The Baby House

Hi all- Today our guy was a Lucky Chimp. Don't know where that onesie came from. And, by the way, Peter has told me we need to buy some twosies. Try to find that one in the dictionary- it does make sense though since he is referring to a top and bottom set. So someone was asking about the place where we go everyday to see our little sweetie so I thought I would share some details about the Baby House (aka orphanage). I mean, our day does revolve around this place and it is the first home that our guy knows. So anyway, it is about a 10 minute drive from our apartment off of a busy road, behind a lowrise run down apartment building. But as soon as you pull into the drive, you can see how much pride they take in the baby house. Not that they are overly excited about mowing (the weeds are knee high), but there are little petunias planted along the drive and some nice playground equipment in the four different little play areas. And they have planted beautiful aspen trees around the play area too. But the cutest is the stroller parking lot and the lineup of tricycles next to the front door. And we definitely see them get put to good use by the kids here. Below are some photos of the outside.

So then after we lose our shoes at the door and sign the log book to show that we actually come for our bonding time so we can show it in court, we head up to our guy's Group room (which I don't believe we are allowed to photograph but I'll ask). We get his stuff out of his locker (his has a ladybug on it)- we keep toys, clothes, bottle, pacifier, diapers, wipes, Bjorn in there. They are usually in the process if waking/feeding him and the others and so we wait until they are done, change and dress him, and head to the visiting room with the other 3 couples. There are tons of big toys in there that we use to play with him and we also have a bagful of our own that we have brought from home and bought here (although holy smokes are they expensive here- $90 for a Chico drum toy that would be $25 at home. Unbelievable). Then we lay down these foam mats that prevent many a head bump on the hard floor, lay down our puke blanket, and just play to our hearts' content. Of course we have also had the chance to put that Bjorn of Mer's to good use strolling outside twice now and we may see if they will eventually trust us enough to put down a blanket (oohaah) and play outside for a while one day. I don't even know what our guy would do- probably be in awe. I have however seen the caretakers bring the other kids who are in his group but not being visited by anyone out to play outside with the older kids. They have these outdoor covered playpens which is nice. At least they get some fresh air. Here are some photos of the visiting room.

And while I am on that topic, someone asked about the other kids at the BH (baby house). The baby house in Astana is actually a 'special needs' house. The first lady of Kaz is very into the care of children and so she pays close attention to what goes on there. All of the kids who are older than, say, a year are all special needs. I guess all of the others get adopted. I have seen kids with Downs, CP, autism, physical deformities, etc. I asked Gulsanna if they would ever be adopted and of course she said no. But I have to say that I see them treated very well here. The BH seems to me to be more of a daycare kind of atmosphere rather than what you think of as an orphanage. All of the other kids in our son's Group- the others that he eats, sleeps, plays with- are around the same age and I know some of them are being adopted already and some are just waiting- maybe they were given up later than birth and are just waiting until the 6 months is up. But they are all really well taken care of and you can tell that the caretakers adore them. I never pass anyone in the hall as I carry him around who doesn't stop to say sweet little baby talk to him. Of course they are saying it in Russian so for all I know, they could be calling him a little puker. But he seems to like it anyway. OK this post is getting really long so I'll let you all go now. Have a good Tuesday! -m

