Almost There

We have big stuff going on at our house.  Big stuff, like going-to-Kazakhstan stuff.  Yup, pretty darn soon we will be meeting our Little Leggett.  We have been frantically trying to get everything done.  Paperwork, running around to appointments, phone calls, flight reservations, last minute passports, gifts to buy, cold weather clothes to pack…  Trying to get it all done while I can hardly keep a thought in my head is proving to be a lot of work but very very exciting.  My ToDo list is slowly dwindling and I can focus a little bit more on the excitement about the fact that we are going to have a baby.  A BABY!!!  This time around, it has been such a roller coaster.  This time, it has already taken 3 times as long as Rinat’s adoption, our agency closed, Kazakhstan closed/paused multiple times, we moved, and had one false start.  In retrospect, Rinat’s adoption was a piece of cake.  But we are finally on our way.  Finally.  It’s so close I can almost feel the little fuzz on his head and smell that particular stew-y smell of the baby house.  We still have a little while before we head out so you may hear from me another time or two before we see Little with our own two (six) eyes.  But I will most definitely post just as much as we are allowed to as it happens.  But we are almost there.  Love to all, -m    

Summer in The District

I have to warn you all that this is going to be a two part-er. We did a whole lot this summer and made lots of good memories along the way. It was a long time with just the two of us (Peter worked a lot during the summer and all of the other kids were in camp) but it was, for the most part, really great. I kept telling myself that this is the last summer of just us and trying to soak up every minute and do lots of fun things. This new baby will be a big change for all of us- but especially for Rin- and I just felt that I needed to give him that last little bit of my undivided attention while I could. So let’s start at the beginning…

Hi All- So we have been keeping pretty busy, me and Rin. And really, is there any better place to have no plans than DC? I mean, there are thousands of people who come here to visit, so we have more than enough fun things to do. And this summer we did a lot. A whole lot. It was sort of fun not to have the time constraints of school to contend with. We had all day every day to do whatever we want. Every morning it was the same question from Rin “After my breakfast, what are we doing to do fun today?” And it was always up for conversation. A big favorite (especially due to the ridiculous heat) was the dinosaur museum. How many times can this child go there and still be entranced? I have yet to find out. His current favorites are of course the dinosaurs, followed closely by the insects. The volunteers there are always impressed that he can hold the hissing cockroach, leaf insect, exotic looking grasshopper, and big fat green caterpillars without freaking out. Little do they know that he’s done it so much it’s like it's his job. Then it’s usually a quick trip through Mammal Hall, the Ocean Animals (the giant whale skeleton and giant squid in particular), or the Evolution exhibit, and off to the café downstairs for some lunch and a giant dinosaur cookie. Then hop the Metro back home and down for a big fat nap. For both of us.

We have met some really wonderful people during these excursions. The café is pretty busy during the summer and we usually end up sitting at a table with other people. Rinat is not shy in the least (which anyone who knows him knows well) and he always manages to make friends. One of the days we ended up across from some young people (did I really just say that?) and Rinat was showing off his giant blue diplodocus cookie to them and we got to talking. They were a group of college bound students from somewhere in the mid-west who were the first in their families to attend college. This was their big, end of the year celebratory trip before they started college. Sometimes I forget how lucky we are both to have the luxury of education and how lucky we are to live where we do. These people came from so far away to see something that we do on random Tuesday because there’s nothing else going on. I love DC. I love how it puts our lives in perspective. I love how it changes my day and makes me feel lucky when I am in the dumps because I don’t get everything right when I want it. I love that it opens the world to us.



Other days we head to the Building Museum where he and his friend run around, their happy screams echoing off the two story ceiling as they race to the play room to be ‘working men.’ It is so great for me because it is air-conditioned, right across from the Metro stop, and I can just sit down and chat with my friend while he plays. It’s almost like a day off. Almost.

And on those days when the heat is almost bearable? The zoo, baby. If you go early enough in the morning and be sure to visit some of the indoor exhibits, it’s not so bad. Oh, and the water misters help a lot too. You find one, bang the bejesus out of the button, and sweet heaven rains down. Besides the Reptile and Small Mammal Houses, we have discovered some new gems this summer. Amazonia is pretty awesome. The rays mesmerize me by floating around their tank over and under each other in circles. And we have tried hard to spot the monkeys in the rainforest upstairs. On our way out, we stop and cool down for a bit and stare at the giant world before heading out. On our most recent trip, there was a man in the Reptile House holding a snake that told us about the octopus feeding time at the Invertebrate House. I had no idea that place even existed but we headed right over it too is amazing. There are lots of new things to look at. We saw them feed not only the octopus but ‘teeny tiny s’imps to teeny tiny ‘quid’ as Rin put it. He thought it was really cool. And every trip to the zoo is capped off by a big fat cone filled with the most amazing gelato known to man. The Dolci Gelati cart is located across from the Mane Restaurant and every flavor they have is amazing. My fave is the strawberry and Rin’s pina colada. Yum. Sitting on a patch of grass as gelato drips down my sweet baby’s fingers and our morning is winding down is what summer is all about for me. The craziness around us becomes quiet as we recount the trip and all of our favorite parts. It is a day well spent.

