Praise the Lord Ivan is officially our son!!
Well everyone apologies for the tardiness of this very important email. It became nearly impossible for us to email from the Beibars hotel in Ust. However, now we are in Almaty and it should be easier from here on out. The 15 day waiting period was waived (another praise) and we are here with our son. Yes our son. We can hardly believe it. Ivan is taking his first nap away from the orphanage right now, and he looks pretty content. All three of us are eager to get the final steps of the adoption process complete at the US Embassy and head home. We will let you know the exact date for our departure as soon as we have everything all set-up and ready to go. The earliest it will be is July 29, and the latest is Aug 1. So, one more prayer request for a July 29 departure, please.
We will send a more detailed email as soon as we can, but until then just know that God has blessed us more than we ever could have imagined. Ivan truly is a precious gift from God.
Love you all and can’t wait to introduce you to the newest member of the T household!
Charlotte, Joe and Ivan
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Greetings from Kazakhstan July 16, 2005
Hello once again from Ust!
Can you believe it? We have been in Kazakhstan for two weeks! Hopefully just two more weeks (or so) until we get back to the good old USA!
Each day that we spend with Ivan we get a clearer picture of the child that the Lord has blessed us with and we LOVE what we are seeing!
Wednesday we began our time with Ivan in the "ball pit". It is one of those soft-sided play areas that is filled with little plastic balls. He loved sitting and standing in it and handing us ball after ball. Sometimes he would attempt to mimic Daddy by throwing them, but he hasn’t quite got that down yet, so most of his fell back into the pit. After an hour or so of playing and walking our translator came into the playroom. It was finally our turn to meet with the orphanage director about Ivan. We asked our translator what we should do with Ivan while we met with Dr. Natalia. She said that we could take him with us to the meeting, take him back to his room, or leave him in the playroom with the other couples. The three other couples that were in the playroom with us quickly volunteered to watch him while we went downstairs. Charlotte gave him to Lorraine and Ivan immediately began to fuss. She took him over to the window to look at the world and to distract him while we slipped out.
We were the last couple in our group to meet her, so we knew what to expect. Before the other couples went we had hopes of getting some more information on Ivan’s birthparents. However, after hearing what the other couples were told, we knew that we would not get very much if anything beyond what we already knew. As expected, the director did not have much that was new to share with us about the birthparents. One thing that we did get is a black and white photo of Ivan the day he entered the orphanage. The picture is precious and we will always cherish having a photo of him at such a young age. Most everything else that Dr. Natalia told us we already knew from spending the past week and half with him. However, we appreciated her time and willingness to answer as many questions as she could about Ivan’s biological parents and his life up until this point.
Then we went back to the playroom. Ivan was not there, as it was time for lunch. So we walked over to his room, and we found him happily eating some soup. As soon as we walked through the door the other couples told us that Ivan had fussed and looked for us the whole time that we were gone, until he was brought back to his room for lunch. This was some of the most glorious news we had ever heard. Lorraine said that he just would not be consoled and continually looked at the playroom door, waiting for us to return. He is really starting to recognize us as "his people"! We know that he is in a tough place right now, straddling the line between his caregivers, and us but we are so thrilled that he looks to us for comfort. This is one of the reasons that the two-week bonding period is such a blessing. It allows the child and the parents to begin forming a bond.
We returned for our afternoon visit and played and walked as usual. Then we went outside for a long stroll using the Baby Bjorn. All three of us were as content as can be and only came in because the temperature was really getting to us. When Ivan is tired or insecure he likes to cling to his Mommy. A lady that is using another agency came into our playroom today for a visit. She just adored Ivan and kept talking to him. He stayed firmly in Mom’s lap while she was there.
The group decided to go out to another local pizza place last night. We declined and decided that a night in was in order. We ate downstairs again (this time we were in and out in an hour). We took the laptop and worked on our court statements that we will have to read to the judge. All in all a quiet but delightful evening alone…one of our last for quite a while!
Thursday we had another great couple of visits with Ivan. In the afternoon he was in a particularly good mood. Ivan and Mom were playing a type of peekaboo and every time Ivan would spot Mom, he would just bust out laughing! He was as happy as a clam all afternoon. Dad and Ivan enjoy more "rough play" like playing Super Ivan, where Dad lifts him up over his head and Ivan flies like an airplane. They also enjoy wrestling with each other on the floor. It’s a real hoot to watch 6’3 Joe with 2’3 Ivan on the floor!
Thursday afternoon went much like Wednesday afternoon. Another walk around outside until the wind and the temperature got to us. Inside, more playing and laughing.
Thursday was Alan’s 45 birthday so we decided that we wanted to make a night of it here in Ust. We went to a local Georgian restaurant that we had all heard about. We arrived at about 7:15. We quickly ordered some Georgian wine and settled in for the evening. As we were all chatting away a table of 12 walked in. They were obviously locals also celebrating a birthday. They immediately ordered a couple of bottles of vodka and cognac for their table. They had pre-ordered from the banquet menu and had food fairly quickly. They were quite a rowdy group, and they kept the pace rockin’ most of the evening. There was live entertainment for our listening pleasure. They played plenty of Kazak pop music as well as some American tunes. As we waited for our meals to arrive, the other group started dancing and doing Kareeokee. Most everyone from our table decided to get up and boogie as well. We quickly learned that it is a Kazak tradition for the birthday celebrant to get in the middle of the group and dance. So, Alan being the good sport that he is, got in the middle and danced for us all. With all of the excitement in the air, our table decided that it was time for us to order a bottle of vodka. So we did. It was served to us in lovely cordial glasses. Joe and some folks ordered some OJ to go with it, but Charlotte enjoyed hers straight up. As the band took a well-deserved break, our food arrived. Everything was just delicious! We both ordered the chicken soup. Charlotte ordered a steak shishkobob with onions and potatoes. It was served in a mini cast iron skillet and was still sizzling as they set it down. Joe ordered rabbit in a sour cream and onion sauce. He enjoyed it, but there were a lot of bones in it. Thanks to Curtis’ quick thinking and elementary Russian, we each received a little birthday dessert of peach ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. We sang Happy Birthday to Alan and the gentleman from the other table. As we were leaving the other table returned the favor and sang Happy Birthday to Alan. All in all it was a wonderful, unforgettable evening.
Friday morning we were taken to the Ust Maternity Hospital were most of our children were born. We all snapped a few photos from outside so that we could show our little one’s were they were born. Then it was off to the orphanage for our morning visit. Things are pretty much the same whenever we visit now. Lots of playing and walking and just enjoying being together as a family. Ivan continues to cling to us on arrival and when he is uncertain about someone or something. We love every minute of our visits, but we are ready to have him with us now.
Friday afternoon after our visit we all decided that we wanted to stay in town and do some shopping. So we were dropped off at the local "mall" and requested to be picked-up at the Supermarket a few hours later. Joe bought a nice new watch (his battery died and we were unable to figure out how to get just a new battery). We just looked around at all of the different vendors and strolled over to the Pizza place that we were meeting at for dinner. After dinner we went over to the Supermarket and restocked the fridge for a few days. If all goes as planned, we won’t need to stop there again so we all went ahead and bought more diapers and wipes in anticipation of Wednesday’s big trip to Almaty with the children!
Monday is court, so we are all getting a little nervous as that is the big moment that we have all been waiting for. Tuesday we should learn if the 15 day waiting period has been waived. We have learned that our agency seems to be the only one that gets the appeal period waived on a regular basis…so please keep those prayers coming! It is really too wonderful for words the peace and love that the Lord has blessed us with throughout this enter trip. Your love and prayers are crossing the miles, and we appreciate them all so much. We also love hearing from you all. Due to our Internet situation, we are not really able to respond to everyone, but please know it lights us up when we open our inbox and see mail from home!
Well, that about wraps it up for now. We will let you know about court as soon as we can on Monday. We send our love to everyone back home, and we can’t wait to see you all and introduce you to our new little man.
TTFN,
Charlotte and Joe
PS. We are 10 hours ahead of Home and we are anticipating having court sometime Monday morning between 9 and 10 AM local time.
PPS. Here are some quick observations about Ivan’s hometown…
The city of Ust-Kamenogorsk looks a lot like you would expect a town of the former Soviet Union to look. Most buildings are plain and boxy. The few exceptions are some of the pre-revolution buildings that were not destroyed…they are beautiful. Most everyone in town lives in an apartment and almost all of the buildings look exactly the same from the outside. While the buildings are really nothing too remarkable, the landscape surrounding the city is fantastic. No matter where you look you see beautiful mountains and rolling hills. Since we are here during the height of their growing season everything is green and lush. If we had come in the winter months we would have seen nothing but snow and temperatures that are normally 40 below zero and that does not include the wind-chill! There is also an interesting mix of cars here. A car is either a "Soviet Era" car (think Yugo) or a modern Japanese car Toyota, Mazda and Subaru are huge here. We have only seen one Ford the whole time that we have been here and that was in Almaty. The city and the country are changing very quickly. Kazakhstan’s economy is growing at something like 15% a year and it shows. There is construction everywhere here in Ust. There are gas stations under construction on just about every corner!
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Greetings from Kazakhstan July 13, 2005
Greetings once again from Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan!
Things are continuing to go well here for the T family, thanks to everyone’s love and prayers. Thank you all very much!
We moved hotels Monday morning as planned. All ten of us were packed and ready to go at 10 Monday morning. A few people needed to settle their bill at the front desk and needed our translator to help. It seems that we were not all charged the same rate. Our rate was really reasonable for the room that we had, so we just paid and moved on. Others were not so fortunate. Bridgett and Eugene had a "single" with two cots and were being asked to pay almost as much as we were and we had a two-room suite and a queen size bed. Once all of the bills were settled, we loaded up the van with all of our luggage and off we went to the new hotel. The Beibers is very opulent compared to our previous hotel. The lobby has marble floors and crystal chandeliers and wall sconces. On the second floor there is a huge pool table that looks like it would fit nicely into the Biltmore Estate. The grounds are well manicured (considering that they only have two or three months for a growing season) and there is a fountain out front that is surrounded by petunias. Our new room is very lovely as well. As you enter from the hallway, there is a little alcove for leaving your shoes and coat in the winter. There is a powder room directly off of the alcove as well. Once you move through the double doors you enter the living room. We have two plush wingback chairs, a couch, coffee table and a TV in this room. There is a nice sized balcony off of this room as well. The bedroom is directly off of the living room to your right. It is a nice size room as well and we have two twin beds that have been put together to almost form a king-size bed. We are out in the country compared to our other hotel so it is nice and quiet. We sat on the balcony of our new room last night and listened to what we think are frogs making a real racket. It almost felt like home, only not nearly as humid and there was no Sherman looking for lizards in the bushes. We are now all unpacked and ready to start phase two of our trip.