Monday

Hi all- I hope everyone had a good weekend. Ours was good but I tell you it was really hard to not be able to see our guy yesterday. We haven't even spent 24 complete hours with him yet but we are smitten. We spent a good portion of our day looking at photos of him on the laptop (not to rub in the fact that we get to look at photos and you don't). Carson asked in an email what the hardest part of our time here has been and I have to say that I think that all of us here would agree that it is handing him over at the end of visiting time. I always notice how quiet everyone is as we leave the baby house and I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that the kids are going down for a nap. In my mind, anyway, I am kind of going through everything that we did with him that day and what we'll do tomorrow when we see him. And we had to do the afternoon visitation today because the Michigan couple (Jen- from a town in between Flint and Detroit) had their court date this morning. It sure is nice to have people go before us and be able to give us the lowdown on how it works. So anyway, we had afternoon visitation and I don't know if you have checked out the weather here or not, but it is unbearably hot here. Especially when you are in a room without AC and you get yelled at for opening the windows. I guess that's what showers were invented for. But anyway, it didn't seem to bother our little one a bit. He was just as happy and active as always. His favorite thing is this big blue ball like a pilates ball that has bumps all over it. He loves for me to sit him on top of it and bounce and he just loves the texture of it. But today, I sat him up and held him while Peter rolled the ball to him and then I would catch it for him and he would kick it back. He got so excited waiting for Peter to roll it back that he would flap it his arms like he has getting ready to take off and make this excited "UhAhUhAhUhAh" sound. Soooooo cute. He does the same thing in front of the mirror when he sees himself. And he was super active today too. He can't crawl yet but his does this thing where he pushes himself off with his left foot and kind of launches himself forward. I keep thinking that he is going to nosedive and hurt himself, but he seems unfazed. And we did see him whine today when he got tired. I guess that means he's feeling comfortable enough with us that he feels that we'll listen to what he says and try to fix it. Oh, and I almost forgot, Peter kept putting him upside down and so got a gift of half digested beef and potato stew all over the front of him. Literally it was about a quarter cup of it. Or maybe it was horse and potato stew. I don't know. In any case, it was gross. Mer told me the other day that she got our little chickadee some PJ's and diapers which was super nice. I thought I should let the rest of you guys know too that we have updated info for him. He is now 7550grams (around 16pounds?) and 69cm (24inches?). The info we had before was from last month. We have some clothes for him that are 0-3 months and they fit as do 3-6. And we bought some 6-9 that are a little bit too big but he'll grow into them. Also, he has light skin like us so he looks better in the stronger colors rather than pastels (like the both of us). Anyway, I thought I'd just pass it along in case any one's interested :-) Have a great Monday! -m

p.s.- the blue stuff on his leg is because he is a bit under the weather. he's having bathroom issues and I guess they dripped the medicine on his ankle when there were putting it elsewhere. p.p.s.- if anyone has anything they want to know about K-stan just ask and we'll put it in a post!

Peter's BDay

Hey all- So yesterday was Peter's BDay and I am sorry to say that it was not the most exciting ever. He didn't even get to see our little guy because it was Sunday and there is no visitation on Sundays. I thought maybe it was because it was bath day or something but he was dirtier than ever today when we went. Oh well. So anyway, for his birthday, we slept in a bit and lolled around in bed reading (yes, Peter has read about 3 books so far if you can believe it). Then we went strolling around the city even though it was extremely hot out. As you can see from the pics above, everyone was out and about around the river as were we. We also did a bit of wandering around and checking out the local parks which have these fabulous fountains in them. We got photos of one before our camera ran out of juice. Well post more later. For dinner we met up with all of our visitation group and went to this really nice restaurant on the water. I think it was supposed to be Turkish or something but the inside was gorgeous with all of these dining alcoves and fabric draped around. And there was a wedding going on in the next room so it was kind of nice to see. Dinner was a lot of fun and Peter got this super fancy fish that they filleted right at the table. And that was our day. I felt bad that I didn't get Peter any great gift or anything but, as he said, our son is gift enough. That and the Chips Ahoy that I brought him :-) -m

Our Friends in Kaz

Hi all- Here's his foot. Sorry I can't show you the rest of him. Anyway, I thought I would tell you guys a little about the other people who are here with us so you don't think it's just Peter and I alone in K-stan. First, we have our entourage... We have Baheet the coordinator who doesn't speak English except for 'How are you?' and then giggles like a teenager (she's closer to 50 something than a teenager). And she just yammers away in Russian all of the time forgetting that we have no idea what we are saying and then she laughs. We have nicknamed her the mother hen because she is always wanting to make sure everything is OK and we are happy. Then there is Gulsanna our translator who is early 20's and is so sweet and agreeable you just want her to freak out and start yelling at someone just to see it. We have been spending a whole lot of time with her waiting for the cable guy so she's kinda like our roomie. Then there is Yurlan our driver who never speaks except to say good morning but he seems really nice. Aside from the entourage, there are several other couples who we have gotten to know over time because they have the same visiting time as us. First there is a couple from Michigan who is using the same adoption agency and their apartment building is the next one over so we meet up with them to head to the BH (Baby House) together, hang out for the whole two visiting hours, go to lunch together, run errands together (with Gulsanna's help), and sometimes have dinner together. We see them a lot. They are adopting an adorably tiny little girl which is funny because they are really tall and it makes her look just minuscule. Then there is a couple from Buffalo who is adopting a cute little girl who is just full of personality- I mean FULL. She's hilarious. And there is a sweet couple from Manitoba who are adopting a boy like us. The mother reminds me of Nan except a little bit more reserved or something. They are really nice and I love their Canadian accents and the 'eh' that gets thrown into the conversation periodically. And then there are two couples who visit in the afternoon so we don't see them except for Saturdays (there's only morning visiting time)- a couple from Spain who just headed back and they will return in a couple of weeks to get their girl, and a couple from California who came the same day we did. So anyway, our visiting group gets together periodically for lunches and dinners. We all live relatively close to each other so it's really nice to have friends to hang out with. Not that I don't adore being with Peter 24-7 but your know... a new face is always nice. So those are our friends for now. I'm not sure if there are any other couples coming anytime soon or not but the Michigan and Buffalo people are a couple of weeks ahead of us so they will take off before we do. I think the Canadians are on the same schedule as us though- they got here a few days earlier but couldn't do visitation for a few days because he got really sick. Cross your fingers our guy doesn't get sick and delay us too! Well, that's it for now. If there is anything that anyone wants to know- besides his name and photos of him- let us know and we'll put it in a post. Much love. -m