Another fun thing from this summer was Daddy’s Bday. Peter was out of town and I think Rinat was missing him as much as I was. One day I told Rinat that I missed Daddy and wished he was here. He said “Don’t worry Mommy, I take care of you. I do laundry.” So funny and so sweet that he thinks that's what Peter's for.  Especially since he's never once actually done my laundry.  During that week, we also lost power for several days. And did I mention the temperature hovered around 100? So for lack of anything else to do, Rinat got it into his head that we should decorate the house for Peter’s birthday and make him a cake. So we made a paper chain that we hung from the chandelier, Rinat make a whole lot of ‘confetti’ for the floor and we decorated a sign for him. Then, once the power returned, we made him some brownies too. And it was all my little boy’s idea. The whole thing. Sometimes he’s just so sweet I can hardly stand it.

During the power outage and crazy heat, we also spent a lot of time at the pool where Rinat kept working on his swimming skills. He started to put his head under to go under the rope which was a big step for him. And I love to see him leap with such abandon from the side of the pool. Goodbye forever baby pool. Well, goodbye until the next little one comes anyway.

And aside from that, there have been several trips out of town which I will detail in the next post. Until next time, -m

Actually, I'm the one with ESP

We got a very exciting call from our agency this morning.  Very exciting.  It turns out that both my little brother AND I had a baby yesterday.  Go figure.

***I decided to delete this part of the post.  I got nervous that I would jinx something, but I will add it back in later on in the process.  But let me sum it up by saying that we have Kaz in our sights.  Yay!  More to come... 

And I have a TON to post about this summer.  I promise I will put it up soon.  Feel free to harrass me if I don't.
We have a baby! 
-m

Here's Hoping

Hi Everyone-
Do you ever have one of those conversations with someone and afterwards you keep running through it in your mind thinking of all of the things you could have said or should have said but didn’t? Well, I feel a little bit like that tonight. We are so fortunate to live in DC and have the opportunity to be where decisions are made and things happen and this afternoon we got to be a part of something very dear to my heart. A delegation from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan came to the US to talk about international adoption and we got the chance to meet with them. Yes, little old us. Included in this group were many officials from both countries, representatives from JCICS, as well as several adoptive families from both Kaz and Kyrgyz. We were honored to be one of those families to serve as an example of what it looks like when adoption goes right and besides getting to meet some really great people I was so happy to try and make a difference in the lives of children that are still without families in those countries. When I think about the fact that Rinat could have spent his entire childhood in an orphanage and then be tossed out to fend for himself at age 16, it just stirs up such a desire to make sure that no one even has to go through life without knowing that pure unwavering and supportive love of a family. I will spare you the blow by blow of every little detail but let me just say that if our going there made a difference in just one child’s life, I would be happy to do it a million times over. I was so nervous and I wasn’t actually prepared to make a speech but thankfully my sweet husband, as always, was able to step in and say pretty much everything I wish that I could have said if I had not been ready to pass out. It reminded me so much of when we went to court to petition to adopt Rinat but instead of just asking for one child to have a family, we were asking on behalf of all of them- and especially for those 65 caught in limbo in Kyrgyzstan and the 10 in Taraz, Kazakhstan. Although I wish that I could have done more, said more, I can only hope that it will at least help a little. Next time- and I am eager for there to be a next time- I will have to get up my courage to speak and write down some talking points to focus myself but I am hoping that just our presence meant something this time. Here’s hoping…-m

Happy Birthday Love Muffins!

So today is my sweet husband’s birthday and I am missing him because he is far far away working (aka playing golf in sunny AZ while it’s pouring rain here). One of the things I love about his job is that he’s here pretty much every night with us and when he’s not I get a little bit sad. Rin does too. But have you ever noticed how absence makes all of those annoying little quirks of your spouse fade to the background and you remember all the nice thoughtful things about them? It’s that way with me anyway and since he’s been gone I have been thinking of all of the things that make him a great husband to me and a wonderful father to Rin. So on this, Peter’s 38th birthday, here is just a small sampling of the many reasons I am very happy to be married to this thoughtful, hardworking, supportive, and loving man.