Monday morning we arrived at the orphanage a little late, due to the hotel switcharoo. Charlotte went to get Ivan from his room. The caregiver brought him out as usual and quickly dressed him for our visit. He was a little clingy to start with (he is a slow to wake up) but once he got on the floor he was ready to get busy walking. We are pretty convinced that Sunday was his first time walking without assistance. In fact, he still won’t walk without assistance if his caregivers are within sight. The stinker. Joe and Ivan played while Charlotte worked with our translator on our adoption petition. She had to hand write the petition while sitting at the piano in the playroom. What a way to fill out one of the most important documents within the process! Joe took Ivan back to his room for lunch and fed him "caregiver style". That is to say, getting the food into Ivan as fast as possible. Apparently Ivan had cabbage soup as his "soup course" and according to Joe it stunk.
Since we cleaned out our fridge at the old hotel, we were rather limited as far as lunch options since we had not been to the store yet. So we decided to eat the complimentary snacks that we found in the fridge (unlike in the US, they are free and are replaced daily). What a mistake that was! First we opened the little bag of potato chips…cheese flavor. They did not taste like any cheese we had ever had before or that would ever care to encounter again! Then we opened the little bag of crouton snacks. We thought that we were safe so we each took a big handful. Oh my gosh they were horrible! It turns out that they were caviar flavored! Very fishy and very bad. After that we just gave up and hoped for better things at dinner.
Our afternoon visit was filled with a lot more walking and very proud smiles from Ivan. He is just thrilled with himself every time he walks! By the end of the visit he was no longer satisfied just walking to and from us. Now he knew his freedom and he wanted to exercise that freedom. He was very interested in Leo’s toys and kept making a b-line for them. The only problem was that Leo had a fever and we really did not want Ivan to put Leo’s toys into his mouth. So we kept having to intercept him. Finally he wound down a bit and wanted to snuggle on Mom’s shoulder until snack time. Charlotte took him back to his room for snack. Once he was done with his snack, he was off to bed for a nap. He has had a very busy couple of days, so he welcomes his naptime.
The group decided that we would give the new hotel’s restaurant a try. We met at 7:30 and went down to the gorgeous restaurant. We were served on fine china and drank from crystal. We knew from past experience at the other hotel, that we needed to order quickly or things could take a while. We all ordered right away (Curtis and John had brought us a copy of the menu that afternoon so that we would know what we wanted when we arrived). So our orders were placed no later than 7:45. Everyone had beer, except Mary and Charlotte. They split a bottle of white Kazak wine. Mary and Charlotte agreed that the wine probably would have been ok, had it been their second bottle and not their first. So, everyone had his or her beer and wine. Then as time ticked on, another round of beer was consumed. Then a little before 9 o’clock the folks that had ordered starters received their first course. There were two orders of herring and several bowls of soup. Joe and several of the others ordered the chicken and egg soup, but Curtis was brave and ordered the salty cucumber soup. The chicken egg soup seemed to be exactly that…chicken broth with scrambled eggs in it. The cucumber soup was something to behold. It was bright red (like borsht) and had black olives and onions in it. It was indeed very salty, but not a single cucumber was found in the whole bowl. After the starters arrived, we thought that our meals would be out shortly. No doubt the kitchen staff was laughing at us silly Americans thinking that we would receive our entrees shortly after our starters! Ha Ha Ha Ha!! A little over an hour later some of our entrees arrived. It was nearly 10 PM at this point and we were just now getting our dinners! The worst part was that Charlotte could see into the kitchen from where she was sitting, and many times when she looked in, she saw people sitting around and chatting. Or on occasion, something was being put into the microwave! The last entree arrived a little after 10. The food was good, but not 2.5 hour wait good. Charlotte had a chicken breast cooked in a cream/wine sauce with mushrooms. It was a little spicy and very garlicky, very good. Joe ordered the pan-grilled veal. His was good, but cooked a little too much and so it was a dry. No one wanted to take their chances on dessert, we were afraid that it might take until Tuesday morning to actually receive it. After that we came up to our room and enjoyed the balcony for a few minutes before turning in for the night.
Tuesday we went downstairs for breakfast since it is included, we thought that we would give it a try. It was a lovely buffet of boiled eggs, plain crepes, pound cake and many other breads. We were also given the option of ordering an omelet, fried eggs or porridge. We both opted for the omelet. It was plain, but quite tasty. Alan ordered the porridge, and said that it was cooked with heavy cream and very rich.
Our morning visit this morning was fun as always. Charlotte went to get Ivan as usual, since he tends to be a little shy in the morning (that slow wake up thing again). He was excited to see her and attempted a few steps on his own in his room. He fell after one or two though…thankfully Mom was expecting this and caught him before he smacked the hard floor with his head. He thought it was hoot and smiled as we left the room. We decided to take advantage of the nice weather today, so we grabbed a hat from his room and went off to explore the grounds for a little while. Joe carried him in his arms face forward in anticipation of the Baby Bjorn. He loved it! He was so busy just looking around and taking it all in, it was a joy to watch him discover his surroundings. We finally headed back upstairs and did some more walking. Today he was into taking a few steps away from Charlotte, and then abruptly turning around and walking right back. Each time he would just grin from ear to ear as he started the turn and all the way back into Mom’s arms. Charlotte loved it as much as Ivan did, if not more.
The afternoon visit was much like the morning except that we brought the Baby Bjorn carrier with us. Joe immediately put Ivan in it and off we went on a walk outside. Ivan seemed to really love it. He was perfectly content to walk around strapped to Dad’s chest and continue his exploration of the world. We switched up at one point and put the carrier on Charlotte…again very content. So, at least for the next little while, we think that Ivan will enjoy the carrier. The best part about this carrier will be while we are in the airports trying to get from one gate to the other. After a nice walk around the grounds of the orphanage we returned to the playroom. Ivan was interested in the ball pit today, so that is where we spent a great deal of our time. He loves to hand us the balls (or puppies) and hear us say thank you in Russian and then in English. He lights up when we say that to him. Joe took him back for snack/nap time and we returned to the hotel.
We are planning to have our driver take us into town for dinner. The plan is to go to the Black Bull Pub again. We are leaving shortly, so we will sign off for now. Love to everyone at home! We miss you all very much and are really looking forward to sharing the blessing that is Ivan with you all!
TTFN,
Charlotte and Joe
Monday, July 11, 2005
Greetings from Kazakhstan July 11, 2005
Greetings again from Ust-Kamenogorsk!
Thank you all for your wonderful emails. We love hearing from all of you! Of course we also love reading that you all think Ivan is as cute as we do (we know that we are slightly biased, being his parents and all).
Friday was a very good day with Ivan. We had two fabulous visits with some babbling, unsolicited smiles, giggles and obvious recognition. When we walked into his room Friday afternoon, he was sitting in one of the playpens playing quietly. As soon as we walked in he immediately pulled himself up to a standing position. We were both thrilled to get this recognition from Ivan. We went into the caregiver’s "lounge" where we have had all of our visits so far. The orphanage has a very large playroom for adoption visits just down the hall from Ivan’s room on the third floor and it is filled with lots of interactive toys. However, we have not been allowed to go in to that room with the other families since Ivan had a fever on Sunday. So, we have been cramming into this room with one other family (Austin, Mary and 15 month old Daniel) all week. Since Ivan is not too interested in walking the small room has not been much of a problem for us. Daniel however, is practically running at this time, so the small space is really frustrating for him. Towards the end of the visit, Ivan was leaning against Charlotte, and kept trying to climb up. Finally, she realized that he wanted to snuggle, so she scooped him up and he immediately put his head on her shoulder and began to relax.
Friday evening the group decided to stay in and have a low-key evening. We met on the patio of the hotel and had a couple of beers together before all retiring early for the evening. We came upstairs and started to watch a DVD when all of a sudden there was this load cracking noise outside. We opened our window and saw fireworks going off! There had been a very large wedding reception going on in the Irtysh’s ballroom and this was the final hooray for the bride and groom. What a neat way to wrap up our first full week in Kazakhstan!
Saturday we were finally allowed to go to the playroom with the other families! While we parents were thrilled about the move, Ivan was a little unsure of his new surroundings and stayed pretty quiet. We had tried introducing the sippy cup a few days earlier, but found that it was just not going to work at this time. (Of course we bought the kind that only flows one way!) Ivan is so used to drinking like the adults, he has little tolerance for having to "work" for his water. So, today we brought a sports bottle with us. He loved it! We loved it because now we can get him some water while we are there. The playroom has been hovering around 90 – 95 degrees with the windows open, so we want to make sure that he is getting plenty of fluids during his play time. During our morning visit our coordinator, Elena came by with a representative from the Ministry of Education. Alfia (our translator here in Ust) translated the instructions in regards to our court appearances. The goal is to answer as many of the prosecutor’s questions in our prepared statement as possible, so that he won’t need to ask them. As the representative was giving her instructions, the Mom’s were asked to bring the children back to their room for lunch. We walked in and everyone else had been fed, so it was just our three little ones that needed to eat. So, we all sat down and started feeding our boys.
When we returned for our afternoon visit, we were allowed in the playroom again. This time Joe went to get the little man from his room. As soon as Ivan saw Joe he started to reach for him, which just lit Joe up for the rest of the day. Ivan definitely likes to snuggle with Mom, but he is warming up to his Daddy. The kids in the orphanage rarely see men, much less men that are 6’3! Joe and Ivan played a lot (lots of sitting on Daddy’s stomach) but the heat was almost unbearable in the room this afternoon. The humidity is really soaring and making the heat feel all the more oppressive. This kind of heat takes the energy away from the kids and the parents, that is for sure.
Saturday evening we arranged for our driver to meet us at 7:30 and take us to an Italian restaurant that we had been told about earlier in the week. Alexi (the driver) arrived just as planned and off we went. The restaurant was right next to the Irtysh river and the breeze blowing off of the water was just heavenly. We decided to eat on the covered patio so that we could take in the breeze and the gorgeous view. This evening was by far the best that we have had here in Ust. It was fantastic from top to bottom. We all let our hair down and enjoyed great food, wine and company. Joe had a fabulous cream of mushroom soup and a chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes and fries on the side. He ordered mushroom risotto, but was told "Nyet, Nyet", so he revised and ordered fries instead. The funny thing was that John ordered the exact same thing after Joe, and was allowed to get the risotto. Who knows why. It’s just one of those things that gets lost in translation. Charlotte did not order the soup, but was awfully sorry when she tasted Joe’s…it was so yummy. She ordered veal with crispy mashed potatoes on the side. We split a piece of ice cream cake for dessert. We arrived back at the hotel thanks to Alexi about 10:30. Everyone was out like a light by 11.
