling and active as always. And, as you can see, he enjoyed reading his photo album again today. Other than that, our day was pretty uneventful. Get up, drink coffee, read, internet, lunch, grocery store, walk to Astana Bakery to get dinner (roast chicken, rice, green beans, cabbage salad- Yum!), TV. Groundhog Day all over again. The only slightly exciting thing that happened today was our landlord came by to collect rent. She is just the sweetest ever. Her name is Larissa and she is so sweet and I just want to hug her for some reason. Gulsanna told me, however, that I was supposed to clean the apartment before she got there so it was a mad rush to pick all our junk up (I had actually just vacuumed and dusted a few days prior if you can believe it). Anyone who knows us knows that there was stuff everywhere- dirty dishes in the sink, dirty clothes on the floor, piles of books that we have read, piles of Rinat's clothes to take with us to the Baby House. I asked Gulsanna if every one's landlord came by every month to collect and inspect the apartment and she said 'yes' in her way that kind of means more like 'of course, how else would they do it?' I was telling her that in the states, we just mail the landlord a check and the only time we see them is when we sign the contract and when we move out. And she said that they don't use checks because of forgery and that most people don't even put their money in the bank because it costs too much to open an account. Interesting. I think some smart person that we know should open a bank with no fee to open an account and get rich. Any takers? Then maybe next time we come we can just use a check instead of hauling a bunch of cash around- although our stack of cash is rapidly dwindling. Well, that's all I can think of for now. I think we may go to the museum tomorrow so maybe I will have something a bit more interesting to talk about. Have a good day! -m

Someone Has Issues

So today was not all fun and games. *If you are not interested in the bathroom habits of our child, stop reading immediately. This is for parental eyes only* Not that it's ever an entire two hours of fun but for the first time I could understand how sad it is when you little one is in pain. He was fine for the first half hour or so and then he started grunting with his face turning all red and I kind of laughed and joked "Hmm. Somebody might get to change a dirty diaper today- Peter it's all you." Then he did it again and again and again and got louder and louder and louder. He would be fine and play for a couple of minutes and then he would go stiff and it would happen again. And he got to the point where he was just panting in between and sweating constantly. And then his whole body would go rigid and he screamed, then relaxed and caught his breath again and whimpered and we saw actual tears for the first time. I didn't know what to do for him to make him feel better and I felt terrible. And it's not like I could strip him down and see what's going on down there with all of the caretakers and people around, and I didn't have any meds to give him. So we got him some chamomile tea (which he threw up) and tried to massage his belly and finally after an hour we took him to his room to ask them about it and ask what they fed him (so we don't give it to him) and they put him on a little potty to see if it would help him go. Honestly I was also kind of afraid someone would come in to find out what the screaming was about. But nope, no luck with the little potty (and he was screaming while sitting on it too). But by then it was time to go and we just put him down for nap. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. I'm sure he's fine and we know he is in good hands (there are 3 doctors there if he needs anything) but it's just kind of sad to see. Anyway, he was really great today aside from that issue. It's just sort of frustrating when he's ours but not really ours so we can't do anything for him. But we are supposed to get him a week from today (the 29th) so that's good. And they said we would likely be going to Almaty on the 3rd and home to the States on the 6th even though there is a three day holiday (Constitution Day) next Thurs/Fri/Sat. We were worried it might hold us up but it doesn't sound like it. We will let you know for sure when we know! Have a great Tuesday! -m