He…
Talks about me when I am not around (too much according to some people)
Lets me have the TV remote anytime I want it- even when the Masters is on
Knew the second we saw Rinat that he was our son
Calls on the way home every day to ask if I need anything from the store
He loves me fully and completely and loves our son even more
Lets me be whoever it is that I think I am
Went with me to every single fertility appt- the only man there every time
Gives me every bit of credit for keeping our family together even though it’s not true
Goes all out playing with his son and lets Rinat pound on him like a prize fighter
Is nice to me even when I don’t deserve it
Tells me I am beautiful every single day
Puts family ahead of income
Cleans up- sometimes
Gives into every crazy scheme I have- “Hey, lets adopt a baby from a country we’ve never heard of!”
Takes the night shift with Rinat without me having to ask
Grabs the phone out of my hand when Carson calls so he can chitchat with her
Loves to read my celeb gossip mags
Would drop anything to be by my side if I need him- even if it’s just for a hug when I get bad news
Is firm and loving with our son
Always believes the best about people
Will drive to MacDonald’s when I’m sick to get me a milkshake
Loves to shop more than I do
Tells me that things will work out even when he’s not sure they will
Is passionate
Is always willing to watch Rinat so I can have some girl time
Has been there for me more than anyone else for the last 17 years
Has every confidence we’ll make it another 50

I love you Peter! Happy birthday! You are a wonderful husband and father and we are so lucky to have you in our life. See you soon.
-m

"Did you know it my 'pecial day today?"

Hi Everyone!  We have known Rinat for 3 whole years now.  Yes, THREE years.  We are so unbelievable happy that this sweet, thoughtful, talkative little boy was able to join our family and I just can't imagine our life without him. I love his little face so much that sometimes I just don’t think I can stand it anymore. I am compelled to scoop him up (despite the “Mama, ‘top it!”) and give him kisses multiple times a day.  Even the days that he tries my patience to the very limits are good days.

So today was Rinat’s special day. I’ve been talking about it for the last week or so. Pretty much any time he tells that he simply MUST have some toy that he has found at Borders or the grocery store I just tell him to keep it in mind for his adoption day and if that’s what he wants when the time comes, then it is his. So we decided that for Rin’s day, we would trek it up to the Baltimore aquarium and it was worth every second in the car. We had an absolute blast. The look on his little face when he saw the giant rays or the teeth of the shark is better than any gift I could buy.

The highlight was, no surprise, the dolphin show. Rin was mesmerized by the dolphins as they jumped high into the air performing the tricks that they have undoubtedly done a million times before.

And after the dolphins had flipped their final flip and waved goodbye via splashing fins, he absolutely insisted that we go back to the amazon jungle where we found a tiny little poison frog and lots of very loud birds for him to imitate.

And then to the part that we all love- the sharks. For anyone who doesn’t know Peter, he is absolutely and ridiculously afraid of sharks. He will barely even step foot in the ocean though I have to say that he does put up a good front for Rinat.  I on the other hand am afraid of the jellyfish but I am still completely entranced by them at the same time. They are just so tranquil to watch. I could sit in the jellyfish area for hours just watching them do their slow undulating dance.  I get that same feeling I do late at night as I wait for the last little bit of fire to die down in the fireplace before I head up to bed.  It lulls me.

But then I was brought back to reality because, about an hour past his nap time, Rin was done for the day. And I mean DONE. He sat his little fanny down and screamed “NO PICTURES” at the top of his lungs which just made me laugh.

Check out this photo. I told him to give me ‘mean face’ and it of course made him laugh. If you look closely, you will find my two favorite people in the reflection on my glasses. My whole world reflected right back at the camera.  As long as I have my boys, the world is good. 

Post nap, we relaxed and played a little and then headed out for dinner at Rin’s fave Mexican place where he refused to eat his broccoli (therefore the return of ‘mean face’) but I thoroughly enjoyed my grown-up drink. Nothing better after sweating all day long in the DC heat. And when the waiter came and brought our little pumpkin some tortilla dough to play with he yelled “Did you know it my ‘pecial day today?” at the top of his lungs. I wish we could all celebrate each other so fully and so happily. Rin was so elated to be himself today.

And a little after-dinner treat. Can you believe that he picked ice cream over Georgetown Cupcake.  He's crazy.  But couldn’t you just melt into his little chocolate brown eyes?  All it takes is one look and I just want to give him anything he wants on a platter.  Spoiled little bugger.