The City of Astana

Hi all- So I thought I would let you in on some info about the place where our child comes from. First of all, people describe Kazakhstan as either Eastern Europe or they call it Central Asia and I kept thinking why can't they just decide already? Well, now I know why. The city itself feels very European- like Budapest or Prague without the old buildings (there is nothing here older than the soviet era I don't think) but the majority of faces you see on the street are Asian. It's really interesting. And where we are, Astana, was changed to the capital in I think 1998 and they have been building a whole 'new city' since then on the other side of the river. There is building going on everywhere. Everything is supposed to be finished by the year 2030 and I really would love to come back and see how it all turns out. Last Sunday, we went down to the capitol area and it was really nice. At one end of the area is the capitol building that you see behind us here,

in the middle is the lollipop building, and the other end is the oil building. And all along it are these really beautiful plantings and sculptures.

And I will have to take some photos of our neighborhood. We are in an excellent area of town where we can walk around to restaurants, shops, and the riverfront. The weather here has been fabulous so when we aren't waiting for the cable guys, we take a stroll around to the grocery or a restaurant and then meander back along this really beautiful walkway next to the water. They have done it well with a nice brick pathway and you see all of the local people with their families out for their nightly saunter. And it seems totally safe here. Gulsanna (yes someone noticed that I was using names now- I felt I had to ask permission first) said that the worst that ever happens is pickpocketing. I don't think that even happens often because there are police everywhere.

Oh, and Peter insists that I include a photo of his first horse ride ever so here it is. We went there last Sunday as well.

Oh, and we went to this pyramid building behind the capitol that is actually an opera house and had some gold and silver items from long ago. It was a really interesting building even if only because its elevator goes diagonal. Anyway, the city is really nice and I am glad we were assigned to here.

That's all I can think of to say about Astana for the moment but I will add more along the way. Stay tuned! -m
And, FYI, you can click on any of the photos and they will pop up bigger so you can get a closer look. You may not care so much about the photos of us, but once we are able to post some of our kiddo I know you'll be clicking up a storm! :-)

We Fiiiiiinaly Have Internet

Hi all- Yes, it's true we have finally secured ourselves an internet connection. We have been warned by the others, however, that it is kinda iffy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Oh well, you guys will just have to be patient I guess. So anyhoo, yesterday we took the little guy out of the Baby House for the first time ever and I was so proud of him. I thought he might be scared or confused but he wasn't at all. He just had this look of concentration on his face and his eyes were taking everything in and he didn't make a peep. Do you think it's an indication of how he will be on the plane? Gosh, I hope so but I'm not counting on it! So we got to bundle him up in sweats and a hat (it was probably 80 degrees) and take him to get his little photo for his passport taken. He looks so serious in it. And then, as a little bonus, we got to head over to the cable office so he had him out for a whole hour. WooHoo. But it was nice to get a little taste of what it will be like when we have him for real. Oh, and even though we aren't sending photos quite yet, I will tell you another little detail about him. When I pointed out that he didn't look like the other kids at the Baby House (they have black hair, and really beautiful dark Asian eyes) and asked his ethnicity, our coordinator Baheet kept saying with a shrug 'Kazakh'. I asked multiple times and kept getting the same answer. But yesterday, we asked our translator Gulsanna yet again if maybe he could be part Kazakh and part something else? maybe Russian? She gave us a very emphatic 'no' and said "I think he is maybe Tatar." So there's your little tidbit for the day. He is 'maybe Tatar'. I am going to have to look it up but the Tatars I think came from Mongolia in the 1300's and went to a place outside where Moscow is now that was named Tatarstan. I'll tell you for sure when I know. Or if there is anyone out there who wants to do some research, go for it. Have a great day/night! -m

I Can't Believe It's Been a Week!