Sunday dawned with early morning thunderstorms. By the time we were all up and out the temperature was a lovely 70 - 75 degrees and somewhat drier than the previous two days. It was wonderful! Everyone was in good spirits as we boarded the van to head to the orphanage for the first visit of the second week. We were in the playroom once again. Ivan was obviously still very sleepy when we arrived, as he was most content to just rest on Mommy’s shoulder. He did a little standing, assisted waking and some sorting but that was about it.
When we returned this afternoon Joe went to Ivan’s room to get him and Ivan went right to him once again. We sat on the floor as usual and played for about thirty minutes. It was obvious that he was feeling much more lively than this morning. Little did we know what Ivan had up his sleeve for us today. We started to do some assisted walking around the room, which was fun. Then we sat down for a break. Ivan was willing to stand when we encouraged him to and after a few minutes he was standing without us holding on to his hands or leaning on anything. Then he did it. He took a few steps without holding onto anything at all! We were amazed, as were the rest of the parents in the room. Then Charlotte went and sat a few feet away and called Ivan over to her. He toddled right over and the last few steps he would practically run into her waiting arms. He was SO proud of himself, which was the best part. He performed his little trick for us several more times, and each time he was obviously proud of himself and his new feat. So, now we have a walker. We will really have our hands full in Almaty while we are there. Even though this adds a new element, it is one that we are thrilled to be a part of. At the usual time one of his caregivers came into the playroom and whisked him away for snack time. We hardly had a chance to say goodbye for the day. However, sometimes that is probably best…less stress on him and us.
Once we returned to the hotel we went across the street to a baby shop that Lorraine and Alan discovered yesterday. We bought a new sippy cup that flows both ways and a couple of other small items for Ivan. No toys though. They did not have anything that looked like his speed at the moment. Then we decided to go on a walk in the park that is located right near us here at the hotel. The roses are just past their peak but still beautiful. Lots of flowers and shrubs are in bloom and the park was a wash of color. The temperature has remained relatively low today, so it was a great day to get out and see a little bit of the city.
Tonight will be our last at the Irtysh in downtown Ust. Tomorrow morning we move to the new hotel which is a little further outside of town. We have inquired about moving back here, but the rooms with A/C are all booked until after we leave on the 20th. So, we will likely spend the rest of our time at the other hotel. We have looked at other options here in Ust, but nothing else has worked for a group our size. So, we will all just try to make the best of it in our new digs. We are not sure how or when we will be able to access the Internet moving forward, but we certainly will try!
As we have said before, we greatly appreciate all of the prayers that are coming our way. God really does hear them and He has answered so many of ours throughout this process. Not always the way we thought that we wanted Him to, but in a much better way than we ever could have imagined. Please keep them coming! We are scheduled to have our court hearing on Monday July 18. Please add this date to your prayer list. We hope that everything will go smoothly and as planned, but you never know until that gavel goes down and the judge approves our petition. We would also like to request that you pray for the 15 day appeal period to be waived. We have a hearing about that on Tuesday July 19, if all goes well on the 18th. Usually, the appeal period is waived for our agency, but the judge can rule however he/she wants. It is not a given. So, please pray for a smooth court hearing, fast approval and for the 15 day appeal to be waived, so that we can get our little man home as soon as possible.
Off to dinner we go…more as soon as we can figure out where/when we can send from.
Lots of love to you all!
Charlotte and Joe
Thank you all for your wonderful emails. We love hearing from all of you! Of course we also love reading that you all think Ivan is as cute as we do (we know that we are slightly biased, being his parents and all).
Friday was a very good day with Ivan. We had two fabulous visits with some babbling, unsolicited smiles, giggles and obvious recognition. When we walked into his room Friday afternoon, he was sitting in one of the playpens playing quietly. As soon as we walked in he immediately pulled himself up to a standing position. We were both thrilled to get this recognition from Ivan. We went into the caregiver’s "lounge" where we have had all of our visits so far. The orphanage has a very large playroom for adoption visits just down the hall from Ivan’s room on the third floor and it is filled with lots of interactive toys. However, we have not been allowed to go in to that room with the other families since Ivan had a fever on Sunday. So, we have been cramming into this room with one other family (Austin, Mary and 15 month old Daniel) all week. Since Ivan is not too interested in walking the small room has not been much of a problem for us. Daniel however, is practically running at this time, so the small space is really frustrating for him. Towards the end of the visit, Ivan was leaning against Charlotte, and kept trying to climb up. Finally, she realized that he wanted to snuggle, so she scooped him up and he immediately put his head on her shoulder and began to relax.
Friday evening the group decided to stay in and have a low-key evening. We met on the patio of the hotel and had a couple of beers together before all retiring early for the evening. We came upstairs and started to watch a DVD when all of a sudden there was this load cracking noise outside. We opened our window and saw fireworks going off! There had been a very large wedding reception going on in the Irtysh’s ballroom and this was the final hooray for the bride and groom. What a neat way to wrap up our first full week in Kazakhstan!
Saturday we were finally allowed to go to the playroom with the other families! While we parents were thrilled about the move, Ivan was a little unsure of his new surroundings and stayed pretty quiet. We had tried introducing the sippy cup a few days earlier, but found that it was just not going to work at this time. (Of course we bought the kind that only flows one way!) Ivan is so used to drinking like the adults, he has little tolerance for having to "work" for his water. So, today we brought a sports bottle with us. He loved it! We loved it because now we can get him some water while we are there. The playroom has been hovering around 90 – 95 degrees with the windows open, so we want to make sure that he is getting plenty of fluids during his play time. During our morning visit our coordinator, Elena came by with a representative from the Ministry of Education. Alfia (our translator here in Ust) translated the instructions in regards to our court appearances. The goal is to answer as many of the prosecutor’s questions in our prepared statement as possible, so that he won’t need to ask them. As the representative was giving her instructions, the Mom’s were asked to bring the children back to their room for lunch. We walked in and everyone else had been fed, so it was just our three little ones that needed to eat. So, we all sat down and started feeding our boys.
When we returned for our afternoon visit, we were allowed in the playroom again. This time Joe went to get the little man from his room. As soon as Ivan saw Joe he started to reach for him, which just lit Joe up for the rest of the day. Ivan definitely likes to snuggle with Mom, but he is warming up to his Daddy. The kids in the orphanage rarely see men, much less men that are 6’3! Joe and Ivan played a lot (lots of sitting on Daddy’s stomach) but the heat was almost unbearable in the room this afternoon. The humidity is really soaring and making the heat feel all the more oppressive. This kind of heat takes the energy away from the kids and the parents, that is for sure.
Saturday evening we arranged for our driver to meet us at 7:30 and take us to an Italian restaurant that we had been told about earlier in the week. Alexi (the driver) arrived just as planned and off we went. The restaurant was right next to the Irtysh river and the breeze blowing off of the water was just heavenly. We decided to eat on the covered patio so that we could take in the breeze and the gorgeous view. This evening was by far the best that we have had here in Ust. It was fantastic from top to bottom. We all let our hair down and enjoyed great food, wine and company. Joe had a fabulous cream of mushroom soup and a chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes and fries on the side. He ordered mushroom risotto, but was told "Nyet, Nyet", so he revised and ordered fries instead. The funny thing was that John ordered the exact same thing after Joe, and was allowed to get the risotto. Who knows why. It’s just one of those things that gets lost in translation. Charlotte did not order the soup, but was awfully sorry when she tasted Joe’s…it was so yummy. She ordered veal with crispy mashed potatoes on the side. We split a piece of ice cream cake for dessert. We arrived back at the hotel thanks to Alexi about 10:30. Everyone was out like a light by 11.
Sunday dawned with early morning thunderstorms. By the time we were all up and out the temperature was a lovely 70 - 75 degrees and somewhat drier than the previous two days. It was wonderful! Everyone was in good spirits as we boarded the van to head to the orphanage for the first visit of the second week. We were in the playroom once again. Ivan was obviously still very sleepy when we arrived, as he was most content to just rest on Mommy’s shoulder. He did a little standing, assisted waking and some sorting but that was about it.
When we returned this afternoon Joe went to Ivan’s room to get him and Ivan went right to him once again. We sat on the floor as usual and played for about thirty minutes. It was obvious that he was feeling much more lively than this morning. Little did we know what Ivan had up his sleeve for us today. We started to do some assisted walking around the room, which was fun. Then we sat down for a break. Ivan was willing to stand when we encouraged him to and after a few minutes he was standing without us holding on to his hands or leaning on anything. Then he did it. He took a few steps without holding onto anything at all! We were amazed, as were the rest of the parents in the room. Then Charlotte went and sat a few feet away and called Ivan over to her. He toddled right over and the last few steps he would practically run into her waiting arms. He was SO proud of himself, which was the best part. He performed his little trick for us several more times, and each time he was obviously proud of himself and his new feat. So, now we have a walker. We will really have our hands full in Almaty while we are there. Even though this adds a new element, it is one that we are thrilled to be a part of. At the usual time one of his caregivers came into the playroom and whisked him away for snack time. We hardly had a chance to say goodbye for the day. However, sometimes that is probably best…less stress on him and us.
Once we returned to the hotel we went across the street to a baby shop that Lorraine and Alan discovered yesterday. We bought a new sippy cup that flows both ways and a couple of other small items for Ivan. No toys though. They did not have anything that looked like his speed at the moment. Then we decided to go on a walk in the park that is located right near us here at the hotel. The roses are just past their peak but still beautiful. Lots of flowers and shrubs are in bloom and the park was a wash of color. The temperature has remained relatively low today, so it was a great day to get out and see a little bit of the city.
Tonight will be our last at the Irtysh in downtown Ust. Tomorrow morning we move to the new hotel which is a little further outside of town. We have inquired about moving back here, but the rooms with A/C are all booked until after we leave on the 20th. So, we will likely spend the rest of our time at the other hotel. We have looked at other options here in Ust, but nothing else has worked for a group our size. So, we will all just try to make the best of it in our new digs. We are not sure how or when we will be able to access the Internet moving forward, but we certainly will try!