I have to say that it was one fabulous and very special day for us all. The best part was that it was us, all day, just us enjoying each other.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  We have been up to lots lots more but I will save that for another epic post. I hope you all had a special day today. Love to all, -m

Discombobulated

Hi everyone- I know you all want to ask so let me just start out by saying that there’s no news from Kaz. OK, now that that’s done, thank you everyone for your sweet words about our trip falling through. It was actually a lot harder for me to deal with than I thought. After I emerged from my high fever and adrenaline induced haze, I was actually really sad about it for a little while and a little bit wacko too. Every time the phone would ring, I would completely freak out. One time it rang a day or so after the ‘no baby’ call and I leapt up from my chair to find the phone so fast that I banged my knee on the table leg, tripped over the computer cord, caught myself in time to go careening across the rug feet first like I was sliding into home plate and bash my toe in to the corner of the entry table, grab my purse, and start flinging things out in a frantic attempt to find the ringing phone. It was the handyman. Aargh. So Carson suggested that I change the ring tone of my agency- duh. That alone has helped my mental state immensely. But I still find myself wandering aimlessly, not really knowing what to do to help the time pass. I’m short tempered, I get sad unexpectedly, and I don’t know what to do about it. I even Googled ‘when are we going to Kazakhstan?’ the other day out of desperation. Sadly, no answers were to be found via Google (only, strangely enough, ads for bird watching trips). But I am not feeling sorry for myself or looking for sympathy. I know this will pass and there will be a happy ending and we will end up with a child that was absolutely meant to join our family. I just don’t know what to do in the meantime. Suggestions are most definitely welcome. Just keep in mind that I have to do them with a 3 year old, energy-filled boy in tow.

I didn’t sign Rinat up for anything at all this summer because I thought we’d be gone for a good portion of it and I didn’t want to waste the money ($500 for a week of half-day camp anyone?) and now I am really regretting it. He is once again a joy most of the time but it is close to impossible to get anything done. Yesterday I answered the phone and walked into the other room so I could hear what the other person was saying. He followed me in there and started playing with a noisy toy right at my feet so I went back in to the living room. He followed me in there and kept asking “Why you say dat, Mama?” about every word that came out of my mouth. So I finally informed him that I was going upstairs to my room and I was going to shut the door and he was not allowed in. So what did he do? He played right outside the door in the hallway. But he didn’t try to come in, sweet boy. Things could be worse, I know, but sometimes it’s just tiring to be so adored all day long.

We did not get to go to Kazapalooza since I foolishly cancelled all plans the second I heard about the baby and couldn’t afford to re-book it at the last minute (but as you can see from the photo, we were there in spirit!). We were so sad to miss it this year but are already looking forward to next year down in Florida. So instead of KP, we went to visit my brother and his family- including the new addition who is absolutely adorable. He’s just old enough to be smiley but it not yet on the move which is lots of fun. And Rinat just follows his older cousin around doing everything he does and repeating everything he says. And he got his fill of princesses from his middle cousin.  Most of his friends at school are girls so he knows about them all.  I’m so glad that they are close enough to visit fairly often. It's good to get a dose of family when I need it.  But I have to admit that the best part of it was that the whole way down (9&1/2 hours) and back (8 hours) there was not one second of whining, crying, or yelling from the backseat. He is getting to be a big boy after all. Instead, we spent a good part of the time in the car playing Guess That Instrument. I would hear a little voice from the backseat saying “Mommy? What intaments you hear in dis song?” and we would name them. I am not very good at this game and quite frankly neither is Rinat- he just insists that there are drums and a trumpet in every song- but it certainly kept him occupied. And he was nice and quiet while he was listening. I like that game. I could play it for hours. Oh wait, I did.

Other than the trip to see the new cousin, we have just been hanging out and trying to stay cool. It’s been in the high 90’s here and humid and even Rinat is not so keen on playing in the backyard. I am planning on many many trips to the pool this summer if we are stuck around here even thought it $15 every time. Rinat keeps insisting that he knows how to swim although I am doing my best to convince him that is not yet the case. That kid has no fear and I’m afraid he’ll jump in when I’m not looking. He really really really wants to jump off the diving board like the big kids but I tell him that he has to be able to jump in from the side without me catching him first. He will jump to me and I let his head go under now. He is not too fond of it, but he keeps right on jumping. So if you call and I don’t answer… we’re at the pool. Much love –m

Oh, and can you make out Rinat’s name in the photo on the left? There’s the ‘R’ ‘i’ ‘t’ and a very skinny ‘n’ at the end. And then he decided to start making the horizontal lines ‘so they can’t get up’ as I ran to get the camera (I don’t understand but whatever). He hasn’t shown any interest in writing the ‘a’ quite yet. Pretty good though for a 3&1/2 year old, huh? And he wanted me to show off his jellyfish too.