Hi all- So we have officially been here a week. We had day 6 of visitation today, and tomorrow (zaftra- my word for the day) we get to break our guy out of the baby house for a bit to get his passport photo taken (for his Kaz passport that is). I'm so excited! What is he going to think of riding in a car? I don't think he's ever even been outdoors yet! I hope he's feeling better though because he did NOT have a good day today :-( He spent our whole visit crying- a first for him- and puking and then fell asleep sitting up. We are not supposed to let them sleep but one of the translators took pity on us (and him) and told us to let him have a 15 minute catnap and then wake him up before we took him back to his room so they wouldn't know. Peter was actually in heaven because he just passed out with his head on his Peter's shoulder the whole time. It made my little heart sing. So, someone was asking about the name. I am not telling the first name quite yet so I don't get in trouble with the people who decide if we get to keep him or not but I can tell you that we are keeping his Kazakh name as his first name (it's kinda cute) and then Armstrong for a middle name (which has led to much amusement on the part of all of the ladies for some reason) and then of course Leggett. They have also told us the English version of his Kaz name which you are free to use if you wish but Peter and I are sticking with the name he came with. Some other tidbits- we have spent the last 4 days hanging out with our translator G (waiting for internet) and quizzing her on all kinds of Kaz culture including her knowledge of past and current movies, music, celebrity gossip, whatev and Peter insists that I inform everyone out there reading, that out of all of the music on his laptop, she instantly recognized Hotel California by the Eagles (Mer&Lynd that was for you). Of course it is a club mix here instead just like Pink Floyd's The Wall and every other song. I do love the Russian rap videos and we get my fave channel- Fashion TV (they had it in Thailand). Today Peter made her watch Smokey and the Bandit on our laptop. She thought it was funny but said she couldn't understand what the sheriff Beauford T Justice was saying. I told her neither could I. BTW- I swear our little one said Mama today. Yes, I realize he didn't know it- but I did! Well, stay tuned because we had our internet installed today at 6:15 pm and it will (supposedly) get turned on between 2 and 4 tomorrow. I wonder what we can think of to torture poor G with tomorrow.

Our Boy

Hi all- I know you are all chomping at the bit to know every single little detail about our guy. I hate to tell you but they said it's not a good idea to share too much until after court. So let me think about what I CAN tell you. Hmmm... he is ADORABLE! He is about 7 months old. He has the same birthday as Liz and was born 8 days after Henry- so now 2 people know his birthday. He is 15 pounds I think. And about 20 inches? We had trouble converting it from grams and centimeters but I think that's right. The bump that I mentioned on his brow is a cyst (like Peter's but smaller) that can be taken care of when we get home. He has light brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, light skin. And that kind of suprised look that I mentioned before? He wears it all of the time. He has yet to cry (although I'm sure it's coming eventually). He is both curious and active. No teeth yet but they're coming. He doesn't have a belly laugh but more of a chuckle. The caregivers say he has a great disposition- kind of easy going and doesn't cry too much (until he comes home with us I'm sure). He is rolling over like a champ, scooting across the floor no problem, has taken one knee forward in crawling stance, can support his weight standing- really doing well for being in the baby house since birth. They do only have maybe 8 kids in his 'group' and probably 3 caregivers so that's a great ratio. He's sweet and funny and watches everything and everybody. I just can't wait for everyone to meet him and adore him just as much as we already do. Believe me- you will think he is the best baby ever just like us. Hopefully this post will go through. I think the last one got deleted. I can't wait until we have our internet and can read things in English (I think I pushed the delete button in Russian instead of save- oops)! Here goes...-m