As we have said before, we greatly appreciate all of the prayers that are coming our way. God really does hear them and He has answered so many of ours throughout this process. Not always the way we thought that we wanted Him to, but in a much better way than we ever could have imagined. Please keep them coming! We are scheduled to have our court hearing on Monday July 18. Please add this date to your prayer list. We hope that everything will go smoothly and as planned, but you never know until that gavel goes down and the judge approves our petition. We would also like to request that you pray for the 15 day appeal period to be waived. We have a hearing about that on Tuesday July 19, if all goes well on the 18th. Usually, the appeal period is waived for our agency, but the judge can rule however he/she wants. It is not a given. So, please pray for a smooth court hearing, fast approval and for the 15 day appeal to be waived, so that we can get our little man home as soon as possible.
Off to dinner we go…more as soon as we can figure out where/when we can send from.
Lots of love to you all!
Charlotte and Joe
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Greetings from Kazakhstan July 7, 2005
Hello Family and Friends!
The Lord continues to richly bless our little family here in Ust. We have now completed 5 days of the required 14 days of visitation with Ivan. Every visit brings us new joy and wonder. Ivan continues to take more and more of an interest in our faces, which is just wonderful. We both love it when he plays with our glasses. He really enjoys it when we kiss his hands and fingers and pretend to gobble them whole. He likes to do the same to us as well.
We have been slowly introducing new toys as well and so far the biggest hit is one sent by his Nana. It is a soft sorter called the "Puppy House". It has three puppies, a red, a blue and a yellow one. Plus the "house" has several different size holes to put the puppies in and take them out of again. Ivan started with this one on Monday. At first he did not even want the toy to touch him. Then he warmed up to that and started to put the puppies into the house, but would not take them out. By Tuesday morning he was very busy pulling the puppies in and out of the front door (the largest opening) and moving towards the smaller holes on the sides and the back. By this afternoon (Thursday) he was happiest sucking on the yellow puppies feet and pulling on the blue puppies tail with his teeth. We thought that we had won the lottery when he stuck the blue puppies tail in each of our mouths for a tug! We also have a child friendly picture book with pictures of Sherman, Nana, Papa Wayne, Grandma, Papa, Aunt Catherine, Uncle Mike and Wilson. So far, the most popular face to look at and touch is Sherman! Ivan will reach out and pet his snout and rub his belly. Sherman already has him trained and they have not even met yet!!
It is REALLY hot here now, and the orphanage has no A/C of course. Ivan is often drenched with sweat when we arrive (as are we after riding in the non-a/c van for 15 minutes). The good news is that at his age they are less apt to bundle them up in spite of the heat. When we arrive, he is often in just a tee shirt and undies. Sometimes in the afternoon, they hand him to us in nothing but undies! Wednesday we were allowed to have a fan in the room where we visit and that gave Ivan (and us) a new lease on life. We had the best visit so far Wednesday afternoon. We feel certain that it was because we were all a little cooler and less lethargic.
Ivan has started to make some babbling noises and stood for us a little bit on Thursday. He even took a few tentative steps while we held his hands. We aren’t pushing anything, as we have plenty of time for him to be "on the move".
Our group continues to be doing well together. Our dinner Tuesday at the Black Bull Pub was really wonderful. They serve a lot of grilled meats there. Our group sat on the patio were the fire was and it was a most pleasant evening. We stopped by the Baskin Robbins for dessert and all came back to the hotel feeling quite happy with life.
Wednesday night we decided to try the restaurant here at the hotel. We had all heard good things about it and we were all exhausted from the 100+ degree heat. We met outside at 7:30 for some beer and wine. Then headed inside about 8:15 for dinner. We wanted to eat outside since it had cooled off so nicely but we were told that they are awaiting insurance and cannot serve outside until they receive the insurance. We all laughed and came inside. We were the only customers in the place. The menu was over 10 pages long and VERY detailed. We all ordered and began the wait. The last entrée arrived around 9:45 or so. Alan was brave and ordered off of the menu. He requested a traditional Kazak dish, and the chef was thrilled to prepare something for him. He received a bowl of large egg noodles, with vegetables in a thin broth and horse. Yes, Charlotte sat next to a man who was knowingly eating horse. He offered us all a taste, but we all passed. Joe had a fried chicken dish and Charlotte had grilled shrimp with olive oil and green olives. Both were quite tasty.
Tonight (Thursday) the group ventured out to a local pizza place. We had a wonderful time, but ordering and paying were a little complicated. There were no English menus and no one spoke English, broken or otherwise. Thankfully, Curtis speaks some Russian and she helped us all to stumble through.
Friday morning we had a fantastic visit. It was the warmest morning thus far and the most humid (not compared to home, but for Ust it was humid). The orphanage Babushka brought in some toys from Ivan’s regular playroom. He loved playing with them and us! It was wonderful. Since the toys were familiar, he was into them from the get go. One of them was like the Little People Village that he has waiting at home for him, from Mike and Barbara! After some playtime Ivan decided it was time that we saw him crawl and pull up for the first time. What a moment that was for both of us. We now know with certainty that our house will never again be the same. We are thrilled! (Note to Sherman…get ready!)
As you can see our time with Ivan continues to improve and fill us with joy and anticipation about this new chapter in our lives. The trip here continues to be an adventure and an exercise in patience. We were informed yesterday that we would need to change rooms after the 10th of July. When we pushed for more information, we discovered that the "suites" that we are currently occupying have been booked after the 10th. These are the only rooms in the hotel with A/C, which has proven to be a must for sleep and rest. The hotel offered us 3 single rooms (code for two cots and four walls). Our group agreed that we need A/C and we need our own rooms. No one wants to bunk with another couple. Your room is the only place that you have to just be alone with your spouse, which at times is really necessary just to process all that is happening. So, we are heading to another hotel on the 11th. The only real downers about that hotel (that we know of) are that it is out of town, so there will be no walking anywhere and that it is twice as expensive. However, we have decided that we will make the best of it and just learn to use taxis in the evening for our dinners out. So, Monday we move to the Beibers Hotel in Ust.
Well, we had better go ahead and sign off for now. We have tried compressing the pictures, so hopefully we can send more at a time. We’ll see. Thank you again for all of the heartfelt prayers and words of encouragement. We miss you all and are really looking forward to introducing the newest member of the Tew clan very soon!
Much love,
Joe and Charlotte
The Lord continues to richly bless our little family here in Ust. We have now completed 5 days of the required 14 days of visitation with Ivan. Every visit brings us new joy and wonder. Ivan continues to take more and more of an interest in our faces, which is just wonderful. We both love it when he plays with our glasses. He really enjoys it when we kiss his hands and fingers and pretend to gobble them whole. He likes to do the same to us as well.
We have been slowly introducing new toys as well and so far the biggest hit is one sent by his Nana. It is a soft sorter called the "Puppy House". It has three puppies, a red, a blue and a yellow one. Plus the "house" has several different size holes to put the puppies in and take them out of again. Ivan started with this one on Monday. At first he did not even want the toy to touch him. Then he warmed up to that and started to put the puppies into the house, but would not take them out. By Tuesday morning he was very busy pulling the puppies in and out of the front door (the largest opening) and moving towards the smaller holes on the sides and the back. By this afternoon (Thursday) he was happiest sucking on the yellow puppies feet and pulling on the blue puppies tail with his teeth. We thought that we had won the lottery when he stuck the blue puppies tail in each of our mouths for a tug! We also have a child friendly picture book with pictures of Sherman, Nana, Papa Wayne, Grandma, Papa, Aunt Catherine, Uncle Mike and Wilson. So far, the most popular face to look at and touch is Sherman! Ivan will reach out and pet his snout and rub his belly. Sherman already has him trained and they have not even met yet!!
It is REALLY hot here now, and the orphanage has no A/C of course. Ivan is often drenched with sweat when we arrive (as are we after riding in the non-a/c van for 15 minutes). The good news is that at his age they are less apt to bundle them up in spite of the heat. When we arrive, he is often in just a tee shirt and undies. Sometimes in the afternoon, they hand him to us in nothing but undies! Wednesday we were allowed to have a fan in the room where we visit and that gave Ivan (and us) a new lease on life. We had the best visit so far Wednesday afternoon. We feel certain that it was because we were all a little cooler and less lethargic.
Ivan has started to make some babbling noises and stood for us a little bit on Thursday. He even took a few tentative steps while we held his hands. We aren’t pushing anything, as we have plenty of time for him to be "on the move".
Our group continues to be doing well together. Our dinner Tuesday at the Black Bull Pub was really wonderful. They serve a lot of grilled meats there. Our group sat on the patio were the fire was and it was a most pleasant evening. We stopped by the Baskin Robbins for dessert and all came back to the hotel feeling quite happy with life.
Wednesday night we decided to try the restaurant here at the hotel. We had all heard good things about it and we were all exhausted from the 100+ degree heat. We met outside at 7:30 for some beer and wine. Then headed inside about 8:15 for dinner. We wanted to eat outside since it had cooled off so nicely but we were told that they are awaiting insurance and cannot serve outside until they receive the insurance. We all laughed and came inside. We were the only customers in the place. The menu was over 10 pages long and VERY detailed. We all ordered and began the wait. The last entrée arrived around 9:45 or so. Alan was brave and ordered off of the menu. He requested a traditional Kazak dish, and the chef was thrilled to prepare something for him. He received a bowl of large egg noodles, with vegetables in a thin broth and horse. Yes, Charlotte sat next to a man who was knowingly eating horse. He offered us all a taste, but we all passed. Joe had a fried chicken dish and Charlotte had grilled shrimp with olive oil and green olives. Both were quite tasty.
Tonight (Thursday) the group ventured out to a local pizza place. We had a wonderful time, but ordering and paying were a little complicated. There were no English menus and no one spoke English, broken or otherwise. Thankfully, Curtis speaks some Russian and she helped us all to stumble through.
Friday morning we had a fantastic visit. It was the warmest morning thus far and the most humid (not compared to home, but for Ust it was humid). The orphanage Babushka brought in some toys from Ivan’s regular playroom. He loved playing with them and us! It was wonderful. Since the toys were familiar, he was into them from the get go. One of them was like the Little People Village that he has waiting at home for him, from Mike and Barbara! After some playtime Ivan decided it was time that we saw him crawl and pull up for the first time. What a moment that was for both of us. We now know with certainty that our house will never again be the same. We are thrilled! (Note to Sherman…get ready!)