It's Been One Month Today

OK so this post is for yesterday (Monday). What can I say. I'm a slacker. Sorry but you'll just have to pretend it is yesterday.
Hi All! So as of today we have known our little poopsie for an entire month and we are amazed at how much he has changed already. He has gone from scooting to crawling, from having short spiky hair to having hair almost long enough to lay down, and most importantly from having no idea of who we are to coming to us for comfort and playtime. And it's amazing that in all of this time, we've only gotten to see him for 53 hours. I know because I counted. So we have known him only for a little over two days and we are already so attached to him. I can't even imagine how we'll feel when he is ours forever (quick, find some wood to knock on!). We have one more week to go and then I guess we'll find out. I can't wait. In other news, we have found that our little Rinat likes to sit in my lap while I read him a book. I'm so happy. I thought he would just grab it to chew on instead of actually listening to the story. I tried to rush through the book before he could wriggle away but he just sat there listening. As a matter of fact, I read our book to him twice and then got out our photo album (Thanks Carse!) and he looked at that for another few minutes before he started with the chewing. We only brought one book with us but it looks like we may have to invest in some more. We have started looking for board books in Russian but they are kind of hard to find. I know for sure that I can't read a book with any kind of story in it but I figure I can handle the Russian in a board book. I would love to find one of those books with a picture and word on each page. I can probably handle sounding out yablakah and konyeega (the words for 'apple' and 'book' by the way). We'll see. Alright, I'm going to work on today (Tuesday)'s post now. -m

Food for Rinat and Food for Us

Hi all- So our big outing today (Sunday- I'm posting late) was to buy baby food for when our little one comes home next week. We bought a lot. You'll notice there is formula (instructions in Russian of course), chamomile and fennel tea (in case his belly bothers him when we give him totally different food than he is used to), some little biter biscuits (which he has never had but we think he'll enjoy- and do you notice the name? BabyCakes. Cute, huh?), and lots of jars of stuff. They even have cereal in jars so we don't have to figure out how to mix it when we can't read the instructions. Hopefully it'll tide us over until we get home to the states.

I have also been meaning to tell you a little about what we have been eating for the last month or so. They loooove meat here, especially lamb since they grow well here on the steppe. One of the other translators tells us they eat so much meat because they need the protein to get through the long winters. My theory is that they have long winters when veggies and fruits don't grow so therefore they don't eat them. And one of the others was telling us that they asked their translator what she ate for a snack and her response was "I am Kazakh. I like meat." We can't wait to get home and go to Whole Foods and buy out the entire produce section. Some of the food here is really good but there is very little variety- or maybe it's just that I don't know how to read the menu and just keep ordering the same thing. Here are some highlights:

Soup: Goulash (beef and veggies), Borsh (veggies), Kazakh (little meatballs and noodles in chicken broth), Lagman (beef/lamb and onions/redpeppers with homemade noodles in broth)

Main: Shashlyk (kebabs- chicken, lamb, beef, ground beef, fish), Plov (rice with meat and other stuff like carrots, raisins, chickpeas), Manty (big steamed meat dumplings), Pelmeni (small meat ravioli), Vareniki (small potato ravioli with sour cream or butter on top), Beliashi (big fried pastries with ground meat), Chicken puff pastry things, Fried Lagman

Bread: Baursakis/Kazakh Bread (small fried doughball like donut holes without the sugar), Khleb/Russian bread (regular white bread), small rounds breads with different things in the middle, brown German bread

Snack for beer: pistacios, dried out salty tring cheese, Pringles, croutons (yes, like we put on salad), chunks of meat and sausage (imagine that)

And that about covers it. *For those who are on their way to Astana, the best place in the entire city to get dinner is the bakery in the basement of the Astana Grocery. They have all kinds of prepared foods like manty and plov and they have pastries galore like the beliashi thing (which looks like a semicircle as big as half a plate and gets all crunchy like a big wonton when you heat it up in the oven) and the chicken pastries (little triangles of puff pastry). And it has a ton of cakes and eclairs and breads. It's fantastic. And there is one guy there who speaks English and always says either "Mazeltov!" or "Bon Apetit!" when we check out. He's funny and always talks us into buying something that we haven't tried yet and it's always good. He'll probably hear you speaking English and come talk to you so he can practice. And now I'm hungry. And I miss my little pumpkin. Today, I took over the computer and looked at every single photo we've taken so far since we don't get to visit him on Sundays. He's so cute! -m