Our Routine

Hi all- Still no internet in our apartment :-( They have promised us between 2 and 6 tomorrow- I guess the cable company works that same all over the world. But today we at least got to leave the apt to come here to the internet cafe (in the rain). Things are going really well and we are really enjoying our time here. Gosh, where should I start now that we have the afternoon to ourselves and have unliminted time to post? OK, so we had day 6 of our 15 bonding days today. Our coordinator said she would be able to apply for a court date on Aug 3rd, then we'd go to court to petition on the 13th, then 15 days after that it's final and we can take him to our apartment, then a couple of days of paperwork here, a couple in Almaty, then a long plane ride home. So here's how things have been around here. We have an entire entourage who comes with us everywhere we go pretty much. We have our coordinator, translator, driver, another couple with our agency who is here from Michigan, and us. Peter and I get up anywhere between 4 and 5 am (not like us, I know). We make a little Nescafe and a bite to eat, listen to the fuzzy FoxNews channel (sound but no picture), and get ready for the day. We have a van that picks us up at 9:30 in the morning (the other couple and us have apartments in buildings right next to each other) and we head to the baby house for visitation from 10-12. When we get to the baby house, we take off our shoes at the door ( I LOVE that!) and go up to our son's area which consists of three rooms- and anteroom with cubbies for them all where we keep clothes, bottle, toys, blanket, etc; a sleeping room; and a playing/eating room with an area for changing, bathing at the side. They bring him to us when he is awake, fed, and changed (nice, huh?) so he is always in a good mood. Then we basically just take him into the visiting room down the hall and play for our two hours with three other couples who are also adopting. Then we bring him back and put him down for a nap. Then we all go to lunch, run errands, etc. And what Peter and I have been doing after errands these days is waiting with our tranlator for the intercom, locksmith, and cable man. That's why we haven't been able to post. Then sometimes people get together for dinner. It may not sound like we've been all that busy but we really have. Just going to the grocery is of course entertaining (although our translator comes sometimes) since we have no idea what we are buying. And buying baby clothes is a chore because you have to go in the store and ask "what have you got in a size 9-12 month?" (they like the clothes a little big) and they show you what they have, and then you move on to the next store in the row of about 10. It's fun. OK I am going to break this up into another post.

Day 4

Hi all- First, I am soooo sorry that we have not had a chance to update until now. Everything is great, we just haven't had access to the internet. So catch your breath now that you know we are alive and well, and I will catch you up. Some people requested more info about meeting our boy so let me backtrack and start from the beginning.
Day 1- So there we were waiting on pins and needles in the baby house office while coordinator B, translator G, and the director of the baby house chit chatted away in Russian. After the visit from the curly haired little angel, we were just dying to meet our child. I finally caught my breath enough to ask G if they were bringing the baby or just the file when around the corner came one of the caretakers with a baby. I looked at our entourage to question "Is this the one?" and they kind of nodded in encouragement. So I jumped up from my chair and let myself look. I don't know what to say except that he was beautiful. And he had the kind of look on him face that you may have when you run across a friend from long ago in an unexpected place. He looked at us all as if to say "What are YOU doing here?" with a little half smile on his face. They asked if I wanted to hold him and I hesitated, not because I didn't want to, but because I was trying really hard not to burst into tears in the middle of the office. Not that they would have minded. I was just staring at him until I realized that G was talking to me in English and was telling me about a bump that he has on his brow. I hadn't even noticed. Then I heard a chuckle from B and she was looking at Peter who I am not sure was either going to cry or pass out. I asked if he wanted to hold him. We all got ourselved under control and we went to the visiting room where we hung out and got to know each other a bit. After a while, in came a caretaker who seemed to say something in Russian akin to "THERE you are, you little stinker. I have been looking everywhere for you. Let's go get you some lunch!" with little kisses and baby sounds thrown in and she scooped him up and whisked him away for about 10 minutes. We had a chat with the doctor during that time and learned the details of how he came to be in the baby house. And then they brought him back and it was the same half smile and "You guys are still here?" look on his face. We played for another 20 minutes or so and then it was naptime. I know it is killing you not to have details about him but B said it is best to wait for a while. But, luckily, we are on Day 4 of visitation with 11 more to go (Sat and Sun are included). So it won't be too long.
Day 2- So this was the worst day for my by far- but a good one for Peter. We got up, checked internet at the hotel (which I think is when I sent the last one) had breakfast and then we were off to teh baby house. We just got our guy all set when they said one of us had to go sign the contract for our apartment. I wasn't sure Peter knew where to find the money (up front payment in cash) and I know for sure he'd leave half of our stuff at the hotel so I offered to go thinking it wouldn't take but a little bit. I was wrong. It took a while to pack up at the hotel and then we headed over to the apartment (super nice BTW) and spent about an hours being shown the sheets and towels and iron and leftovers in the fridge and every other thing imiginable and all I wanted to do was throw the money at her and say "I DON"T CARE" but the landlord was so sweet that I couldn't. But I did miss the entire 2 hours I should have had with my son that day- including 15 mintues of waiting while she went to buy a new iron since apparently I didn't seem impressed enough by the one that was there. Or amybe I just looked wrinkled. Bummer, huh? Then we went to a good lunch (spaghetti), bought some stuff at the baby store including a really obnoxious toy that is a big hit. Took a nap, Ramen for dinner (at 11pm) and finally at 2 am I went to bed. As I was drifting off I realized that for the first time in several years, I finally don't worry about what will happen next.
Day 3- OK I have to be really quick because we have to meet the locksmith to install an 'estra security' lock in a few minutes. We slept in, went to the grocery (more later), had lunch, rode horses, went to see the capital area. That might be the longest post ever. I hope it goes through! More later (we're hoping to have the internet installed today or tomorrow) -m