As you can see our time with Ivan continues to improve and fill us with joy and anticipation about this new chapter in our lives. The trip here continues to be an adventure and an exercise in patience. We were informed yesterday that we would need to change rooms after the 10th of July. When we pushed for more information, we discovered that the "suites" that we are currently occupying have been booked after the 10th. These are the only rooms in the hotel with A/C, which has proven to be a must for sleep and rest. The hotel offered us 3 single rooms (code for two cots and four walls). Our group agreed that we need A/C and we need our own rooms. No one wants to bunk with another couple. Your room is the only place that you have to just be alone with your spouse, which at times is really necessary just to process all that is happening. So, we are heading to another hotel on the 11th. The only real downers about that hotel (that we know of) are that it is out of town, so there will be no walking anywhere and that it is twice as expensive. However, we have decided that we will make the best of it and just learn to use taxis in the evening for our dinners out. So, Monday we move to the Beibers Hotel in Ust.
Well, we had better go ahead and sign off for now. We have tried compressing the pictures, so hopefully we can send more at a time. We’ll see. Thank you again for all of the heartfelt prayers and words of encouragement. We miss you all and are really looking forward to introducing the newest member of the Tew clan very soon!
Much love,
Joe and Charlotte
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Greetings from Kazakhstan July 5, 2005
Hello again from Ust! We are still working on the photo issue, and we will send some as soon as we can. However, until then just know that God has blessed us with the perfect little boy for our family.
Tuesday we had our third day of visitation. Ivan is coming out of his shell a little more with each visit. This morning we even got a small smile while Joe was playing peep-eye with him. We have gotten other smiles, but always after lots of kisses and tickling. Every little smile is a blessing and we have cherished every one.
We arrive at the orphanage about 10:15 every morning and leave around 12. Usually, lunch is served at 11:30, so we have been fortunate enough to feed Ivan his last three lunches! What a sight they all are sitting at their little tables and waiting for chow time. Lunch begins with a piece of bread, then a bowl of chicken broth, carrots and either noodles or potatoes. Then the "main course" is served which is usually mashed potatoes and some type of meat. All of the children eat EVERY bite, and whine if you take it away before they have cleaned their plates. "Dessert" is another piece of bread and a cup of tea. Yes, tea. They are served in china teacups, and truly prefer to hold the cup themselves. We’ve noticed that when someone holds the cup for them, they spill. However, when they are allowed to do it themselves, they don’t miss a drop! After lunch we leave until our afternoon visit.
We return about 2:15 and visit until 4. We play until about 3:30 when it is snack time…usually a cookie and some milk. Ivan is always the last to finish his cookie, which may explain his low weight. Our little man is too busy taking everything in to eat quickly when left on his own. The caregivers are always telling him to hurry up and finish! Then they are off for a bath and a nap.
The caregivers are so fabulous. We can not tell you how much love is in that room. It has been such a privilege to watch them with the children. They love them like their own and they truly adore each and every one. Ivan’s favorite is a blond (just like him) who coos over him. We feel so indebted to this woman, as she has clearly loved our little boy while he waited for us to get here. It is really sweet the way they all react to each other.
The other couples are all having a wonderful time as well. There are three of us adopting 15 month olds, one couple adopting a 14-month-old and one couple adopting a 9-month-old…all boys. What a treat to have so many around the same age!
Lorraine and Alan are from San Francisco and are adopting Ben who is 15 months. Ben is very Kazak looking, meaning dark eyes, skin and hair. Very cute and curious.
Curtis and John are from Boston and are adopting Leo who is 9 months. We have only seen Leo once, and that was very briefly. He is very Russian and seems to be a very active little man…lots of crawling and pulling up from what we have heard.
Mary and Austin are from Dublin, Ireland and are adopting Daniel who is 15 months. Daniel is quite a character, running around and into EVERYTHING that he can get his little hands on. He is by far the most outgoing and advanced of all the children so far. He has blond hair and blue, blue, blue eyes.
Bridgette and Eugene are from Ireland as well. They are from a little village in the Midlands of Ireland. They are adopting Rory who is 14 months old. Rory has been in the "sick room" ever since we arrived and no one has met him except Eugene and Bridgette. They say that he is doing very well and appears to just have a very bad chest cold. However, we think that he may have been in the hospital for a while, which is why he is now in quarantine in the sick room for 14 days. Hopefully he will be out with the others soon.
Ivan is a mixture of both Kazak and Russian features. He has blond hair (which was a total surprise to us, since it was so dark in the video), large brown eyes, and chubby cheeks that you will all want to pinch! His eyelashes are so long and luscious, all of the ladies will wish they were theirs!
Everyone is getting along well, and we try to go out to eat as a group in the evenings. Our translator has shown us a couple of places that have English menus, so we mostly stick to those places and eating in our rooms.
Ivan appears to be very shy; however, with each visit we see his self-confidence improve. Today (Tuesday) we saw him not only hold onto his toy while Daniel tried to take it away, but get up and go get it once Daniel had let go and fallen down! Very funny.
We know that Ivan can walk, with assistance…we’ve seen him do it a couple of times. However, he won’t do it with us yet. Anytime we try to make him stand, he slides right onto his bottom, but if one of his caregivers tells him to stand in place, he does it with no problem whatsoever. Same thing with walking. He won’t walk for us, but he does for his caregivers. When we are there he just likes to sit and play and be held. He LOVES to be held and we are more than happy to oblige him. We know that once we have custody or when we get home he will be busy enough walking and running around.
This afternoon (Tuesday) we were able to put Ivan down for his 4 PM nap. He polished off his warm milk and Charlotte carried him into the "crib room" for his nap. She laid him down in his crib and he immediately started to arch his back and cry. His favorite caregiver came over and covered him with a blanket and started to sing to him and push his crib back and forth. He hushed immediately. What we wouldn’t give to have a tape recorder of her singing to him when we leave. Perhaps that is something we can find here to help Ivan with the transition once we leave Ust.
Tonight we are going to dinner at a local pub, the Black Bull. We tried to go last night, but we missed it by a block, so we all came back to the hotel and just drank beer and wine in a little reception area on the 5th floor. It was so therapeutic for us all to sit around and discuss all that is going on and what will happen as the trip proceeds. Austin and Mary adopted from Ust in October 2002. They are the proud parents of Maria, who is now 28 months old. Things have changed slightly since they did this in 2002, but not so much that their experience is not beneficial to the rest of us. Their presence has been a real blessing to us all.
It’s time to wrap it up for now. Off to the pub for some dinner and laughter.
Love to all!
Charlotte and Joe
PS. We have not had a chance to read the emails that you all have sent yet. We hope to do that tomorrow. Sorry that we don’t have time to reply to everyone individually, but our Internet experience so far has been a little stressful. We are hoping to find a better connection tomorrow at the library, but who knows what that will be like. We will have DSL in Almaty, so then we should be able to send lots of pictures, or we may post them on Ofoto or something like that. Thanks again for all of the love and prayers coming our way...we really can feel it half way around the world!!
Tuesday we had our third day of visitation. Ivan is coming out of his shell a little more with each visit. This morning we even got a small smile while Joe was playing peep-eye with him. We have gotten other smiles, but always after lots of kisses and tickling. Every little smile is a blessing and we have cherished every one.
We arrive at the orphanage about 10:15 every morning and leave around 12. Usually, lunch is served at 11:30, so we have been fortunate enough to feed Ivan his last three lunches! What a sight they all are sitting at their little tables and waiting for chow time. Lunch begins with a piece of bread, then a bowl of chicken broth, carrots and either noodles or potatoes. Then the "main course" is served which is usually mashed potatoes and some type of meat. All of the children eat EVERY bite, and whine if you take it away before they have cleaned their plates. "Dessert" is another piece of bread and a cup of tea. Yes, tea. They are served in china teacups, and truly prefer to hold the cup themselves. We’ve noticed that when someone holds the cup for them, they spill. However, when they are allowed to do it themselves, they don’t miss a drop! After lunch we leave until our afternoon visit.
We return about 2:15 and visit until 4. We play until about 3:30 when it is snack time…usually a cookie and some milk. Ivan is always the last to finish his cookie, which may explain his low weight. Our little man is too busy taking everything in to eat quickly when left on his own. The caregivers are always telling him to hurry up and finish! Then they are off for a bath and a nap.
The caregivers are so fabulous. We can not tell you how much love is in that room. It has been such a privilege to watch them with the children. They love them like their own and they truly adore each and every one. Ivan’s favorite is a blond (just like him) who coos over him. We feel so indebted to this woman, as she has clearly loved our little boy while he waited for us to get here. It is really sweet the way they all react to each other.
The other couples are all having a wonderful time as well. There are three of us adopting 15 month olds, one couple adopting a 14-month-old and one couple adopting a 9-month-old…all boys. What a treat to have so many around the same age!
Lorraine and Alan are from San Francisco and are adopting Ben who is 15 months. Ben is very Kazak looking, meaning dark eyes, skin and hair. Very cute and curious.
Curtis and John are from Boston and are adopting Leo who is 9 months. We have only seen Leo once, and that was very briefly. He is very Russian and seems to be a very active little man…lots of crawling and pulling up from what we have heard.
Mary and Austin are from Dublin, Ireland and are adopting Daniel who is 15 months. Daniel is quite a character, running around and into EVERYTHING that he can get his little hands on. He is by far the most outgoing and advanced of all the children so far. He has blond hair and blue, blue, blue eyes.
Bridgette and Eugene are from Ireland as well. They are from a little village in the Midlands of Ireland. They are adopting Rory who is 14 months old. Rory has been in the "sick room" ever since we arrived and no one has met him except Eugene and Bridgette. They say that he is doing very well and appears to just have a very bad chest cold. However, we think that he may have been in the hospital for a while, which is why he is now in quarantine in the sick room for 14 days. Hopefully he will be out with the others soon.
Ivan is a mixture of both Kazak and Russian features. He has blond hair (which was a total surprise to us, since it was so dark in the video), large brown eyes, and chubby cheeks that you will all want to pinch! His eyelashes are so long and luscious, all of the ladies will wish they were theirs!
Everyone is getting along well, and we try to go out to eat as a group in the evenings. Our translator has shown us a couple of places that have English menus, so we mostly stick to those places and eating in our rooms.
Ivan appears to be very shy; however, with each visit we see his self-confidence improve. Today (Tuesday) we saw him not only hold onto his toy while Daniel tried to take it away, but get up and go get it once Daniel had let go and fallen down! Very funny.
We know that Ivan can walk, with assistance…we’ve seen him do it a couple of times. However, he won’t do it with us yet. Anytime we try to make him stand, he slides right onto his bottom, but if one of his caregivers tells him to stand in place, he does it with no problem whatsoever. Same thing with walking. He won’t walk for us, but he does for his caregivers. When we are there he just likes to sit and play and be held. He LOVES to be held and we are more than happy to oblige him. We know that once we have custody or when we get home he will be busy enough walking and running around.