Day 1

Hi all- Well, today has been a really long and really eventful day. I swear we have lived about a week in the last 12 hours. After writing the last post, we went downstairs to a breakfast of food suprises- my favorite was Peter's frosted flakes with lumpy milk. It was revolting. Then we were picked up to meet with the Ministry of Education which I was extremely nervous about but it ended up being a whopping 5 minute interview. We passed I guess because then we went directly to the baby house to talk with the director there. Poor lady was sick but came in just for us. They had one of their special needs babies stop by to say hello to us- he was absolutely adorable. Curly black hair and big dark eyes- and all of the ladies there just doted on him. Then, it took me by suprise when they brought in the child they had 'picked' for us. I thought it was just going to be the file but there the little one who was just a little bundle of cuteness and really outgoing and active. We went to the visiting room and played for a while- it was so surreal I just don't even know how to describe it. They also had the baby house doctor come in to chat with us and tell us all of the test scores and such. And then, after about an hour, it was naptime and we had to go. When we left the baby house, we met another couple who were adopting from our agency, went to lunch, checked out an apartment possibility, took a nap, went to the store to buy diapers and a bottle, and here we finally are thinking that we have found the child that we are supposed to have. By the way- it's a boy :-) We are going to wait until we have grasped this decision ourselves before we share details but we did want everyone to know that after fours years we think we have finally found him. Much love and much more to come- m

We're in Kaz!

Hi All- So here we are. After 20 hours of traveling, we are finally here. As a final sendoff, we treated ourselved to one last American meal at Fuddruckers and a final Starbucks (which I spilled all over myself when I spazzed out when our flight was called). A hellacious flight next to screaming kids and a chair that wouldn't recline, and an hour 'lightening delay' and we were in F'furt. By the way, Frankfurt airport sucks. But then we hopped our flight to Astana and got here safe and sound late last night. Our translator G, our coordinator B, and our driver (whose name I haven't mastered quite yet) met us and helped us get situated at the hotel. Then, on 3 hours of sleep, we had a big talk with our peeps who told us we had to get to the Ministry of Education super early to beat the other couple who had also just gotten here. So here we are, showered and ready to go at the crack of dawn. I guess we're a little jet lagged but we're raring to go. We'll let you know what happens! -m

Buh-Bye

So, whoever wants to stay here while we are gone either has to sleep on dirty sheets or do laundry. Just thought you should know. And by the way- WE'RE OFF LIKE A DIRTY SHIRT! See you in a couple months- with a baby!!! -m

Bon Voyage

Hi all! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it is time for us to take off already! What am I going to do for the next four hours? Bags are packed, clothes are washed, snacks are bought, we have taken our last trip to Starbucks. What do I DO now? Some of you may be hearing your phone ring in a short while for a last goodbye. Well, we may try and find an Internet place in Frankfurt during our stopover but if we don't get a chance to blog en route, then I guess we'll update on Friday Kaz time since we'll get in so late Thurs night. Now that I think about it, we may not even be able to blog until after we meet our child. Holy smokes I think I may pass out just thinking about it! Well, if we don't talk to you before we leave, we want you know know how appreciative we are of all of your support and encouragement. I don't know how we would have made it through the last fours years without the help of our fabulous family and friends. Next time we see you, I guess we'll have a screaming drooling addition to our twosome! Much love! -Anxious SoonToBeParents Maren and Peter