This afternoon (Tuesday) we were able to put Ivan down for his 4 PM nap. He polished off his warm milk and Charlotte carried him into the "crib room" for his nap. She laid him down in his crib and he immediately started to arch his back and cry. His favorite caregiver came over and covered him with a blanket and started to sing to him and push his crib back and forth. He hushed immediately. What we wouldn’t give to have a tape recorder of her singing to him when we leave. Perhaps that is something we can find here to help Ivan with the transition once we leave Ust.
Tonight we are going to dinner at a local pub, the Black Bull. We tried to go last night, but we missed it by a block, so we all came back to the hotel and just drank beer and wine in a little reception area on the 5th floor. It was so therapeutic for us all to sit around and discuss all that is going on and what will happen as the trip proceeds. Austin and Mary adopted from Ust in October 2002. They are the proud parents of Maria, who is now 28 months old. Things have changed slightly since they did this in 2002, but not so much that their experience is not beneficial to the rest of us. Their presence has been a real blessing to us all.
It’s time to wrap it up for now. Off to the pub for some dinner and laughter.
Love to all!
Charlotte and Joe
PS. We have not had a chance to read the emails that you all have sent yet. We hope to do that tomorrow. Sorry that we don’t have time to reply to everyone individually, but our Internet experience so far has been a little stressful. We are hoping to find a better connection tomorrow at the library, but who knows what that will be like. We will have DSL in Almaty, so then we should be able to send lots of pictures, or we may post them on Ofoto or something like that. Thanks again for all of the love and prayers coming our way...we really can feel it half way around the world!!
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Greetings from Kazakhstan July 2, 2005
Hey everyone! This email has been written over several different days, so please forgive the rambling…
Hello from Kazakhstan! The T’s have arrived safe and sound. Our flights were smooth and uneventful, but it was a long trip and we were very happy to arrive Friday night. After we deplaned in Almaty we were met by a portion of our adoption team at the baggage claim area. Our group has 5 couples, three American couples and two couples from Ireland. The couples from Ireland had some trouble with their flights into Almaty and we have not met them yet. They loaded our group into two vans and off to the hotel we went. The other American couples are Lorraine and Alan from San Francisco and John and Curtis from Boston. We stayed at the Ai Ser Hotel in downtown Almaty Friday night and we are leaving for Ust-Kamenogorsk at 4:30 Saturday afternoon. We will be very glad when we are able to unpack and settle in to our temporary home in Ust.
Our morning here in Almaty has been very good. We ate breakfast with Lorraine and Alan and then we went on a little shopping adventure at the local "mall". It was more like an indoor flea market than a mall, to be honest. When we plugged in our converter this morning, both fuses blew and it was all over. We feared that we had hauled the laptop all the way here and now we would not be able to use it! However, Alan told us about a potential work around. All four of us piled into a cab and off to the mall we went. We were able to buy exactly what we needed to make the laptop work, and all is right with the world again.
We arrived Ust last night at about 6:30 and we are happy to report that at no time were we served Tongue for our in flight meals! However, at dinner this evening it was a very big item on the menu (tongue salad anyone?) but we all declined.
We checked into our hotel here in Ust, the Irtysh. We are right in the middle of town, which is nice. We can walk to dinner and the grocery store etc. When we arrived at the hotel, our coordinator told us that we would be allowed to go to the Orphanage on Sunday, instead of on Monday as we thought.
Our entire group (everyone is here now, some without luggage) went upstairs to "sleep". When we assembled in the lobby Sunday morning, we all admitted to getting very little sleep. How does one sleep when your child is only minutes away and you are about to meet them for the first time? You just don’t, that’s all.
Sunday morning also brought another surprise. The entire city of Ust had shut off their water supply in order to do maintenance on the lines. We would not have water again until 6 PM July 4. We all made the best of it though and eagerly looked forward to getting a long shower on Monday evening. As it turned out, the hot water did not return until Tuesday morning, so it was a very COLD shower on Monday night...but at that point water was water.
We piled into the van at 10 Sunday morning and sat in silence for the entire 15 minute ride to the Orphanage. We were all a bundle of nerves as we sat in the "waiting room" of the orphanage. Then Elena, our coordinator walked in at 10:30 holding two beautiful little boys. We looked at the one on the left and KNEW that she was holding our son. His eyes and cheeks look just like they do in the video we have of him from when he was two months old. She looked at Charlotte and said "Svirid" and she walked over and Elena placed him in her arms as tears of pure joy rolled down her face. She turned around and brought him over to meet his Daddy, who was also crying. As we held our son for the first time we said a prayer of thanks, as it was very obvious that the Lord had heard and answered every prayer that we had said for this little boy. As others met their little ones we were completely oblivious, so we have no idea how others reacted to meeting their children, but we assume that it was similar to ours. Pure joy…there are no other words to describe it.
We went upstairs to his group’s room, since the orphanage director was not there, we were not able to go to the "play room" where we likely have the rest of our visits. However, what a blessing this was! We got to feed Ivan at lunch time, meet his little buddies from his group and meet his caregivers (who are so wonderful, there is no way to tell you the love that they have for these kids, but it is SO obvious despite the language barrier).
Then we left so that the children could nap and we grabbed some lunch at a local pizza place. The van ride to the restaurant was filled with tons of laughter and joy. We were a different group now…we had met our children!! Everyone was gushing about their child and everyone else’s as well. It was fantastic.
Then we came back to the hotel for a few minutes and then back to the orphanage for another visitation. This time we just went straight upstairs and the children were brought in. The other two couples in our room (also adopting 15 month old boys) were told that they could go outside if they wanted, but we were asked to stay indoors as Ivan has a slight fever and a runny nose. So we stayed inside and had some time alone with Ivan. It was wonderful. It was obvious (even to new parents) that he was not feeling up to snuff, so we just cuddled and he fell asleep in Joe’s arms. After his little naptime, we were asked to come to the main room so that he could have his afternoon snack. Everyone else was just about finished when we arrived, so they handed Ivan his sugar wafer and he started to gnaw on it a little. His friend Ben (Lorraine and Alan’s little boy) reached over and tried to take it out of Ivan’s hand, but Ivan had a good grip on it. Lorraine and Alan sprang into action and told Ben "Nyet, Nyet". Crisis averted. As all of the others were taken off for a bath, Ivan continued to nibble on his wafer. He was quite content to sit there and soften it up a bit before finally polishing it off. Then it was washed down with a cup of milk. After that we said good-bye until tomorrow and he was off to get his bath.
We left and went to the grocery store and stocked up on some quick items for the room. Then we all went to dinner at "The Pancake House". It is a restaurant that serves mainly crepes filled with sweet and savory concoctions. It was great. We all sat around and chatted for a couple of hours and then made our way back to the hotel for an evening of much needed rest. I think that all ten of us will sleep better tonight than we have in months.
Thank you all for the love and prayers. We must tell you that EVERY prayer has been answered, from prayers about travel to prayers about meeting Ivan. Every one has been heard and fully answered. God has truly been with this family on this journey. We have some hurdles to overcome (court, living in a hotel with a new baby when the time comes, return travel etc.) but we know that the Lord will see us through it and give us exactly what we need. So, please keep those prayers coming, and know that we are feeling them more and more every day.
The "business center" where we are sending this from, is only open Monday through Friday, so we will try to email again, mid week.
TTFN,
Joe and Charlotte
Hello from Kazakhstan! The T’s have arrived safe and sound. Our flights were smooth and uneventful, but it was a long trip and we were very happy to arrive Friday night. After we deplaned in Almaty we were met by a portion of our adoption team at the baggage claim area. Our group has 5 couples, three American couples and two couples from Ireland. The couples from Ireland had some trouble with their flights into Almaty and we have not met them yet. They loaded our group into two vans and off to the hotel we went. The other American couples are Lorraine and Alan from San Francisco and John and Curtis from Boston. We stayed at the Ai Ser Hotel in downtown Almaty Friday night and we are leaving for Ust-Kamenogorsk at 4:30 Saturday afternoon. We will be very glad when we are able to unpack and settle in to our temporary home in Ust.
Our morning here in Almaty has been very good. We ate breakfast with Lorraine and Alan and then we went on a little shopping adventure at the local "mall". It was more like an indoor flea market than a mall, to be honest. When we plugged in our converter this morning, both fuses blew and it was all over. We feared that we had hauled the laptop all the way here and now we would not be able to use it! However, Alan told us about a potential work around. All four of us piled into a cab and off to the mall we went. We were able to buy exactly what we needed to make the laptop work, and all is right with the world again.
We arrived Ust last night at about 6:30 and we are happy to report that at no time were we served Tongue for our in flight meals! However, at dinner this evening it was a very big item on the menu (tongue salad anyone?) but we all declined.
We checked into our hotel here in Ust, the Irtysh. We are right in the middle of town, which is nice. We can walk to dinner and the grocery store etc. When we arrived at the hotel, our coordinator told us that we would be allowed to go to the Orphanage on Sunday, instead of on Monday as we thought.
Our entire group (everyone is here now, some without luggage) went upstairs to "sleep". When we assembled in the lobby Sunday morning, we all admitted to getting very little sleep. How does one sleep when your child is only minutes away and you are about to meet them for the first time? You just don’t, that’s all.
Sunday morning also brought another surprise. The entire city of Ust had shut off their water supply in order to do maintenance on the lines. We would not have water again until 6 PM July 4. We all made the best of it though and eagerly looked forward to getting a long shower on Monday evening. As it turned out, the hot water did not return until Tuesday morning, so it was a very COLD shower on Monday night...but at that point water was water.
We piled into the van at 10 Sunday morning and sat in silence for the entire 15 minute ride to the Orphanage. We were all a bundle of nerves as we sat in the "waiting room" of the orphanage. Then Elena, our coordinator walked in at 10:30 holding two beautiful little boys. We looked at the one on the left and KNEW that she was holding our son. His eyes and cheeks look just like they do in the video we have of him from when he was two months old. She looked at Charlotte and said "Svirid" and she walked over and Elena placed him in her arms as tears of pure joy rolled down her face. She turned around and brought him over to meet his Daddy, who was also crying. As we held our son for the first time we said a prayer of thanks, as it was very obvious that the Lord had heard and answered every prayer that we had said for this little boy. As others met their little ones we were completely oblivious, so we have no idea how others reacted to meeting their children, but we assume that it was similar to ours. Pure joy…there are no other words to describe it.