Packed and Waiting

Hi All- So Ann came today to see us one last time before we take off. We had some lunch, ran some errands, and she helped us get ready to go. She got us all organized and ready to hop on that plane tomorrow. I really don't know how I would have managed otherwise since I am a total basketcase- and Peter is even worse. He is flailing around trying to get online bill pay set up, pack, stop the paper, get a safe deposit box, and every other thing he has been putting off for the last month or so. But, typical Peter, he may flail around but he does eventually get it done. Check you later! -m

Fabulous Weekend

Hi All- So we had a wonderful weekend with my friend Carson in town and we absolutely adored having her little guy here too- he is SUCH a cutie. Talk about a belly laugh. We spent a lot of time talking about our upcoming adventure, did a little organizing, did a little shopping, went to dinner. It was great. And her quick little weekend actually turned into a long weekend when her flight was cancelled. I have to admit I was really happy to have another day with the both of them. But when I dropped her off this morning, I realized that we only have about 48 hours left before we go. I'm freaking out! Peter the Procrastinator has finally started packing tonight though thank goodness. So I think we will be ready to go soon (we better be, right?). Peter's sis, Ann, is coming in for the day tomorrow to help out and hang out. Peter has a few errands but the only thing I am planning on doing is going to the Textile Museum tomorrow to check out the exhibit on Tent Bands of Central Asia. I thought we might buy a rug while we're over in K-stan so I thought I'd like to learn a little bit about them. And I am dying to see the movie Knocked Up so maybe we'll head to that tomorrow night to keep our minds off of things. That and an Ambien should do the trick. Then we'll wake up and get ready to head out. OMG! -m

Keep the comments coming!

Hi all- I just wanted to say how happy it makes me to hear "You've got mail" and see that someone else has left a comment on our blog (I set it up so that it emails me every time). It makes me happy to know that we are not the only ones who are looking forward to meeting our little one. The only frustration is that I can't reply to the comments. I tried but all I can figure out to do is leave a comment myself. Anyway, keep them coming or send emails if you feel like it. Peter and I read each one and love to hear your enthusiasm! -m

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Happy Birthday Mer!
Plane tickets are purchased! We are flying on missionary tickets which I think is kind of funny but our travel guy said they are the cheapest we could buy. Cheap being a relative term of course since the flights to Kaz are unbelievable expensive ( more than twice as much as either of my trips to India or Thailand). And now we are pretty much done with the bulk of errand running and phone call making and now we just need to pack everything up and go.
My friend Carson is coming this weekend to help us get ready and to spend some time being excited with us. She calls every day to ask "Are you excited yet?" but I think she is almost as excited we are. She is bringing her little chunkster who is about the same age that our little one is so we are doing a dry run to figure out what we still need to get to be ready. I'm sure that there are about a million things that we haven't even though of. Better to figure it out now rather than after we get home, right? -m
ps- My case worker says the baby house people have a baby in mind for us already. Isn't that a weird thought? He/She/They are there just waiting for us.

Paperwork Finished!

Hi all! So I think we are finally finished with paperwork (knock knock knock on wood). We made what I hope is our last trip downtown to the secretary of state. Also, Peter got his last 2 shots today- sitting instead of lying down no less! He's a big boy now. And I finished painting the living room and it's now all put back in place. My list is dwindling... As a matter of fact, I'm going to go sit and veg out for a while... -m

The Sunny Yellow Nursery

I thought you guys might want to see the new color in the nursery. We painted it yellow at the suggestion Aunt Ann. The walls are pretty bare right now but I figure we'll get some stuff in KStan to frame and put on the walls to remind our little guy where he/she came from.

Visa Status

Our visas just arrived! Thank goodness! That's one BIG stress inducing thing to cross off our list. Now we just have a few more things to get notarized/apostiled. And I definitely have to find a pediatrician. Later...

-m

Last Few Lazy Days

Hi all-

Peter and I spent the last couple of days down at his mom's lake house soaking up the last little bit of quiet that we have left before the little one joins us. As I packed up early this morning, I thought to myself 'The next time I pack a bag, we'll be jumping on the plane that leads us to our child.' I think it's hit me that it won't be just the two of us any longer. I am really excited about what is coming up for us, but it's also kind of feels like an end of an era. I guess it has been more than a decade of just us- time to add a little excitement to the mix! Enjoy the one and only photo that I took as we pulled out of the driveway. (I am trying to figure out how to paste in a photo before we get there. I know that is what everyone really wants- to see photos of our little Kazakh).

-Maren