We went upstairs to his group’s room, since the orphanage director was not there, we were not able to go to the "play room" where we likely have the rest of our visits. However, what a blessing this was! We got to feed Ivan at lunch time, meet his little buddies from his group and meet his caregivers (who are so wonderful, there is no way to tell you the love that they have for these kids, but it is SO obvious despite the language barrier).
Then we left so that the children could nap and we grabbed some lunch at a local pizza place. The van ride to the restaurant was filled with tons of laughter and joy. We were a different group now…we had met our children!! Everyone was gushing about their child and everyone else’s as well. It was fantastic.
Then we came back to the hotel for a few minutes and then back to the orphanage for another visitation. This time we just went straight upstairs and the children were brought in. The other two couples in our room (also adopting 15 month old boys) were told that they could go outside if they wanted, but we were asked to stay indoors as Ivan has a slight fever and a runny nose. So we stayed inside and had some time alone with Ivan. It was wonderful. It was obvious (even to new parents) that he was not feeling up to snuff, so we just cuddled and he fell asleep in Joe’s arms. After his little naptime, we were asked to come to the main room so that he could have his afternoon snack. Everyone else was just about finished when we arrived, so they handed Ivan his sugar wafer and he started to gnaw on it a little. His friend Ben (Lorraine and Alan’s little boy) reached over and tried to take it out of Ivan’s hand, but Ivan had a good grip on it. Lorraine and Alan sprang into action and told Ben "Nyet, Nyet". Crisis averted. As all of the others were taken off for a bath, Ivan continued to nibble on his wafer. He was quite content to sit there and soften it up a bit before finally polishing it off. Then it was washed down with a cup of milk. After that we said good-bye until tomorrow and he was off to get his bath.
We left and went to the grocery store and stocked up on some quick items for the room. Then we all went to dinner at "The Pancake House". It is a restaurant that serves mainly crepes filled with sweet and savory concoctions. It was great. We all sat around and chatted for a couple of hours and then made our way back to the hotel for an evening of much needed rest. I think that all ten of us will sleep better tonight than we have in months.
Thank you all for the love and prayers. We must tell you that EVERY prayer has been answered, from prayers about travel to prayers about meeting Ivan. Every one has been heard and fully answered. God has truly been with this family on this journey. We have some hurdles to overcome (court, living in a hotel with a new baby when the time comes, return travel etc.) but we know that the Lord will see us through it and give us exactly what we need. So, please keep those prayers coming, and know that we are feeling them more and more every day.
The "business center" where we are sending this from, is only open Monday through Friday, so we will try to email again, mid week.
TTFN,
Joe and Charlotte
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Our bags are packed and ready to go!!
We are scheduled to leave Thursday June 30, 2005 at 12:40 PM. We will arrive in Almaty, Kazakhstan at approximately 10:15 PM July 1, 2005. J and I are SO excited, we hardly know what to do with ourselves.
I know that the flights will be nothing but exhausting for me and I am really dreading the long haul. The two times that I have been to Europe I was unable to sleep a wink coming or going. I have never been able to sleep while on the move. Even as a child, I never slept in the car. It drove my parents batty when we drove to Florida.
Once we arrive in Almaty we will go through the usual airport whohah and then we will meet our coordinator and driver. At that point I am certain that I will be a walking zombie and I will just be thrilled to be on my way to the airport hotel. We will spend (what's left of) the night at the hotel and then the next day we will board a Soviet jetliner (from the rear I am told) and fly to Ivan's region.
If all goes as planned we will meet Ivan on Monday, July 4, 2005. We will then have 14 straight days of visitation and bonding in the Baby Home. On July 18, 2005 we should have our court appearance. If all goes well in court, we should take custody of Ivan on July 20, 2005 when we fly back to Almaty. Once in Almaty we will check into the Hyatt and spend the next 10 days waiting for all of the final paperwork to be completed. We will have an appointment at the US Embassy, where we will receive all of the paperwork for Ivan's IR-3 visa. This wonderful packet of paperwork is what will allow Ivan to enter the US as a US citizen.
After that, who knows what life will hold for us. A lot of joy and chaos I am sure.
I am not sure if I will be able to update this journal from Kaz. If I can, I certainly will! If not, I'll let you know when we are home and what it was really like while we were there.
TTFN!
I know that the flights will be nothing but exhausting for me and I am really dreading the long haul. The two times that I have been to Europe I was unable to sleep a wink coming or going. I have never been able to sleep while on the move. Even as a child, I never slept in the car. It drove my parents batty when we drove to Florida.
Once we arrive in Almaty we will go through the usual airport whohah and then we will meet our coordinator and driver. At that point I am certain that I will be a walking zombie and I will just be thrilled to be on my way to the airport hotel. We will spend (what's left of) the night at the hotel and then the next day we will board a Soviet jetliner (from the rear I am told) and fly to Ivan's region.
If all goes as planned we will meet Ivan on Monday, July 4, 2005. We will then have 14 straight days of visitation and bonding in the Baby Home. On July 18, 2005 we should have our court appearance. If all goes well in court, we should take custody of Ivan on July 20, 2005 when we fly back to Almaty. Once in Almaty we will check into the Hyatt and spend the next 10 days waiting for all of the final paperwork to be completed. We will have an appointment at the US Embassy, where we will receive all of the paperwork for Ivan's IR-3 visa. This wonderful packet of paperwork is what will allow Ivan to enter the US as a US citizen.
After that, who knows what life will hold for us. A lot of joy and chaos I am sure.
I am not sure if I will be able to update this journal from Kaz. If I can, I certainly will! If not, I'll let you know when we are home and what it was really like while we were there.
TTFN!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
What's in a name?
At long last, J and I have given our son a name.
Ivan
We had it narrowed down to two names and then we read something about a Kazak tradition and that settled it for us. Apparently, it is a tradition to name your child for the meaning of the name and not the name itself. Well, Ivan means Precious Gift From God.
Enough said.
Ivan
We had it narrowed down to two names and then we read something about a Kazak tradition and that settled it for us. Apparently, it is a tradition to name your child for the meaning of the name and not the name itself. Well, Ivan means Precious Gift From God.
Enough said.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
WE GOT IT, WE GOT IT!!
We have our Letter of Invitation!! We are supposed to be in Kazakhstan no later than July 1! Oh my gosh, we are really going to get there...and soon!!
Thank you, Lord!!!!
Woo Hoo!
Shwoooo....big sigh of relief over here.
Thank you, Lord!!!!
Woo Hoo!
Shwoooo....big sigh of relief over here.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Movin' right along....
Nothing really new to report. As of today we are leaving on the 30th of June. We leave from our home airport here in North Carolina and fly to DC. From DC we fly to Frankfurt and then onto Almaty. We should arrive in Almaty on July 1 at 10:15 PM. We will have flown over 7500 miles by the time we get there, and that is just one half of the trip! I'm tired just thinking about it.
J and I have been very busy over the past couple of weeks. We have started pulling everything together as far as clothes and other necessities and making lots of lists. I have been buying gifts, gifts and more gifts to give to the various people along the way. I have really enjoyed shopping for our little one's caregivers as well as our translator and driver. These are folks that I know that we will truly feel indebted to by the end of our time in Ust-Kamenogorsk. However, there are other folks that I need to have gifts for like the officials that have approved our paperwork along the way etc. These gifts are a lot harder for me to buy. I will likely never meet some of these folks. From what I understand, when J and I arrive in Ust we will hand over the 13 gifts for the "adoption officials" to our coordinator and then we will never see the gifts again. Apparently, while our coordinator is calling on these folks in regards to our adoption, she will present them with a token of our appreciation once the task has been completed. We are not to spend more than $10-15 per person, so it is not anything really nice, but it is hard to know what would be appreciated.
Not to mention that there are severe weight limitations on our luggage once we get to Kazakhstan. Until we arrive each of our bags can weigh up to 70 pounds without overage charges. However, once we enter Kazakhstan and have to travel domestically we will be charged $5 per pound over 40 pounds! So, we are trying to make sure that our bags don't weigh too much over 40 pounds each. This may prove to be very challenging.
Lots to do this week...so no time for cocktails!
J and I have been very busy over the past couple of weeks. We have started pulling everything together as far as clothes and other necessities and making lots of lists. I have been buying gifts, gifts and more gifts to give to the various people along the way. I have really enjoyed shopping for our little one's caregivers as well as our translator and driver. These are folks that I know that we will truly feel indebted to by the end of our time in Ust-Kamenogorsk. However, there are other folks that I need to have gifts for like the officials that have approved our paperwork along the way etc. These gifts are a lot harder for me to buy. I will likely never meet some of these folks. From what I understand, when J and I arrive in Ust we will hand over the 13 gifts for the "adoption officials" to our coordinator and then we will never see the gifts again. Apparently, while our coordinator is calling on these folks in regards to our adoption, she will present them with a token of our appreciation once the task has been completed. We are not to spend more than $10-15 per person, so it is not anything really nice, but it is hard to know what would be appreciated.
Not to mention that there are severe weight limitations on our luggage once we get to Kazakhstan. Until we arrive each of our bags can weigh up to 70 pounds without overage charges. However, once we enter Kazakhstan and have to travel domestically we will be charged $5 per pound over 40 pounds! So, we are trying to make sure that our bags don't weigh too much over 40 pounds each. This may prove to be very challenging.
Lots to do this week...so no time for cocktails!
Friday, June 03, 2005
WOO HOO!!
We heard from our Social Worker this afternoon...we have tentative travel dates! Here is the proposed schedule...
July 2, 2005 - arrive Almaty, Kazakhstan
July 18, 2005 - Court
July 27, 2005 - leave Almaty for HOME!!!
As with everything, this may change. We still don't have our official "Letter of Invitation" yet, but we have no reason to believe that it won't arrive in time.
Praise the Lord for this wonderful news!! His timing is perfect and I have to continue to believe that He will unite us at just the right time. What wonderful news for an otherwise unremarkable Friday! Thank you Lord!!
July 2, 2005 - arrive Almaty, Kazakhstan
July 18, 2005 - Court
July 27, 2005 - leave Almaty for HOME!!!
As with everything, this may change. We still don't have our official "Letter of Invitation" yet, but we have no reason to believe that it won't arrive in time.
Praise the Lord for this wonderful news!! His timing is perfect and I have to continue to believe that He will unite us at just the right time. What wonderful news for an otherwise unremarkable Friday! Thank you Lord!!
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Tendrils of Love…
Yesterday, May 28, 2005 my best friend, S, got married. It was a wonderful and overwhelming day filled with love and hope for the happy couple and us. S and C looked so incredibly happy and everyone there was thrilled to see them take this step forward in their lives.
After I had completed my Matron of Honor duties and everyone was enjoying the reception, I was given a real blessing from God. J and I were circulating saying our hellos to everyone and just enjoying ourselves immensely. As I stopped and chatted with various people I noticed over and over people asking me "So, when do you leave?" I always answered "We are hoping for the first of July". Then almost everyone who asked me about our adoption would say, "Well, we are really praying for you all. We can’t wait to meet him as soon as you get home." I was so blown away. Some of these people have known J and me for years and have been pulling for us for a long time now. However, there were many that really don’t know us. People that we have met once or twice but are as interested in our adoption as my own Mom! Many of these interested parties were C’s family that only know us through S and C.
As J and I drove home from the "day after wedding breakfast" this morning I was thinking about all of the folks that are "thinking of and praying for" us and our son. What a wonderful blessing from God…tendrils of love from far and wide. Yet again, He has provided us with so much love and support and in a place and time that has nothing to do with our adoption or us. When we do get our little man home, he will be surrounded by love and care that he won’t even know about.
Thank you Lord, for your perfect provision every time.
After I had completed my Matron of Honor duties and everyone was enjoying the reception, I was given a real blessing from God. J and I were circulating saying our hellos to everyone and just enjoying ourselves immensely. As I stopped and chatted with various people I noticed over and over people asking me "So, when do you leave?" I always answered "We are hoping for the first of July". Then almost everyone who asked me about our adoption would say, "Well, we are really praying for you all. We can’t wait to meet him as soon as you get home." I was so blown away. Some of these people have known J and me for years and have been pulling for us for a long time now. However, there were many that really don’t know us. People that we have met once or twice but are as interested in our adoption as my own Mom! Many of these interested parties were C’s family that only know us through S and C.
As J and I drove home from the "day after wedding breakfast" this morning I was thinking about all of the folks that are "thinking of and praying for" us and our son. What a wonderful blessing from God…tendrils of love from far and wide. Yet again, He has provided us with so much love and support and in a place and time that has nothing to do with our adoption or us. When we do get our little man home, he will be surrounded by love and care that he won’t even know about.
Thank you Lord, for your perfect provision every time.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Moving to the next phase...and shaking in my shoes
Well, Friday May 20 was my last day at work. I left a job that I have held since July 1999. Practically the whole time that I have been there, J and I have either been ttc, dealing with IF treatments, or pursuing adoption. The fact that I have left my job represents a whole new chapter in our lives and I am a little anxious about the changes. J and I have always planned that I would stay at home with our children, so I am really excited about not having to try and balance a career and a family. However, I am a little nervous about being at home and not yet having our son home.
This weekend has been really wonderful though because I did not have to get all of my usual running around, house cleaning and laundry done in two days. I will have some time during the week to get some things done and that is a wonderful thought. I have quiet a "to do" list before we leave for Kazakhstan (still hoping for an early July departure date), but I feel that with some of the extra time that I will have between now and then, I will get it all done.
I am really looking forward to helping my sister, who is eight and half months pregnant, by looking after my niece, W, a few days a week before she begins her maternity leave in mid June. W is four and such a character. I am really excited about our forethcoming time together and I think that she is too. So, we'll see how that goes.
I am hoping that the next few weeks will allow me some down time before we travel, as I know that I will never really have that again. Being a Mom is a full-time job for life. I am so excited about taking that job, but if I can start out a little rested...all the better by me! I'm still nervous about the coming weeks, but once I dive in and get busy, I don't think that I will really have time to be scared. Let's hope so anyway.
This weekend has been really wonderful though because I did not have to get all of my usual running around, house cleaning and laundry done in two days. I will have some time during the week to get some things done and that is a wonderful thought. I have quiet a "to do" list before we leave for Kazakhstan (still hoping for an early July departure date), but I feel that with some of the extra time that I will have between now and then, I will get it all done.
I am really looking forward to helping my sister, who is eight and half months pregnant, by looking after my niece, W, a few days a week before she begins her maternity leave in mid June. W is four and such a character. I am really excited about our forethcoming time together and I think that she is too. So, we'll see how that goes.
I am hoping that the next few weeks will allow me some down time before we travel, as I know that I will never really have that again. Being a Mom is a full-time job for life. I am so excited about taking that job, but if I can start out a little rested...all the better by me! I'm still nervous about the coming weeks, but once I dive in and get busy, I don't think that I will really have time to be scared. Let's hope so anyway.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Still Determined...
I have been reading everything and anything that I can get my hands on about this "Visa Issue" that has pushed our travel dates out by a month. It seems that we were going to be a part of the May 26 travel group, until this "Visa Issue" popped up for the May 9 travel group. Normally when there is such an issue the group gets pushed out by a couple of days. However, this time had the group left any later than May 12; their court dates would coincide with the Judge's two week vacation. Some of the folks did not receive their Letter of Invitation until yesterday, so there was no way that a May 12 departure was going to work. So that is why our group has been pushed to July.
J and I are still very disappointed and frustrated. We are mostly frustrated that our agency did not give us any kind of warning about this delay. I know that they knew about it because they are the ones coordinating the former May 9 group. My frustration is with S the Kazak coordinator in DC. She knew that this was an issue, but neglected to inform our Social Worker until after they had told us that we had made it out of the MFA. Not to mention how horribly our Agency Director handled the situation. I cannot even articulate how horrible that conversation was on Tuesday. He was a total putz. I have to let it go and just continue to keep my head down and remain determined to get there. Our son is counting on us.
J and I are still very disappointed and frustrated. We are mostly frustrated that our agency did not give us any kind of warning about this delay. I know that they knew about it because they are the ones coordinating the former May 9 group. My frustration is with S the Kazak coordinator in DC. She knew that this was an issue, but neglected to inform our Social Worker until after they had told us that we had made it out of the MFA. Not to mention how horribly our Agency Director handled the situation. I cannot even articulate how horrible that conversation was on Tuesday. He was a total putz. I have to let it go and just continue to keep my head down and remain determined to get there. Our son is counting on us.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
This is the latest from our Social Worker...
C,
I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you. I was not able to contact S on Friday and then I was out on Monday. Anyway, S is estimating that travel would be in the beginning of July. It is still a ways off, but it is coming.
I hope this helps. Have a good day!
What? July? All along they have said May or June!! I am devastated.
J and I are calling the agency director this afternoon to see what, if anything, he can do to move our travel dates.
And so, we wait...again.
Update: The call with our agency director was completely fruitless. His consolation was that at least our little one was still avaiable for adoption. The director had just called someone this morning and had to inform them that their referral was no longer available because an Aunt had stepped forward.
Gee, thanks. That really helps me with the wait.
C,
I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you. I was not able to contact S on Friday and then I was out on Monday. Anyway, S is estimating that travel would be in the beginning of July. It is still a ways off, but it is coming.
I hope this helps. Have a good day!
What? July? All along they have said May or June!! I am devastated.
J and I are calling the agency director this afternoon to see what, if anything, he can do to move our travel dates.
And so, we wait...again.
Update: The call with our agency director was completely fruitless. His consolation was that at least our little one was still avaiable for adoption. The director had just called someone this morning and had to inform them that their referral was no longer available because an Aunt had stepped forward.
Gee, thanks. That really helps me with the wait.
Friday, May 06, 2005
PRAISE!
Praise the Lord!! I just heard from our SW and she said that our dossier is out of the MFA! Now we are just waiting on travel dates. WOO HOO!! Thank you Lord for such a wonderful Mother's Day gift.
We are almost there...
We are almost there...
Some days are harder than others...
It’s been a tough week. As Mother’s Day approaches I find myself feeling more and more down. In years past this "Holiday" has not really brought me down the way it does some people that are dealing with IF. I would often tell myself "Next year you will have your little one too". Most of the time that was enough to get me through and to keep me from being really blue on that special day in May. However, this year when I really feel that this is the last Mother’s Day without our child being with us, I am a mess. I’ve cried every night this week. The pain has been so acute over the past few days and I am allowing myself to be ruled by my fears. I am clinging to my fears and not the Lord and I know it. Yet, I don’t seem to want to stop it.
J has been out of town on business this week, so when I get home from work it is just Sherman and me. Usually I truly enjoy those evenings alone when J is out of town, but not this week. There has been a lot going on at work and I am certain that is part of it. However, there seems to be something else. Fear…not a specific fear, just an overwhelming sense of fear. The weight of it this week has been crushing.
I am really hoping and praying that next week when I contact our Social Worker for an update, she will have some good news for us. J and I need it. Until then though I know that I need to get on my knees and surrender my fears and anxieties. I can’t function this way, and I know that I don’t have to.
J has been out of town on business this week, so when I get home from work it is just Sherman and me. Usually I truly enjoy those evenings alone when J is out of town, but not this week. There has been a lot going on at work and I am certain that is part of it. However, there seems to be something else. Fear…not a specific fear, just an overwhelming sense of fear. The weight of it this week has been crushing.
I am really hoping and praying that next week when I contact our Social Worker for an update, she will have some good news for us. J and I need it. Until then though I know that I need to get on my knees and surrender my fears and anxieties. I can’t function this way, and I know that I don’t have to.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
No new news here...
The latest non-word from our Social Worker:
C
S emailed and states that Kaz is closed for holiday, but that your dossier is still in the MFA-so no travel dates yet-sorry.
Thanks and I will keep checking on travel for you.
C
S emailed and states that Kaz is closed for holiday, but that your dossier is still in the MFA-so no travel dates yet-sorry.
Thanks and I will keep checking on travel for you.
Monday, May 02, 2005
His room is ready and so are we...
This weekend J and I went to visit his Mom and Dad. We had a great time and arrived home yesterday revved to finish the nursery. We finished hanging the border and it looks great! Then we hauled the dresser and the bookcase up from the garage where they have resided since J finished staining them last weekend. The furniture stain matches the crib color beautifully and honestly, I could not be more pleased with the outcome.
Next we moved all of the "stuff" from our Baby Shower into the room and started unpacking it all. J and I were like kids in a candy store as we went through everything and imagined our little guy using it all. We opened the new Diaper Champ and got it all ready to go. The diaper stacker even has diapers in it! Now all we need is our little guy home with us. First however, we need travel dates. No word yet on those...hopefully soon. Please Lord, soon.
Next we moved all of the "stuff" from our Baby Shower into the room and started unpacking it all. J and I were like kids in a candy store as we went through everything and imagined our little guy using it all. We opened the new Diaper Champ and got it all ready to go. The diaper stacker even has diapers in it! Now all we need is our little guy home with us. First however, we need travel dates. No word yet on those...hopefully soon. Please Lord, soon.
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